The Greatest

Shi Yu was born in Canton, in China. She is six years old and has never met her parents. Forced to suffer the injustices heaped upon her by the innkeeper for whom she works, one day she meets Li Wei, a young boy who is skilled in martial arts, who convinces her to learn to defend herself through wushu. When, a few years later, she is kidnapped by pirates, her combat skills save her life, and she is made a member of the crew instead being executed. Not long after, she becomes commander of the most feared pirate fleet in the entire China Sea. Her name is on everyone's lips and her enemies are lurking around the corner, ready to destroy her and the wushu of Air and Water, of which she has become the ultimate master. Inspired by one of the many historical female figures in Chinese literature, "La più grande"' tells the story of Cheng Shih, commander of one of the most feared pirate fleets of the 18th century. The reader accompanies Shi Yu as she grows and evolves, from a child who wants to defend herself against bullying men to a proud and unstoppable warrior. Leaving the brutality of a society steeped in chauvinism on dry land and joining the free crew of the Golden Dragon, bound by their "code of honour", Yu leaps between ships whose names will become familiar (Shooting Star, Blue Mermaid, Vengeance), experiencing love, torture, battles, escapes, revenge and betrayal. In other words, all the key ingredients of the best pirate stories with an extra touch of magic, and words that narrate an increasingly vibrant, vivid story, page after page. Until the smoke of the battle obscures the reader's view, leading them directly onto the battlefield, side by side with Yu, as they attempt to peer through the smoke. La più grande di Davide Morosinotto Rizzoli 2020