Good day Factioners! It’s June! I’m sure most of you know this already. I however thought I still had a week of May left. For some reason May always gets away from me. I don’t know why, but it does.
This is to say, I meant to post this article last month. And I did not. I apologize for my ADHD brain. But enough about me and my lack of a concept of time, what is this article I have been referring too? Well, let’s get into it!
In the US, the month of May is Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month! And we want to share our favorite SFF authors from these groups with you! This is an incomplete list, but if you notice a glaring omission (or if I put someone in the wrong category) please let me know and I’ll add them post haste!
East Asian Authors
- Aleron Kong
- Alyssa Wong
- Amélie Wen Zhao
- Andrea G. Stewart
- Angela Mi Young Hur
- Charles Yu
- Chen Qiufan
- Cindy Pon
- Cixin Liu (also appears as Liu Cixin)
- E. Lily Yu
- Elizabeth Lim
- Ellen Oh
- Fonda Lee
- Gish Jen
- Hanya Yanagihara
- Haruki Murakami
- JC Kang
- Jeannette Ng
- Jin Yong
- Joan He
- John Chu
- Julie Kagawa
- Kat Cho
- Kazuo Ishiguro
- Kendare Blake
- Ken Liu
- Maggie Shen King
- Malinda Lo
- Marie Lu
- Marjorie Liu
- Mike Chen
- M. L. Wang
- Natasha Ngan
- Renée Ahdieh
- R. F. Kuang
- Rin Chupeco
- S. Jae-Jones
- S. L. Huang
- Ted Chiang
- Wesley Chu
- Yangsze Choo
- Yoon Ha Lee
Southeast Asian Authors
- Aliette de Bodard
- Alyssa Wong
- Dean Francis Alfar
- Isabel Yap
- Julie C. Dao
- J. Y. Yang
- K. S. Villoso
- Nicasio Andres Reed
- Nghi Vo
- Quan Barry
- Rin Chupeco
- Rochita Loenen-Ruiz
- Victor Fernando R. Ocampo
- Vida Cruz
- Zen Cho
Indian, Muslim & Middle Eastern Authors
- Aditi Khorana
- Amish Tripathi
- Ausma Zehanat Khan
- G. Willow Wilson
- Hafsah Faizal
- Jeremy Szal
- Krishna Udayasankar
- Nafiza Azad
- Roshani Chokshi
- Sabaa Tahir
- S. A. Chakraborty
- Saladin Ahmed
- Salman Rushdie
- Samira Ahmed
- Sarah Kuhn
- Shveta Thakrar
- Somaiya Daud
- Sukanya Venkatraghavan
- Swati Teerdhala
- Tasha Suri
Pacific Island Authors
- Hanya Yanagihara
- Heidi Heilig
- Lani Wendt Young
- Kawai Strong Washburn
- Keri Hulme
- Kiana Davenport
- Patricia Grace
- Whiti Hereaka
Again, let us know if we missed your favorite author, or if I put someone in the wrong spot. Also feel free to recommend your favorite books by Asian and Pacific Island authors!.
Happy Reading!
Title image background by Maryna Yazbeck.
Geoff Matthews
Julia Kitvaria Sarene
Hello Jennie,
Thanks for a great list. Since you ask for additions, I’ll recommend
1. June Hur is a Canadian author of Korean descent who has two absolutely wonderful historical fiction novels set in different periods of Korean history. I particularly recommend her second novel The Forest of Stolen Girls. Strictly speaking, this is a murder mystery but I think SFF readers would like the tone and atmosphere. Here is her GoodReads page: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/18341009.June_Hur
2. Zamil Akhtar is a fantasy author based in Dubai who recently won the SPFBO7 Cover Contest for his debut novel Gunmetal Gods. This is an absolutely fabulous read. Do try it out. The best way I can describe it is like Brian McClellan deciding to write in a world inspired by the Ottoman empire facing the threat of a crusade with Lovecraftian elder gods up to their own tricks. The second novel in the series is going to come out on June 20. Here’s his GoodReads page: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/13833684.Zamil_Akhtar
3. Hanna Alkaf is a Malaysian author of YA and MG fiction, who wrote the stunning The Girl and the Ghost which was a finalist for the Kirkus prize. Here is her GoodReads page:
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/15075747.Hanna_Alkaf
4. I’ll also recommend Ling Ma, who is Chinese American. Her debut novel Severance is one of the best post-apocalyptic books I’ve ever read.Think of the TV show The Office except it’s after the apocalypse and there really isn’t an office anymore. Absolutely stunning stuff. Here’s the New Yorker review of the book:
https://www.newyorker.com/books/under-review/ling-ma-severance-captures-the-bleak-fatalistic-mood-of-2018
Hope you add these authors when you get the chance – they’re first rate.