What do you think?
Rate this book
Scale-Bright
The Archer Who Shot Down Suns: Scale-Bright Stories
A sampler of short stories taking place before and connected to SCALE-BRIGHT in chronological order. Chinese mythology retold from the time of humanity's creation to contemporary Hong Kong.
"The Crows Her Dragon's Gate" (first published in BENEATH CEASELESS SKIES, 2013. Ed. Scott H. Andrews). The story of Xihe, the mother of suns, when she was young and the world was new: how she met her husband, lost herself, and found it again.
"Woman of the Sun, Woman of the Moon" (first published in GIGANOTOSAURUS, 2012. Ed. Ann Leckie). Houyi rose in heaven, bow and arrow in hand: the hunt was her joy, the slaying of demons her delight. But most delightful was a serving girl called Chang'e.
"Chang'e Dashes from the Moon" (first published in EXPANDED HORIZONS, 2012. Ed. Dash). Chang'e has been a prisoner on the moon while the world turns and cities rise. For centuries Houyi has looked for a way to free her wife, and now she has found it in a distant grand-niece: a young mortal woman named Julienne.
"The Crows Her Dragon's Gate" (first published in BENEATH CEASELESS SKIES, 2013. Ed. Scott H. Andrews). The story of Xihe, the mother of suns, when she was young and the world was new: how she met her husband, lost herself, and found it again.
"Woman of the Sun, Woman of the Moon" (first published in GIGANOTOSAURUS, 2012. Ed. Ann Leckie). Houyi rose in heaven, bow and arrow in hand: the hunt was her joy, the slaying of demons her delight. But most delightful was a serving girl called Chang'e.
"Chang'e Dashes from the Moon" (first published in EXPANDED HORIZONS, 2012. Ed. Dash). Chang'e has been a prisoner on the moon while the world turns and cities rise. For centuries Houyi has looked for a way to free her wife, and now she has found it in a distant grand-niece: a young mortal woman named Julienne.
92 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 25, 2014
18 people are currently reading
210 people want to read
About the author
Benjanun Sriduangkaew
83 books404 followersScience fiction, fantasy, and others in the between. Cute kissing ladies? I write those. Ruthless genocidal commanders? Got that covered too! 2014 finalist for Campbell Award for Best New Writer, 2015 BSFA finalist for Best Short Fiction (SCALE-BRIGHT). I like beautiful bugs and strange cities.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
July 10, 2023
I picked this up on a whim and really enjoyed this Chinese mythology style stories. I was surprised at the quality and beauty of this short story collection. The writing is beautiful and the stories interconnect to tell a broader tale. Queer, women-centric, strong, powerful, with smart storytelling, I might have to pick up more by this author.
November 6, 2014
This author does write beautiful prose. "There are stars in her mouth, and night in her bones." Gorgeous. I started to read this collection solely on the strength of that one sentence. At times though, the language is just too much. Too many similes, too many metaphors, too much imagery...and way too many adjectives.
Now I like flowery language as much as the next girl, but at some point the stories needed to ground themselves with plot or character development. This was especially true of the first story which seemed more like a free association activity than an actual story.
I'm glad that I read these stories, and I'll probably read more from this author. Even though I had issues with her writing in general, there were moments of pure transcendence.
Now I like flowery language as much as the next girl, but at some point the stories needed to ground themselves with plot or character development. This was especially true of the first story which seemed more like a free association activity than an actual story.
I'm glad that I read these stories, and I'll probably read more from this author. Even though I had issues with her writing in general, there were moments of pure transcendence.
January 10, 2015
shorts set in chinese mythology. i'm not familiar with the setting or the ancient narratives, so a bit difficult to become involved, as text expects reader to keep up. author is more than proficient at the sentence level. text reads as prelude to author's novel; perhaps the novel will put paid to these.
January 2, 2015
A fascinating take on mythologies probably quite alien to Western readers, this collection of shorts tell the tales of three women divine and mortal navigating their way through a rigid and tradition-based celestial society. A challenging and recommended read for those who wish to experience some fantasy away from the medieval model.
April 8, 2021
"He tasted of victory; his tongue fed me loss."
Hindi ako familiar sa Chinese mythology, pero dahil dito nagustuhan kong aralin mga pinaghiraman-pinagbatayan nitong kuwento. Maganda ang pagkakakuwento. Inggit ako sa love story ni Hou Yi at Chang'e. Ang masasabi ko lang: sana all.
Hindi ako familiar sa Chinese mythology, pero dahil dito nagustuhan kong aralin mga pinaghiraman-pinagbatayan nitong kuwento. Maganda ang pagkakakuwento. Inggit ako sa love story ni Hou Yi at Chang'e. Ang masasabi ko lang: sana all.
February 15, 2025
It's just as great as the Scale-Bright was.
July 10, 2017
(Note – at the time I’m writing the book is free on Kindle)
This collection contains three stories retelling Chinese mythology. In retrospect, it’s probably not a good idea to read something based on Chinese mythology when you know absolutely nothing about Chinese mythology. So, that’s quite possibly behind why this book didn’t do much for me. Ultimately, it was probably worth reading (at least the last two stories), just not reading again.
However, if you like either Chinese mythology or lesbians, this is the book for you!
Given that this is a short story collection, I think it’s best to talk about the individual stories.
1.”The Crows Her Dragon’s Gate”
Summary: The story of Xihe, the mother of suns, when she was young and the world was new: how she met her husband, lost herself, and found it again.
I found this to be the weakest story. Xihe came off as rather cold in places, and I found the events of the story very confusing. Again, this may be because I know absolutely nothing about Chinese mythology.
“Woman of the Sun, Woman of the Moon”
Summary: Houyi rose in heaven, bow and arrow in hand: the hunt was her joy, the slaying of demons her delight. But most delightful was a serving girl called Chang’e.
I understood this story better. After Houyi, an archer goddess, shoots down nine of the ten suns, she faces the repercussions of a life of mortality, all the while accompanied by Chang’e, her wife, and the story of how they meet and marry is intertwined with the main story arch. I liked both Houyi and Chang’e much more than Xihe.
“Chang’e Dashes from the Moon”
Summary: Chang’e has been a prisoner on the moon while the world turns and cities rise. For centuries Houyi has looked for a way to free her wife, and now she has found it in a distant grand-niece: a young mortal woman named Julienne.
This story was almost a direct continuation from the last, and I think it’s probably the strongest of the three.
This book’s great if you’re looking for a more diverse read – all the characters are Chinese and about two thirds of the major characters are lesbians. It’s also well written and fairly interesting, but you may want to spend some time on Wikipedia before diving into it.
Originally posted on The Illustrated Page.
This collection contains three stories retelling Chinese mythology. In retrospect, it’s probably not a good idea to read something based on Chinese mythology when you know absolutely nothing about Chinese mythology. So, that’s quite possibly behind why this book didn’t do much for me. Ultimately, it was probably worth reading (at least the last two stories), just not reading again.
However, if you like either Chinese mythology or lesbians, this is the book for you!
Given that this is a short story collection, I think it’s best to talk about the individual stories.
1.”The Crows Her Dragon’s Gate”
Summary: The story of Xihe, the mother of suns, when she was young and the world was new: how she met her husband, lost herself, and found it again.
I found this to be the weakest story. Xihe came off as rather cold in places, and I found the events of the story very confusing. Again, this may be because I know absolutely nothing about Chinese mythology.
“Woman of the Sun, Woman of the Moon”
Summary: Houyi rose in heaven, bow and arrow in hand: the hunt was her joy, the slaying of demons her delight. But most delightful was a serving girl called Chang’e.
I understood this story better. After Houyi, an archer goddess, shoots down nine of the ten suns, she faces the repercussions of a life of mortality, all the while accompanied by Chang’e, her wife, and the story of how they meet and marry is intertwined with the main story arch. I liked both Houyi and Chang’e much more than Xihe.
“Chang’e Dashes from the Moon”
Summary: Chang’e has been a prisoner on the moon while the world turns and cities rise. For centuries Houyi has looked for a way to free her wife, and now she has found it in a distant grand-niece: a young mortal woman named Julienne.
This story was almost a direct continuation from the last, and I think it’s probably the strongest of the three.
This book’s great if you’re looking for a more diverse read – all the characters are Chinese and about two thirds of the major characters are lesbians. It’s also well written and fairly interesting, but you may want to spend some time on Wikipedia before diving into it.
Originally posted on The Illustrated Page.
September 5, 2014
The author has a peculiar style of writing, enjoys the immediacy of present tense, which makes it easy to differentiate when she uses flashbacks to provide contrast to the ongoing action. These three stories read a little like a myth, although I find it easier to relate to the main characters.
What makes Benjanun's work here a must-read for me are the personalities and strength of the women characters. Xihe, the goddess in the first story, laments the misery she endured at her husband's hands, but she had the courage to break from him, to deny him. For that alone, she appeals to me as a character. Houyi is even stronger -- and funny, and clever -- in rebuffing suitors who only want to possess her. She defies the men trying to control her, forging her own path.
The author did not create a world here where women were accepted as an equal power. This is what makes her characters even stronger, even more empowering to the women who read them. In the second story, Woman of the Sun, Woman of the Moon, Houyi proves her skill with the bow and the celestial emperor grudgingly grants her the title of Archer God. But he takes away powers he would have granted to a male god of the same station, giving her no power over those archers in the army, etc. Although I don't like to live in such a world, that the author showed this bias against women in so subtle a way raised these stories to the next level for me.
After reading those three free stories, I have to buy the book, Scale-Bright. No question.
What makes Benjanun's work here a must-read for me are the personalities and strength of the women characters. Xihe, the goddess in the first story, laments the misery she endured at her husband's hands, but she had the courage to break from him, to deny him. For that alone, she appeals to me as a character. Houyi is even stronger -- and funny, and clever -- in rebuffing suitors who only want to possess her. She defies the men trying to control her, forging her own path.
The author did not create a world here where women were accepted as an equal power. This is what makes her characters even stronger, even more empowering to the women who read them. In the second story, Woman of the Sun, Woman of the Moon, Houyi proves her skill with the bow and the celestial emperor grudgingly grants her the title of Archer God. But he takes away powers he would have granted to a male god of the same station, giving her no power over those archers in the army, etc. Although I don't like to live in such a world, that the author showed this bias against women in so subtle a way raised these stories to the next level for me.
After reading those three free stories, I have to buy the book, Scale-Bright. No question.
December 28, 2014
Interesting take on Chinese mythology. I'm rather ignorant on that topic so I enjoyed reading about it.
I read some wikipedia articles on the characters that appear in these stories, and I saw that Sriduangkaew takes quite a liberty with some of the interpretations of them, but in her favor it works. Her approach makes them much more approachable and modern.
This collection consist of 3 stories that kinda set the stage for the Scale-Bright novella, excerpt of which is also included into this book. The writing is very much stylized and ornamented, it sometimes takes away from the immersion into the story and characters.I wasn't a big fan of it. It kinda reminds me of N. K. Jemisin in that sense.
To me this feels like fantasy written by a woman for women. Other than having majority of female characters, this book deals with questions of lesbian love, female identity in a male dominated world of old China as well as male dominated mythological heavens of the same, as well as lesbian marriage.
It's quite unique I'll give it that.
You got me Benjanun. I'm interested enough to read your novella. See you in the next year.
I read some wikipedia articles on the characters that appear in these stories, and I saw that Sriduangkaew takes quite a liberty with some of the interpretations of them, but in her favor it works. Her approach makes them much more approachable and modern.
This collection consist of 3 stories that kinda set the stage for the Scale-Bright novella, excerpt of which is also included into this book. The writing is very much stylized and ornamented, it sometimes takes away from the immersion into the story and characters.I wasn't a big fan of it. It kinda reminds me of N. K. Jemisin in that sense.
To me this feels like fantasy written by a woman for women. Other than having majority of female characters, this book deals with questions of lesbian love, female identity in a male dominated world of old China as well as male dominated mythological heavens of the same, as well as lesbian marriage.
It's quite unique I'll give it that.
You got me Benjanun. I'm interested enough to read your novella. See you in the next year.
April 7, 2017
Gender-swapped Chinese folktales, in prose so exquisitely beautiful I could cry. I wish I could write like Sriduangkaew: and that is not something you will often hear me say. The story collection is free for download. Please go read it.
SAMPLE PARAGRAPH
The ghost animals have neither voices nor words of their own. A few eels and frogs can be coaxed to echo Chang'e, and that suits her purposes. The trouble lies in luring them. They do not behave much like their living counterparts, neither eating nor mating; owls and starlings sometimes swim languidly in the lakes, and twice she's seen carps up in the branches of a stone cypress. She's tried to tempt them with cakes, fruits, wine, dumplings. None avails. Tatters of fabric and melted candle wax do even less.
***
This review originally appeared on my blog, This Space Intentionally Left Blank..
SAMPLE PARAGRAPH
The ghost animals have neither voices nor words of their own. A few eels and frogs can be coaxed to echo Chang'e, and that suits her purposes. The trouble lies in luring them. They do not behave much like their living counterparts, neither eating nor mating; owls and starlings sometimes swim languidly in the lakes, and twice she's seen carps up in the branches of a stone cypress. She's tried to tempt them with cakes, fruits, wine, dumplings. None avails. Tatters of fabric and melted candle wax do even less.
***
This review originally appeared on my blog, This Space Intentionally Left Blank..
April 20, 2025
2,5🌟 en réalité
Pas mauvais ni nul en soit mais tout simplement trop poétique pour moi (ex : le simple fait de ne même pas savoir si un protagoniste est mort ou s'il a tout simplement fait un rêve, tant le style littéraire est imagé a grandement impacté mon compréhension de ce roman, d'où la note basse)
Dommage, car j'aurais vraiment bien aimé aimer parce que ça a été écrit par une femme de couleur et en général ce sont des grands succès et de belles découvertes but you win some you lose some comme disent nos amis anglophones
(Livre 2/50)
Pas mauvais ni nul en soit mais tout simplement trop poétique pour moi (ex : le simple fait de ne même pas savoir si un protagoniste est mort ou s'il a tout simplement fait un rêve, tant le style littéraire est imagé a grandement impacté mon compréhension de ce roman, d'où la note basse)
Dommage, car j'aurais vraiment bien aimé aimer parce que ça a été écrit par une femme de couleur et en général ce sont des grands succès et de belles découvertes but you win some you lose some comme disent nos amis anglophones
(Livre 2/50)
May 14, 2015
This collection of three (chronologically antecedent) stories is a must-read if you have read, or are planning to read Scale Bright. It will be the gateway to Scale Bright if neither of the above conditions apply.
In these re-imaginings of well-known Chinese folk tales, the writing is fantastic, with sharp images and metaphors that hit their marks. The archer Houyi's appearance as a woman is beautifully conceived and executed.
See comments for slightly more plot detail.
In these re-imaginings of well-known Chinese folk tales, the writing is fantastic, with sharp images and metaphors that hit their marks. The archer Houyi's appearance as a woman is beautifully conceived and executed.
See comments for slightly more plot detail.
August 24, 2014
A beautiful set of stories
A lovely linked set of stories based on Chinese mythology, which I wish I saw more often. The relationship between Houyi and Cheng'e is well-drawn, and I appreciated the fact that Xihe was apparently asexual - something else I wish I saw more often.
My only gripe is that the second story in particular could have done with another pass by an editor; some of the spelling and spacing were a little off.
A lovely linked set of stories based on Chinese mythology, which I wish I saw more often. The relationship between Houyi and Cheng'e is well-drawn, and I appreciated the fact that Xihe was apparently asexual - something else I wish I saw more often.
My only gripe is that the second story in particular could have done with another pass by an editor; some of the spelling and spacing were a little off.
February 26, 2016
Gender-bent Chinese mythology, grappling with same-sex relationships and misogyny in that setting, and doing so in a voice reminiscent of myth.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews