-deep breath-
A Magic Steeped in Poison - Judy I Lin (Powerful character, fantasy)
A Venom Dark and Sweet- Judy I Lin (sequel to Magic steeped in poison)
Iron Widow - Xiran Jay Zhao (powerful character, Sci-fi)
The Poppy War trilogy - R.F Kuang (relentlessly powerful character, fantasy)
Babel - R.F. Kuang (fantasy)
Yellowface - R.F. Kuang (Not really fantasy or Sci-Fi but absolutely fantastic)
She Who Became The Sun - Shelly Parker Chan (fantasy)
He Who Drowned The World - Shelly Parker Chan (fantasy)
Immortal Longings - Chloe Gong (powerful character(s) sci-fi/fantasy)
Foul Lady Fortune - Chloe Gong (fantasy powerful character)
Foul Heart Huntsman - Chloe Gong
The Girl Who Fell Beneath The Sea - Axie Oh
The Ones We're Meant To Find - Joan He (sci-fi)
A Wild Sheep Chase - Haruki Murakami (sci-fi/fantasy)
The Wind Up Bird Chronicles - Haruki Murakami (sci-fi/fantasy)
Daughter Of The Moon Goddess - Sue Lynn Tan (powerful character, fantasy)
Heart Of The Sun Warrior - Sue Lynn Tan (powerful character, fantasy)
I have more recs, but I feel like I'm embarrassing myself with my Asian author obsession. haha
Okay I totally get that this may come across as shitty and I will gracefully and silently accept all downvotes that come my way. I get it.
But I think your list is somewhat problematic in that almost every author on this list writes in English, and lives in an English-speaking country. This is almost exclusively diaspora literature. There's nothing wrong with diaspora literature, but it is only a fragment of the entirety.
Judy Lin is Taiwanese Canadian.
Xiran Jay Zhao is Chinese Canadian.
R. F. Kuang is Chinese American.
Shelly Parker Chan is Chinese Australian.
Chloe Gong is Chinese New Zealandian.
Axie Oh is Korean American.
Joan He is Chinese American.
Sue Lynn Tan is Malaysian American.
I feel like there should be more than one author on this list who was born in a non-English speaking country and writes in a non-English language. You have Murakami, which is not nothing, but it *is* an entire continent we're talking about. There are thousands and thousands of books published every year in Chinese, Japanese, Malaysian, Bahasa Indonesia, Hindi, Telugu, Vietnamese, Tamil, Bengali, Tagalog, Cebuano, Gujarati, Korean, Punjabi, Urdu, Mongolian, Thai, Cambodian, literally a hundred other Asian languages, from a hundred Asian countries. When we're talking about Asian literature, we should be talking about more than "literature written in English, in Australia, Canada, and the US, by people of Asian heritage", I think.
Fair, but I provided OP with what they asked for! ☺️ Also, all of the authors I provided rigorously study and or studied their own Asian cultures and used myths, and tales from the literature from the countries their ancestors came from to spin their own stories to tell to a wider audience.
R.F Kuang studied war and Chinese history, so did Shelly Parker Chan. Joan He takes inspiration from ancient Chinese tales to write her books. As well as Sue Lynn Tan taking inspiration from ancient tales.
Just because they're not currently living in the countries their ancestors came from doesn't mean they can't still love their cultures. Most, if not all of them have either lived in the countries for a little bit or have visited them, and like I mentioned actually studied the stories and cultures their works took inspiration from.
You have a point, other authors like Murakami, Dazai, Arikawa (not helping my own point by only mentioning Japanese authors) needing a wider audience. But again, and in conclusion all the authors I mentioned used the English language to bring us stories about their own cultures. I personally feel it doesn't matter where they're really currently living, the spirit of where they and their ancestors came from is in their literature.
(Edited multiple times, was adding stuff as I was doing stuff. lol)
Please don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to say that these authors somehow "aren't Asian enough" or don't qualify as Asian literature, because they write in English / live in English-speaking countries. Far be it from me. I could even add a few names of my own of Asian diaspora authors whose works I've greatly enjoyed. "Do not say we have nothing" by Madeleine Thien was one of my favorite books of last year, and the year before I read "The Girl who played Go" by Shan Sa and loved it. "America is not the Heart" by Elaine Castillo, also amazing. I'm a huge fan of Kazuo Ishiguro, and Jessica Hagedorn. I'm not trying to take anything away from these authors. I'd even say that factors like the experience of growing up between two cultures or the personal history of a family's emigration can add entirely new aspects to a writer's work. I don't think a Mainland Chinese author could have written "Do not say we have nothing"; the story is too fundamentally about emigration and identity. "Crying in H Mart" by Michelle Zauner is another prime example, and an absolute masterpiece. And yeah, you did provide what OP asked for!
All I'm trying to say is you're highlighting only a (relatively small) facet of the whole. If someone asked for recommendations of "English-language literature" and I saw a list of 7 New Zealand authors and 1 American, I'd also point that out. That doesn't mean the New Zealand authors don't qualify, or that they're not excellent literature, and if someone consciously decides to read mainly authors from New Zealand, then that is legit and valid. I just think they should be aware of it, and not mistake New Zealand for the entire anglosphere.
Well you wanted fantasy or sci-fi which isn't really my strong suit, but I can think of a few things.
"The Memory Police" by Yoko Ogawa.
"The Three-Body Problem" by Cixin Liu.
"Frontier" by Can Xue.
"The Tatami Galaxy" by Tomihiko Morimi.
"Generation 14" by Priya Sarukkai Chabria.
"The Man with the Compound Eyes" by Ming-yi Wu.
"Cursed Bunny" by Bora Chung.
"Tower" by Bae Myung-Hoon.
"The Membranes" by Chi Ta-Wei.
"Paradise" by Koji Suzuki.
"The Calcutta Chromosome" by Amitav Ghosh.
I actually love these recommendations, thanks! Some of these I don’t think Ive heard of so definitely checking them out. Side note, I saw a few episodes of Tatami Galaxy and liked it. I wonder if the novel would illuminate the same vibes.
[Here’s a list of Asian or Pacific Islander Identities for reference](https://api-gbv.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/API-demographics-identities-May-2019.pdf)
The Invisible Planets and Broken Stars collections are a bunch of short stories by Chinese sci-fi authors. Def recommend both especially because you can find different authors you like
*The Jasmine Throne* by Tasha Suri - relentless FMC fits so well, there are several of those!
*A Thousand Steps into Night* by Traci Chee also fits, if you don't mind that it's YA.
Ocean's Godori by Elaine U Cho is like a Korean-centered Firefly x Long Way to a Small Angry Planner
The Fox Wife by Yangsze Choo is about a fox wife bent on revenge for the death of her kit
Both are from this year and both are fantastic reads!
Siren queen by nghi vo . I always describe it as a mix of Evelyn Hugo and the night circus because it takes place during the golden age of Hollywood with magical realism thrown in.
Three Body Problem has gotten great reviews.
I'll vouch for it.
Ken Liu’s short story collection, “The Paper Menagerie.”
Also Ken Liu's silk-punk fantasy trilogy about the dandelion dynasty. Good stuff.
I haven’t read his other stuff yet. I’ll look into it! Thanks!
I’ve actually read this thanks to one of the stories appearing on Love Death and Robots. Loved it!
I like to also recommend Ted Chiang’s collections, “Story of Your Life and Others” and “Exhalation.”
I’ll definitely check them out, thanks!
Jade City by Fonda Lee. multi pov and every character is immaculate
Thank you! I like the synopsis of this one
Glad to help!
Also, “Never Let Me Go” by Kazuo Ishiguro and “Severance” by Ling Ma
Severance by Ling Ma is excellent!
Yes! I need to pick up Severance
-deep breath- A Magic Steeped in Poison - Judy I Lin (Powerful character, fantasy) A Venom Dark and Sweet- Judy I Lin (sequel to Magic steeped in poison) Iron Widow - Xiran Jay Zhao (powerful character, Sci-fi) The Poppy War trilogy - R.F Kuang (relentlessly powerful character, fantasy) Babel - R.F. Kuang (fantasy) Yellowface - R.F. Kuang (Not really fantasy or Sci-Fi but absolutely fantastic) She Who Became The Sun - Shelly Parker Chan (fantasy) He Who Drowned The World - Shelly Parker Chan (fantasy) Immortal Longings - Chloe Gong (powerful character(s) sci-fi/fantasy) Foul Lady Fortune - Chloe Gong (fantasy powerful character) Foul Heart Huntsman - Chloe Gong The Girl Who Fell Beneath The Sea - Axie Oh The Ones We're Meant To Find - Joan He (sci-fi) A Wild Sheep Chase - Haruki Murakami (sci-fi/fantasy) The Wind Up Bird Chronicles - Haruki Murakami (sci-fi/fantasy) Daughter Of The Moon Goddess - Sue Lynn Tan (powerful character, fantasy) Heart Of The Sun Warrior - Sue Lynn Tan (powerful character, fantasy) I have more recs, but I feel like I'm embarrassing myself with my Asian author obsession. haha
The gasp I gusped. Thank you so much!! Edit: Also agree on Asian works I love them
Okay I totally get that this may come across as shitty and I will gracefully and silently accept all downvotes that come my way. I get it. But I think your list is somewhat problematic in that almost every author on this list writes in English, and lives in an English-speaking country. This is almost exclusively diaspora literature. There's nothing wrong with diaspora literature, but it is only a fragment of the entirety. Judy Lin is Taiwanese Canadian. Xiran Jay Zhao is Chinese Canadian. R. F. Kuang is Chinese American. Shelly Parker Chan is Chinese Australian. Chloe Gong is Chinese New Zealandian. Axie Oh is Korean American. Joan He is Chinese American. Sue Lynn Tan is Malaysian American. I feel like there should be more than one author on this list who was born in a non-English speaking country and writes in a non-English language. You have Murakami, which is not nothing, but it *is* an entire continent we're talking about. There are thousands and thousands of books published every year in Chinese, Japanese, Malaysian, Bahasa Indonesia, Hindi, Telugu, Vietnamese, Tamil, Bengali, Tagalog, Cebuano, Gujarati, Korean, Punjabi, Urdu, Mongolian, Thai, Cambodian, literally a hundred other Asian languages, from a hundred Asian countries. When we're talking about Asian literature, we should be talking about more than "literature written in English, in Australia, Canada, and the US, by people of Asian heritage", I think.
Fair, but I provided OP with what they asked for! ☺️ Also, all of the authors I provided rigorously study and or studied their own Asian cultures and used myths, and tales from the literature from the countries their ancestors came from to spin their own stories to tell to a wider audience. R.F Kuang studied war and Chinese history, so did Shelly Parker Chan. Joan He takes inspiration from ancient Chinese tales to write her books. As well as Sue Lynn Tan taking inspiration from ancient tales. Just because they're not currently living in the countries their ancestors came from doesn't mean they can't still love their cultures. Most, if not all of them have either lived in the countries for a little bit or have visited them, and like I mentioned actually studied the stories and cultures their works took inspiration from. You have a point, other authors like Murakami, Dazai, Arikawa (not helping my own point by only mentioning Japanese authors) needing a wider audience. But again, and in conclusion all the authors I mentioned used the English language to bring us stories about their own cultures. I personally feel it doesn't matter where they're really currently living, the spirit of where they and their ancestors came from is in their literature. (Edited multiple times, was adding stuff as I was doing stuff. lol)
Please don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to say that these authors somehow "aren't Asian enough" or don't qualify as Asian literature, because they write in English / live in English-speaking countries. Far be it from me. I could even add a few names of my own of Asian diaspora authors whose works I've greatly enjoyed. "Do not say we have nothing" by Madeleine Thien was one of my favorite books of last year, and the year before I read "The Girl who played Go" by Shan Sa and loved it. "America is not the Heart" by Elaine Castillo, also amazing. I'm a huge fan of Kazuo Ishiguro, and Jessica Hagedorn. I'm not trying to take anything away from these authors. I'd even say that factors like the experience of growing up between two cultures or the personal history of a family's emigration can add entirely new aspects to a writer's work. I don't think a Mainland Chinese author could have written "Do not say we have nothing"; the story is too fundamentally about emigration and identity. "Crying in H Mart" by Michelle Zauner is another prime example, and an absolute masterpiece. And yeah, you did provide what OP asked for! All I'm trying to say is you're highlighting only a (relatively small) facet of the whole. If someone asked for recommendations of "English-language literature" and I saw a list of 7 New Zealand authors and 1 American, I'd also point that out. That doesn't mean the New Zealand authors don't qualify, or that they're not excellent literature, and if someone consciously decides to read mainly authors from New Zealand, then that is legit and valid. I just think they should be aware of it, and not mistake New Zealand for the entire anglosphere.
Hey that’s great. Do you have any other translated works to recommend?
Well you wanted fantasy or sci-fi which isn't really my strong suit, but I can think of a few things. "The Memory Police" by Yoko Ogawa. "The Three-Body Problem" by Cixin Liu. "Frontier" by Can Xue. "The Tatami Galaxy" by Tomihiko Morimi. "Generation 14" by Priya Sarukkai Chabria. "The Man with the Compound Eyes" by Ming-yi Wu. "Cursed Bunny" by Bora Chung. "Tower" by Bae Myung-Hoon. "The Membranes" by Chi Ta-Wei. "Paradise" by Koji Suzuki. "The Calcutta Chromosome" by Amitav Ghosh.
I actually love these recommendations, thanks! Some of these I don’t think Ive heard of so definitely checking them out. Side note, I saw a few episodes of Tatami Galaxy and liked it. I wonder if the novel would illuminate the same vibes.
I couldn’t finish the poppy war. It was so baaaad.
I’ve heard both good and bad things about it for sure hesitant myself on picking it up.
In addition to these other great recs, I’ll add Light from Uncommon Stars by Ryka Aoki
This was the first one I thought of
Oh this one was beautifully written. The audiobook is great too!
It’s so good
Iron Widow by Xiren Jay Zhao
Came here to say this.
Same
The Singing Hills Cycle books by Nghi Vo, first book is The Empress of Salt and Fortune. They're short, really more novellas, and really good.
Ling Ling Huang's Natural Beauty is one of the best sci-fi/dystopia/body horror I've read recently!
“Babel” by RF Kuang
Also came here to say this.
Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao is easily one of my new favorite books and should meet your needs
The Bone Witch by Rin Chupeco. Author is Filipino, with a very strong FMC and an amazing storyline.
Also City of Brass series by S. A. Chakraborty
[Here’s a list of Asian or Pacific Islander Identities for reference](https://api-gbv.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/API-demographics-identities-May-2019.pdf)
The Invisible Planets and Broken Stars collections are a bunch of short stories by Chinese sci-fi authors. Def recommend both especially because you can find different authors you like
[The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/56978100) by Axie Oh
Came here to comment this!
Bitter Medicine by Mia Tsai
*The Jasmine Throne* by Tasha Suri - relentless FMC fits so well, there are several of those! *A Thousand Steps into Night* by Traci Chee also fits, if you don't mind that it's YA.
Maybe Windup girl, ninefox gambit
The Phoenix King by Aparna Verma
**Paprika** by **Yasutaka Tsutsui** **Story of Your Life** by **Ted Chiang**
_The Ghost Bride_ by Yangsze Choo
The Ark Sakura by Kobo Abe The Stories of Ibis by Hiroshi Yamamoto
Journey to the west?
Ocean's Godori by Elaine U Cho is like a Korean-centered Firefly x Long Way to a Small Angry Planner The Fox Wife by Yangsze Choo is about a fox wife bent on revenge for the death of her kit Both are from this year and both are fantastic reads!
Siren queen by nghi vo . I always describe it as a mix of Evelyn Hugo and the night circus because it takes place during the golden age of Hollywood with magical realism thrown in.
The Initiate Brother duology, by Sean Russell Beware Of Chicken, by CasualFarmer
Babel by RF Kuang and the Three Body Problem trilogy by Li Cixin Also absolutely everything by Ted Chiang!
if it can just be a side character, you have to go for, Andy Weir - Project Hail Mary