Insignia: Chinese Fantasy Stories

by Kelly Matsuura (Editor), Joyce Chng, Holly Kench

INSIGNIA Vol.2 includes 6 Chinese fantasy stories with a mix of urban, literary, contemporary, myth-based, and historical fantasy pieces.

PART I: YOUNG ADULT / ADVENTURE TALES
'The Bones Shine Through With Light' by Joyce Chng
'Looking for Trouble' by Joyce Chng
'The Great Qilin' by Kelly Matsuura

PART II: ADULT / LITERARY TALES
'The Red String of Fate' by Holly Kench
'Maidens of the Yangze' by Kelly Matsuura
'The Ghost Bride' by Kelly Matsuura

Rated 13+

54 pages, ebook

First published April 25, 2014

About the author

Kelly Matsuura grew up in Australia, and graduated from Victoria University with a degree in Asian Studies. She has lived in China and the USA, and now lives permanently in Nagoya, Japan.
Her writing focuses on fantasy and contemporary stories with Asian characters and/or settings, however she enjoys writing western-style stories occasionally as well.
She is the editor and a contributor of 'The Insignia Series' anthologies, now 7 collections featuring Asian fantasy short stories by various indie authors.
Kelly's personal anthologies, 'Whispering Woods', 'Parting Skies'and 'Stirring Winds' are available through Amazon, Smashwords, and affiliate sites.

Reviews

[Anna Tan · Rating 3 out of 5]

As a whole, I think I preferred Insignia: Japanese Fantasy Stories to this one. It felt as if there hadn't been enough submissions for this, so Kelly and Joyce ended up writing multiple stories to bulk it out.

Set in an alternate Singapore which has dragons and phoenixes and foxes, Looking for Trouble (Joyce Chng) was probably the most to my taste in Part I. The Great Qilin (Kelly Matsuura) wasn't half bad as well - though it feels a little like a prelude to something else.

The most impressive from Part II is Black Smoke and Water Lilies by David Jon Fuller. The timeline jumps around a little in this - I had to read the beginning carefully a few times before I really got into it, but it plays out really well.

[LaVerne Clark · Rating 5 out of 5]

Although a short anthology, this collection packs a punch. Each individual story has a beauty and symmetry which mean they all sit together easily.
Never having had the pleasure of visiting this part of the world, after the glimpses from this book, I'm very keen to. Thank you to the authors for taking me on the journey.

[Kelly]

NOTE FROM EDITOR: This anthology was re-released on July 7th, 2015 with a new cover and with a new story added to the collection.

Please see previous editions for more reviews.

[Laila · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting set of stories. My favorite was "The Bones Shine Through With Light" for it's beautifully atmospheric language. Quite capturing.
For me, not all of the stories felt like short stories, though, and at times I was missing a point or something that keeps the internal structure coherent, but they were all really creative and transported me into a new kind of mythology and culture. (And I might be wrong. All I know are lit fic short stories and erotic ones, and both work very differently. Maybe I'm just not fluent in this kind.)

It also made me think a lot about what I consider to be diversity fiction, and I think I'll have to write a long blog post about everything that's in my head sometime.
But that has nothing to do with this book, which was still definitely worth the read.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another fascinating anthology

I read the first anthology, with no real expectations. I was pleasantly surprised and thoroughly enjoyed it. With a little more understanding of Asian storytelling, I knew what I was in for - and I wasn't disappointed.

The stories are refreshing, interesting pieces that are a window into another culture. To me, each tale was unique and interesting.

Very much enjoyed it.