Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for sending me a digital arc of "Where the Stars Rise". I think this book is extremely well written. The authors were well chosen. I enjoyed the stories and wished they were longer. Perfect for those who enjoy fantasy short stories.

Where the Stars Rise was the anthology I've been waiting for, and it delivered in spades. I have never felt more represented than I did when reading this anthology and I can't even begin to explain how much it meant to me. I hope that many will pick this up, learn and enjoy this phenomenal and outstanding and diverse book that is written by such amazing roster of writers and storytellers. Thank you for writing this and giving it to the world (and for giving me the chance to read it!). It's so brilliant, diverse and fun. It deserves more praises and hype!

Where the stars rise by lucas k law.
Follow twenty-three science fiction and fantasy authors on their journeys through Asia and beyond. Stories that explore magic and science. Stories about love, revenge, and choices. Stories that challenge ideas about race, belonging, and politics. Stories about where we come from and where we are going. Each wrestling between  ghostly  pasts  and  uncertain  future. Each trying to find a voice in history.
A good read. Some stories were more enjoyable than others. 4*

A stunning collection by some of the best voices in fiction today. I want more of this!

Diversity is really the best word for this book. There was a huge range of characters with backgrounds from all across Asia, showing the wide rage of different cultures that Asia has to offer. There were characters with all kinds of background, from rich to poor and so, so many characters with various scars or disabilities. Though there was a very sad lack of sexual and gender diversity, in all other respects, it showed so many different kinds of people.

It also showed a huge range of sci-fi, from very hard sci-fi to the softer stuff. I'm not a massive fan of the really hard sci-fi. I love a soft urban story, so there were a few stories that were a bit too much for me, but I have to say most of them I really enjoyed and there wasn't a single story I absolutely hated.

There is so much I can say about the stories, but I'm choosing one to highlight and that's Back to Myan by Regina Kanyu Wang. This beautiful story of a girl returning to her native planet. A planet that she has no memories of and that has been completely changed. It shows the brutalism of humanity and I think would resonate with anyone who has had their homeland taken over or destroyed by Western society.

Anyone who has even the slightest interest in Sci-fi or Asian culture should read this book. I guarantee you will find something to love.

One of the more uneven anthologies I've read in awhile. Some stories were stellar (Weaving Silk and Old Souls) but some lost my interest pretty quickly. What's interesting about having a scifi&fantasy book written by all Asians is just how broad the stories get. The stories take a lot from many different cultures and find a way to mesh the past or a specific culture with a scifi or fantasy plot. For some stories, it's more about just having "non-European names" for characters.

There was one story about Sejong The Great and his invention of Hangul and many other things that I had a small problem with. While the story itself is fine, I view it the same way I view those "Aliens built the pyramids" things - human ingenuity doesn't need outside help. Humans have the capacity to do both great and terrible things all on our own.

3.5/5 rounds to 4. Very uneven with stories ranging from 2/5 - 5/5.

I just loved this anthology of science fiction and fantasy short stories by authors of Asian descent or ancestry.
The story of the man who loved his father so much he tried to keep his soul alive inside a robot, the one about the displaced mermaid, the woman who remembers all of her past lives and realises the people carving out an existence on the moon; all wonderful stories that highlight humanity in fantastical ways.
It also highlighted that, though we may come from different cultures we are all the same. We all want to have a home, be happy and to love and be loved.

I finally got round to reading this anthology of Asian science fiction and fantasy stories. I was not sure what to expect with a wide variety of authors I was not familiar with, but it was a treat.

First of all, can I just mention how well designed the cover is. It really pulled me in. I know you should not judge a book by its cover, but it can help!

This anthology leans quite heavily towards the science fiction / futuristic side and that is a genre that I am much less familiar with than fantasy. However, I did thoroughly enjoy this collection. The stories were varied both in their content and location. I will not rate every story individually, mainly because this is an anthology and it should be looked at as a whole. As a whole, I feel this is a really strong collection in which the individual stories compliment each other and make them stand stronger as a unit.

Of course, I had my favourites, such as ‘The dataSUltan of Streets and Stars’ by Jeremy Szal, which was based in a future version of Istanbul, and ‘The Bridge of Dangerous Longings’ by Rati Mehrotra, but there were not any I really did not like at all.

If you like science fiction especially, you will enjoy this well thought out anthology,

I'm always trying to read more diverse books. It's no secret that I fail at this a lot. I am by no means an example of how to read diversely. I'm too easily caught up in the latest hyped up book to really focus my reading. It's something I'm hoping to improve as 2018 goes on. But this anthology is an excellent example of why we need diverse books. The stories told in this compilation draw from themes and references that I couldn't hope to have come in contact with in my Euro-centric lifestyle. It creates something vastly different from anything I have read before and almost all of these stories are pure excellence.

As with any anthology there are some that are better than others. There's one that involves spider babies that most definitely set of my arachnophobia (which doesn't make it a bad story it just left me feeling itchy all over). You only have to read the summary to see that this is a book utterly full of imagination and creativity. I would recommend this book to anyone wanting a set of short stories. There's the added bonus that some of the proceeds from sales will go to charity!

My rating: 4/5 stars

I received a digital advanced review copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Love this book. It was a slow read for me in my busy life but I enjoyed it all the same. It wasn’t slow because the pace of the book but rather the short tails allowed me to leave and come back whenever I found a free 20 minutes. This was amazing, I’m recommending to my mom friends who are always too busy to fully read a novel but wants to pick up a good book written by POC with their unique perspectives.

I don't know if I can sing the praises of this anthology enough. Not only is the purpose of this anthology wonderful to see realized, but it is a fantastic collection of stories. These are well written, colorful, and speculative in its very nature. I loved that we were able to see a variety of different protagonists who were not defined by their stereotypes or their appearance.

Where the Stars Rise is an entire collection of Asian science fiction and fantasy. S.B. Divya's "Looking Up" made my heart ache in the best way. I don't think I would have been as forgiving as Ayla was. I also really loved "My Left Hand" by Ruhan Zhao. The whole collection was stunning, though, and I highly recommend it!

You can purchase a copy of Where the Stars Rise on Amazon or Indiebound. Again, I highly recommend it.

Unfortunately I read 53% and found most of them to just be okay. I will not be finishing this one.

Take a journey through Asia and beyond with twenty-three original thought-provoking and moving stories about identities, belonging, and choices—stories about where we come from and where we are going—each wrestling between ghostly pasts and uncertain future.

Twenty-three authors come together to offer readers stories in a combined genre that, at first glance, seems to sit oddly: Asian science fiction/fantasy. Long-time readers of both genres may eye this collection with some skepticism. Rest assured, however, that these tales exhibit excellent storytelling. Each piece settles comfortably within the parameters of the science fiction and fantasy categories while at the same time providing glimpses into the beauty and mystery of Asian cultures.

As readers progress with the book, they’ll wonder why more Asian writers aren’t tackling science fiction and fantasy stories. For anyone with an Asian background or knowledgeable about Asian cultures, the connection makes sense. The traditions of the Far East offer a deluge of magic and mysticism; in many cases, those ideas are celebrated and woven tightly into the fabric of Asian societies. It’s an easy stride, then, to science fiction and fantasy. Yet short stories in speculative fiction with strong Asian ties have just begun their ascent, which is probably why the anthology received the title it did.

The stories in this book detail characters all at once familiar and wondrous. The authors relish the risks they take in leading readers across different planets and the solar system. Even though the landscapes may feel unfamiliar the characters’ challenges and questions certainly do not.

The collection includes tales about the following:

Readers will meet a pair of sisters in a post-apocalyptic Tokyo. The girls, orphans, have managed to stay safe and hidden, despite the immense challenges provided by severe food shortages. On the day in the story, though, the older sister knows the two of them will witness great change. Scientists have scrambled to assemble parts to launch a rocket so the Japanese people still alive can alert the rest of the world they exist. The sisters make the arduous trip from their suburb apartment building to downtown Tokyo, certain their horror-filled days are at an end.

A scientist receives an invitation to join a one-way mission to Mars. She finds relief in the opportunity. Life here on Earth has become just too much. A childhood tragedy leaves her estranged from her sister, and the scientist can’t carry the burden of guilt anymore. Maybe, she reasons, that burden will become much lighter in space.

Deep in space a man recounts the many “lives” he’s lived—that is, he started as a younger brother but then became an orphan. He joins a family aboard one ship, only to be told that he doesn’t fit in with that family and will join another. The second ship gives him a brotherhood to join and a comfortable living as a drug dealer—although he certainly wouldn’t call it that—but when he finds his real brother, all his worlds and his old selves collide.

Visitors to the tropical Indian state of Kerala come because of the rumors: a great man they once admired has died, and his son has immortalized him in a way that is horrifying and fascinating all at the same time. The son doesn’t quite understand the commotion. His appa (father) was the most important person to him and almost equally important to so many others. Why can’t they see his gesture as a tribute fitting to the man?

The complexities of the stories and the characters and the stories will delight readers, but they will also elicit a reaction all too familiar to book lovers everywhere: the stories will leave readers wanting much, much more. I recommend readers Binge Where the Stars Rise and also encourage this new subset of science fiction and fantasy.

<i>Copy given to me by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.</i>

First time a wish of mine has been granted on NetGalley!! I was so happy!! This was a fantastic collection of truly diverse and fascinating SFF.

I wanted this mainly for Karin Lowachee's <i>Meridian</i> since I'm a huge fan of her Warchild books - and I found it excellent. I loved Paris Azarcon's character, and oh how much it <i>hurt</i> to read his story. Especially since I love Cairo Azarcon so so much. Just. Oh my god.
And I love how she writes, how you can gain so much insight into a character with her concise, vivid language, how well she captures the state of mind of a traumatised child.

I also really enjoyed <i>Back to Myan</i> by Regina Kanyu Wang and <i>Weaving Silk</i> by Amanda Sun. Wonderfully inventive and emotional stories.

Honestly, this was a wonderful collection of Asian inspired science fiction short stories. t breaks away from the Asian stereotype. The authors did a wonderful job t storytelling and creating beautiful worlds. I did prefer some stories over others but I did enjoy them all.

Anthologies are hard to write reviews for so I choose to review this one a little differently.

Five Reasons to Get Where the Stars Rise

The first thing that drew me to this book on Netgalley was the cover, I’ll admit it. It is absolutely stunning and just for that reason I don’t understand why I haven’t seen this book around the blogging sphere more. But the second was the anthologies under title; ‘Asian Science Fiction and Fantasy’. I love fantasy, and while I might not read it enough, I am also quite fond of Science Fiction. But let us be honest, it is a very white and male domineered genre. This is why I really wanted to give this book a chance.

+ One of the things that drew me in all of these stories was that they were all so very character driven. It all starts with the character. They are the center, the middle point. Everything else is woven around it. The fantasy and science fiction settings are the backdrop, not the foreground as you sometimes see in other short stories. This anthology tells the story of characters that feel so real. Of characters that are trying to find themselves in difficult worlds, throughout racism, prejudice, war and their own self doubts.

+ All of the characters are Asian characters. There are stories with Malaysian, Korean, Philippine, Chinese, Japanese characters and many more. There is such a richness and diversity to this book. No matter the setting, the culture and background of each character was brought into the story which created something unique.

+ The settings of these books all are diverse too. Some of these stories take place on our Earth, in the Philippines or America. Other stories take place in space, on ships or on the moon. There are so many amazing ideas in this book. So many settings I would love to see back in a bigger story. This goes for most of the characters too.

+ As you will see down below I rated all the short stories 3 stars or higher except one. That was also a very personal thing as I am sure that others might be able to like this story better than I did. For me, it doesn’t happen that often that I rate short stories in anthologies this highly. I think my favorite was Weaving Silk by Amanda Sun.

+ A portion of the anthology’s net revenue will go to support kids help phone. Isn’t that a great reason to go out and buy this anthology?

The afterword was filled with other fantasy and science fiction by Asian authors that you can go check out. I know I am going to check out a few of these mentioned.

Novella Ratings
I tried to write my thoughts down on all short stories initially but there are so many stories and I feel like I would do none of them any justice with just a few scribbled sentences in between reading.

2 stars -Spirit of Wine
3 stars - Vanilla Ice / Looking Up / A Star is Born / My Left Hand / DNR / A Visitation For the Spirit Festival / Joseon Fringe / Wintry Hearts of Those Who Rise / Crash / Memoriam
3,5 stars The dataSultan of Streets and Stars / Udatta Sloka
4 stars Weaving Silk / Rose’s Arm / Back to Myan / Meridian / The Observer Effect / Decision / Moon Halves / The Bridge of Dangerous Longings / Old Souls / The Orphans of Nilaveli

The Data Sultan
I would love to get more in this futuristic setting of Djinn-Robot. I loved that Istanbul was the first Metropole with a space station. And the idea of Djinn-Bots was great but I wasn’t sure I quite grasped them either. In that I think that a bigger novella or a full novel would work out a lot more.

Weaving Silk
I loved the details in this dystiopian. There is no real conclusion which is why it isn’t a 5 star read. But there are details in it like a younger child growing out of their clothes when there is no possibility to get bigger ones and things like that. I loved also the metaphors with silk that were used.

A Star is Born
Trigger warning for racial slurs

Back to Myan
It was good to see a story that was translated to English as well. There are many good authors that don’t write in English but in their own native language and we should seek out more often to translate these to English I feel.

The Bridge of Dangerous Longings
Trigger warning of rape