SFFkit, August 2022; Asian Authors of SFF

In August we will read science fiction or fantasy written by Asian authors. Asian is actually a large area and covers many countries. If you think it fits, go ahead and read it and post it on the wiki and let us know what you thought.
Some suggestions;
1. The Paper Menagerie and Other Stories by Ken Liu. This won all three major awards. The author was born in China and is American writer.
2. Liu Cixin is the author of The Three Body Problem which is now a series.
3. Hao Jingfang Vagabonds
4. Chen Qiufan - Waste Tide
5. Haruki Murakami; Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World and 1Q84.
6. Marie Lu most settings are dystopian.

In July the Author Cat featured Asian authors; The header stated; "Asia actually encompasses more of the globe than I had thought! In the West, Istanbul (Turkey) actually straddles the European and Asian continents (though Cape Baba is the Westernmost point); Russia claims two extreme cardinal points on the compass with the most Northernmost Asian place at Cape Chelyuskin and the most Easternmost at Cape Dezhnev; In the South, the boundary is marked by Tanjung Piai, Malaysia. While many tend to think of East Asia (China, Hong Kong, Japan, Macau, Mongolia, North Korea, South Korea, and Taiwan) as the heart of "The East", the cultural identities and influences are far more reaching. So...you don't have to limit your choices to China or Japan. What will you be reading, which countries and authors do you recommend?

I have TONS I can read here, as I love Asian inspired fantasy and sci fi.

The Grace of Kings by Ken Liu has been sitting on my virtual TBR shelf for a long time. Maybe now is its chance.

>4 Robertgreaves: I have this to read as well - meant to read it for a book club in April but I keep putting it off as it is so big!

>5 JayneCM: That's pretty much why I have as well. I just don't have the stamina for long books that I used to

I'm going to plan on reading Pakistan author Usman T. Malik's new collection of short stories, Midnight Doorways: Fables from Pakistan. I've heard fantastic things about his writing and some of the stories here, and it was such a pleasure to get to hear him speak at StokerCon this year, I've been anxious to pick up the collection ever since.

I especially liked Zen Cho's Black water sister and Nghi Vo's The chosen and the beautiful.

I’m planning to read The ghost bride by yangsze choo for this months topic.

I read Never Have I Ever by Isabel Yap.

Anyone have recommendations for light reads for this? Heavy or depressing or highly-involved books just aren't happening lately and for whatever reason the Asian authors on my wishlist right now tend toward that.

>11 antqueen: Convenience Store Woman (by Sayaka Murata) - Short, light without being "twee" -- immediately came to mind.

ETA NM! I just realized I was in the wrong Asian Authors prompt! Convenience Store Woman (by Sayaka Murata) is not SFF! Even more embarrassing is that the other prompt has already “expired” in July aaand I had hosted it!🤦🏻‍♀️

It looks good, though :)

>11 antqueen: How about Nghi Vo's Singing Hills cycle? You can read one, and there isn't any one you should read first.
The empress of salt and fortune
When the tiger came down the mountain
Into the riverlands

ETA Into the riverlands comes out in October 2022

Thought this group might be interested in this discussion of writing workshops in the US, where they came from, and how they don't meet every writer's needs.

The Ghost of Workshops Past: How Communism, Conservatism, and the Cold War Still Mold Our Paths Into SFF via tor.com

>11 antqueen: I've read a couple of books by Zen Cho lately. Pretty light weight historical fantasy. A little two dimensional, but nothing depressing or dark: sorcerer to the crown and sequel The true queen.

>16 amberwitch: Seconding this recommendation -- I really loved Sorcerer to the Crown!

So, funny story, When the Tiger Came Down the Mountain sounded really familiar, and when I poked around my computer I realized that I actually had an ebook downloaded, I think one of Tor's freebies from a while ago. I'd completely forgotten about it. I started it last night and it's just what I need right now. Thanks again!

And Sorcerer to the Crown looks like something I'd like... my wishlist thanks you too :)

Looking for the September thread...

>19 fuzzi: I think it is here; https://www.librarything.com/topic/343546

I have an hour left in Babel, or The Necessity of Violence: An Arcane History of the Oxford Translators' Revolution from R. F. Kuang. The fantastic elements are not as central to the plot as I expected, but I am enjoying it. It takes place mostly in a slightly altered 1830s Oxford and focuses on 4 students in the translation school, which is nicknamed Babel. The main character was born in Canton and is taken to England by a white man who had been supporting his family for an unknown reason.

I also read Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin in August. The main characters make narrative role playing games, which are a bit different than the types of games I play. It is still a very good book, and I love the Oregon Trail references!

I read Midnight Doorways: Fables from Pakistan by Usman T. Malik and finally got around to reviewing it. It is fantastic, and deserves so many more readers. I hope many of you will look it up, even though I'm so late to post.