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Red Dot Irreal
Travel to Southeast Asia on wings of the fantastic for Jason Erik Lundberg's debut short-story collection Red Dot Irreal.
There you'll meet pirates and shamans, wise fish and mystical storytellers, living monuments and paper animals, time travelers and civet cats, stone taxi drivers, floating dental patients, and a sentient bird park. Once you enter the surreal worlds of Lundberg's equatorial fantastika, a part of you will never leave.
Advance Praise:
"Stories exotic, spicy, and redolent as a four-star curry. A fine meal for the mind awaits you in Lundberg's collection." Jonathan Carroll, author of Outside the Dog Museum
"Lundberg's writing is that of an Old Soul who views the world through Young Eyes; his work is jamais vu of the highest order: these stories are memories encountered for the first time, but never to be forgotten once they've been experienced." James A. Owen, author and illustrator of Here, There Be Dragons
"Red Dot Irreal is a box made of the finest equatorial wood, containing a collection of genuine gems of the early 21st century noble art of fantastika." Zoran Zivkovic, author of The Last Book
"Red Dot Irreal teems with imagination, location, originality, and fine writing." Jeffrey Ford, author of The Empire of Ice Cream
There you'll meet pirates and shamans, wise fish and mystical storytellers, living monuments and paper animals, time travelers and civet cats, stone taxi drivers, floating dental patients, and a sentient bird park. Once you enter the surreal worlds of Lundberg's equatorial fantastika, a part of you will never leave.
Advance Praise:
"Stories exotic, spicy, and redolent as a four-star curry. A fine meal for the mind awaits you in Lundberg's collection." Jonathan Carroll, author of Outside the Dog Museum
"Lundberg's writing is that of an Old Soul who views the world through Young Eyes; his work is jamais vu of the highest order: these stories are memories encountered for the first time, but never to be forgotten once they've been experienced." James A. Owen, author and illustrator of Here, There Be Dragons
"Red Dot Irreal is a box made of the finest equatorial wood, containing a collection of genuine gems of the early 21st century noble art of fantastika." Zoran Zivkovic, author of The Last Book
"Red Dot Irreal teems with imagination, location, originality, and fine writing." Jeffrey Ford, author of The Empire of Ice Cream
- GenresFantasy
164 pages, Paperback
First published October 1, 2011
56 people want to read
About the author
Jason Erik Lundberg
69 books165 followersJason Erik Lundberg was born in Brooklyn, New York, grew up in Raleigh, North Carolina, and has lived in Singapore since 2007. His latest publications are the novel A Fickle and Restless Weapon (2020), the related novella Diary of One Who Disappeared (2019, recipient of a Creation Grant from the National Arts Council of Singapore), and the "greatest hits" short fiction collection Most Excellent and Lamentable: Selected Stories (2019).
He is also the author of many other books for adults—including Red Dot Irreal (2011), The Alchemy of Happiness (2012), Strange Mammals (2013), and Embracing the Strange (2013); books for children—the bestselling six-book Bo Bo and Cha Cha picture book series (2012–2015) and Carol the Coral (2016); and more than a hundred short stories, articles, and book reviews. His writing has been translated into half a dozen languages, and seen publication in venues such as Mānoa: A Pacific Journal of International Writing, the Raleigh News & Observer, Farrago’s Wainscot, Hot Metal Bridge, Strange Horizons, Subterranean Magazine, The Third Alternative, Electric Velocipede, and many other places. His work has won the POPULAR Readers’ Choice Award, has been shortlisted for the SLF Fountain Award, Brenda L. Smart Award for Short Fiction and SCBWI Crystal Kite Member Choice Award, and was honourably mentioned twice in The Year’s Best Fantasy and Horror.
For nearly twelve years, Lundberg was the fiction editor at Epigram Books, where he jump-started the Singaporean publisher's fiction line; many of the over 90 titles he edited there won multiple national awards, and made various year’s best lists. His authors include Boey Kim Cheng, Meihan Boey, Balli Kaur Jaswal, Amanda Lee Koe, Ng Yi-Sheng, Nuraliah Norasid, O Thiam Chin, Jeremy Tiang, Cyril Wong and Daryl Qilin Yam.
In addition, he is the founding editor of LONTAR: The Journal of Southeast Asian Speculative Fiction (2012–2018), series editor for the award-winning biennial Best New Singaporean Short Stories anthology series (est. 2013), editor of Fish Eats Lion Redux (2022) and Fish Eats Lion (2012), and co-editor of A Field Guide to Surreal Botany (2008) and Scattered, Covered, Smothered (2004). From 2005–2008, he facilitated an occasional podcast called Lies and Little Deaths: A Virtual Anthology.
An active member in PEN America and a 2002 graduate of the prestigious Clarion Writers Workshop, Lundberg holds a Master's degree in creative writing from North Carolina State University. Furthermore, he was a 2025 Visiting Writer at the Asia Creative Writing Programme, and a 2023 International Writer-in-Residence at the Toji Cultural Foundation Residency Program in South Korea. He has served as a prose mentor with the Creative Arts Programme and Ceriph Mentorship Programme, and he currently lectures on contemporary publishing, editorial theory & practice, and creative writing at Nanyang Technological University.
He is also the author of many other books for adults—including Red Dot Irreal (2011), The Alchemy of Happiness (2012), Strange Mammals (2013), and Embracing the Strange (2013); books for children—the bestselling six-book Bo Bo and Cha Cha picture book series (2012–2015) and Carol the Coral (2016); and more than a hundred short stories, articles, and book reviews. His writing has been translated into half a dozen languages, and seen publication in venues such as Mānoa: A Pacific Journal of International Writing, the Raleigh News & Observer, Farrago’s Wainscot, Hot Metal Bridge, Strange Horizons, Subterranean Magazine, The Third Alternative, Electric Velocipede, and many other places. His work has won the POPULAR Readers’ Choice Award, has been shortlisted for the SLF Fountain Award, Brenda L. Smart Award for Short Fiction and SCBWI Crystal Kite Member Choice Award, and was honourably mentioned twice in The Year’s Best Fantasy and Horror.
For nearly twelve years, Lundberg was the fiction editor at Epigram Books, where he jump-started the Singaporean publisher's fiction line; many of the over 90 titles he edited there won multiple national awards, and made various year’s best lists. His authors include Boey Kim Cheng, Meihan Boey, Balli Kaur Jaswal, Amanda Lee Koe, Ng Yi-Sheng, Nuraliah Norasid, O Thiam Chin, Jeremy Tiang, Cyril Wong and Daryl Qilin Yam.
In addition, he is the founding editor of LONTAR: The Journal of Southeast Asian Speculative Fiction (2012–2018), series editor for the award-winning biennial Best New Singaporean Short Stories anthology series (est. 2013), editor of Fish Eats Lion Redux (2022) and Fish Eats Lion (2012), and co-editor of A Field Guide to Surreal Botany (2008) and Scattered, Covered, Smothered (2004). From 2005–2008, he facilitated an occasional podcast called Lies and Little Deaths: A Virtual Anthology.
An active member in PEN America and a 2002 graduate of the prestigious Clarion Writers Workshop, Lundberg holds a Master's degree in creative writing from North Carolina State University. Furthermore, he was a 2025 Visiting Writer at the Asia Creative Writing Programme, and a 2023 International Writer-in-Residence at the Toji Cultural Foundation Residency Program in South Korea. He has served as a prose mentor with the Creative Arts Programme and Ceriph Mentorship Programme, and he currently lectures on contemporary publishing, editorial theory & practice, and creative writing at Nanyang Technological University.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
March 7, 2013
The first thing that struck me about Jason Erik Lundberg’s debut collection Red Dot Irreal was the obvious care and attention that had been given to the design and layout of this book, published by Singapore based Math Paper Press. The semi-transparent dust cover, the choice of bordered paper, the hypnotic geometrical designs that precede each story and the quality of the print and typeface all conspire to entice and seduce. In an age where e-readers are encroaching on the market share of paper books Lundberg’s little volume of collected stories manages to achieve something that electronic hard and software cannot. Of course we all know the overused dictum about judging books from their covers, but the visual and tactile pleasure of handling this paper book made an engaging first impression. And, as we know, first impressions always last.
Though the writer himself, like many young writers, is also an enthusiastic advocate of electronic media (his book is available electronically on eight, yes eight different vending platforms no less, as well as Print-On-Demand ) the affection he has for ‘Dead Tree’ books is evident before you even read the first page.
Lundberg’s love of books and writing becomes even more obvious once you start to read. His stories are crafted with the same precision and care as the paper edition and confirm and reaffirm the positive first impression.
All of the ten tales in this collection are set in the author’s adopted home of Singapore, a place familiar to many of this column's readers of course, but through these stories we see the place in a very different light. And of course it isn’t necessary to know Singapore to enjoy this book.
Lundberg’s Singapore is a most unusual place. While his stories feature familiar names and places, Raja Brookes, the Merlion, Raffles, Orchard Road, his stories are fantastical and magical in range, where the borders of real and unreal, of possible and improbable are blurred and warped and stretched by the author’s inspired imagination. He shifts through genres of magical realism, science fiction and Victorian steam-punk to make up, what he himself labels, ‘Equatorial Fantastika’.
We meet an interesting and unlikely cast of characters and beings ranging from rampaging buildings, to rapacious pirates, time travellers, a talking fish who lives in a tank in a food court and more besides.
Both Lundbergh’s sensitivity and ear for language are evident throughout. The first story in the collection, and the longest, is entitled ‘Bogeymen.’ It is set in the Victorian era and told in a style much reminiscent of authors of that time, but that doesn’t put him above throwing in the occasional colloquial ‘lah’, ‘lorh’ or ‘ah’ where required.
The title of his book comes from the fact that Singapore, being so small, is often obscured on world maps by the red dot that indicates its location. Lundberg’s little book skilfully manages to both obscure and reveal this tiny island republic in fresh and exciting ways.
Many of these stories here have been previously featured elsewhere, mostly in Singaporean literary press, but this is the first time that they have been gathered together in one volume.
Red Dot Irreal is a small book, where the emphasis, from design and print, through to the writing, is clearly focused more on quality than on quantity. If you are looking for a new door stop then this is not the book for you, but if you want to take a brief, but magical, trip through the imaginarium of Lundberg’s Singapore then Red Dot Irreal makes for a unique and unforgettable otherworldly read.
Though the writer himself, like many young writers, is also an enthusiastic advocate of electronic media (his book is available electronically on eight, yes eight different vending platforms no less, as well as Print-On-Demand ) the affection he has for ‘Dead Tree’ books is evident before you even read the first page.
Lundberg’s love of books and writing becomes even more obvious once you start to read. His stories are crafted with the same precision and care as the paper edition and confirm and reaffirm the positive first impression.
All of the ten tales in this collection are set in the author’s adopted home of Singapore, a place familiar to many of this column's readers of course, but through these stories we see the place in a very different light. And of course it isn’t necessary to know Singapore to enjoy this book.
Lundberg’s Singapore is a most unusual place. While his stories feature familiar names and places, Raja Brookes, the Merlion, Raffles, Orchard Road, his stories are fantastical and magical in range, where the borders of real and unreal, of possible and improbable are blurred and warped and stretched by the author’s inspired imagination. He shifts through genres of magical realism, science fiction and Victorian steam-punk to make up, what he himself labels, ‘Equatorial Fantastika’.
We meet an interesting and unlikely cast of characters and beings ranging from rampaging buildings, to rapacious pirates, time travellers, a talking fish who lives in a tank in a food court and more besides.
Both Lundbergh’s sensitivity and ear for language are evident throughout. The first story in the collection, and the longest, is entitled ‘Bogeymen.’ It is set in the Victorian era and told in a style much reminiscent of authors of that time, but that doesn’t put him above throwing in the occasional colloquial ‘lah’, ‘lorh’ or ‘ah’ where required.
The title of his book comes from the fact that Singapore, being so small, is often obscured on world maps by the red dot that indicates its location. Lundberg’s little book skilfully manages to both obscure and reveal this tiny island republic in fresh and exciting ways.
Many of these stories here have been previously featured elsewhere, mostly in Singaporean literary press, but this is the first time that they have been gathered together in one volume.
Red Dot Irreal is a small book, where the emphasis, from design and print, through to the writing, is clearly focused more on quality than on quantity. If you are looking for a new door stop then this is not the book for you, but if you want to take a brief, but magical, trip through the imaginarium of Lundberg’s Singapore then Red Dot Irreal makes for a unique and unforgettable otherworldly read.
December 13, 2011
Contained ten short stories.
Local mystique with a dash of time travel. After reading this, can't help but feel like you know A LOT about the author as he incorporates bits of what he knows best (wife, daughter, Neil Gaiman) into his tales.
Local mystique with a dash of time travel. After reading this, can't help but feel like you know A LOT about the author as he incorporates bits of what he knows best (wife, daughter, Neil Gaiman) into his tales.
December 10, 2011
A most excellent collection of short fiction set in Singapore or parts surrounding.
July 8, 2016
This is an often excellent book of speculative fiction set mainly in Singapore. There is a very fine historical tale ("Bogeymen"), a fable in the future set in a famous Singapore bird park ("In Jurong"), a superb little magical realistic tale in a Singapore hawker stall ("Wise Fish") a clever love story/time travel morality tale ("Dragging the Frame") and at least one story that's like a revenge parable ("Paper Cow"). These and other stories are usually superbly plotted and inventive, and Lundberg has a profound humanistic sympathy that is often on display.
The writing is sometimes a bit self-indulgent at the level of language. Lundberg can write a rich and complex sentence that doubles back on itself, and and that's interesting, but he relies on certain syntactical pyrotechnics to excess. Sometimes I find the prose too self-consciously determined to show off -- this detracts, in my experience, from the immediacy of the tales, which is hard enough to establish given their genre.
And what is the genre, anyway? Weird fiction? Speculative fiction? Magical realism? Steampunk? Definitely elements of the steampunk and the magical realist, with the moral and allegorical qualities of both on display. Sometimes a bit too tidy to be weird in the Lovecraftian sense. There's little sense of cosmic dread, but a fair amount of -- not cosmic exactly, but earthly wonder.
There's a repeated motif that goes through many of these stories, that of the individual self breaking down and connecting, in a frightening but also exciting way, with another person or being. We see this dissolution and merging of self in story after story, and it's a very strong motif -- enough to carry the stories, in fact. My hope is that Lundberg will have less to prove with his language in future stories and rely more confidently on his remarkable imagination.
The writing is sometimes a bit self-indulgent at the level of language. Lundberg can write a rich and complex sentence that doubles back on itself, and and that's interesting, but he relies on certain syntactical pyrotechnics to excess. Sometimes I find the prose too self-consciously determined to show off -- this detracts, in my experience, from the immediacy of the tales, which is hard enough to establish given their genre.
And what is the genre, anyway? Weird fiction? Speculative fiction? Magical realism? Steampunk? Definitely elements of the steampunk and the magical realist, with the moral and allegorical qualities of both on display. Sometimes a bit too tidy to be weird in the Lovecraftian sense. There's little sense of cosmic dread, but a fair amount of -- not cosmic exactly, but earthly wonder.
There's a repeated motif that goes through many of these stories, that of the individual self breaking down and connecting, in a frightening but also exciting way, with another person or being. We see this dissolution and merging of self in story after story, and it's a very strong motif -- enough to carry the stories, in fact. My hope is that Lundberg will have less to prove with his language in future stories and rely more confidently on his remarkable imagination.
March 2, 2016
I did not know what to expect from this anthology, so I was pleasantly surprised when there were more hits than misses!!
It's a fun little collection of speculative-SciFi all set in Singapore. There was one really 'intense' one that seemed to be like a semi autobiographical story about the author and how he met his wife and kept meeting his daughter from the future who came back in time to try and prevent him from making the mistakes he made in her timeline. It was good but I didn't enjoy it as much as the others, even though it stuck with me well after I finished the book.
My favourite that I wish was longer or more fleshed out was the super short story about how all the landmarks of Singapore came to life to destroy the island. I know it sounds kind of sad, but the imagery is what had me cracking up with laughter. Imagine the Esplanade twin durians curling up into each other and rolling around like Sonic the Hedgehog, picture the 2 Stamford Raffles statues pairing up to stomp on and destroy anything in their path, and just think about what it would be like to see the Merlion jumping into the river only to jump back out again and destroy the Marina Bay and the like.
I WISHED THERE WAS MORE OF THAT STORY. In all it's a really fun little collection and I'm glad I bought it!! That being said I don't think it would be as enjoyable for someone who's never been to or lived in South East Asia, at the very least!!
https://hercommonplaceblog.wordpress....
It's a fun little collection of speculative-SciFi all set in Singapore. There was one really 'intense' one that seemed to be like a semi autobiographical story about the author and how he met his wife and kept meeting his daughter from the future who came back in time to try and prevent him from making the mistakes he made in her timeline. It was good but I didn't enjoy it as much as the others, even though it stuck with me well after I finished the book.
My favourite that I wish was longer or more fleshed out was the super short story about how all the landmarks of Singapore came to life to destroy the island. I know it sounds kind of sad, but the imagery is what had me cracking up with laughter. Imagine the Esplanade twin durians curling up into each other and rolling around like Sonic the Hedgehog, picture the 2 Stamford Raffles statues pairing up to stomp on and destroy anything in their path, and just think about what it would be like to see the Merlion jumping into the river only to jump back out again and destroy the Marina Bay and the like.
I WISHED THERE WAS MORE OF THAT STORY. In all it's a really fun little collection and I'm glad I bought it!! That being said I don't think it would be as enjoyable for someone who's never been to or lived in South East Asia, at the very least!!
https://hercommonplaceblog.wordpress....
January 5, 2016
An intriguing collection of short "fantastic" stories by a Singapore-based expat, heavily featuring the city and surroundings. As with most collections, it's uneven, but falls more often on the successful side of things. The opening story, "Bogeymen", is the longest, but also the best, with sympathetic characters and an intriguing piratical story. "Dragging the Frame", another longer story, is a time-travel piece that doesn't work as well: the main character is hard to care about, and the tale drags toward an anti-climactic ending. "In Jurong" starts slowly, but Lundberg's language is poetic enough that the story's fantastical world is well-worth savoring. Overall, these Singapore-flavored tales are very enjoyable. And the book's wonderful design and production is worth a mention as well, from the always-notable Math Paper Press, also based in Singapore.
May 31, 2013
Lundberg's collection of fantastika casts a new light on Singapore. Imaginative and gripping, the reader is sent on an adventure from the first page. One appreciates the care and attention to some of geographical details as well as the tonal inflection of the local speech patterns. However, there are some cases in which the Singlish is contrived and inconsistent.
Nonetheless, this collection is a wonderful addition to local literature and one hopes that more works in the genre will be inspired because of this pioneering work.
Nonetheless, this collection is a wonderful addition to local literature and one hopes that more works in the genre will be inspired because of this pioneering work.
November 10, 2015
South East Asia, particularly Singapore, served in the most surreal way. My most favorite stories are 'Bogeymen', 'Dragging The Frame' and 'Kopi Luwak'.
Recommended for those who look for an alternate angle on viewing the Red Dot nation.
Recommended for those who look for an alternate angle on viewing the Red Dot nation.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews