The Name Ziya

by Wen-yi Lee

A girl reckons with what she must lose--and who she has become--in order to be accepted at the empire's most prestigious university.

At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

Genres: Fantasy, Short Stories, LGBT, Novella, Adult, Dark Academia, Fiction

38 pages, ebook

First published June 18, 2025

About the author

Wen-yi Lee is the author of YA horror The Dark We Know and forthcoming adult historical fantasy When They Burned the Butterfly. Her writing has appeared in venues like Lightspeed, Uncanny, Reactor, and Strange Horizons, as well as various anthologies. She is based in Singapore and is a graduate of University College London, and likes writing about girls with bite, feral nature, and ghosts. Find her on socials @wenyilee_ and otherwise at wenyileewrites.com.

Reviews

[Silvana · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. Interesting magic based on names, the writing is easy to digest but maybe as one reviewer said, some more plot would do nicely. I would not mind to read longer works from this world. And yay, another SEA author to add to my list.

[S.A Reidman · Rating 4 out of 5]

What's in a name right? This was magnificent.

When I was teaching in Istanbul, I had a 6th grader who revered his first name so much, (it being the name of their prophet) that he asked me and all his teachers to call him by his second name. Not everyone did this, but he did. I didn't ask why, I've hovered between my first and second name for years but the first name holds more memory, more pain, more ...like being a kid and getting yelled at, it leaves a mark on the name you can't define.

And then this short story made names the "magic of the universe" and losing it means cutting it out if your body, removing a piece of your soul and claiming a half or quarter identity. It's crushing. But Ziya, she took those lemons and made the most delicious lemonade.
That Character:  Ziya Ziya Ziya
That scene:  River and his name, fire and the lamps
Favorite /Unique Quotes:
🖤  "I didn’t know how little I had until I met someone else’s excess, and I burned to think I had ever been content with my own possessions" (Ziya at the Part-Name airship market)
Curious/Unique Concepts:
■ Birth of the Angze
■ Part-Name merchants
■ Steampunk Airships
Cover Cause I'm a Bird: I didn't really see it, I was interested in the title
Re-readability: yes probably today
GR Rating: 4⭐
CAWPILE:8
StoryGraph Challenge: 1800 Books by 2027
Challenge Prompt: 150 Short Stories by 2027

[Maria reads SFF · Rating 3 out of 5]

The prose is clear, distinctive and efficient. I think I needed just a little bit more from the plot.

[Khin (storyatelier_) · Rating 5 out of 5]

“The Name Ziya” imagines a world in which names have literal power. The protagonist Ziya is a girl from the Hills who is offered a place at an elite university, but in order to afford to attend, she needs to give up the most powerful parts of her name for a price, truncating the five characters of her name to just to: “Zi” and “Ya”. It is with this new name that she enters the university, makes friends, and climbs her way towards one of the most elite guilds so that she can afford to support her family. This is a short story that explores colonial legacies and its ties with class wars, the way the coloniser only thrives off the exploitation and monetisation of the colonised. I like that this story is contained and ends nicely the way it did, Ziya losing more of herself than just her name, in order to gain something bigger and reclaiming her identity under this new name—but I would love it even more if the author ever decided to revisit this world and expand it into a full-length novel.

[Audrey S · Rating 4 out of 5]

this was so cool - I would have eaten up a whole series with the premise of this short story

[Radwa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love all of the themes this story discusses: assimilation, imperialism, losing your sense of self in order to be integrated in a new society, and the importance of a name among other important themes.

It takes place in a fantasy world, where a certain group of people are forced to sell their names, part by part, to get by or in the case of the story's heroine, have the chance to attend a prestigious school. Losing parts of her name changes her, and we see how that happens over the course of her time at the school, coming across others like her whold their names as well for the same opportunity.

I would love to read more in this universe

[Annie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This short story is beautiful and sad, about the parts of ourselves we cut away to survive, fit in, succeed. I would read more, happily.

[Bookish Selkie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really interesting novella and great magic system, rooted in the power of names and what it means when we give them up. Wen-yi Lee is an author I'm excited to read more from!

[joanna · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was so brutally sad.

[Amy ☁️ (tinycl0ud) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really liked this short story and wish it were a full novel. Gave it 5 stars because I don't believe in penalising a short story for its length, as if only full-length novels can 'deserve' 5 stars or trilogies cannot leave readers wanting more.

Ziya is a girl whose parents sold off three parts of her name to afford her tuition at a university at the imperial centre of civilisation. The people from the periphery are born with their names inscribed on their chests, each ideogram giving them magical powers that are tied to their language. And yet, true power is concentrated not where magic is, so peasants sell their names off part by part to afford survival, or in Ziya's case, a chance for social mobility. She throws herself into assimilation without looking back, maintaining her relationships with her privileged classmates who see nothing wrong with buying pieces of skin taken from the exploited and vulnerable to use as mere accessories. There seems to be no limit to what (or who) she will sacrifice to secure her proximity to power.

I wonder if the reason this worked so well for me is because it echoes/ borrows from existing silkpunk universes that I already know and love, so having that prior schema primed me for the themes and worldview that I am already predisposed towards. If you grew up watching 'Avatar: The Last Airbender' or thoroughly enjoyed Ken Liu's Dandelion Dynasty series or even the first half of R.F. Kuang's 'The Poppy War', you'll like this.

[Andy Young · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ziya sold 60% of her name so that she could afford to go to university.

In the story that follows, the fascinating and original basic premise - that people’s names hold magic and power, and that they can sell parts of their names for money - is used to critique capitalism and the casual, unthinking way that those who ‘have’ treat those who ‘have not’.

It’s an enjoyable read and interesting enough as it goes, but it doesn’t really seem to go anywhere.

Note: I thought it would be an interesting experience to read all of the nominees for the major science fiction and fantasy awards - the shorter ones (novella, novelette, short story) anyway - to get a feel for the current SF and fantasy landscape. I’m following along with the group read of the Best Science Fiction and Fantasy short fiction group on Facebook - albeit I’ve started a little early.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/...

I plan to review them here on Goodreads where they are listed.

[Arimi Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't know what to categorise this as but it is 4 in the morning so I'm heading to bed soon.

I quite enjoyed this one. I am probably reading too into this one too (I'm sorry I got that 4am why aren't you in bed brain) where this felt like it was talking about girlhood and a lot of the struggles women face in society, but then there's thankfully a win in the end. The way it is wrote however was brilliant, it's quite roundabout. All the ways a person is expected to perform, provide, give and be- and how the smallest things can mean so much. I thought it was a very poetic short story and very well wrote. I would recommend this to a friend. Nothing mind blowing, but the storyline was enjoyable.

[Greyson · Rating 5 out of 5]

In this story, people are able to (or have to, in many cases) sell parts of their name for money. These partial names have magical properties and are purchased like tattoos both for their magical properties and for aesthetics. We follow the main character on her journey through school, where she had to sell most of her name to afford attendance.

I found this story very intriguing, and would read a full novel or series about it. However, even with how short it is I still felt that it included everything it needed to rather than feeling rushed or full of holes.

Content warnings: description of injury/blood, suicide, mentions of drug use

[Kam Yung Soh · Rating 3 out of 5]

A girl from a rural area gets the chance to go to a prestigious university. But to pay the price of admission, she has to give up part of her magical name, physically cut out from her body. Left with only a portion, Ziya (as she is now known) must navigate her studies and friendships with other students from different parts of society. Losing part of your name may affect your studies, as the magic may confer advantages (like numerical skill) that are now lost. And for some students, the stress of losing their names may be too much.

An interesting tale of losing and finding yourself as you navigate a life of studying.

[K. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Angze children are born with their magic, names revealed at the moment of birth. When the name was read out for the first time, the baby drew its first breath. Life was its first magic. But with such a powerful moment, my mother and aunts and grandmothers had described the moments leading up to it as portentous. As they pushed the baby from them, they felt a rising sense of deep significance, one that only broke when the name-magic was first cast. But they knew they were waiting for life—what was I anticipating?

Layers and layers of identity and colonialism.

[Kes · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lots of interesting ideas - girl sells off part of her name to go to university; university kids have a lot of money and can buy part-names. So ideas of class; assimilation; etc.

But feels like an incomplete teaser. We don’t really know why Ziya’s people have magical names or why it’s desired. We end with her graduating university to start a job. I guess her parents seeing her and the graduation gift is supposed to be poignant, but I’m just left with a feeling of “so”?

[Amara · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.25 stars
This was a nice short story, though it felt more like the beginning of a bigger novel. There was a lot of interesting world-building that could have made for a compelling longer narrative.

[Thia Reads A Lot]

3*

A girl sell three parts of her name to attend a prestigious school. Ziya studies hard, sees the others students purchases part-names at festivals, but they don't stick back properly. She receives a part-name from her parents at graduation.

Some details are a bit fuzzy but it's mostly good.

[Lingying Chong · Rating 5 out of 5]

Short and sweet, with a dark undercurrent of violence and madness. Fascinating world building, even though not fully fleshed out. Would love to see this expanded into a longer novel with more character development.

[Paul Apelgren · Rating 3 out of 5]

A solid novelette that does its fair share of world building in a short time. I wanted more of the friendships to make the events more meaningful, but overall there is a poetry here that makes it worthwhile.

[Michael Daines · Rating 4 out of 5]

I came across “The Name Ziya” because it was a finalist for Nebula Award for novelette this year.

Set in a mildly steampunk fantasy world, Ziya is part of the first cohort of her people to attend a prestigious college in the imperial center. To afford the tuition, she must sell three of the five characters of her name. We follow her through the three years of school, and see the effect that sacrificing parts of your name have on her and her fellow students from the periphery.

The analogy here is a bit on-the-nose, but it’s still and interesting and well-told story.

[Per · Rating 3 out of 5]

https://reactormag.com/the-name-ziya-...

[Katherine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another great fantasy story using the genre to tell an important story about colonialism.

[MollyK]

https://reactormag.com/the-name-ziya-...

[Astrid · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5*

[Charlotte · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lovely and harrowing short story about culture, education, and appropriation.

[sin · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75! holy crap that was brutal

[Emmalyn Renato · Rating 4 out of 5]

This novelette was nominated for the Nebula award in 2026.

[HermitCrab · Rating 4 out of 5]

WDYM THATS THE END OF THE STORY WHAT HAPPENS NEXT 😭

[Quinn · Rating 4 out of 5]

books starring characters with significant names my beloved