Time for a rec list! I love rec lists! Because I’m participating in Wyrd and Wonder and the Asian Readathon this month, you can learn more about it and my plans here,  I’m going to focus on Asian inspired fantasy books by Asian authors for today’s W&W theme, Non-European Setting.

Exit West by Mohsin Hamid

In a country teetering on the brink of civil war, two young people meet—sensual, fiercely independent Nadia and gentle, restrained Saeed. They embark on a furtive love affair and are soon cloistered in a premature intimacy by the unrest roiling their city. When it explodes, turning familiar streets into a patchwork of checkpoints and bomb blasts, they begin to hear whispers about doors—doors that can whisk people far away, if perilously and for a price. As the violence escalates, Nadia and Saeed decide that they no longer have a choice. Leaving their homeland and their old lives behind, they find a door and step through.

Exit West follows these characters as they emerge into an alien and uncertain future, struggling to hold on to each other, to their past, to the very sense of who they are. Profoundly intimate and powerfully inventive, it tells an unforgettable story of love, loyalty, and courage that is both completely of our time and for all time

Why it’s on this list:

Exit West starts off in an unnamed city, that as far as I can tell is meant to reference any of the Middle-Eastern cities with a recent history of armed conflict. I really liked the speculative take on a real-world situation, and it stood out as so different among what I usually read.

The Bone Witch (The Bone Witch #1)by Rin Chupeco

A story of scorned witches, sinister curses, and resurrection, The Bone Witch is the start of a dark fantasy trilogy, perfect for fans of Serpent & Dove and The Cruel Prince.

Tea can raise the dead, but resurrection comes at a price…

When Tea accidentally resurrects her brother, Fox, from the dead, she learns she is different from the other witches in her family. Her gift for necromancy means that she’s a bone witch, a title that makes her feared and ostracized by her community. But Tea finds solace and guidance with an older, wiser bone witch, who takes Tea and her brother to another land for training.

In her new home, Tea puts all her energy into becoming an asha—one who can wield elemental magic. But dark forces are approaching quickly, and in the face of danger, Tea will have to overcome her obstacles…and make a powerful choice.

Why it’s on this list:

Because I loved the food. Well not just that, that’s a small part, but the book is dedicated to Ramen so that’s really cool. I also loved the mix of tea house, entertainment and witch training place.

The Empress of Salt and Fortune (The Singing Hills Cycle #1) by Nghi Vo

With the heart of an Atwood tale and the visuals of a classic Asian period drama The Empress of Salt and Fortune is a tightly and lushly written narrative about empire, storytelling, and the anger of women.

A young royal from the far north is sent south for a political marriage. Alone and sometimes reviled, she has only her servants on her side. This evocative debut chronicles her rise to power through the eyes of her handmaiden, at once feminist high fantasy and a thrilling indictment of monarchy.

Why it’s on this list:

Because the storytelling is just amazing and it transported me completely.

The Gurkha and the Lord of Tuesday by Saad Hossain

When the djinn king Melek Ahmar wakes up after millennia of imprisoned slumber, he finds a world vastly different from what he remembers. Arrogant and bombastic, he comes down the mountain expecting an easy conquest: the wealthy, spectacular city state of Kathmandu, ruled by the all-knowing, all-seeing tyrant AI Karma. To his surprise, he finds that Kathmandu is a cut-price paradise, where citizens want for nothing and even the dregs of society are distinctly unwilling to revolt.

Everyone seems happy, except for the old Gurkha soldier Bhan Gurung. Knife saint, recidivist, and mass murderer, he is an exile from Kathmandu, pursuing a forty-year-old vendetta that leads to the very heart of Karma. Pushed and prodded by Gurung, Melek Ahmer finds himself in ever deeper conflicts, until they finally face off against Karma and her forces. In the upheaval that follows, old crimes will come to light and the city itself will be forced to change.

Why it’s on this list:

Because I love Djinn, enough that I’ll even enjoy a cyberpunk story if it a djinn and good humor. Very excited that there’ll be another story in this world coming in 2022, Kundo Wakes Up

Empire of Sand (The Books of Ambha #1) by Tasha Suri

A nobleman’s daughter with magic in her blood. An empire built on the dreams of enslaved gods. Empire of Sand is Tasha Suri’s captivating, Mughal India-inspired debut fantasy.

The Amrithi are outcasts; nomads descended of desert spirits, they are coveted and persecuted throughout the Empire for the power in their blood. Mehr is the illegitimate daughter of an imperial governor and an exiled Amrithi mother she can barely remember, but whose face and magic she has inherited.

When Mehr’s power comes to the attention of the Emperor’s most feared mystics, she must use every ounce of will, subtlety, and power she possesses to resist their cruel agenda.

Should she fail, the gods themselves may awaken seeking vengeance…

Why it’s on this list:

Because I loved the atmosphere, it’s a very slow burn romance with a lovely setting. And I could not be more hyped for Suri’s The Jasmine Throne coming out soon.

Monstress, Vol. 1: Awakening (Monstress #1) by Marjorie M. Liu (Goodreads Author), Sana Takeda

Set in an alternate matriarchal 1900’s Asia, in a richly imagined world of art deco-inflected steam punk, MONSTRESS tells the story of a teenage girl who is struggling to survive the trauma of war, and who shares a mysterious psychic link with a monster of tremendous power, a connection that will transform them both and make them the target of both human and otherworldly powers.

Why it’s on this list:

I adore this art style, if anyone wanted to design a graphic novel drawn specifically for me, they needn’t bother, it’s already been done. Be warned (I was not), beautiful as the art is, the story and world and grim.

Since we’re on the topic of Asia, if you want to donate to Covid relief efforts in India, I found this website very helpful and user-friendly Mutual Aid India.

Wyrd and Wonder is a month-long event celebrating fantasy books. Check out Imyril’s intro post for all the details. The event is hosted by Imyril of One More, Lisa of Dear Geek Place and Jorie Loves a Story, and you can follow Wyrd and Wonder on Twitter

Enjoyed these 6 Asian Inspired Fantasy Books? Fancy more rec lists? I have a list of lists!