Fantasy

Lion City

Lion City

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  • Create Date：2021-04-23 11:58:18
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
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  • Author：Ng Yi-Sheng
  • ISBN：9811700745
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Summary

A man learns that all the animals in the Zoo are robots。 A secret terminal in Changi Airport caters to the gods。 A prince falls in love with a crocodile。 A concubine is lost in time。 The island of Singapore disappears。

These are the exquisitely strange tales of Lion City， the first collection of short fiction by award-winning poet and playwright Ng Yi-Sheng。 Infused with myth， magical realism and contemporary sci-fi， each of these tales invites the reader to see this city-state in a new and darkly fabulous light。

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Reviews

Tsana Dolichva ，

An excellent collection containing some excellent stories。 Highly recommended to all fans of SFF， especially if you're after stories set in or about Singapore。 An excellent collection containing some excellent stories。 Highly recommended to all fans of SFF， especially if you're after stories set in or about Singapore。 。。。more

Tammie ，

I really， really liked this collection of stories， save for a couple which I found a bit odd。 And I liked how Ng blended elements mythology， sci-fi/spec fiction， and historical fiction together in each story。

Kaikaku_ ，

Lion City undoubtedly presents a dazzling take on Singapore’s past， present and future but reading it as just that simply would not do this collection justice。 A brilliant exploration on the notion of home and what it means， this is a post-colonial text that has significance to all diasporic and settler communities that is worth reading and re-reading。

Xueqiang ，

Twisted and tantalising。 The best passages are the ones that reinvent the past。 A Singlit must-read！

Ziqin Ng ，

5-star:No Man IsFood ParadiseLittle EmperorSINThe Crocodile PrinceGarden （my favourite！）No Other City4-star:A Day At Terminal AlephPortThe Boy， the Swordfish， the Bleeding IslandLittle Red Dot3-star:Lion CityHarbour2-star:Fishing VillageHub

Jill ，

This was a bit of a mixed bag for me （aren't most short story collections though？）。 The collection started strongly enough and some of the highlights of the collection for me were the title story， Lion City （where a man learns that all the animals at the zoo are robots）， Fishing Village （where denizens of the deep come to the surface once a year for their annual catch）， A Day at Terminal Aleph （where Changi Airport has a secret terminal catering to the gods）， Food Paradise （on the soul or loss o This was a bit of a mixed bag for me （aren't most short story collections though？）。 The collection started strongly enough and some of the highlights of the collection for me were the title story， Lion City （where a man learns that all the animals at the zoo are robots）， Fishing Village （where denizens of the deep come to the surface once a year for their annual catch）， A Day at Terminal Aleph （where Changi Airport has a secret terminal catering to the gods）， Food Paradise （on the soul or loss of soul in local food）， and SIN （on visitors from Hell who descend on Singapore during the haze and their reception from Singaporeans）。 They interrogate and skewer Singapore's ambitions and self-image as an exceptional first world country。 They shine a light on the parts of the country we don't want seen。 They are witty， funny， sometimes uncomfortable。 There were 16 stories in total。 I loved 5 of them， really did not enjoy The Little Red Dot and Suburbia - did not appreciate the point of them - found the rest alright。 Some more bizarre than others but still readable。 One third of the book is a decent hit rate and Lion City is a quick read that I finished in a day。 。。。more

ash c ，

I am absolutely charmed by this book！ Lion City is a collection of 16 creative scifi and fantasy short stories by poet Ng Yi-Sheng， cleverly weaving our local experiences into imaginative stories。 Many have tried that and some fall short， especially when certain local elements are forced in for the sake of it， however， Ng has managed to capture our inner lives， our love for food， politics， the queer scene， climate change， the state's 'innovative' future， and the Singapore history very realistica I am absolutely charmed by this book！ Lion City is a collection of 16 creative scifi and fantasy short stories by poet Ng Yi-Sheng， cleverly weaving our local experiences into imaginative stories。 Many have tried that and some fall short， especially when certain local elements are forced in for the sake of it， however， Ng has managed to capture our inner lives， our love for food， politics， the queer scene， climate change， the state's 'innovative' future， and the Singapore history very realistically。 If you are wondering whether to read detailed reviews before going in or go in blind， I'd recommend the latter。 Every turn of the page was a delight and like opening a present。 Otherwise， if you have read it， I've reviewed some of the short stories below （no spoilers）。Lion City - The title piece and a great choice to start the book with。 It starts off with a man who is enamored with a mysterious， motorcycle-riding woman who works at the Zoo。 Before you roll your eyes， like I did， keep on reading。 Whenever the Zoo is mentioned in literature it's always in a cringey manner but this re-imaging was great。A Day at Terminal Aleph - A little over the top but I love it。 I'd like to think it's a subtle snark at our glorification and worship of our Great Changi Airport， the Singapore Dream， our Metropolitan City， that brings Wealth and Very Important People to our Garden City。。。 okay I'll stop now。 Anyway it's hilarious。 Suburbia - interesting storytelling technique and fantasy story that showcases our unchecked eagerness for development and our ruling party's aversion to transparency。Little Emperor - a really sweet gay love story between a Singaporean and his partner， who claims to be the next Emperor of China。 Port - this was wild and bizarre and it leaves me with more questions than answers。 A speculative piece that I enjoyed。Garden - this is， without a doubt， my favourite piece from the book。 I spent a good 30 minutes reading this even though it's a short story， because it was so captivating。 I won't comment on the structure of the story because it should be a pleasant surprise。No Other City - struck me in the feels unexpectedly。 What happens if you wake up one day to find out Singapore never existed？ When I was younger， I used to think I'll be happy to be rid of the rigidness， the unreasonable academic expectations。 As I grew older， it was about state authoritarianism， the lack of creativity， and the overworking。 This story showed me a different perspective。 。。。more

Wei Hao ，

HighlightsShe does not， in fact， enjoy being the President。 The fact that some people hate her is a given: if that had bothered her， she would never have lasted long in politics。 No， what she truly cannot stand is the ludicrous rule that obliges her to stay in this ridiculous mat salleh mansion， rather than the Yishun flat she bought three decades ago as a newlywed lawyer。

charlotte， （½ of readsrainbow） ，

（3。5）Rep: Singaporean characters & setting， gay characters， lesbian character

xueh wei ，

What a spectacular collection of fiction that kept me pleasantly surprised at every turn - so， so inventive & absolutely brilliant。 Bizarre plots， experimental form， and a wild ride through it all。⁣⁣I devoured the otherworldly realms in this book with wide-eyed wonder; loved how it interacted with existing works （I freaking love intertextuality）; lapped up the way familiar folklores were weaved into it; and it all feels right among queer characters & sex positive elements✨⁣The only thing I'm cur What a spectacular collection of fiction that kept me pleasantly surprised at every turn - so， so inventive & absolutely brilliant。 Bizarre plots， experimental form， and a wild ride through it all。⁣⁣I devoured the otherworldly realms in this book with wide-eyed wonder; loved how it interacted with existing works （I freaking love intertextuality）; lapped up the way familiar folklores were weaved into it; and it all feels right among queer characters & sex positive elements✨⁣The only thing I'm curious about is how many commentary/references made to Singapore's landscape may have flown over my head 👀⁣⁣This was a fantastic read， I highly recommend it！ 。。。more

Jethro Wegener ，

Singapore Literature is an interesting beast。 As an author myself and proud citizen of the Lion City， I try to seek out interesting stories by local writers。This one was getting all the buzz a while ago， so I picked it up， but only really got to it now。With the praise that's been heaped upon this little book of strange， magic realism shorts， it seemed like we had a local Neil Gaiman on our hands。Unfortunately， that is not the case。 In fact， I found myself wondering what everyone was smoking when Singapore Literature is an interesting beast。 As an author myself and proud citizen of the Lion City， I try to seek out interesting stories by local writers。This one was getting all the buzz a while ago， so I picked it up， but only really got to it now。With the praise that's been heaped upon this little book of strange， magic realism shorts， it seemed like we had a local Neil Gaiman on our hands。Unfortunately， that is not the case。 In fact， I found myself wondering what everyone was smoking when they gave this amateurish effort such good reviews。Let's start with the good。 A few of the story ideas have a glimmer of hope to them。 Such as the zoo populated by robots。Unfortunately， the good ends there。 Because while some of these stories have the kernel of a good idea lurking within， the writer has neither the skill nor the talent to pull them off。Take the robot one for instance。 It takes some frankly bizarre twists and turns that make no sense within the context of the story。 There is no grounding of any sort， resulting in a world where anything the author decides can just happen。But by far the biggest problem with this work， the most distracting， and most baffling to me considering this author has written multiple published works， is the atrocious writing on display。It is bad。 Distractingly， awfully bad。The author writes as if he is attempting a hardboiled style in the vein of Raymond Chandler， interesting metaphors included， but it comes off as cheap imitation at best。 At worst， it's as if the writer knows nothing about the world at all。I will give him credit for trying to localise his metaphors， but he falls flat every time。Take the author's use of the phrase "jetty black" for instance。 I assume he's referring to the jetties so prevalent in Singapore， which are kind of like piers to anyone who isn't familiar with the term。So the author has essentially used the phrase "pier black"， which makes about as much sense as "concrete blue"。Or how about the sentence that goes:"How could she， when she naps， peaceful as a skeleton in a morgue？"Leaving aside the awful structure of it for a moment， who has told our author here that morgues are home to skeletons？And how are skeletons peaceful？To go on would be an affront to sanity， both yours and mine。 Suffice to say the author seems to have no idea what a metaphor is。And it just gets worse from there。 Sentences are a mess。 A jumbled collection of commas in the wrong places and run-on sentences that never end。 （Perhaps the author was trying to emulate Hemingway？）There is nothing positive I can say about this author's writing style。 It's pretentious twaddle of the sort used by so many "Sing Lit" authors。 If you can actually get through a reading of this work without needing a break， you're a better human being than I。The fact that this has a solid 4。0 on Goodreads and good reviews from Singaporean press either shows incredible bias or the reviewers themselves have never read a decent work of fiction in their lives。Lion City Stories is my new poster child for everything that is wrong with Singaporean Literature。 Pretentious， badly written， ineptly plotted， and somehow praised by the nation。 The fact that this author is a prize winner and a respected writer is an affront to most great writers the world over。I wish him all the success in the world， but if he wants to write another book， I advise that he spend some time learning how to write before he does so。 。。。more

JoAnn ，

Rating: 3。5 starsLion City is undoubtedly one of the strangest books I've ever read。A collection of short stories that vastly range in mode of storytelling and genre， it's a book that surprises the reader at every turn， and is one that can easily be overwhelming for those who prefer straightforwardness both in plot and writing。Some may disagree （& it's completely understandable why）， but Lion City's strength lies in its uniqueness of the way each story is presented， and the 'wonky-ness' that eve Rating: 3。5 starsLion City is undoubtedly one of the strangest books I've ever read。A collection of short stories that vastly range in mode of storytelling and genre， it's a book that surprises the reader at every turn， and is one that can easily be overwhelming for those who prefer straightforwardness both in plot and writing。Some may disagree （& it's completely understandable why）， but Lion City's strength lies in its uniqueness of the way each story is presented， and the 'wonky-ness' that every one of them exhibits。 Ng freely and boldly experiments with run-on prose， nonfiction accounts， a choose-your-own-adventure format， press statements and so on， all while maintaining interesting plots for readers to follow。 A few can be a little too out there， but all of them make for an extremely distinctive reading experience。The only minor fault I find in some of the stories is that they are either far too abstract or simple， and it makes the storytelling lose a little bit of its magic。 Still， this was overall an enjoyable collection of short stories。 Below are some of my favourites:Hub - One of the noticeably shorter ones about a boss worrying that a new no-name competitor would take over the market。 I really loved the dynamic between Boss and his employee （as well as the hokkien phrases sprinkled in the conversation）。 I kind of wanted this to be a bit longer， but I think keeping it short also gives it a certain sort of charm。Sin - Also another shorter one。 This one is about strange entities that appear in Singapore after the haze clears。 Just something I really enjoyed reading。A Day at Terminal Aleph - A story about an airport terminal that serves the gods。 A little eclectic and brutal at some parts， but the underlying commentary was really interesting。 。。。more

Paricha ，

As an outsider to Singapore， I thoroughly enjoyed the many facets of the country reflected through these short stories in the forms of robotic zoo animals all the way to a time traveling concubine。 The theme of Singapore as a newbie to the world， a cultural hotpot （and hotspot）， and hellbent on using technology for progress are clearly illustrated in the stories。 I suspect that Yi-Sheng writes for his fellow Singaporeans。 The stories contain intricate and sometimes too high a density of details As an outsider to Singapore， I thoroughly enjoyed the many facets of the country reflected through these short stories in the forms of robotic zoo animals all the way to a time traveling concubine。 The theme of Singapore as a newbie to the world， a cultural hotpot （and hotspot）， and hellbent on using technology for progress are clearly illustrated in the stories。 I suspect that Yi-Sheng writes for his fellow Singaporeans。 The stories contain intricate and sometimes too high a density of details for literary expats to appreciate。 I think that this page-turner of a collection would be perfectly at home in the discussion of book clubs。 。。。more

Apollos ，

Lion City is a collection of short stories by local poet and writer Ng Yi-Sheng。 In this book， Ng presents us with stories that are strange and weird， but at the same time dazzling and fascinating。 I have never read anything quite like this that is set in Singapore。The fun and original stories range from magic realism to contemporary science fiction， and throughout the pages， Ng’s unbridled imagination and creativity are made apparent。I particularly like how Ng plays with form for the different Lion City is a collection of short stories by local poet and writer Ng Yi-Sheng。 In this book， Ng presents us with stories that are strange and weird， but at the same time dazzling and fascinating。 I have never read anything quite like this that is set in Singapore。The fun and original stories range from magic realism to contemporary science fiction， and throughout the pages， Ng’s unbridled imagination and creativity are made apparent。I particularly like how Ng plays with form for the different stories。 Most strikingly， in the story titled Garden， he presents it in a ‘choose-your-own-adventure’ style that got me flipping pages so hard。 In another story titled Suburbia， he presents it as a government press statement list。All in all， Ng Yi-Sheng’s creative juice as a writer is flowing full and well and I’m not surprised that this book won the 2019 Singapore Book Awards for Best Literary Work。4/5 。。。more

Eustacia Tan ，

It’s been some time since I’ve read some local fiction so when I saw this collection of short stories at the library， I was intrigued。 I had a good experience with Train Tracks and Other Faults so the idea of more Singaporean short stories that play on the fantastical sounded good。Lion City is a short story collection by Ng Yi-Sheng， experimenting with different forms and topics。 There are sixteen stories in this book so instead of going through them one by one， I thought I’d just talk about the It’s been some time since I’ve read some local fiction so when I saw this collection of short stories at the library， I was intrigued。 I had a good experience with Train Tracks and Other Faults so the idea of more Singaporean short stories that play on the fantastical sounded good。Lion City is a short story collection by Ng Yi-Sheng， experimenting with different forms and topics。 There are sixteen stories in this book so instead of going through them one by one， I thought I’d just talk about the ones I liked the most and least。Under my favourites， there is:Lion City: The titular story， this explores a story where all the animals in the zoo are robots。 It’s short but there’s an interesting twist that makes an impact。A Day at Terminal Aleph: Changi Airport， being a world-class airport， is now a hub for gods as they make their way。 This story was surprisingly brutal but believable。The Boy， the Swordfish， the Bleeding Island: This story uses the famous tale of the swordfish/origins of Bukit Merah and launches it into an AU-history tale。 Pretty entertaining and I liked the way it was written as a pseudo-nonfiction account。No Other City: What if Singapore disappeared and no one else but the Singaporeans who were left remembered the country？ Sort of like the rapture but just for Singapore。 It’s a pretty interesting what-if story that explores the idea of identity and belonging。Stories that I wasn’t enthusiastic/ambivalent about:Fishing Village: Interesting concept but too short for it to make an impact on me。 By the time I grasped what was going on， the story ended。Hub: I liked the concept and the narrative style （basically a guy either monologuing or having a conversation but without any quotation marks） but again， I feel like the length let the story down。 It was basically set up + denouement with nothing in between， which I think made the story lose the poignancy it could have had。Suburbia: Again， I liked the concept of a story being told through redacted military documents but towards the end the form felt pointless because you didn’t need to read between the lines， you just needed to omit all the negatives。 The obvious story + the dry style made it feel like I was reading a synopsis of a story rather than figuring out a puzzle or reading a story。 I would have enjoyed it more if the reader had to work a bit harder to tease out what was going on （perhaps it’s because this is one document instead of several？） rather than just turning everything on its head （i。e。 if it’s a denial then it happened）。 It’s a pity because the “fiction as nonfiction” concept worked well as a historical narrative in The Boy， The Swordfish， the Bleeding Island。Little Red Dot: Descriptions of aliens but to be honest I did not understand this story。 I feel like it’s making fun of certain Singaporean traits but it also felt rather scattershot in its approach。Garden: I loved the Choose Your Adventure concept， and if I’m not wrong， the disruptive time jumps are intentional， but many of the times there was only one option which means you end up flipping pages back and forth rather than choosing your adventure。 Is that a commentary on the lack of choice？ Maybe but I just ended up reading through the pages after a while because there will be time skips even if you followed the whole thing。Overall， this was a mixed bag of short stories for me。 I’m glad I read it， because I really enjoyed the four stories I mentioned plus I liked how inventive the stories were overall。 That said， while reading the book， I also had this strong sense that a lot of the stories would be stronger if they were given a bit more space （such as Hub， Fishing Village， and maybe Garden as well）。This review was first posted at Eustea Reads 。。。more

Natasha ，

I've been wanting to read this for a long time， and I loved it。 My favourites were A Day at Terminal Aleph， Food Paradise， SIN， Garden， and No Other City。 But really， this whole collection was weird and wonderful。 I enjoyed not only the fun bits but the critical look into Singapore history， colonialism， xenophobia， climate change， etc。 I've been wanting to read this for a long time， and I loved it。 My favourites were A Day at Terminal Aleph， Food Paradise， SIN， Garden， and No Other City。 But really， this whole collection was weird and wonderful。 I enjoyed not only the fun bits but the critical look into Singapore history， colonialism， xenophobia， climate change， etc。 。。。more

Justin Lai ，

No rating yet; I haven't finished all the stories。 Of those I've finished: Lion CityIntrigue， astonishment， incredulity， reflection， liberation -- feelings experienced （in order） during the reading of this brilliant tale。 It's difficult to say more without spoiling your reading pleasure， but let's just tease a bit: you may have noticed heterochromia on the cover illustration。 There's a reason why。。。 just read on！ SuburbiaIt may be one redaction too many， but the absence of words actually p No rating yet; I haven't finished all the stories。 Of those I've finished: Lion CityIntrigue， astonishment， incredulity， reflection， liberation -- feelings experienced （in order） during the reading of this brilliant tale。 It's difficult to say more without spoiling your reading pleasure， but let's just tease a bit: you may have noticed heterochromia on the cover illustration。 There's a reason why。。。 just read on！ SuburbiaIt may be one redaction too many， but the absence of words actually pushes the imagination for this reader。 If you are a civil servant， you may get a chuckle or two -- or go full-on Edward Snowden。 GardenButterfly effect meets Forrest Gump， set on an island full of history and mythology。 Garden may be a harrowing tale of time travel， but it also serves as an excellent starting point/bibliography。 Many Singaporeans （myself included） were probably not aware of our nation's rich speculative fiction scene -- until they read this。 Do yourself a favour and choose Dang Anom's adventures wisely！ 。。。more

Ershen ，

Honestly， if we’re going to compare this to Ministry of Moral Panic， I’d vouch for this。 Yi-Sheng’s collection just reads as more polished to me — the stories are hinged on creative premises and well executed。 I have a few favourites but a stand out was “Food Paradise”， where Yi-Sheng takes on the voice of the narrator to regale us with a hilarious account of how he finds out he was a bowl of laksa in his past life， and what happens when he meets his maker。 I also enjoyed “Port”， which lets us p Honestly， if we’re going to compare this to Ministry of Moral Panic， I’d vouch for this。 Yi-Sheng’s collection just reads as more polished to me — the stories are hinged on creative premises and well executed。 I have a few favourites but a stand out was “Food Paradise”， where Yi-Sheng takes on the voice of the narrator to regale us with a hilarious account of how he finds out he was a bowl of laksa in his past life， and what happens when he meets his maker。 I also enjoyed “Port”， which lets us peep into world of a quotidian middle-aged couple， whose marriage unravels following the discovery of （a literal） gaping hole。 The stories are inventive， touching， and many read to me as love letters to this island in some way。 。。。more

Kes ，

Good points: I liked the Singaporean flavour of the novel。 Standouts: 1。 SIN， a short story about immigration where the populace decides to kick the new migrants out。2。 A Day at Terminal Aleph， a fun short story about gods visiting Singapore - neatly disguising the casual gore and brutality。3。 Hub， for the format of the storytelling: a business owner realises that he is being undercut。 The business owner's speaking style is an excellent portrayal of the "typical" Chinese bosses。 It's great。The r Good points: I liked the Singaporean flavour of the novel。 Standouts: 1。 SIN， a short story about immigration where the populace decides to kick the new migrants out。2。 A Day at Terminal Aleph， a fun short story about gods visiting Singapore - neatly disguising the casual gore and brutality。3。 Hub， for the format of the storytelling: a business owner realises that he is being undercut。 The business owner's speaking style is an excellent portrayal of the "typical" Chinese bosses。 It's great。The rest felt kind of meh。 。。。more

Jac ，

A hodgepodge of shorts， mostly with scifi/spec fic themes， however the style of writing and stories failed to hold my attention。

Theo Chen ，

A stunning collection of stories， brimming with wit， historical genius and brilliant imagination。 There are definitely some clunkers， that just didn’t click so well for me。 But the other stories definitely make up for those that I don’t like as much。 These envision a thrilling and fascinating Singapore - a culturally rich and beautiful place。 The book makes me so excited， it’s so damn wonderful to read fiction about my home that doesn’t make me cringe - work that can draw me in， and make me prou A stunning collection of stories， brimming with wit， historical genius and brilliant imagination。 There are definitely some clunkers， that just didn’t click so well for me。 But the other stories definitely make up for those that I don’t like as much。 These envision a thrilling and fascinating Singapore - a culturally rich and beautiful place。 The book makes me so excited， it’s so damn wonderful to read fiction about my home that doesn’t make me cringe - work that can draw me in， and make me proud。 Make me dream， make me imagine and smile and love life。 。。。more

Sharad Pandian ，

A short-story collection by Singaporean writer Ng Yi-Sheng。 Like any good collection， although most of the stories are set in or conspicuously absent from the Singapore region， he plays with form， identities， style， time periods。For me， the most gifted stories are the historic fantasies （"Harbour"， "Little Emperor"， "The Boy， the Swordfish， the Bleeding Island"， "The Crocodile Prince"）。 The genre is well-suited to short stories since whimsy can sustain you and maintain its delightfulness for sho A short-story collection by Singaporean writer Ng Yi-Sheng。 Like any good collection， although most of the stories are set in or conspicuously absent from the Singapore region， he plays with form， identities， style， time periods。For me， the most gifted stories are the historic fantasies （"Harbour"， "Little Emperor"， "The Boy， the Swordfish， the Bleeding Island"， "The Crocodile Prince"）。 The genre is well-suited to short stories since whimsy can sustain you and maintain its delightfulness for short bursts。 "The Boy， the Swordfish， the Bleeding Island" constructs an imaginary writer of imperial Singaporean fiction， with secondary literature on her writing and even fake references thrown in for verisimiliude！ Meanwhile， the presence of same-sex themes （ in "Harbour"， "Little Emperor"， "The Crocodile Prince"） work really well， and create moving tales， even if almost consistently through queer sorrow and separation。 （Interestingly these are all interracial， even inter-species）。 All great。Two stories near the end （"Little Red Dot"， "Garden"） are more experimental in style， but unfortunately I'm not a fan of most experimental work so I wasn't too much of a fan。 "Little Red Dot" was about the description of various "alien" "communities" like pores and punctuation， while "Garden" is a choose-your-adventure tale that runs through famous episodes of Singapore's past and present。"Food Paradise" and "No Other City" are meditations on identity。 In the first， the narrator convinced he's a reincarnated bowl of laksa and in the second， the City of Singapore simply is wiped off Earth， leaving its citizens outside its borders adrift， forced to assimilate and yet unable to let go。 The first is weird， but the second works brilliantly。The other stories are about modern times， and it's interesting to trace where creativity is allowed and where it isn't。 Through stories of embracing true selves （"Lion City"）， coping （"Hub"， "Port"）， and escape （"No Man Is"， "A Day at Terminal Aleph"， "Port"）， there's a lot of reimagining of individuals， but what's taken for granted is that the city itself — bureaucratic， technological， soulless， and soul-crushing — cannot be changed。 Even if every year merpeople rise to make eyes emptier， smiles more false， and chests more hollow （"Fishing Village"）。 Even if it becomes abundantly clear that the Governmet is clumsy and untrustworthy （"Suburbia"）。 It's even possible to think of the city destroyed by climate change （"Garden"） or disappearing entirely （"No Other City"）， but impossible to think of the nature of Singapore itself actually changing anytime soon。 If personal transformation occurs， as in "Lion City" and "A Day at Terminal Aleph"， the story ends abruptly before it can in any way change the city itself。At the end of "SIN"， possible immigrants from hell are turned away， despite their widely acknowledged value， since the small island of Singapore cannot take in any more people。 Before leaving， the visitors make a reference to Sodom and how inhospitality used to deserved destruction， but that since they were now outcasts， no such fate would befall Singapore。 They leave peacefully， and a black smog descends on the city as usual。 Perhaps this is simply sensitivity to how immigrants don't actually have power， but it's also a signaling of the city's ways as set in stone， come what may。 Gentle complaining is possible， and so are wildly imaginative tales of individual idiosyncracies， but the city's nature itself is an iron cage that cannot be escaped， not even in fiction。 。。。more

nicholas ，

Interesting， inventive and fun but ultimately a light read

Darling Farthing ，

Very bizarre， but weirdly funny and poignant。 There’s a magical quality about the book， not just in its genre， but also in its content， embedded in the prose。 Food Paradise is really hilarious and The Crocodile Prince and No Other City （among many others） are very moving。

Lauren ，

Some interesting stories， others were too out there but nonetheless they were thought provoking and quite original。

Ryu ，

I didn't enjoy it at first but once I embraced the unsettling atmosphere I started to like it more。 My favourite is definitely the one about the boy and the swordfish。 I didn't enjoy it at first but once I embraced the unsettling atmosphere I started to like it more。 My favourite is definitely the one about the boy and the swordfish。 。。。more

Letitia ，

Favourite stories: A Day at Terminal Aleph， Food Paradise， Little Emperor， No Other City。

Ernest ，

One of my favorite Singlit books so far。 I've known Ng Yi-Sheng mostly for his poetry， but this collection of short stories is replete with imaginative plays on format， conceptions of a future Singapore distinctly futuristic in practice and form but recognizably Singaporean （although Ng does sardonically emphasize practices of bureaucracy and historical white-washing）。 Semi-autobiographical stories- my favourite involving the blurring of one's personal identity with the dish laksa） are also pres One of my favorite Singlit books so far。 I've known Ng Yi-Sheng mostly for his poetry， but this collection of short stories is replete with imaginative plays on format， conceptions of a future Singapore distinctly futuristic in practice and form but recognizably Singaporean （although Ng does sardonically emphasize practices of bureaucracy and historical white-washing）。 Semi-autobiographical stories- my favourite involving the blurring of one's personal identity with the dish laksa） are also present in this collection， and are a welcome change of tone。 A highly self-conscious， reflexive work。 Recommended for readers of all levels。 。。。more

Lavi ，

A solid， superb collection of short stories about Singapore。 Totally recommend it！

Garrett ，

this one didn't bonk quite as hard as ministry of moral panic but i did like the choose-your-own-adventure one and the alligator one， some of the sci-fi ones were too much tho tbh and the thought of contemporary sci-fi-tinged short stories usually really gets me going this one didn't bonk quite as hard as ministry of moral panic but i did like the choose-your-own-adventure one and the alligator one， some of the sci-fi ones were too much tho tbh and the thought of contemporary sci-fi-tinged short stories usually really gets me going 。。。more

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Lion City

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

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