Yuen Xiang Hao’s Colours made me cry, and I didn’t expect that. I particularly enjoyed the way Chua lovingly describes machinery. In Viki Chua Morrow’s Knight, science and superstition clash. I loved the rich language in Leow Hui Min Annabeth’s Ascension, with its clever alternate history of an empress and her natural philosopher.Ĭlaire Cheong thoughtfully explores humanity, freedom, and loyalty in No, They Dream of Mechanical Hearts. I read the anthology back in September and this many months later I still remember what all the stories are about as well as their stimulating visions of colonialism, science, authority, work, and relationships. This is not to say there isn’t a long way to go in in the quest for diverse books, just that I’m delighted that anthologies like this exist and can be downloaded with one click. If the ebook revolution has done anything it has broadened the range of what can be affordably published and how much more feasible it is to get hold of things from all over the world. Twenty years ago such a collection of seven stories by Asian writers might certainly have been published but my ability to discover it would have been limited. This kind of anthology represents what digital publishing offers: opportunity and accessibility. Except for Yang, the authors and editors weren’t known to me so I came into the experience with, I hope, few preconceptions. She was smart and funny, and when I remembered she had a story in The Steampowered Globe, I started reading. Then it sat on my iPad for months, unread, until I went to London Worldcon (Loncon) and had the pleasure of being on a panel with J Y Yang. I read about it or saw a mention of it pass through Twitter or Tumblr, and bought and downloaded a copy on Kindle.

An old woman is dying and a young bride is tasked with listening to her final words.I picked up the anthology The Steampowered Globe, editors Rosemary Lim and Maisarah Bte Abu Samah (ASiFF, Singapore, 2012) because. An old man reflects beside a river on the violence inflicted on him during the Japanese Occupation.

A gangster's bodyguard and a gangster's moll fight their way from Brisbane to Sydney, but will they ever be safe? Could a community's sectarian conflict really be the result of an old forgotten god? A wealthy man, would-be lover finds out that money isn't everything. A boy must decide on a practical course or one that will fulfill his dreams.

The author has lived in all four countries and uses her real-life experiences blended with dreams and imagination to bring to life characters on the threshold of decisions that will change their lives. Short stories that the take the reader from Australia to Singapore to Malaysia and to Northern Ireland. Winner of the Singapore Literature Prize in 1998 under the original title of Soul Search: 'I am the master of my fate:/I am the captain of my soul' from 'Invictus' by William Henley.

The Steampowered Globe by Rosemary Lim