Tunku Halim's Blog

Ahead of the 25th anniversary of Vermillion Eye, author

Tunku Halim talks about the reissue of

his iconic work, as well as his journey

into the literary scene and how it has changed.

In Malaysia or Indonesia, it’s very rare to find someone
who doesn’t believe in ghosts,” says writer Tunku
Halim Tunku Abdullah. He explains that this spine-chilling
category is such a popular genre in varying creative media
across the world because “even those who don’t like
horror have a fascination for it. Particularly in Malaysia, we
have a very rich mythology like the pontianak, toyol, orang
minyak, possession, black magic and all the other spirits.
Even the educated believe in this stuff”.

Dubbed the Stephen King of Asia, Halim, 61, has
produced a staggering number of works over the last
three decades, delving into Malay myths, legends and
folklore. “I don’t classify all my stories as horror. Some are
psychological thrillers and paranormal romance. They can
be called Asian Gothic,” he says.

“It’s just that when I started, I published two short-story
collections of horror, followed by my debut novel. So then,
I got put into this box — or coffin, if you will: When you
think of the genre in Malaysia, you think of Tunku Halim.”

Reading law at the University of Sussex in the UK, he then
worked as a legal counsel for some years before switching
from precision to prose and devoting himself to crafting
unsettling stories. “As a teenager, I always thought that
being an author would be wonderful, but my mum had
other ideas. She gave me the option of law, accounting or
medicine. I chose law because it involved using words!”

Halim’s creative writing journey began with short
descriptions of the eerie tales surrounding Kuala Lumpur’s
Jalan Damansara, which links Bukit Damansara to Section
16 in Petaling Jaya. “I made notes about this scary
winding road with jungle all around, and that became a
story. I wrote a few more and I said, why not come out
with a collection?”

Since then, he has made his mark in the niche market with
titles such as The Rape of Martha Teoh & Other Chilling
Stories, The Woman Who Grew Horns & Other Works,
Gravedigger’s Kiss, Horror Stories and, most recently, My
Lovely Skull & Other Skeletons.

The local trailblazer in the genre points out that scary
films paint the category in a bad light, with narratives that
follow typical, established formulas confirmed to elicit fear
and anxiety in viewers. “I don’t like watching horror
movies because, generally, they have a very low budget,
hence affecting the plot and acting. They always have
some woman going down into the cellar. The electricity is
somehow not working but she has to go down anyway.
Then she will be attacked by some spirit in the house.
Yet, the family never leaves and just stays.”

According to him, these shows largely rely on shock and
gore, but it is different for creative writing. “Writing has to
be more sophisticated. You have to have a strong plot.
What I want to do with my story is capture the reader’s
attention from page one — get them so immersed that
they forget they are reading. That is what I want to
achieve.”
How does he ensure that he sends shivers down his
readers’ spine and keeps them engaged, then? “There are
many ways to draw people in. With any kind of story, there
has to be some sort of problem that needs to be resolved.
Mine is always associated with supernatural elements or
something disturbing or fearful.”

Creative writing is like any other skill, he says. For dark
fiction, the trick is to show, not tell. “For example, when
you say ‘the door opened by itself and I felt frightened’,
that is ‘telling’. But ‘the door opened by itself and I felt
goose bumps’ is ‘showing’. So, when I say that,
subconsciously, the reader will imagine what is happening
and that will trigger the instinctive reaction. This is how
you create tension and fear.”

While it is not possible to draw every chilling scene from
his own experience — “very rarely does anything happen
to me, so I use my imagination a lot” — Halim tends to
map out a storyline just from being curious about a
particular setting or situation he comes across.

He explains the inspiration behind one of the anthologies
in his latest release. “I walked past this house quite often.
It’s a typical bungalow but dilapidated, empty and falling
apart, and no one looked after the garden, and so it
looked like a jungle. I wondered, how come nobody lives
here? Why doesn’t someone buy it and build a new
house? One day, I saw an old woman in shabby clothes
sitting just outside the front door. Right away, that sparked
my imagination for a story called The Garden.”

When not working, Halim loves spending time outdoors.
Walking, travelling and just doing activities that allow him
to engage with the real world fuel his creativity. He also
steers clear of social media as he thinks it is a major
distraction and interrupts one’s ability to generate ideas. “I
value my privacy above anything, but I also think [social
media] is addictive and I do not want to get addicted to
anything.

“For most people, social media is the default thing to do.
As soon as they feel slightly bored, they pick up their
phone and start to scroll through the different apps. So,
there is no opportunity to be bored, but not doing
anything is actually very important because that’s when I
think about what to write or other things I want to do in my
life.”

For the new generation of authors, however, having an
online platform is almost like a requirement for their work
to be considered for publishing, Halim acknowledges. It is
unfortunate that it has come to this but boasting a strong
social media presence demonstrates their “ability to sell”.
For this veteran wordsmith, however — even with just a
blog on WordPress, which he occasionally writes for — his
opuses still make their way to the bookstores, and some
are reissued with updates to suit the contemporary
context.

For instance, Vermillion Eye, which is used as study
material at the National University of Singapore, will be
republished by Penguin Random House next month, 25
years after it was introduced. The story explores three
distinctive characters in one compelling account of love,
lust and vengeance.

“They wanted me to refresh the text and make it up-to-
date. So, I had to bring in technology, which made a big
difference to the story. In the original copy, my main
character is a pimp based in Sydney. To get customers, he
would go to the red-light district and approach passers-
by. But that’s totally changed because Kings Cross is now
gentrified. People want to move here, it’s a nice place to
live. Pimps don’t go out looking for clients anymore; it’s all
done online. So, I had to tweak some parts to take this into
account.”

Vermillion Eye: 25th Anniversary Edition will be launched
at the George Town Literary Festival next month with a
new look to commemorate the shift in the literary scene
over the last 30 years, where readers now indeed judge a
book by its cover.

Given his years of experience in the field, Halim is praised
as much as he is criticised. He is aware of both bouquets
and brickbats but does not let that deter him from
pursuing his passion. “I don’t write for fame and I don’t do
it for money. I write for satisfaction and because it is a
fulfilling thing to do,” he says.

His advice for aspiring authors: “Write because it is
something you want to do. Don’t write with the purpose of
getting published. If you do get published, that’s a huge
bonus, but the joy is in the act of writing itself. It is also the
cheapest hobby you can have because all you need is a
pen and paper.”

This article written by Aireena Azni first appeared on

Oct 27, 2025 in The Edge

I’d like to thank Aireena Azni for writing this article.

Hope you found it interesting!

A friend’s vegan daughter is visiting Penang. So he asked me about what restaurants to go to. I often eat in a vegan way so here are some of my suggestions. Some of these are pure vegan while others are vegetarian with vegan options.

RUO TEA

Dine in a most Zen-like environment. The delicious food is Taiwanese inspired and served in an artfully Japanese way. You’ll come away feeling full. There is a minimum spend and you should book ahead. Young children are not allowed.

BROWN POODLE

My favourite in the Tanjong Tokong area. A great variety of food, Western and Asian. Love the burgers, pizza and the Monday-speciality ‘Chicken’ Rice. Great selection of cakes too. Small dogs are allowed.

ZEN XIN

I love this place because it serves a variety of dishes to be shared more like a proper Chinese restaurant rather than single dishes per person. Great mutton curry and so much more!

NEKO VEGAN HOUSE

Hidden away off Chulia street this tiny establishment with only 3 to 4 tables is a gem. A very limited menu but so delicious. Ring the door bell to get in.

UNCLE LOKE CURRY ME

They specialise in yummy vegan curry mee / meehoon (called ‘curry laksa’ down south). They’re in a small hawker centre in Tanjung Tokong (not far from Brown Poodle) where you can choose to dine in or order using Grab (but you’ll be paying a bit more). I always cook a few veges at home and add that to my curry mee when it arrives. It opens early and closes after lunch.

JANXDEN GREENLIFE

A simple setting but still delicious. I often pop in here for a bite. The satay is particularly delicious.

VEGAN FALAFEL

Right on Chulia street, this simple outlet adds something different to our usual choices: falafel, humus and other stuff too!

THE LEAF

In Little India this is a great place in this busy part of town for some great vegan food. A few great Indian food choices down the road for vegetarians (sadly not for vegans).

LILY’S

This simple place provides a big variety of hawker vegetarian and vegan food at budget-friendly prices. I love the Wantan mee and Char Kway Teow.

PINXIN VEGAN CUISINE

Last time I went this place was looking a bit dated (hope they’ve updated the interior). Food was still delicious though.

YUN SHAN GE

Just a stone’s throw from Fort Cornwallis, this restaurant in a more traditional setting serves lots of local dishes including Hakka Lei Cha (Tea Rice).

IDEALITE @ MOULMIN

Another great establishment which also serves Hakka Lei Cha. They have a good selection of drinks too. This one is in Pulau Tikus.

PLANT A SEED

Close to the touristy areas of George Town, this outlet has lots of delicous sushi on the menu.

YI KER SHU

You’ll have to go up to Tanjong Bungah for this but I like this pretty little place outside of town.

SINCERE CO

Out in Pulau Tikus this one is in a shopping mall in a more modern setting. The food here is more imaginative, going beyond the standard fare.

JOIES SOURDOUGH BAKERY CAFE

I’d really like to try their tofu cheesecake!

W LIFE CAFE

Located just off Beach St, it’s somewhere I’d like to visit soon.

There are many other vegan restaurants which I’ve not mentioned. I’ve also not covered many areas in Penang like Bayan Lepas and on the mainland. There are many good Indian vegetarian restaurants too like Annalakshmi, The Gardens Banana Leaf, Woodlands, Pure Saiva and Thali-NR Sweets Cafe but are likely use ghee, yoghurt and other dairy product in most dishes so might not be vegan friendly.

A friend’s vegan daughter is visiting Penang. So he asked me about what restaurants to go to. I often eat in a vegan way so here are some of my suggestions:

RUO TEA

Dine in a most Zen-like environment. The delicious food is Taiwanese inspired and served in an artfully Japanese way. You’ll come away feeling full. There is a minimum spend and you should book ahead. Young children are not allowed.

BROWN POODLE

My favourite in the Tanjong Tokong area. A great variety of food, Western and Asian. Love the burgers, pizza and the Monday-speciality ‘Chicken’ Rice. Great selection of cakes too. Small dogs are allowed.

ZEN XIN

I love this place because it serves a variety of dishes to be shared more like a proper Chinese restaurant rather than single dishes per person. Great mutton curry and so much more!

NEKO VEGAN HOUSE

Hidden away off Chulia street this tiny establishment with only 3 to 4 tables is a gem. A very limited menu but so delicious. Ring the door bell to get in.

UNCLE LOKE CURRY ME

They specialise in yummy vegan curry mee / meehoon (called ‘curry laksa’ down south). They’re in a small hawker centre in Tanjung Tokong (not far from Brown Poodle) where you can choose to dine in or order using Grab (but you’ll be paying a bit more). I always cook a few veges at home and add that to my curry mee when it arrives. It opens early and closes after lunch.

JANXDEN GREENLIFE

A simple setting but still delicious. I often pop in here for a bite. The satay is particularly delicious.

VEGAN FALAFEL

Right on Chulia street, this simple outlet adds something different to our usual choices: falafel, humus and other stuff too!

THE LEAF

In Little India this is a great place in this busy part of town for some great vegan food. A few great Indian food choices down the road for vegetarians (sadly not for vegans).

LILY’S

This simple place provides a big variety of hawker vegetarian and vegan food at budget-friendly prices. I love the Wantan mee and Char Kway Teow.

PINXIN VEGAN CUISINE

Last time I went this place was looking a bit dated (hope they’ve updated the interior). Food was still delicious though.

YUN SHAN GE

Just a stone’s throw from Fort Cornwallis, this restaurant in a more traditional setting serves lots of local dishes including Hakka Lei Cha (Tea Rice).

IDEALITE @ MOULMIN

Another great establishment which also serves Hakka Lei Cha. They have a good selection of drinks too. This one is in Pulau Tikus.

PLANT A SEED

Close to the touristy areas of George Town, this outlet has lots of delicous sushi on the menu.

YI KER SHU

You’ll have to go up to Tanjong Bungah for this but I like this pretty little place outside of town.

SINCERE CO

Out in Pulau Tikus this one is in a shopping mall in a more modern setting. The food here is more imaginative, going beyond the standard fare.

There are many other vegan restaurants which I’ve not mentioned. I’ve also not covered many areas in Penang like Bayan Lepas and on the mainland. There are many good Indian vegetarian restaurants too like Annalakshmi, Woodlands, Pure Saiva and Thali-NR Sweets Cafe but these are not vegan as they likely use ghee, yoghurt and other dairy products, so carefully ordering would be required.

Unfortunately, I think this might be true.

Wouldn’t you prefer your hard-worked-on novel to stand out on the shelves in a book store or would you want it to be almost invisible amongst all the the other titles?

Not only that but you’d want to the cover to be intriguing enough for someone to pick it up and read the blurb at the back. And from there wander over to the cashier.

So that would mean you’d want 2 things in a book cover:

It would be the same even if the book is sold online: you’d want someone to click on the title to find out more and add it to the cart.

So when the good people at Penguin SEA came up with 2 options for my novel Vermillion Eyes : 25th Anniversary Edition, I really had to think.

Which cover would you say is both eye-catching and intriguing?

I’m delighted to announce that after an absence of over a decade, my “notorious retrospective” Horror Stories is being published once again.

Not only that, but it has a brand new cover!

I think it’s better than the original.

Spot the difference …

And, yes, there is indeed a brand new introduction which I had much fun writing and it takes us right up to date into 2025.

I’d like to take this opportunity to thank Amir Muhammad and his Fixi team for having confidence in my stories once more and for making it happen eleven years later.

I’m so delighted that my 20 stories may now slither back out into the world … and hopefully right up your spine!

Some months back Noel Wong from FMT send me an email saying that he wanted to interview me for World Book Day. The result was a compliation of his interview with 3 authors which I’d posted earlier.

I quite enjoyed answering his questions and I thought you might be interested in the full in-depth interview. So here it is:

1. Tunku Halim, can you tell us how your writing journey began? Which authors would you say left the greatest impact on you growing up?

As a young man working for a condo developer, I was struck that how so many people weren’t asking the right questions before they made such a huge investment. So I wrote a book on how to buy apartments and that was published more than 30 years ago. 

Around that time, I was writing short stories. My favourite author then, and still is, was Stephen King. So my stories were spooky ones. The advantage I had was that in Malaysia we have so many myths about ghosts, spirits and demons, that I could write about. So I managed to write not only a collection of short stories but also a novel, Dark Demon Rising. Luckily, there were hardly any local writers in the 1990s and I managed to get my writing published.

2. What is your writing process like? How does a book start in your head and how does it end up on a shelf?

What starts is an idea. A small idea often leads to a short story, a bigger idea may become a novel. Sometimes a small idea can become a big idea. Sometimes a big idea can become a small idea. Or an idea may lead you nowhere!

What’s important is to allow the imagination to flow unimpeded like an ever flowing river. It might end up in a swamp or to a big great ocean, it doesn’t really matter.

From the idea then comes the writing. The marvellous thing is that writing leads to other ideas, which leads to more writing which can give birth to yet new ideas. Writing is actually rewriting. So there should always be a few drafts to a novel, short story collection or work of non-fiction.

Once the manuscript done, I’ll submit it to my publisher who will then edit it for publication. Going through the edits can be a laboriously process and I must admit that I’m quite lazy here and I’ll agree to almost all proposed edits.  

The publisher then proposes a few covers for the book. It’s a sad thing to say that the cover is them most important part of the book. Most people, unfortunately, do judge a book by its cover. So the book cover is vitally important.

The publisher uses a distributor to get books to the shops. If you want readers to see your book on the shelf, let alone buy it, getting your book properly distributed is critical. So many good writers have unsold copies because book shops are not carrying their books or only stock their books for a short while. Book shops tend to focus on what is new or what sells.

Authors religiously use social media to publicise their books. Many authors prefer not to have to market themselves like this but, sadly, this is how things are. As a matter of principal, I’m a social media recluse so this is something I don’t do. I don’t write for sales or money. It’s just something I do.

3. From your point of view, what is the contemporary Malaysian writing scene like? Are we an untapped well of potential or has the golden age of Malaysian penmanship long passed?

I don’t follow the writing scene much so I couldn’t tell you. But I can talk about the reading scene. 

Most Malaysians don’t read. I’m going to guess that not more than 25% would regularly read and, when it comes to fiction, that would probably be less than 20%. And I’m probably being too generous. Many of us blame social media and we’re so hooked on it that we barely have the time for anything else, let alone read. But this sadly low reading level has been with us decades ago and so I won’t point the finger at social media. I think we just haven’t created a reading culture in this country. We can address this not only by cultivating a reading culture at school level by creating neighbourhood libraries nationwide.

4. Suppose someone you know would like to write a book, for the first time. What is one thing they should know beforehand?

They should, of course, learn how to write! Writing is a craft and the only way to improve our writing ability is to write regularly. 

The next thing is what do you want to write about? If it’s non-fiction than it’s got to be something that really interests you, that your point of view is so original and compelling that readers can truly benefit from it. If you’re doing it for fame and money then I suggest becoming an influencer or YouTuber. Writing, especially locally, does not pay nor will it make you famous!

If you want to write fiction then what’s needed is imagination. Then learn the craft of writing. There are lots of resources out there. And keep practising. But don’t write with the idea of wanting to get published. Write because it truly is a wonderful way to spend your time. It is an enriching experience. It is a great hobby and all you need is pen and paper.

But if you really want to write, one tip I’ve always given is that you must be alone. You don’t have to isolate yourself. You can be in a cafe and not know anyone and so, in truth, you’re alone.

As long as your phone is turned on though … you’re not truly alone. It’s always there demanding attention. So turn it off, put it out of sight. At least for the half-and-hour or so you’ve devoting to your writing. Very hard for most of us!

5. World Book Day is also known as World Book and Copyright Day. And copyright has been a matter of discussion lately due to the rise of Generative AI programmes, which have been accused of unethically copying and mimicking the works of living and dead authors without proper accreditation or permission. What are your thoughts on AI? Is it a tool to foster creativity or a threat to creatives? Should the government update copyright laws to protect local creatives?

The question of whether there should be laws preventing AI from mimicking a famous author is a difficult one. Current copyright laws protect content but not writing style so, on the face of it, mimicry would not be a breach of the law. But if the writing and works created so resembles that of an author, it might devalue to author’s books and reputation and so new laws might be necessary. It would be interesting to see how the situation unfolds.

When it comes to new writing, AI is amazing, captivating but very dangerous.

Imagine yourself as a new author but the trouble is that you can’t write well. You can now easily use AI to not only generate story ideas but to write them beautifully and your prospective publisher wouldn’t know if it was AI generated or not. You can, in fact write, an entire novel using AI.

So this creates unfair competition between a would-be author who cannot write and a budding one who can.

Publishers will now be quite dubious, not knowing if the manuscript they receive is AI-generated or not.

This is going to massively affect authors and the books publishing industry.

Well, I couldn’t really … because the famous German author died sixty-two years ago.

But I did manage to visit the small town of Calw, where he was born in 1877.

Calw is a charming place with beautifully painted centuries-old buildings. It has a very walkable historic centre with hardly any cars and no other tourists! Perfect!

There’s a bridge and a river and a plaza named after the author.

Hermann Hesse had written many novels. I’m lucky to have read at least one of them.

Siddhartha is a fascinating novel and written in an achingly beautiful style. I really should read it again.

Calw is actually in the Black Forest in Germany.

And, yes, I did sample some Black Forest cakes … but that’s another story!

This is my first time being interviewed on Free Malaysia Today and here is the article, published in conjunction with World Book Day, together with 2 other authors Shih-Li Kow and Malachi Edwin Vethamani:

PETALING JAYA: Before the days of cinema and television, many kids grew up with their noses in their books. Although films, comics and social media have largely displaced the reading habit, the written word still wields considerable power.

World Book Day celebrates literature as well as the creative minds that produce them. To mark the occasion, FMT Lifestyle caught up with three local authors for their thoughts on the reading culture, what it takes to be a writer and how technology is shaping the literary world today.

Shih-Li Kow of the award-winning “The Sum of Our Follies”, told FMT Lifestyle: “I started writing in my late thirties when I did a workshop on some English books at the time.” Coincidentally, that was where she met her first publisher.

Meanwhile Tunku Halim, Malaysia’s famed horror novelist, said he began writing 30 years ago while working at a condo development firm.

“I was struck by how so many people weren’t asking the right questions before they made such a huge investment.” So, he wrote a book on how to buy apartments! He has since transitioned from real estate tips to spooky stories, inspired by Malaysia’s many supernatural tales.

It was a little different for voracious reader Malachi Edwin Vethamani who said that winning a consolation prize for a national short story competition in 1994 encouraged him to keep writing. “Not so much for the money but that my work had literary merit,” the academic, poet and writer said.

When asked for her thoughts on the current local writing scene, Kow said it was “evolving”. She recalled how short stories were once the trend, with many authors cutting their teeth via anthologies.

“There’s a lot of speculative fiction now and I think writers are more adventurous and freer to write what they want to write. It’s quite an exciting time!”

Malachi concurred, saying the local scene was promising. “It is good to see many Malaysian writers making a presence both in the local and international literary scenes.”

Halim however, lamented that Malaysians, despite participating in educational programmes, have a general disinterest in reading. And as any writer worth his salt knows, reading forms the basis for good writing.

To those hoping to write their first book, Kow asked: “Have you read enough to feel that you have a certain level of competency?”

Similarly, Malachi said that reading is a must before writing as it gives “a good idea on what one is venturing into”.

In addition to learning how to write, Tunku Halim said that one needs a clear idea of what they want to write about and why. “If you’re doing it for fame and money then I suggest becoming an influencer or YouTuber. Writing, especially locally, does not pay nor will it make you famous!”

World Book Day is sometimes called World Book and Copyright Day, with copyright a hot topic due to the emergence of Generative AI programmes.

“AI will never replace authors. It cannot replace the humanity that comes from a living person creating a work of art,” Kow said. She suggested AI be used as a tool, akin to programmes like Microsoft Word and Grammarly, rather than a surrogate writer.

“When it comes to new writing,” said Tunku Halim, “AI is amazing, captivating but very dangerous.” With publishers unable to tell if a draft was AI-generated or not, he said writers were likely going to face increased scrutiny.

Malachi  also warned that while AI makes researching topics convenient, it also makes plagiarism likelier and easier.

“I do not subscribe to using it for creative writing purposes. As a writer, I want to be my own source. Creativity needs to come from the individual writer.”

Support local writers! Check out these works by Kow, Halim and Malachi.

We Malaysians are a superstitious lot.

Just get into our lifts and there’ll be buttons for 3A, 13A, 23A, 33A etc.

Even our addresses suffer from it. No one likes to live in house number 4, 14 or 24.

Why?

Because 4 means death in Chinese.

But take a trip to other Chinese predominant societies. Singapore, Taiwan and China are some examples and you’ll find buttons for levels 4, 14, 24 and 34 in lifts. If they’re fine with it, then it’s time we Malaysians get out of our superstitious mentality and accept the number 4.

Otherwise we should just call 2024, 2023A!

Some years back I did an interview with CNA938 radio station in Singapore.

They have recently put it up on their Page Turners Podcast which “presents conversations with bestselling authors – from Singapore and the world …”

The podcast is presented by Melanie Oliveiro, avid bookworm and collector of rare vinyl records!

So here it is …

https://www.melisten.sg/podcast/playlist/Page-Turners-488631/When-Malaysia-s-%22Prince-of-Darkness%22-is-really-a-prince—a-chat-with-Tunku-Halim-1681906