Song of Silver, Flame Like Night by Amélie Wen Zhao
JC Kang
Steeped in deep lore inspired by Chinese cosmology, Song of Silver, Flame Like Night infuses wonder and excitement into the common tropes of forbidden magic, lost heirs, and clash of…
China
Pawn’s Gambit by Rob J. Hayes
“Yokai Scavenger Hunt-Heist-Military Fantasy” Yes, that tagline is a convoluted mouthful, that Rob J. Hayes manages to pull off, just as he did in book one of the Mortal Techniques…
Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao
“If Arya Stark were a mecha pilot.” Xiran Jay Zhao’s debut YA science-fantasy, Iron Widow, is the first book I’ve read in a very long time that I didn’t want…
These Violent Delights by Chloe Gong
“West Side Story meets Fists of Fury.” Australian-born-and-raised, American-educated, ethnically Chinese author Chloe Gong became a social media sensation with her TikToks drumming up anticipation for her YA historical fantasy…
Monkey Around by Jadie Jang
Journey to the West meets Paternus meets The Greatest American Hero. Journey to the West is perhaps the forbearer of the xianxia genre, and its main character Sun Wukong is…
Autumn Deities
Kellie Doherty
As a writer, inspiration can come from anywhere, and researching your chosen subject can be a useful tool. When creating a new world, researching geographical maps and landmarks is a…
The Heretic Peacekeeper by Jeremy “Deathblade” Bai
“Blade Runner meets Cradle.” Falling under the umbrella of progression fantasy, the cultivation subgenre (also known as xianxia) has risen in popularity through Chinese webnovels. Centered around the concept of…
Swords of Legends Online – MMO Review
Geoff Matthews
I’ve bought two new MMOs recently. I found myself with a little free time and needed something to occupy myself outside of writing book three. First was Crowfall and second…
She Who Became the Sun by Shelley Parker-Chan
Mulan meets Swordsman 2. As a mostly-audiobook consumer with little time to actually read, it had taken me two weeks to finish Nghi Vo’s short novella, Empress of Salt and…
SFF Authors of Asian and Pacific Islander Descent: An Incomplete List
Jennie Ivins
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…
Songs of Insurrection by JC Kang
S. H. Paulus
Spoiler Warning: This review contains spoilers. Read with caution if you have yet to finish the book. A path to glory blazed with the dying heart of an imperial princess.…
Peasprout Chen, Future Legend of Skate and Sword by Henry Lien
Mean Girls meets Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon…on ice! (or I, Tonya meets Jin Yong) As an wuxia film aficionado, and the parent of two competitive ice skaters (word of caution…