#r.f. kuang

[jayblanc]

Chinese Censorship of the 2023 Hugo Award Nominations

Back before the 2023 Hugo Nominations were conducted, I noted that the Chengdu Worldcon Hugo committee had inserted a worrying clause indicating that local government officials could invalidate nominations for breaching the norms and standards of China. I suspected this would result in arbitrarily applied censorship to control the ballot. I am sad and unsurprised to discover I was correct.

The 2023 Hugo Nomination vote data has been published (https://www.thehugoawards.org/2024/01/2023-nominating-and-final-ballot-statistics-published/), and includes notation where nominations were excluded from the ballot. Those with normal reasons, such as being in the wrong category or not being published in 2022 are identified with their reasons for exclusion. This time there are a number of nominations that are merely marked at "Not eligible".

Here is the list of those nominations, that would otherwise have been placed on the final 2023 Hugo Award Ballot.

Babel - R.F. Kuang - Best Novel: Very likely excluded for referencing student revolution, and the use of language and translation as coercive tools of oppression. Color the World - Congyun "Mu Ming" Hu - Best Novellette : A story about perception of, aid of, and discrimination against disability. Congyun Hu has left China and now lives in New York. Fogong Temple Padoga - Hai Ya - Best Story : Either there is something in the original Chinese that was not translated, there's a taboo subject that elides my reading, or this otherwise innocent looking near future tale of cultural building restoration was written by the wrong person. The Art of Ghost of Tsushima: Dark Horse and Sucker Punch Games - Best Related Work : The video game Ghost of Tsushima was subject to directed social exclusion for it's depiction of the Mongol invasion of Japan. Sandman, Amazon Studios: Best Dramatic Presentation (Long and Short) - A diverse and divergent cast, includes subject matter and social issues that are currently taboo in China. Paul Weimer - Fan Writer: Publicly Critical of holding a Worldcon in China. Xiran Jay Zhao - Astounding Award: Qualifying work "Iron Widow" is reimagined story of Chinese Empress Wu during a fantasy/mechanical alien invasion.

This raises a lot of questions as to if this basically taints the process, and what can be done about it.

#hugo awards #babel #r.f. kuang #color the world #mu ming #congyun hu #fogon temple padoga #hai ya #Ghost of Tshuima #Sandman #neil gaiman #paul weimer #xiran jay zhao #iron widdow #censorship #china #chengdu 2023 #worldcon

[brbarou]

sometimes, in his loveliest dreams

#the poppy war #fang runin #yin nezha #rinezha #art #fanart #books #r.f. kuang #had a dream about the dragon republic ending last night. completely unprovoked #and this came into existence

[someonesspring]

FANG RUNIN ㅡ the poppy war by r.f. kuang    

(i) Jenny Holzer, Inflammatory Essays (ii) Clarice Lispector, Near to the Wild Heart (iii) Diane di Prima, Revolutionary Letter #26 (iv) Euripides, Medea; tr. Oliver Taplin (v) R.F. Kuang, The Burning God (vi) yan-yangs, general fang the speerly (vii) R.F. Kuang, The Poppy War 

#r.f. kuang #jenny holzer #the poppy war #fang runin #tpw #tpwedit #이슬의 거 #euripides #Clarice Lispector #Diane di Prima

[silvermarig0lds]

messed around with some colour grading

#the poppy war #this has been sitting in my drafts for so long #rinezha #fang runin #yin nezha #nezha and rin #rin x nezha #tpw #tpw fanart #the poppy war fanart #my art #lol #rf kuang #r.f. kuang

[thereadingmoon]

one thing i like about babel is that unlike other teen protagonists thrusted into a political game, victoire, robin, letty, and ramy did not step up to the challenge with bravado—instead they had routine breakdowns and anxiety attacks

#rf kuang #r.f. kuang #Babel #babel an arcane history #moonymovetheglass.txt

[elenaleungz]

Fang Runin Portrait

View On WordPress

#chen kita #chen kitay #fang runin #R.F. Kuang #the burning god #the dragon republic #the poppy war #yin nezha

[pyro-peony]

Hello! My name is Kelly, I work at HarperCollins, a book publisher in the United States. Currently about 250 members of our union are on strike. Our chapter is local 2110 of UAW. We’re striking as we’ve been without a contract since April and are asking for minimum salaries to be at $50,000 (we’re based in New York City), stronger commitments to diversity initiatives, and union protections.

I’m asking people to sign a letter in support of us. You can do so by clicking this link! We’re hoping to get 15,000 signatures by Friday. Considering support us?

You can also learn more about us and our union at this link here!

#unions #strikes #books #booktok #booktwt #babel #r.f. kuang #harpercollins #I hope trolls don’t find this #please consider reblogging #please consider helping #I would like my job back

[ladyloveandjustice]

My Favorite Books I Read in 2023

I read a ton of good novels last year- 36 in all (and uh, 78 manga/graphic novels, but we'll examine that in another post). Here's a link to my Goodreads year in books (the manga is at the beginning, the novels start with Siren Queen) and my storygraph wrap up.  

I reread a ton of Discworld this year, and it's as spectacular as ever. But what about new reads?

Well, here are my favorite books I read in 2023!

In the Dream House by Carmen Maria Machado

This is an autobiographical memoir about the abusive relationship the author went through with her ex-girlfriend. It's absolutely gut-wrenching, and at times, achingly beautiful. Machado uses the house she shared with her girlfriend, which she calls the "dream house", as a back drop. It's a place she always wanted and also a place she became trapped in, Machado's language is beautiful as she explores the relationship from different lenses-- The Dream House as Lesbian Cult Classic, the Dream House as Noir, the Dream House as Creature Feature, the Dream House as Stoner Comedy....All facets of the relationship are explored in a way that grips you by the throat and makes you remember everyone who ever tried to suffocate you-- but it also explores the hard work of moving on, of picking up the pieces, of living and embracing tenderness along with hardship.

I especially related to Machado's struggle to talk about abuse between queer lovers because of her fears of giving homophobes more ammunition...and when she says "we deserve to have our wrongdoing represented as much as our heroism, because when we refuse wrongdoing as a possibility for a group of people, we refuse their humanity", I felt that deeply.

This wasn't just one of my favorite books this year, it goes on the list of all-time favorite books. I wish I had this kind of writing style. I'll be returning to this again and again.

Zachary Ying and the Dragon Emperor by Xiran Jay Zhao

A middle-grade novel about a Chinese-American teen who feels a bit alienated from his heritage, which becomes a bit of an issue once he finds out the First Emperor of China has possessed his A.R. Gaming Headset. Now he needs to close a portal to the underworld with the help of other kids possessed by emporers.

This was a whole lot of fun, and often quite poignant. I was unsure if I could really enjoy middle-grade books as an adult, and this absolutely proves I can. There's a lot of really interesting Chinese history blended with action-packed fantasy, and exploration of the complicated feelings a kid can have about their own heritage . The dynamic between Zachary and Qin Shi Huang was so entertaining with the Emperor being villainous, heroic, charismatic, detestable-- and Zachary realizing how his complicated feelings about him mirror his relationship with his culture at large. There was also a lot of fun with other historical figures, and Xiran's take on Wu Zetian is a joy. (Also, if you like Yu-Gi-Oh!, you'll probably like this, since Xiran says it was one of their influences).

Camp Damascus by Chuck Tingle

Rose is young woman who's raised in a fundamentalist Christian household, and she's a devout, obedient daughter. But some weird things are happening. She's seeing a terrifying demon everywhere, insects are coming out of her mouth....and she's possibly having feelings about other girls. What's going on?

Yes, this is by the Chuck Tingle who makes all those Tinglers. But THIS one... will make you tingle with fear! It's a great horror novel! It's skin-crawlingly creepy at times, but also does a great job digging into how fundamentalist dogma harms queer people, and the hypocrisy of such beliefs. The conversion camp aspect is handled tastefully, and overall it was a great spooky read that's also ultimately very affirming, cathartic, and hopeful.

Qualia the Purple by Hisamitsu Ueo

You might go into this thinking it's just a quirky yuri light novel about a schoolgirl and her crush who sees everyone around her as robots (like literally, when she looks at someone she sees a robot instead of a human). But it quickly becomes surreal queer psychological horror steeped in absolutely wild applications of quantum mechanics and thought-provoking time travel.  Some of the quantum mechanics  exposition dumps were a bit much but I deeply enjoyed having my mind cracked open by this book. 

It's one of the most interesting takes of time loop stories I've seen. But it definitely covers a lot of rough subject matter, including a relationship with a serious age gap and extremely messed up relationships, so be cautious if you have triggers.

Our Wives Under the Sea by Julia Armfield

This book follows Miri, whose wife goes missing on a deep-sea submarine mission for six months. Miri thought her wife dead, but she miraculously returns one day...but her wife has changed. She's like a stranger. She may have bought the horrors of the sea home with her.

This is a gripping exploration of grief and loss combined with a delicious, slow horror that creeps under your skin. There's excellent Lovecraftian and body horror elements to the novel, but it works very effectively as a metaphor for a loved one going through trauma, and a relationship starting to crumble because everything seems different. A moment that really stuck out to me is when Miri copes with her wife's disappearance by frequenting an online community where women roleplay as wives with husbands missing in space. The way the online drama of the community interacted with her grief was  both funny and heartbreaking. 

This is another example of a book that makes me deeply jealous with its lyrical writing, and another one for the ever-lengthening all time favorites list.

Otherside Picnic Volume 8: Accomplices No More by Iori Miyazawa

The latest entry in a series about two girls exploring an alternate dimension full of creepypasta monsters, while also falling in love with each other. See my other reviews here and here.

This volume has the payoff to a lot of careful character work and relationship building, and it was completely satisfying. In fact, it was...show-stopping. Spectacular.  Incredible. I loved the exploration of how love, sex, and romance are so different for different people and it's impossible to put it in neat boxes. The frank and messy conversation our leads have about their relationship was perfect and so was that absolutely  bonkers, wonderful finale. This is another one for the all times favorite list, and I loved it so much I wrote a extremely long review/recap here. 

Queer Ducks (and Other Animals): The Natural World of Animal Sexuality by Eliot Schrefer

This was a well-researched, well-crafted, easy to read book that explores queerness (mainly homosexuality, bisexuality, trans and genderfluid expressions in animals, and even the question of if and how animals can related to gender) in the animal kingdom. Though it's definitely aimed at teens, I learned a lot from it (who knew female bonobos were such life goals) and it presented its information in a fun way. It included some interesting examinations of how proof of homosexuality and bisexuality in animals was historically suppressed and filtered through homophobic assumptions. If you want to learn a little animal science in an accessible format, definitely check this out.

Night’s Edge by Liz Kerin

The story follows Mia, a woman in her 20's living with her vampire mother. Her whole life revolves around not drawing suspicion towards her Mom. She also has to make sure to feed her Mom some of her blood every night--lest her mother fall back in with her abusive boyfriend and start hunting humans.  But when Mia meets a cute girl, she starts to dream of living her own life...

It was a really interesting use of vampirism as a metaphor for both living with a parent struggling with addiction and having an abusive parent. It's just a well-told, heartwrenching tale that got deep into the character's mindsets. I thought the ending was bit abrupt and rushed, but it did make more sense once I realized this was the first in a duology. It's a fascinating take on vampires, and I'm interested in seeing more.

The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi by Shannon Chakraborty

This novel follows a middle-aged Muslim female pirate living around the Arabian Peninsula. She's supposed to be in retirement, but wouldn't you know it, she's lured in for one last job! I she rescues a kidnapped girl,  she'll have all the riches she needs to set her family up for life. So Amina begins her adventure of fighting demons and monsters and ex-husbands. But the job might not be all it seems.

This novel is full of all the entertaining swashbuckling action and shenanigans that any pirate story should have. It's a rollicking good time, and feeds my craving for middle aged women going on quests and kicking ass. Amina's journey is a fun, wild ride full of dynamic characters and interesting mythology!

Yellowface by R.F. Kuang

Juniper is friends with a successful Chinese-American author, Athena Liu, and has always been deeply jealous of her. When Athena dies in front of her, Juniper decides to steal her manuscript rooted in Chinese history and claim it as her own. But plagiarism might catch up with her...

This is a strong example of a book I thought was really well-done, but one I'm probably never going to read again. The way it depicted Twitter drama is just too accurate and I got anxiety. It did such a good job putting you in Juniper's awful shoes so you can feel the pressure close in along with her. The book's commentary on the insidious racism of the publishing industry was effective, and it made a horrible character's journey fascinating to follow. I was so intrigued yet anxious I had to force myself to finish the last few pages.

Bonus read:

Legends and Lattes by Travis Baldtree

A very cute novel about an orc named Viv who decides to retire from the violent life of a bounty hunter and run a coffee shop instead. She ends up getting a lot of assistance from a succubus named Tandri...and my, is that a slow-burn coffee shop romance brewing? This book reminds me a lot of various cozy slice-of-life anime, and it's nice to be getting more of that feeling in book form. I wish there was a little more specific to the fantasy world rather than making it a coffee shop that line up 1 to 1 to a modern day shop, but it was definitely a sweet read.

#year in books #my reviews #our wives under the sea #in the dream house #zachary ying and the dragon emperor #camp damascus #qualia the purple #otherside picnic #queer ducks #night's edge #legends and lattes #the adventures of amina al sirafi #books #queer lit #yellowface #r.f. kuang #xiran jay zhao #carmen maria machado

[liveandbreathemusicals]

#so I’ve been reading Babel lately… #babel spoilers #Babel #r.f. kuang #babel an arcane history #dark academia books

[sierra-tango-delta]

#R.F. Kuang #The Poppy War #quote #quotes

[nezharins-blog]

The Poppy War R.F. Kuang

Love that scene

#book fanart #fang runin #poppy war #rin x nezha #the poppy war #r.f. kuang #the poppy war fanart #yin nezha #chen kitay #the dragon republic #the burning god

[cyngharris]

portrait of a young translator

#robin swift #babel: an arcane history #babel #babel or the necessity of violence #r.f. kuang #babel an arcane history #babel rf kuang #cyngharris

[brbarou]

the sour aftertaste of sorghum wine, a knife, a kiss

#the poppy war #the dragon republic spoilers #r.f. kuang #yin nezha #fang runin #art #fanart #yeow im back to this...started the burning god today #can't have shit in arlong but at least they were happy and cuddly for like 2 minutes #rin listen to me. listen to me he loves you i know. i know rin you have to trust me. he's just like that sometimes #books

[someonesspring]

FANG RUNIN & CHEN KITAY ㅡ the poppy war by r.f. kuang   

(i) R. F. Kuang, The Burning God (ii) Don Snyder, Aquarian Odyssey: A Photographic Trip into the Sixties (iii) Jeanette Winterson, Lighthousekeeping

#r.f. kuang #Jeanette Winterson #fang runin #the poppy war #tpwedit #chen kitay #tpw #web weaving #words #Don Snyder

[haveyoureadthisbook-poll]

#the poppy war #r.f. kuang #fantasy #book poll #have you read this book poll #polls

[thereadingmoon]

Ok as a Filipino I HAVE to give it up to Kuang on this very interesting detail on the Tagalog Grammatica. As far as I know, in my very limited history, Japan, China, and Korea weren’t as influenced by the West prior the 20th Century due to their distrust with Westerners/outsiders to the point their borders had to be forcibly opened by either Western forces or by one another (a gross oversimplification—forgive me or educate me where you can).

However, the Philippines was colonized in the 1500s by the Spanish—the country’s own name is derived from Philip II of Spain—and they didn’t leave until 1898, when they sold us to the US. So Spanish influence is deeply ingrained in our art, music, food, and most evidently, language.

However, unlike English, the Spanish language didn’t exterminate native languages as well as it could’ve. My great-grandparents would’ve spoken Spanish AND Tagalog, and a couple of other native dialects besides. Yes, the Spaniards taught (usually wealthy, usually mixed) Filipinos their language, but Spanish friars utilized our language to their own advantage to better spread the word of God to us “savages”… and also because it was unfeasible to teach so many people who spoke so many languages Spanish. So, they learned one of our most spoken languages to better win us over, to colonize us, to “enlighten” us with their civility.

It would make complete and total devastating sense that these Spanish/European scholars can translate so much of our native canon and oral or written myth and commit it to their own languages. And it makes so much sense Kuang flecks that detail there, in a book that mentions time and time again the silent but sinister undercurrent of imperialism and colonialism in everyday British life in the 19th Century and academia today. I am frothing in the mouth. I am banging my head against the wall. So much history behind one tiny fucking detail.

#rf kuang #r.f. kuang #babel an arcane history #babel rf kuang #is this what white literature/history nerds feel like when reading caucasian-centric academia novels #They feel like they’re part of an in-joke or understanding or niche reference #if so THATS WHAT I FEEL #One other example was about the jane austen thing