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4.25 AVERAGE
4.25 AVERAGE
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
emotional
funny
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
An impressive array of fantasy stories grounded in specific cultures and most with upbeat or hopeful conclusions.
Just wonderful! I love Cho's narrative voice (humorous, pragmatic) and I loved the variations on a theme - the exploration of Malaysian mythos, family and culture; also the exploration of love, longing, kindness, duty, and horror. (More stories are hopeful than horrifying but the haunted house story is going to stick with me a good while.)
It's a bit queer, a bit poignant, and always having a good time. I love the vampire story (we all deserve the misguided twilight youths who google things and break each others hearts) and the references (TWO whole stories) to the universe she created in the Sorcerer Royal books.
a++ also Emily Woo Zeller does the audiobook, so I'm looking forward to returning to this book later.
a solid example of writing in dialect/cross-linguistically as well. Lots of the stories effortlessly codeswitch.
It's a bit queer, a bit poignant, and always having a good time. I love the vampire story (we all deserve the misguided twilight youths who google things and break each others hearts) and the references (TWO whole stories) to the universe she created in the Sorcerer Royal books.
a++ also Emily Woo Zeller does the audiobook, so I'm looking forward to returning to this book later.
a solid example of writing in dialect/cross-linguistically as well. Lots of the stories effortlessly codeswitch.
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
This is a gorgeous collection. I had very little prior knowledge of the Malaysian folklore that the stories draw upon, so I had to research some of the terminology. This didn't negatively impact my enjoyment of the collection, and I thoroughly enjoyed the excuse to learn about new mythology.
The collection is broken into three sections - "Here" (stories set in Malaysia), "There" (stories set within the UK's Malaysian diaspora) and "Everywhere" (stories set in fantastical locations).
My personal highlights were "The House of Aunts", "Prudence and the Dragon", "If at First You Don't Succeed, Try, Try Again" and "The Four Generations of Chang E". And it was difficult to narrow it down to just that list, as I found the majority of the stories immensely enjoyable.
The collection is broken into three sections - "Here" (stories set in Malaysia), "There" (stories set within the UK's Malaysian diaspora) and "Everywhere" (stories set in fantastical locations).
My personal highlights were "The House of Aunts", "Prudence and the Dragon", "If at First You Don't Succeed, Try, Try Again" and "The Four Generations of Chang E". And it was difficult to narrow it down to just that list, as I found the majority of the stories immensely enjoyable.
emotional
This was a really good short story collection. Most stories follow ideas about just modern, generally pretty relatable problems but with some Malaysian fantasy twist. The stories generally featured a lot of female characters with a focus on generally on family dynamics (especially between female family members) or sometimes romance (both lesbian, straight, and F/NB). It sometimes got a little too heavy on the romance for me, but I suspect that won't bother a lot of other people,
A lot of the stories and especially the dialogue were written with Malaysian English or with phrases of Malay, Mandarin, or other languages occasionally appearing. Props to Emily Woo Zeller for doing a good job bring this all to life with the audiobook (I personally can't comment on the accuracy, but other reviews who are more informed culturally seem to think she did a good job).
Only a few stories didn't work for me. The worst one imo was "The Earth Spirit’s Favorite Anecdote" wherethe eventual love interest of the MC did some pretty terrible things like sending people to invade the MC's home. No, no remorse for this was shown I mean, I liked the MC's narration, but that wasn't enough to make up for the spoilered stuff. "Liyana" also wasn't my favorite, although I'll give it credit for being creepy and tragic with that twist On the other hand, I'm having trouble listing particularly good ones because there's just too many that are all well written and meaningful that it's hard to single any out. I particularly liked "The Fishbowl", "The House of Aunts",
A lot of the stories and especially the dialogue were written with Malaysian English or with phrases of Malay, Mandarin, or other languages occasionally appearing. Props to Emily Woo Zeller for doing a good job bring this all to life with the audiobook (I personally can't comment on the accuracy, but other reviews who are more informed culturally seem to think she did a good job).
Only a few stories didn't work for me. The worst one imo was "The Earth Spirit’s Favorite Anecdote" where
“The Mystery of the Suet Swain”, “The Perseverance of Angela’s Past Life”, and “If at First You Don’t Succeed, Try, Try Again"
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Self harm, Cannibalism, Stalking
Moderate: Body shaming, Death, Eating disorder, Fatphobia, Homophobia, Infidelity, Racism, Xenophobia, Murder, Lesbophobia
Minor: Animal death, Rape, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Kidnapping, Religious bigotry, War
Home invasion should be in graphic, it's not listed as an option.
Self harm somewhat magical, but still there,
4.4 stars
the first witch of damansara: four stars
the guest: five stars
the fish bowl: four stars
the first national forum on the position of minorities in malaysia: three stars
odette: four stars
the house of aunts: five stars
balik kampung: four stars
one day travelcard for fairyland: five stars
rising lion - the lion bows: five stars
seven star drum: four stars
the mystery of the suet swain: five stars
prudence and the dragon: five stars
the perseverance of angela’s past life: five stars
if at first you don’t succeed, try, try again: five stars
the earth spirit’s favourite anecdote: four stars
monkey king, faerie queen: three stars
liyana: four stars
the terracotta bride: five stars
the four generations of chang e: three stars
i preferred the second section, “there” the most out of this collection, i think due to the fact that i relate to, and enjoy reading about people who feel displaced, because i so often feel that way.
the magical elements to this collection are fascinating and well written. i love learning about new mythology, and throughout this anthology i found myself researching malaysian myths to contextualise some of the stories and i love that!
stand out stories in this collection, for me, would have to be the house of aunts, the terra-cotta bride and the guest. although it’s difficult to pick favourites in such a strong anthology. i’ve never before read such a cohesive and intriguing anthology. this is absolutely a new favourite and was so up my alley.
i’ll absolutely be picking up more books by zen cho, as i adored this whole collection.
the first witch of damansara: four stars
the guest: five stars
the fish bowl: four stars
the first national forum on the position of minorities in malaysia: three stars
odette: four stars
the house of aunts: five stars
balik kampung: four stars
one day travelcard for fairyland: five stars
rising lion - the lion bows: five stars
seven star drum: four stars
the mystery of the suet swain: five stars
prudence and the dragon: five stars
the perseverance of angela’s past life: five stars
if at first you don’t succeed, try, try again: five stars
the earth spirit’s favourite anecdote: four stars
monkey king, faerie queen: three stars
liyana: four stars
the terracotta bride: five stars
the four generations of chang e: three stars
i preferred the second section, “there” the most out of this collection, i think due to the fact that i relate to, and enjoy reading about people who feel displaced, because i so often feel that way.
the magical elements to this collection are fascinating and well written. i love learning about new mythology, and throughout this anthology i found myself researching malaysian myths to contextualise some of the stories and i love that!
stand out stories in this collection, for me, would have to be the house of aunts, the terra-cotta bride and the guest. although it’s difficult to pick favourites in such a strong anthology. i’ve never before read such a cohesive and intriguing anthology. this is absolutely a new favourite and was so up my alley.
i’ll absolutely be picking up more books by zen cho, as i adored this whole collection.
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Spirits Abroad had the comedic and dry tones I remember from Sorcerer to the Crown (less so in The True Queen) and dabbled in fairytales, horror, and sci-fi/fantasy. A few stories vaguely related to the Sorcerer Royal world (Faerie), and a few others were loosely interconnected. I noticed motifs throughout the collection (dragons, earth, self-image, filial duty, respect for spirits and ancestors) and was excited to see which creatures and myths were familiar and which were new to me. It felt natural that some stories presented supernatural and fantastical elements as commonplace while others successfully maintained intriguing tension when the real world and other realms collided. I enjoyed the cadence of the Malay English the characters spoke. Though Chinese Malaysia was a prominent aspect of the book, various cultures and types of love were represented. None of the stories fell into my Meh or Need to Reread (for understanding) categories, although I didn’t gel with some middle ones as much. The last few were maybe the best in the collection. Loved: “The Fish Bowl”, “First National Forum on the Position of Minorities in Malaysia”, “Odette”, “The House of Aunts”, “One-Day Travelcard for Fairyland”, “Rising Lion—The Lion Bows”, “The Terra-cotta Bride”; Liked: “The First Witch of Damansara”, “The Guest”, “Balik Kampung”, “Seven Star Drum”, “The Mystery of the Suet Swain”, “Prudence and the Dragon”, “The Perseverance of Angela’s Past Life”, “If At First You Don’t Succeed, Try, Try Again”, “The Earth Spirit’s Favorite Anecdote”, “Monkey King, Faerie Queen”, “The Four Generations of Chang E”; Meh: N/A; Need to Reread: N/A.
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
Loved this collection!! It was fun to get a selection of myths and fantastical stories from a confidently non-Western perspective.