# Fantasy novels with an Asian setting or Asian theme **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 10, 2010, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fantasy-novels-with-an-asian-setting-or-asian-theme/542672 "2010-06-10T16:47:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2010, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fantasy-novels-with-an-asian-setting-or-asian-theme/542672/41 "2010-06-11T20:45:53Z")
> [@Daddypants](#): > > And that’s the issue at hand. I’m not necessarily asking for elves and orcs and such; if they’re in the story, so be it. But fantasy novels set someplace other than a European setting would be nice. Asia, mythological Persia/Middle East, India, etc. Anything from heroic/sword & sorcery fantasy to Neil Gaimanish stuff. Go and buy Barbara Hambly’s _Sisters of the Raven_ and _Circle of the Moon_, and read them in that order. It’s really a two volume book. No elves, no orcs, the story is set in a society that has elements from both Asian and Middle Eastern societies, plus some elements of its own world. There are Pearl Women, who are based on geishas, though men frequently take them as wives or concubines, and these women are trained in Blossom Houses, where a man might take a group of his (male) friends for dinner, hospitality, and possibly sex. The main setting is undergoing a drought which is getting worse each year. Even more worrying, magic seems to be fading…or at least, MEN’S magic is fading. In the past, only men have been capable of wielding magic. Now, the men’s spells are becoming increasingly weaker and more unreliable. But there are rumors that WOMEN can now work magic, and one of the leading magic schools has even allowed a girl to enroll. Heresy! Blasphemy! No wonder the men in the college can’t summon the rains! > [@ChordedZither](#): > > I enjoyed When Gravity Fails and its sequels by George Alec Effinger. It’s a kind of cyberpunk detective story set in a near-future Arabic ghetto. I enjoyed these stories too, although they’re science fiction, not fantasy at all. The setting is DEFINITELY not the usual European/American based one. ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2010, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fantasy-novels-with-an-asian-setting-or-asian-theme/542672/42 "2010-06-11T21:24:55Z")
> [@Daddypants](#): > > And that’s the issue at hand. I’m not necessarily asking for elves and orcs and such; if they’re in the story, so be it. But fantasy novels set someplace other than a European setting would be nice. Asia, mythological Persia/Middle East, India, etc. Anything from heroic/sword & sorcery fantasy to Neil Gaimanish stuff. The Weis & Hickman trilogy [Rose of the Prophet](http://www.amazon.com/Will-Wanderer-Rose-Prophet-Vol/dp/0553276387) is set in a Middle Eastern milieu. ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2010, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fantasy-novels-with-an-asian-setting-or-asian-theme/542672/43 "2010-06-11T21:27:59Z")
Oh, and the Forgotten Realms [Maztica](http://www.amazon.com/Ironhelm-Maztica-Trilogy-Forgotten-Realms/dp/0880389036) trilogy is set in a faux Mesoamerica. I’ve never read them though so I can’t attest to how good they are/aren’t. ---
**Author:** ![Jelly\_Bean\_Mania](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/b19c9b/32.png) [@Jelly\_Bean\_Mania](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jelly_Bean_Mania)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2013, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fantasy-novels-with-an-asian-setting-or-asian-theme/542672/44 "2013-12-20T01:49:02Z")
I enjoyed the [Chronicles of the Fists](http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=joseph+j+bailey+chronicles+of+the+fists) trilogy by Joseph J. Bailey. I’m dating myself here but if you imagine a Shaolin monk type character like the one from the 1970’s era _Kung Fu_ TV show set not in the Wild West but in a world rich in magical tradition, where the ascetic is not trying to find his place in the world but trying to save it, I think you will have a pretty good feel for some of the trilogy’s ideas and settings. The world is a blend of Western fantasy and Eastern mysticism where the main character, Yip, can see, feel, and interact with _qi_, the energy of life and the source of magic. Although not an overly complex story, there are many unique, particularly Asian, elements I have never read before in fantasies. ---
**Author:** ![Infovore](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/infovore/32/420_2.png) [@Infovore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Infovore)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2013, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fantasy-novels-with-an-asian-setting-or-asian-theme/542672/45 "2013-12-20T16:26:54Z")
I haven’t read this one so I can’t offer an opinion of it, but Leah Cutter’s [Paper Mage](http://www.amazon.com/Paper-Mage-Leah-Cutter-ebook/dp/B0061YCLE2)is Asian-themed fantasy. I used to work with the author, which is why I know about it. ---
**Author:** ![Malthus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/85f322/32.png) [@Malthus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malthus)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2013, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fantasy-novels-with-an-asian-setting-or-asian-theme/542672/46 "2013-12-20T16:41:30Z")
You can’t go wrong with Van Gulik’s Judge Dee series. > **[Judge Dee](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Judge_Dee_stories)** > > Judge Dee, or Judge Di, is a semi-fictional character based on the historical figure Di Renjie, county magistrate and statesman of the Tang court. The character appeared in the 18th-century Chinese detective and gong'an crime novel Di Gong An. After Robert van Gulik came across it in an antiquarian book store in Tokyo, he translated the novel into English and then used the style and characters to write his own original Judge Dee historical mystery stories. > The series is set in Tang dynasty China... They are mysteries solved by the remarkable Judge Dee, a Chinese magistrate. Plenty of sword-play and adventure. Very readable. They are true to the Chinese originals - they are based on Chinese novels based on the historical figure Di Renjie (c. 630–c. 700), magistrate and statesman of the Tang court. Apropos of **Anaamika** ’s comment, the author was not Asian himself, but as noted the stories he wrote are very close to the original - something he did not hide - and he was a noted scholar of Chinese, and published a translation of the book he was basing his stories on - [Celebrated Cases of Judge Dee - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Di_Gong_An) ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2013, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fantasy-novels-with-an-asian-setting-or-asian-theme/542672/47 "2013-12-20T16:44:53Z")
If you’re interested in graphic novels, there’s _The Ape_ by Milo Manara and Silverio Pisu. It’s a retelling of the Chinese legend of the Monkey King. ---
**Author:** ![Sicks\_Ate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/258eb7/32.png) [@Sicks\_Ate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sicks_Ate)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2013, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fantasy-novels-with-an-asian-setting-or-asian-theme/542672/48 "2013-12-20T16:47:49Z")
Daniel Abraham’s Long Price Quartet series has a lot of Asian elements in it. Good read. Awesome premise for how magic could work. ---
**Author:** ![ZenInc](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c89c15/32.png) [@ZenInc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZenInc)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2014, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fantasy-novels-with-an-asian-setting-or-asian-theme/542672/49 "2014-08-22T20:23:20Z")
Check out this [martial arts fantasy novel](http://www.katanabooks.com) ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2014, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fantasy-novels-with-an-asian-setting-or-asian-theme/542672/50 "2014-08-22T21:21:20Z")
It’s very subtle, but Joel Rosenberg’s two D’Shai fantasy novels (_D’Shai_, and _Hour of the Octopus_) are set in a recognizable version of feudal Japan, but without a single obvious element. There are no Japanese or Asian names, and objects are described in a way that does not immediately trigger associations with Japanese culture or history. It’s fairly artful, and I wish he’d written the third one before his untimely death. ---
**Author:** ![GargoyleWB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gargoylewb/32/199_2.png) [@GargoyleWB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GargoyleWB)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2014, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fantasy-novels-with-an-asian-setting-or-asian-theme/542672/51 "2014-08-22T22:45:00Z")
> [@E-Sabbath](#): > > …I can think of a few. But it’s mostly wuxia visual novels, so they’re not very… advanced. Potboilers at best. And even the most obvious one has never been translated. > [Wang Dulu - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wang_Dulu) > Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, is based on a wuxia novel pentology. But nobody’s bothered to translate it. I’ve tried hunting for decent translations of this series and some other wuxia classics, without any success. The few I’ve found are no better than feeding the text through Google / Babelfish translators, passing it through the Readers Digest condensation dept, and disavowing the existence of thesauruses. ---
**Author:** ![Rick\_Kitchen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rick_kitchen/32/522_2.png) [@Rick\_Kitchen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick_Kitchen)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2014, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fantasy-novels-with-an-asian-setting-or-asian-theme/542672/52 "2014-08-22T22:45:27Z")
> [@MilTan](#): > > Guy Gavriel Kay recently released _[Under Heaven](http://www.amazon.com/Under-Heaven-Guy-Gavriel-Kay/dp/0451463307)_, set in an alternate, fantastical China. I haven’t read it yet, but if it’s up to the standards of his previous work, it promises to be incredible. _Under Heaven_ was released in 2010. It is beautiful and mystical. The sequel, _River of Stars_, came out last year, but I haven’t read it yet. ---
**Author:** ![Rick\_Kitchen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rick_kitchen/32/522_2.png) [@Rick\_Kitchen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick_Kitchen)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2014, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fantasy-novels-with-an-asian-setting-or-asian-theme/542672/53 "2014-08-22T22:51:29Z")
Thomas Harlan’s _Wasteland of Flint_ is science fiction, set in a universe where the Japanese and Aztec Empires have allied and dominate the world, and then have expanded throughout the galaxy. There are combined elements of both cultures. The sequels are _House of Reeds_ and _Land of the Dead_. ---
**Author:** ![Springtime\_for\_Spacers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Springtime\_for\_Spacers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Springtime_for_Spacers)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2014, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fantasy-novels-with-an-asian-setting-or-asian-theme/542672/54 "2014-08-23T00:13:26Z")
Martha Wells, [The Wheel of the Infinite](http://www.marthawells.com/wheel.htm) is definitely Asian in flavour. The architecture reminds me of Angkor Wat. Alison Goodman, [Eon](http://www.fantasybookreview.co.uk/Alison-Goodman/The-Two-Pearls-of-Wisdom.html) series. ---
**Author:** ![Koxinga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/4af34b/32.png) [@Koxinga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Koxinga)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2014, 12:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fantasy-novels-with-an-asian-setting-or-asian-theme/542672/55 "2014-08-23T00:41:02Z")
> [@Anaamika](#): > > I don’t mean this to be snarky although it might come out as such: I really recommend looking up some actual Asian authors in addition to white people who write about their Asian experience or “the” Asian experience. It’s snarky if it comes in the form of a drive-by with no helpful recommendations. ETA: I’m not terribly familiar with it, but if you could find translations of the _wuxia_ genre, that might give you some martial arts fantasy if that’s your thing. Googling around points me to [The Condor Trilogy](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Condor_Trilogy), written in the 1950s, as an example. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2014, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fantasy-novels-with-an-asian-setting-or-asian-theme/542672/56 "2014-08-23T00:46:22Z")
> [@Anaamika](#): > > I don’t mean this to be snarky although it might come out as such: I really recommend looking up some actual Asian authors in addition to white people who write about their Asian experience or “the” Asian experience. Part of the problem is translation: other than Indian writers, most Asian writers probably don’t write in this messageboard’s main language, and so you have to find something that’s been translated. Which brings me to something someone else mentioned, a story with an Arabian-Nights flavor. My favorite book with an Arabian Nights flavor was actually written by an Asian author (albeit the most famous tranlators are all Anglo): **Arabian Nights**. It’s dense and weird but utterly captivating and hilarious and far raunchier than you might expect a centuries-old text to be. Give it a try! ---
**Author:** ![Sunny\_Daze](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunny_daze/32/438_2.png) [@Sunny\_Daze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunny_Daze)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2014, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fantasy-novels-with-an-asian-setting-or-asian-theme/542672/57 "2014-08-23T01:36:32Z")
> [@Infovore](#): > > I haven’t read this one so I can’t offer an opinion of it, but Leah Cutter’s [Paper Mage](http://www.amazon.com/Paper-Mage-Leah-Cutter-ebook/dp/B0061YCLE2)is Asian-themed fantasy. I used to work with the author, which is why I know about it. Endorsed. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![si\_blakely](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d9b06d/32.png) [@si\_blakely](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/si_blakely)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2014, 5:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fantasy-novels-with-an-asian-setting-or-asian-theme/542672/58 "2014-08-23T05:24:54Z")
Duncan Lay has written a trilogy (Bridge of Swords, Valley of Shields, and Wall of Spears) which places a magic using feudal japan based society aside (but isolated from) from a typical medieval european world, and of course the two collide. I mostly liked it so far, although I haven’t yet read the third book. ---
**Author:** ![bldysabba](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ecccb3/32.png) [@bldysabba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bldysabba)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2014, 5:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fantasy-novels-with-an-asian-setting-or-asian-theme/542672/59 "2014-08-23T05:54:34Z")
> [@Sage\_Rat](#): > > It’s only a short story, but [The Nightingale](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Nightingale) is set in China. The tale of Aladdin, in the original 1001 Nights is also set in China. Isn’t all of the 1001 nights set in Asia? > [@Anaamika](#): > > I don’t mean this to be snarky although it might come out as such: I really recommend looking up some actual Asian authors in addition to white people who write about their Asian experience or “the” Asian experience. > [@Bridget\_Burke](#): > > Recommendations would be most welcome. One of India’s epics - the Ramayana - has been written into a fantasy series by Ashok Banker. I’m not particularly fond of it myself, but many people like it a lot, and I’ve heard it improves as you go further in to the series, which I declined to do. > **[Amazon.com: Prince of Ayodhya - Book One: The Ramayana: 9780446530927: Banker,...](https://www.amazon.com/Prince-Ayodhya-Book-One-Ramayana/dp/0446530921)** > > Amazon.com: Prince of Ayodhya - Book One: The Ramayana: 9780446530927: Banker, Ashok K.: Books The Simoqin prophecies, by Samit Basu - [http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-simoqin-prophecies-samit-basu/1006916291?ean=2940015095135](http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-simoqin-prophecies-samit-basu/1006916291?ean=2940015095135) - are a fantasy series based in a ‘sort of’ Indian setting which I quite liked. The series combines elements of fantasy, comedy, Indian and Western mythology, and is well worth a read. It may be slightly difficult to get hold of outside India. Barnes and Nobles apparently sells the Ebook version. Not sure if Amazon does. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fantasy-novels-with-an-asian-setting-or-asian-theme/542672.md?page=2)