Fantasy

Spirits Abroad

Spirits Abroad

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  • Create Date：2021-08-22 08:52:00
  • Update Date：2025-09-07
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Zen Cho
  • ISBN：1618731866
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Summary

Nineteen sparkling stories that weave between the lands of the living and the lands of the dead。 Spirits Abroad is an expanded edition of Zen Cho’s Crawford Award winning debut collection with nine added stories including Hugo Award winner “If at First You Don't Succeed， Try， Try Again。” A Datin recalls her romance with an orang bunian。 A teenage pontianak struggles to balance homework， bossy aunties， first love， and eating people。 An earth spirit gets entangled in protracted negotiations with an annoying landlord， and Chang E spins off into outer space， the ultimate metaphor for the Chinese diaspora。

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Reviews

Dan Trefethen ，

Zen Cho gives us a book of ghosts。 Well， not only ghosts but demons and other creatures。 The ghosts and others， however， can be quite funny， and the antics of people in the afterlife reflect many of the same activities they engaged in while alive。 Many of the stories reflect the sorrow of people who are displaced， either because they are dead or because they have moved from their homeland。 Cho's homeland is Malaysia， and she currently lives in the UK， so much of this can be attributed to her sit Zen Cho gives us a book of ghosts。 Well， not only ghosts but demons and other creatures。 The ghosts and others， however， can be quite funny， and the antics of people in the afterlife reflect many of the same activities they engaged in while alive。 Many of the stories reflect the sorrow of people who are displaced， either because they are dead or because they have moved from their homeland。 Cho's homeland is Malaysia， and she currently lives in the UK， so much of this can be attributed to her situation。The language can be challenging because many Malaysian words are used， but can usually be understood in context。 In some stories the characters use a form of broken English with each other， which puzzled me， because I presumed they would be speaking Malay to each other so that the English translation we are supposedly reading would be flawless。 However， the dialogue goes a long way to provide a sense of character to the many colorful people （mostly aunts or other women） who populate these stories。We learn a lot about the Malaysian conception of death and ghosts。 We also learn that the Lion Dance is used to protect us from the hungry ghosts who would otherwise do us harm。 We also learn what it takes for an imugi to become a dragon， and the value of perseverance。 These clever， funny and heartfelt stories show an author who loves her homeland and its people， and wishes to use the tools of fantasy to share her culture with us。 。。。more

Jon ，

（Note: Got this as an ARC through LibraryThing's Early Reviewer program）。Excellent。 Challenging at times， due to cultural differences， but ultimately quite enjoyable。 Glad this was brought back into print。 （Note: Got this as an ARC through LibraryThing's Early Reviewer program）。Excellent。 Challenging at times， due to cultural differences， but ultimately quite enjoyable。 Glad this was brought back into print。 。。。more

Justus ，

I quite liked Zen Cho's The Order of the Pure Moon Reflected in Water。 Cho is Malaysian and writes unabashedly in Malaysian English。 The story itself was lovely and the use of Malaysian English， as opposed to American English or British English， makes you realize how far-reaching soft-power dominance can stretch。This is a collection of short stories in a similar style。 They are primarily urban fantasy about Malaysian mythology and folk lore。 Many （most？） of the stories are about a young 20-somet I quite liked Zen Cho's The Order of the Pure Moon Reflected in Water。 Cho is Malaysian and writes unabashedly in Malaysian English。 The story itself was lovely and the use of Malaysian English， as opposed to American English or British English， makes you realize how far-reaching soft-power dominance can stretch。This is a collection of short stories in a similar style。 They are primarily urban fantasy about Malaysian mythology and folk lore。 Many （most？） of the stories are about a young 20-something ethnic Chinese Malaysian emigre in London。 To the point where it actually got a bit。。。repetitive and I was wishing she would right more that wasn't so obviously drawn from her own experiences。Once again， Zen Cho writes with an unapologetic Malaysian flair。 Which I mostly dig but at times I feel like she sometimes loses sight that it can alienate a global audience without some affordances。This was the secret the family had been hiding from Vivian。 Nai Nai had become a kuang shi。 Wait， what's a kuang shi？ Let me go Google that。 This kind of thing actually comes up pretty frequently in the stories。 She isn't always great about giving enough details about the thing from Malaysian folklore for us to figure out what it is， so the words are just kind of an opaque jumble。But reading Zen Cho also shows the power of "own voices"， she's able to slip in tiny little cultural details that someone who hasn't lived in an Asian country might not even think to include。 Like how you don't go around saying thank you to family members。She had never thanked an aunt for anything before。 It was understood that they would do things for her， that that was the way the world worked。 Likewise， Cho's background means we get a snippet like this about being nostalgic for the humid sticky heat of Malaysia:The air outside the airport had been cold beyond belief， but the bus had been warm — not an honest sticky heat， but a stultifying man-made warmth that smelled of dusty upholstery。 But all of those nice， small details don't really add up to especially engaging stories。 There are a few gems: everyone seems to love "House of Aunts" which is about being an eternal Malaysian vampire in a household of generations of eternal vampire aunts; the ultimate in multi-generation living and culture clash。 （Though kind of weird that the high school boyfriend is okay with the fact that he's dating someone who literally commits murder on a regular basis。。。）But so many of the stories left me flat。 "First National Forum on the Position of Minorities in Malaysia" is probably my least favorite but lots of others felt fairly。。。。rote？ Or by the numbers？ A particularly egregious example: "Prudence and the Dragon" which is dangerously close to a kind of Twilight-inspired fanfic about a mousy girl who has the superhot dragon fall in love with her for no good reason。Whatever the reason， few of the stories really moved me or made me go wow。 。。。more

Zoe's Human ，

Zen Cho has rapidly becoming one of my favorite writers， and this collection of wonderful shorts has solidified her place on that list。 Substantial without being grim， truthful yet humorous， her tales introduce us to fairies， vampires， and dragons—all in the Malay style。 I can't wait to see what she writes next。 STORIESThe First Witch of Damansara 3 stars The Guest 3 starsThe Fish Bowl 5 starsFirst National Forum on the Position of Minorities in Malaysia 4 starsOdette 5 stars The House of Aun Zen Cho has rapidly becoming one of my favorite writers， and this collection of wonderful shorts has solidified her place on that list。 Substantial without being grim， truthful yet humorous， her tales introduce us to fairies， vampires， and dragons—all in the Malay style。 I can't wait to see what she writes next。 STORIESThe First Witch of Damansara 3 stars The Guest 3 starsThe Fish Bowl 5 starsFirst National Forum on the Position of Minorities in Malaysia 4 starsOdette 5 stars The House of Aunts 5 starsBalik Kampung 4 starsOne-Day Travelcard for Fairyland 5 starsRising Lion—The Lion Bows） 4 starsSeven Star Drum 4 starsThe Mystery of the Suet Swain 5 starsPrudence and the Dragon 5 starsThe Perseverance of Angela's Past Life 4。5 stars If at First You Don't Succeed， Try， Try Again 5 starsThe Earth Spirit's Favorite Anecdote 4 starsMonkey King， Faerie Queen 4 starsLiyana 4。5 starsThe Terra-cotta Bride 4。5 starsThe Four Generations of Chang E 5 starsI received a complimentary， advanced copy of this book via a LibraryThing Giveaway。 。。。more

Elvira ，

Dandy！

Allene ，

Enjoyable book and can't wait to read the next one。 Enjoyable book and can't wait to read the next one。 。。。more

Michelle Souliere ，

These short stories by Zen Cho are magical and real at the same time， a rare talent for storytelling where you feel like you are experiencing what each narrator encounters。 Magical people， magical creatures， magical events alongside very everyday life。 All peppered with Malaysian culture - words， settings， food and habits。 I'm in love with this book。 These short stories by Zen Cho are magical and real at the same time， a rare talent for storytelling where you feel like you are experiencing what each narrator encounters。 Magical people， magical creatures， magical events alongside very everyday life。 All peppered with Malaysian culture - words， settings， food and habits。 I'm in love with this book。 。。。more

Ren Bedasbad ，

A fantastic collection of short stories revolving around family， spirits， and death。 The stories are similar in tone and ideas， which is nice as you know where the stories are going to go。 They are all of high quality and I enjoyed all of them。 Some of the short stories are outstanding。 They are not connected， except for a few。 They all are based on a Chinese-Malaysian culture， therefore there may be some terms used that some people may not be familiar with。 If anyone is interested in short stor A fantastic collection of short stories revolving around family， spirits， and death。 The stories are similar in tone and ideas， which is nice as you know where the stories are going to go。 They are all of high quality and I enjoyed all of them。 Some of the short stories are outstanding。 They are not connected， except for a few。 They all are based on a Chinese-Malaysian culture， therefore there may be some terms used that some people may not be familiar with。 If anyone is interested in short stories， I highly recommend this book。 。。。more

Antonina ，

Without spoiling things， I can say that I did end up with new found appreciation for this kind of behind-the-screen-action （literally） and would honestly recommend the Hail series to others。

Homoplasty ，

This is an excellent piece of writing， so once more I find myself stating to an author well done thank you for the read， please feed me more。 Oh and one more thing I so loved the ending。

Allyssa ，

I will say that Cho shows a strong fascination for fantasy that borders on the fantastical。

Veronica ，

ARC via Edelweiss。 I've never encountered a short story collection before where I thought ALL the stories were winners， but this one comes damn close！ I was pulled in right from the get-go， and while nothing will ever top The House of Aunts， personal favorite short story possibly of all time for me， all of the others that I hadn't read before had the same magical prose and rhythm to their dialogue。 All the stories set in England had the exact specificity of place that made me go "ah， yes， I reco ARC via Edelweiss。 I've never encountered a short story collection before where I thought ALL the stories were winners， but this one comes damn close！ I was pulled in right from the get-go， and while nothing will ever top The House of Aunts， personal favorite short story possibly of all time for me， all of the others that I hadn't read before had the same magical prose and rhythm to their dialogue。 All the stories set in England had the exact specificity of place that made me go "ah， yes， I recognize that" and while I've never been to Malaysia， I am confident that the details of the setting there are equally spot-on。 （I haven't read the previous edition of Spirits Abroad and I don't know which of the stories are new， just FYI。） Final note: if you're looking for lesbians， the stories are not exclusively queer-themed but you'll definitely find plenty to enjoy！ 。。。more

Aline-Mwezi Niyonsenga ，

I don't know why， but I felt like I could deeply relate to the characters in these stories。 Wrapped in their fantastical circumstances， I felt grounded in their realness and awed by their experiences。 Maybe I'll be able to explain why I like this collection so much when I've properly processed it， but for now I can only say that I love love loved it。The last few paragraphs of 'The Four Generations of Chang E' was a particularly sobering reminder of the point of no return once you've left home。 I don't know why， but I felt like I could deeply relate to the characters in these stories。 Wrapped in their fantastical circumstances， I felt grounded in their realness and awed by their experiences。 Maybe I'll be able to explain why I like this collection so much when I've properly processed it， but for now I can only say that I love love loved it。The last few paragraphs of 'The Four Generations of Chang E' was a particularly sobering reminder of the point of no return once you've left home。 。。。more

Kathy ，

Extremely charming and often very funny stories that reside along the borders of fantasy and modern life and are imbued with details of Malaysian culture and folklore。 I think almost all the stories in this collection are really standout but my favorites are: "The First Witch of Damansara，" "Prudence and the Dragon，" "The Earth Spirit's Favorite Anecdote，" and "The Fish Bowl。" Extremely charming and often very funny stories that reside along the borders of fantasy and modern life and are imbued with details of Malaysian culture and folklore。 I think almost all the stories in this collection are really standout but my favorites are: "The First Witch of Damansara，" "Prudence and the Dragon，" "The Earth Spirit's Favorite Anecdote，" and "The Fish Bowl。" 。。。more

Samrat ，

Thoroughly enjoyed most， if not all of Cho's short stories。 My favorite was probably the House of Aunts， with the Mystery of the Suet Swain being a close second。I liked the way Cho breathed life into her characters in such a short space in these works。 Would reread someday， ideally with more cultural context。 Thoroughly enjoyed most， if not all of Cho's short stories。 My favorite was probably the House of Aunts， with the Mystery of the Suet Swain being a close second。I liked the way Cho breathed life into her characters in such a short space in these works。 Would reread someday， ideally with more cultural context。 。。。more

jayreadsthings ，

These short stories were very hit and miss for me。 The ones I loved， （House of Aunts， One-Day Travelcard for Fairyland， The Mystery of the Suet Swain， Prudence and the Dragon， The Perseverance of Angela’s Past Life） I loved and the ones I didn’t like were mostly just okay。 I did really love the ones I had fun with， so I wish I liked all the stories as much as the five I loved。 I also really liked reading the author’s notes for each of the stories。 They did make me wish that they were placed afte These short stories were very hit and miss for me。 The ones I loved， （House of Aunts， One-Day Travelcard for Fairyland， The Mystery of the Suet Swain， Prudence and the Dragon， The Perseverance of Angela’s Past Life） I loved and the ones I didn’t like were mostly just okay。 I did really love the ones I had fun with， so I wish I liked all the stories as much as the five I loved。 I also really liked reading the author’s notes for each of the stories。 They did make me wish that they were placed after each story and not all together at the end of the book。 I think that would have made the notes more impactful as I didn’t remember all the stories as well by then。 All in all I do think Spirits Abroad is overall a mixed bag like most of the short story books I’ve read。 LGBT+ REP: lesbian main character， bisexual main character， gay main character， nonbinary side character CW: miscarriage， child death， self harm 。。。more

Sonia ，

I read this over the course of several months and enjoyed it a lot！ （I love all of Zen Cho's work so this was not a surprise。）While I'm unfamiliar with the Malay folklore these stories draw on， that wasn't an impediment at all， because the focus is always on what makes the characters who they are， rather than whatever traits may be traditionally associated with the type of creature they are。 They all feel very real， and often relatable。 Now and then England will make an appearance through the le I read this over the course of several months and enjoyed it a lot！ （I love all of Zen Cho's work so this was not a surprise。）While I'm unfamiliar with the Malay folklore these stories draw on， that wasn't an impediment at all， because the focus is always on what makes the characters who they are， rather than whatever traits may be traditionally associated with the type of creature they are。 They all feel very real， and often relatable。 Now and then England will make an appearance through the lens of someone from a different culture and， having lived in London as a foreigner， the descriptions often made me laugh。 My favorite out of all the stories is probably a toss-up between the "House of Aunts" and "Prudence and the Dragon"， but they were all lovely。 Definitely recommended。 。。。more

Nisa ，

3。5⭐My favourite will be The House of Aunts。 Wish Balik Kampung included backstory on why Lydia's husband killed her， though。 The premise of the story i。e。 hungry ghosts， 'balik kampung' was already very interesting but too bad the story was cut short 😕 3。5⭐My favourite will be The House of Aunts。 Wish Balik Kampung included backstory on why Lydia's husband killed her， though。 The premise of the story i。e。 hungry ghosts， 'balik kampung' was already very interesting but too bad the story was cut short 😕 。。。more

Jessica ，

Consisting of 10 peculiar short stories that are divided into 3 parts， Here （more Malaysian based） There （takes place outside of Malaysia） and Elsewhere （everything in between， unrealistic and magical places）。 This collection has been proven to be very Malaysian。 You can have a good look at what Manglish is when you read this one but for international readers， you might struggle with the unfamiliar words。Here will be the best section for me as the stories brought me to a full length discussion o Consisting of 10 peculiar short stories that are divided into 3 parts， Here （more Malaysian based） There （takes place outside of Malaysia） and Elsewhere （everything in between， unrealistic and magical places）。 This collection has been proven to be very Malaysian。 You can have a good look at what Manglish is when you read this one but for international readers， you might struggle with the unfamiliar words。Here will be the best section for me as the stories brought me to a full length discussion of pertinent issues in Malaysia。 I adore how Zen Cho brilliantly used Orang Bunian to represent the minorities in Malaysia in the second story， how their voices are unheard。 That's the beauty of Zen Cho's writing for this book， how she connects the mythical creatures， the legends and myths to an issue in Malaysia。The Mystery of Suet Swain in There tells the story of Orang Minyak who stalks a girl and makes everyone else think that he's a friendly guy who's innocent。 Interesting how Zen Cho depicts most of the situation of a sexual harasser and the victim through this story。 How people trust and are blinded by the words of harasser compared to the victim。The Earth Spirit story from Elsewhere is a story that made me laugh a lot with the curse words and the irony of waiting and waiting and "tomorrow"。 😂 The story couldn't be more Malaysian。Overall， it was a great reading journey despite some stories were harder to understand the meaning behind them。 Language and stories wise， most of them represent Malaysia quite well。 。。。more

Beige ，

Woohoo， I finished a short story collection！ Something I haven't done in years。 Although， Cho made it easy with her dry humour and focus on 5 key F's: friendship， family， food， fun and folklore。 A winning combination。The collection is currently moving to a new publisher， so unavailable for purchase at the moment。 In the meantime， some of the stories are available online for free。 Here is the first one。。。The First Witch of Damansara @Uncanny MagazineThanks to my fellow buddy readers at Worlds Bey Woohoo， I finished a short story collection！ Something I haven't done in years。 Although， Cho made it easy with her dry humour and focus on 5 key F's: friendship， family， food， fun and folklore。 A winning combination。The collection is currently moving to a new publisher， so unavailable for purchase at the moment。 In the meantime， some of the stories are available online for free。 Here is the first one。。。The First Witch of Damansara @Uncanny MagazineThanks to my fellow buddy readers at Worlds Beyond the Margins for selecting this and helping to make it one of my favourite BRs of 2020。artist: Zhou Fan 。。。more

Ruby Jusoh ，

My first Zen Cho。 What a wonderful compilation of short stories！ I felt so many things reading the book - sad， happy， romantic and nostalgic。 The stories are mostly set in Malaysia （or involving Malaysian people and creatures）。 ~My favourite story is The House of Aunts。 It is a vampire tale about a young female Chinese vampire who fell in love with a human Malay classmate。 So funny and tragic at the same time。 All of the stories are neither too short nor too long。 The characters are interesting My first Zen Cho。 What a wonderful compilation of short stories！ I felt so many things reading the book - sad， happy， romantic and nostalgic。 The stories are mostly set in Malaysia （or involving Malaysian people and creatures）。 ~My favourite story is The House of Aunts。 It is a vampire tale about a young female Chinese vampire who fell in love with a human Malay classmate。 So funny and tragic at the same time。 All of the stories are neither too short nor too long。 The characters are interesting with all rhe bunians and toyols and orang minyaks。 Feel so familiar， I must say。 ~Will definitely read more of her works。 A must-read！ 。。。more

Netanella ，

This is a wonderful collection of fantasy short stories by Malaysian author Zen Cho。 Within Cho deftly weaves Southeast Asian folklore and family stories into traditional themes of family， love， and death。 I've very glad that I found this book， and that I have a new author to follow。 Very well done！ This is a wonderful collection of fantasy short stories by Malaysian author Zen Cho。 Within Cho deftly weaves Southeast Asian folklore and family stories into traditional themes of family， love， and death。 I've very glad that I found this book， and that I have a new author to follow。 Very well done！ 。。。more

Allison Hurd ，

Delightful。 Not all of the stories were equally wonderful， but this was a colorful， funny， heartfelt and imaginative foray into Malaysian mythology and family life。 I really enjoyed all of them， especially the story about the Aunts and the Dragon。 I don't even have to add content warnings because the author thoughtfully added them to the beginning of each story！ Delightful。 Not all of the stories were equally wonderful， but this was a colorful， funny， heartfelt and imaginative foray into Malaysian mythology and family life。 I really enjoyed all of them， especially the story about the Aunts and the Dragon。 I don't even have to add content warnings because the author thoughtfully added them to the beginning of each story！ 。。。more

Moon ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Zen Cho absolutely killed it during FIYAHCON， so I felt the urge and bought Spirits Abroad on Smashwords before it was pulled from their site， because this is going to be reprinted by Kelly Link's and Gavin Grant's Small Beer Press （which makes a lot of sense）。The book is divided in various parts and I liked the first blocks better than the latter。 I suppose that it has to be with the tone， which is a little bit different: There's a half of the book in which the tone is lighter and with a lovely Zen Cho absolutely killed it during FIYAHCON， so I felt the urge and bought Spirits Abroad on Smashwords before it was pulled from their site， because this is going to be reprinted by Kelly Link's and Gavin Grant's Small Beer Press （which makes a lot of sense）。The book is divided in various parts and I liked the first blocks better than the latter。 I suppose that it has to be with the tone， which is a little bit different: There's a half of the book in which the tone is lighter and with a lovely witty humor， and another half in which the book gets darker （which I don't really mind， it's just that I like the wholesome/lighter stories， except for the violence against the fairies， which is not cool！）。The stories I liked the most were:- The First Witch of Damansara， with a woman whose different identities （and the ones that surround her and take part indirectly） are so carefully interwoven —how she sees herself as a traitor because of how she is frowned upon both with the eyes and with words。 The shadow of the grandmother， with a really big presence within all the story。 The little sister with the difficult behaviour。。。 It was so great。- First International Forum on the Position of Minorities in Malaysia is humor at its best。 I've been an activist and have both participated and organized forums like this one， and Zen Cho nails them。 She's a master of characterization， just a few strokes， a few sentences and you get the archetype right， as there are many people like the ones that appear on their stories。 Zen Cho complained in her notes that this was seen as 'preachy'。 Preachy my ass！！ And Peachy！ 🍑🍑🍑🍑🍑- The House of Aunts， so praised on all the Virtual Cons I have attended and now I see why。 What an aunt gang， with really nuanced aunties， each one of them with their different ways to be， framed within a likeable teenage-angst-vampire-romance story。 It's a really， really great story。- The Four Generations of Chang E also needs a mention by me， because its another one that made me feel at home。 As Asian diaspora in Spain， this metaphor about the whole diaspora， was on point。 I know that Zen Cho is wary of the subject， as there is so little， she feels the weight of having to write about something that has a lot of different experiences。 But I related to it a lot。But there are really lovable things in all her stories。 The need for friends in dire situations， the light humor， the characterization， the melancholy of being uprooted no matter where you are。。。 I didn't have a clue about Malay culture， but the collection made me feel at home。 Which is really difficult， because for me， home is a four letter word。Really solid four stars。 Thankfully， my superstitions are completely westernized。 。。。more

Mick ，

One of my favorite reads in years！

Silvana ，

I am glad my third attempt in reading Zen Cho's work paid off。 Maybe because the setting is so familiar to me， but I am just in awe of her ability to weave these local myths and legends into a compelling narrative。 I believe my Indonesian buddies would find this enjoyable too ;）The book was hyped alot during the last few online conventions I attended and I could definitely see why。 One interesting thing is the non-italicizing policy of the publisher， Buku Fixi， for non-English words - I am now i I am glad my third attempt in reading Zen Cho's work paid off。 Maybe because the setting is so familiar to me， but I am just in awe of her ability to weave these local myths and legends into a compelling narrative。 I believe my Indonesian buddies would find this enjoyable too ;）The book was hyped alot during the last few online conventions I attended and I could definitely see why。 One interesting thing is the non-italicizing policy of the publisher， Buku Fixi， for non-English words - I am now in total agreement of this。A perfect read for those who are in the mood to try a different kind of horror fic or just want to try a specfic work from Malaysia/Southeast Asia/Chinese diaspora。 。。。more

Syazwanie Winston Abdullah ，

Some meh。 Some funny。 Some are psychedelic shit。 After awhile， you sense the story line and her style of writing。 Guess one or two of these stories gave birth to Sorcerer to the Crown！

alx ，

this should be encoded in the malaysian/southeast asian/general literary fantasy canon already！ but zen cho's finesse is such as to make genre & national distinctions unmeaningful – these stories run the gamut from Here to There to Elsewhere， and not a single one falls flat。 her writing itself shimmers with magic/the supernatural， but it's so of a piece with her sensibility， so inscribed into the worlds she builds that the magic-ness of the magic is kinda not worth remarking upon。 or rather， a m this should be encoded in the malaysian/southeast asian/general literary fantasy canon already！ but zen cho's finesse is such as to make genre & national distinctions unmeaningful – these stories run the gamut from Here to There to Elsewhere， and not a single one falls flat。 her writing itself shimmers with magic/the supernatural， but it's so of a piece with her sensibility， so inscribed into the worlds she builds that the magic-ness of the magic is kinda not worth remarking upon。 or rather， a mere feature of the everyday， which just is in the way it encompasses both the visible & the invisible， the palpable & impalpable。 it is never made a cause for overblown， cringey shock。 and i mean this in the best way possible， because it then clears the field of cheap horror tricks & leaves room for much gently subversive humour in the way the characters receive & navigate their sticky situations， without ever diminishing wonder & mystery。 really gives me occasion to rethink how much superstition & otherworldly （only insofar as they inhabit the same ether as us， the 'worldly'！） beings are already a part of the texture of daily life， & of southeast asian identity – really a familiarity that perhaps binds together what is otherwise a profoundly artificial/colonial regional construct。 （the way i have to clarify & articulate this shows how colonised my mind is， methinks， rather than viewing it as a default way of seeing/mode of life as this collection deftly does。）oh and did i mention she has an amazing ear for dialogue！ this was a long overdue read for me， in that i already had great love & admiration for cho's writing， but spirits abroad represents peaks of excellence even for her。 for readers of the sorcerer royal series， "prudence & the dragon" is set in a similar/identical universe & reads like a fun cross-over episode/fanfic/earlier draft brewing in the writer's mind before she changed the tea-leaves & allowed it to take a different shape， while preserving some of its original fragrance。 i want MOAR。 。。。more

Amirah A Bakar ，

"Love was like swallowing a cili padi whole。"0️⃣1️⃣The First Witch of Damansara ⭐⭐⭐⭐。5 0️⃣2️⃣First National Forum on the Position of Minorities in Malaysia ⭐⭐⭐。5 。0️⃣3️⃣The House of Aunts ⭐⭐⭐⭐。5 。0️⃣4️⃣One-day Travelcard for Fairyland ⭐⭐⭐。8 。0️⃣5️⃣Rising Lion - The Lion Bows ⭐⭐⭐⭐0️⃣6️⃣The Mystery of the Suet Swain ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 。0️⃣7️⃣Prudence and the Dragon ⭐⭐⭐。5 。0️⃣8️⃣The Earth Spirit's Favourite Anecdote ⭐⭐⭐。2 。0️⃣9️⃣Liyana ⭐⭐⭐。2 。1️⃣0️⃣The Four Generations of Chang E ⭐⭐⭐。8💬 My love goes to 'The Witc "Love was like swallowing a cili padi whole。"0️⃣1️⃣The First Witch of Damansara ⭐⭐⭐⭐。5 0️⃣2️⃣First National Forum on the Position of Minorities in Malaysia ⭐⭐⭐。5 。0️⃣3️⃣The House of Aunts ⭐⭐⭐⭐。5 。0️⃣4️⃣One-day Travelcard for Fairyland ⭐⭐⭐。8 。0️⃣5️⃣Rising Lion - The Lion Bows ⭐⭐⭐⭐0️⃣6️⃣The Mystery of the Suet Swain ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 。0️⃣7️⃣Prudence and the Dragon ⭐⭐⭐。5 。0️⃣8️⃣The Earth Spirit's Favourite Anecdote ⭐⭐⭐。2 。0️⃣9️⃣Liyana ⭐⭐⭐。2 。1️⃣0️⃣The Four Generations of Chang E ⭐⭐⭐。8💬 My love goes to 'The Witch of Damansara' and 'The House of Aunts'！ I love the family theme they have， while still having the supernatural feels。 Total Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 。。。more

Aurora ，

3，5 stars。 Some stories fell flat for me but others felt like a breath of fresh air。 The stories also offered interesting glimpses into a culture I know little about。

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Spirits Abroad

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Spirits Abroad&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Spirits Abroad&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0