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4.25 AVERAGE
4.25 AVERAGE
funny
reflective
medium-paced
I read this in the weeks leading up to a trip to Malaysia and enjoyed nearly every story. Great characters and use of folklore.
Some were too dark for me, but al of them are richly textured, with well-developed characters, and killer hooks.
Zen Cho is quickly becoming an important author on my speculative-fiction radar, with her lovely whimsical style and her stories that are much deeper than they appear at first sight. I had seen her name on my Goodreads feed for a while, and I took the plunge earlier this year with “Black Water Sister” and now I am hooked!
This collection of short stories and novellas touch on similar themes as the ones explored with “Black Water Sister”: immigration, cultural clash, transformation, self-discovery, family (what it actually means and how generations can’t understand each other), and sexual awakening. Those are all very contemporary topics, but I love that Cho chose to explore them through the lens of folklores and legends from South East Asia – with a few Celtic faeries sprinkled on top for good measure! She also effortlessly draws up characters who are beautifully diverse – it never feels like box-checking, it just is.
Vampires, gods, dragons, ghosts, automata, aliens, sentient plants : I learned a lot about mythology reading this book, but I also got a wonderful glimpse of the inner lives of such creatures, their loves, motivations, desires and fears. I think that Cho’s gift truly lies in opening her readers’ heart with her little fables, and while there are a few weaker stories in this book, none of them are bad, and they are all thought-provoking.
A very charming collection, recommended to fans of Asian mythology and soft sci-fi.
This collection of short stories and novellas touch on similar themes as the ones explored with “Black Water Sister”: immigration, cultural clash, transformation, self-discovery, family (what it actually means and how generations can’t understand each other), and sexual awakening. Those are all very contemporary topics, but I love that Cho chose to explore them through the lens of folklores and legends from South East Asia – with a few Celtic faeries sprinkled on top for good measure! She also effortlessly draws up characters who are beautifully diverse – it never feels like box-checking, it just is.
Vampires, gods, dragons, ghosts, automata, aliens, sentient plants : I learned a lot about mythology reading this book, but I also got a wonderful glimpse of the inner lives of such creatures, their loves, motivations, desires and fears. I think that Cho’s gift truly lies in opening her readers’ heart with her little fables, and while there are a few weaker stories in this book, none of them are bad, and they are all thought-provoking.
A very charming collection, recommended to fans of Asian mythology and soft sci-fi.
This book was a horror and a delight from beginning to end. Strong imagery and clever wordsmithing combine for an excellent collection.
Ghost stories, fairytales, the genres I most loved as a child, appear on these pages all grown up, fully fantastical but still, as the best of such tales do, revealing truths about being a living human. That the magic comes from a diaspora culture makes it all the more relatable, for me. Iconic and folklore references from ancient times and the old country, mixed with characters and ideas formed by modern and dominant-culture perspectives, mix to create a richness that has depth, reality, and resonance for a reader with roots in even very different diaspora cultures. I just love this stuff! I don't often read short stories--I usually want an extended read that immerses me for days in one world and one set of characters--but (while I'd be delighted to read a full novel expanding on any of these stories) Zen Cho's artistry conveys centuries and worlds in few words. Each story leaves me feeling satisfied as well as delighted.
adventurous
funny
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
One of the best short story collections I've read all year! Zen Cho is an absolute mastermind, adding a consistently unique twist - whether through modernisation or cultural blending - to a wide range of ghost stories and mythical creatures. Her characters are very charming and very human, even when they're technically not. She’s got an incredibly readable prose that strikes the perfect balance between overdescription and bringing magical settings to life.
The first few stories are heavily rooted in contemporary Malay culture, whereas the second and third sections (set in Britain and the spirit realm) were more accessible and familiar to me as an English reader. I definitely “got” more of the little details and in-jokes that probably flew over my head in the section that was set in Malaysia. I assume that this impacted my enjoyment more than I realise, and explains why my high ratings for individual stories are very skewed away from the first section of the book.
Part 1: Here
The First Witch of Damansara - 2 stars, I didn't think it was a particularly strong opener considering the quality of other works in this collection
The Guest - 2 stars, this was also quite forgettable
The Fish Bowl - 3 stars, I think it’s slightly derivative but it still absolutely hooked me. I felt like some explanation of the main character’s actions was lacking
First Forum on the Position of Minorities in Malaysia - 2 stars. This was ok, but the semi-political forum setting didn't grab my attention.
Odette - 4 stars. Really compelling, the main character was easily sympathetic.
The House of Aunts - The first 5 star read (of many) in this collection, and it was so, so good! Exceptionally vivid characters, funny and warm-hearted too. I wish more had been explained about how the grandma and aunts became vampires originally.
Balik Kampung - 3 stars. Not the most stand out, but super immersive story. Really liked the depiction of the “personal agony”.
Part 2: There
One-Day Travelcard for Fairyland - 5 stars. Really enjoyed this!
Rising Lion - The Lion Bows - 2 stars. This was fine, but definitely one of the more predictable, pedestrian stories in this collection.
Seven Star Drum - 2 stars.
The Mystery of the Suet Swain - Easy 5 stars!! Set in Cambridge and super nostalgic. Very creepy stalker ghoul.
Prudence and the Dragon - 5 stars!! My favourite in this collection. I absolutely loved Prudence’s very simple, straightforward personality, and the dragon was a surprisingly suave romantic hero. It’s funny too!
The Perseverance of Angela’s Past Life - 3.5 stars, featuring a side character from “Prudence and the Dragon” on her solo trip to Japan.
If at First You Don’t Succeed, Try, Try Again - 5 stars. Ahhhhhh! A very, very sweet story about an imugi who falls in love and (temporarily) gives up on its dream to become a dragon.
Part 3: Elsewhere
The Earth Spirit’s Favourite Anecdote - 3 stars. Alright, but not my fave.
Monkey King, Faerie Queen - 4 stars. Sun Wukong’s adventure in faerieland is as fun and chaotic as I hoped it would be!
Liyana - 4 stars. Bittersweet and beautiful.
The Terra-cotta Bride - 5 stars. Another exceptional piece.
The Four Generations of Chang E - 4.5 stars. Very wistful and thought-provoking in a clever and gently humorous way. A wonderful close to the collection.
The first few stories are heavily rooted in contemporary Malay culture, whereas the second and third sections (set in Britain and the spirit realm) were more accessible and familiar to me as an English reader. I definitely “got” more of the little details and in-jokes that probably flew over my head in the section that was set in Malaysia. I assume that this impacted my enjoyment more than I realise, and explains why my high ratings for individual stories are very skewed away from the first section of the book.
Part 1: Here
The First Witch of Damansara - 2 stars, I didn't think it was a particularly strong opener considering the quality of other works in this collection
The Guest - 2 stars, this was also quite forgettable
The Fish Bowl - 3 stars, I think it’s slightly derivative but it still absolutely hooked me. I felt like some explanation of the main character’s actions was lacking
First Forum on the Position of Minorities in Malaysia - 2 stars. This was ok, but the semi-political forum setting didn't grab my attention.
Odette - 4 stars. Really compelling, the main character was easily sympathetic.
The House of Aunts - The first 5 star read (of many) in this collection, and it was so, so good! Exceptionally vivid characters, funny and warm-hearted too. I wish more had been explained about how the grandma and aunts became vampires originally.
Balik Kampung - 3 stars. Not the most stand out, but super immersive story. Really liked the depiction of the “personal agony”.
Part 2: There
One-Day Travelcard for Fairyland - 5 stars. Really enjoyed this!
Rising Lion - The Lion Bows - 2 stars. This was fine, but definitely one of the more predictable, pedestrian stories in this collection.
Seven Star Drum - 2 stars.
The Mystery of the Suet Swain - Easy 5 stars!! Set in Cambridge and super nostalgic. Very creepy stalker ghoul.
Prudence and the Dragon - 5 stars!! My favourite in this collection. I absolutely loved Prudence’s very simple, straightforward personality, and the dragon was a surprisingly suave romantic hero. It’s funny too!
The Perseverance of Angela’s Past Life - 3.5 stars, featuring a side character from “Prudence and the Dragon” on her solo trip to Japan.
If at First You Don’t Succeed, Try, Try Again - 5 stars. Ahhhhhh! A very, very sweet story about an imugi who falls in love and (temporarily) gives up on its dream to become a dragon.
Part 3: Elsewhere
The Earth Spirit’s Favourite Anecdote - 3 stars. Alright, but not my fave.
Monkey King, Faerie Queen - 4 stars. Sun Wukong’s adventure in faerieland is as fun and chaotic as I hoped it would be!
Liyana - 4 stars. Bittersweet and beautiful.
The Terra-cotta Bride - 5 stars. Another exceptional piece.
The Four Generations of Chang E - 4.5 stars. Very wistful and thought-provoking in a clever and gently humorous way. A wonderful close to the collection.
emotional
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
emotional
informative
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Graphic: Stalking
Moderate: Death, Gun violence, Mental illness, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Death of parent
Minor: Animal death, Child death, Domestic abuse, Slavery, Cannibalism
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced