Korean Drama Review: You Who Came from the Stars
When you think about science fiction and fantasy TV shows, you might think about series like Star Trek and Doctor Who, or Adventure Time and Game of Thrones. You might not, however, think about Korean dramas. Yet there are many Korean dramas with science fiction and fantasy elements. Most of these shows might be more accurately classified as paranormal romances due to their focus on a relationship between the main characters, but that focus certainly doesn’t take away from the fact that there are cursed goblins, comic book heroes coming to life, and aliens from another star galore in these Korean dramas.
Book Review: Jade City by Fonda Lee
In an alternate world where a small island carries both a magical material and the scions who can wield it, the aftermath of a world war that consumed and wrapped up even the island is a tricky and dangerous time. The city of Janloon on the island of Kekon is a fraught place, with the clans that helped liberate the island kingdom from foreign occupation now the temporal behind-the-scenes powers that rule Janloon and the island of Kekon itself. After years of quiet small scale conflict, however, a change in leadership of the No Peak clan provides their stronger rival, the Mountain Clan, with a chance to push and push their advantage, to do to the No Peak what they have done to several of their smaller rivals already—to conquer it.
SEA Quest: Malay SFF
Current science fiction and fantasy is heavily Anglophonic. English is an imperialistic language. I would like to see more science fiction and fantasy, especially from Southeast Asian, written in the languages of the region. For this edition of SEA Quest, I am focusing on two writers who write in Bahasa Melayu(or Malay). Previously, I wrote about Tunku Halim and Eve Shi who also write in their own language. I would like to highlight Isa Kamari and Hassan Hasaa’ Ree Ali.
