Chloe Gong is wrapping up one trilogy while building another, and she is not shy about it. The author behind These Violent Delights — a 2020 “Romeo & Juliet” retelling set in 1920s Shanghai — released the final book of her Flesh & False Gods saga last month and is now preparing for the November launch of Deadlock, the sequel to 2025’s Coldwire. She is also working on two more books to debut in the coming years, all while talking to Variety about endings, adaptations and why she is not afraid of a little chaos on screen.
“I’m currently working on the final book in ‘The StrangeLoom’ trilogy,” Gong told Variety in a late August interview. “It is always really strange to talk about because ‘Deadlock’ isn’t out yet. That’s coming out in November, but already I’m deep in the weeds of getting that third and final book finished and I’m very excited about how that’s going to look.”
The Final Book of Flesh & False Gods
Eyes of Kings arrived on Aug. 4 as the conclusion of Gong’s trilogy inspired by Shakespeare’s “Antony and Cleopatra.” Gong says she has been preparing readers for the end since the first book, with the series’ tagline reading, “At the end of this war, there can only be one king.”
“I’ve been bracing everyone, I think,” she says. “I’ve loved the reader reactions. You know, no one’s happy, but everyone’s had a great time, I think.”
She admits the ending killed her a little every time she wrote it, but she is excited about how it turned out. The book’s reception has been strong, with readers tagging her in their reactions, crying videos and Instagram posts with captions like “Chloe Gong, how dare you!”
Deadlock and the Secret Project
Deadlock is set for a Nov. 17 release, and Gong is already deep into the revision process for the third book in the trilogy. She is also working on a secret project that has not been announced yet.
“It’s secret because it’s brand new for me,” Gong explains. “It’s my first venture into something contemporary.”
She has been teasing it as a blend of Emily Henry romance and zombie apocalypse. “I have been kind of teasing it as, imagine an Emily Henry love story meets the zombie apocalypse,” she says. “I’m super excited to talk about it more, and I think at this point, I’ve done that teaser enough times that I’m like, it’s OK, my publisher’s not gonna sack me for that.”
Adaptations and Hollywood
Gong’s projects have not been adapted for the big screen yet, but a project based on These Violent Delights has been rumored for some time. She remains open to the idea, even if she has no concrete updates to share.
“As far as I know, things are always moving somehow in the industry,” she says. “But I don’t have anything to report, at least as of now. People are always looking at my work. People are considering, and people are in conversation.”
She says she writes books that would look good and feel fun to adapt, but her focus stays on the words on the page. “So Hollywood, call me,” she adds.
Why Fantasy Is Hard to Adapt
Gong is very open to collaboration and the changes that come with adapting a book for TV or film. She says she would love any type of adaptation and has the least amount of opinions about what it would look like.
She acknowledges that fantasy is a hard terrain to adapt, especially when characters do things that look like magic. “There’s so much CGI involved, especially when you have characters doing effectively what is magic, even though I don’t use that term in the series,” she says. “There are so many cool things that I think would be great on a screen. It just depends on who wants to do it.”
What Comes Next
Gong’s schedule is packed, but she is not looking up fan reactions on her own. She likes to save her sanity that way, but she has readers who tag her in their emotional responses.
“I don’t look it up with my own volition,” she says. “I like to save my sanity that way, but I have some amazing readers who will tag me in their reactions.”
| Book | Series | Release Date |
|---|---|---|
| Eyes of Kings | Flesh & False Gods | Aug. 4 |
| Deadlock | Flesh & False Gods | Nov. 17 |
| Third book of StrangeLoom | StrangeLoom | To be announced |
| Secret contemporary project | New series | Not announced |
The final book of StrangeLoom and the secret contemporary project are both in development, but no release dates have been shared yet. Gong is staying focused on the writing, with the hope that someone who shares her vision will see the visual equivalent of her stories.
Her candid admission that the ending of Eyes of Kings broke hearts but left everyone having a great time is the story’s beating heart.
Source material: “Author Chloe Gong on ‘Eyes of Kings’ ending, ‘Deadlock’ debut and how she wants ‘These Violent Delights’ adapted for TV or film,” Variety.
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