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Alien Gods
Minsuh, an anthropology student researching shamanistic rituals and the mudangs who perform them, has dismissed the supernatural her whole life. To her, mudangs are performers skilled at pleasing researchers. But as she gets deeper into her research, she's afflicted with a mysterious shinbyeong— a holy sickness unique to Korea—causing her to start losing her mind. In her desperation, she turns to a "real" mudang, but will she find salvation for her affliction or will she be driven further into her madness?
Alien Gods is part of the
Lovecraft Reanimated project, where leading Korean speculative fiction writers reimagine the works of horror master H.P. Lovecraft. While honoring his eerie, grotesque imagery and the blurred boundaries between reality and fantasy, they update his ideas for a global audience.
Alien Gods is part of the
Lovecraft Reanimated project, where leading Korean speculative fiction writers reimagine the works of horror master H.P. Lovecraft. While honoring his eerie, grotesque imagery and the blurred boundaries between reality and fantasy, they update his ideas for a global audience.
97 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 30, 2020
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
November 10, 2025
A haunted house tales evolves into a deep-dive into Korean shamanic traditions.
How telling it was that the word “shaman” in most countries conjures men, but not in Korea, as the kind of traumatizing experiences that define the shaman’s advent are so common for women in this country. Shinbyeong doesn’t make suffering occur, it’s suffering that makes shinbyeong happen. Shinbyeong and shinnaerim, the acceptance of the spirit, may have long provided an exit for many a suffering woman.
Female talkative and actually sceptic researcher in Korean folk rituals gets more than expected. Great how Honford Star brings Korean literature that is so diverse to the English language readers.
While reading I was intrigued and also read the following links:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gut_(ri...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sinbyeong
https://www.frieze.com/article/oh-suk...
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-10-2...
A fear of going crazy is introduced early in the narrative and the finale reaches interesting levels of visual described horrors.
Quotes:
It was said that this maid, whose name was not recorded, had gone around saying Suzuki had built his house on a grave that lay on the land he had coveted, and the house smelled strange because the buried dead would rise and wander the halls of the house.
I made a note of this record. Vampires during the Japanese occupation?
This was interesting. Being cursed for digging up a grave and building a house over it was a very Korean-style story, but not the part where the body rises again and walks around the house. Did we have zombies back then? Or vampires? Surely this was all just stories showing animosity toward Japanese settlers?
Of course, I understood there was no real narrative arc to life, no cause and effect to everything. We can never comprehend the complexity of the universe; the universe is always indifferent to us, and most things happen for no good reason. There is no such thing as intrinsic meaning. We are insignificant specks of nothing. This truth is so harsh that we normally stuff it away in some corner of our lives and live our days in denial of it.
Manshin—filled with gods—meant that she was a vessel that could accept any god into herself. Just as the first mudang ever, back in time immemorial, had been able to do.
Bad as things just happen, and good things also just happen.
How telling it was that the word “shaman” in most countries conjures men, but not in Korea, as the kind of traumatizing experiences that define the shaman’s advent are so common for women in this country. Shinbyeong doesn’t make suffering occur, it’s suffering that makes shinbyeong happen. Shinbyeong and shinnaerim, the acceptance of the spirit, may have long provided an exit for many a suffering woman.
Female talkative and actually sceptic researcher in Korean folk rituals gets more than expected. Great how Honford Star brings Korean literature that is so diverse to the English language readers.
While reading I was intrigued and also read the following links:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gut_(ri...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sinbyeong
https://www.frieze.com/article/oh-suk...
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-10-2...
A fear of going crazy is introduced early in the narrative and the finale reaches interesting levels of visual described horrors.
Quotes:
It was said that this maid, whose name was not recorded, had gone around saying Suzuki had built his house on a grave that lay on the land he had coveted, and the house smelled strange because the buried dead would rise and wander the halls of the house.
I made a note of this record. Vampires during the Japanese occupation?
This was interesting. Being cursed for digging up a grave and building a house over it was a very Korean-style story, but not the part where the body rises again and walks around the house. Did we have zombies back then? Or vampires? Surely this was all just stories showing animosity toward Japanese settlers?
Of course, I understood there was no real narrative arc to life, no cause and effect to everything. We can never comprehend the complexity of the universe; the universe is always indifferent to us, and most things happen for no good reason. There is no such thing as intrinsic meaning. We are insignificant specks of nothing. This truth is so harsh that we normally stuff it away in some corner of our lives and live our days in denial of it.
Manshin—filled with gods—meant that she was a vessel that could accept any god into herself. Just as the first mudang ever, back in time immemorial, had been able to do.
Bad as things just happen, and good things also just happen.
September 23, 2025
Alien Gods is Anton Hur's translation of 외계 신장 by 이수현 (Lee Suhyeon).
This is one of three beautifully produced novellas released by Honford Star as part of their Lovecraft Reanimated project - a translation of a selection of an original series of eight published in Korean in 2020 (see below).
Now I will say upfront I have zero familiarity with HP Lovecraft so any echoes of his work would have passed me by - I'd be interested to see what others pick up - and I read the books in the series as originals.
Alien Gods is in one sense a classic (Lovecraftian?) haunted house story, and even acknowledges itself as such in the text, but really an exploration of the world of Korean 무당 (Mundang) and their 굿 ritualsm the Alien Gods of the title a reference to the 만신, the honorific term for a 무당.
The novel is narrated by a woman researching 무당 for her graduate studies, her own mother having suffered from 신병, but having rejected the 내림굿, and the novel and the narrator are undecided if this is a mental illness or a genuine spirit possession.
"Those of us who are more academically inclined tend to crave explanations that fit just so to everything, and aren't you the same, Minsuh-ssi? That's why you are doing this work. But things don't always fit together perfectly. It'll just make life harder for you if you keep thinking that way. Some-times, things just happen. Good things and bad things both."
The disinterested truth of the universe, summarized in a few sentences.
Of course, I understood there was no real narrative arc to life, no cause and effect to everything. We can never comprehend the complexity of the universe; the universe is always indifferent to us, and most things happen for no good reason. There is no such thing as intrinsic meaning. We are insignificant specks of nothing. This truth is so harsh that we normally stuff it away in some corner of our lives and live our days in denial of it.
But wasn't the role of a mudang to tell us that the universe did have meaning? Wasn't that what all religion was supposed to do?
“공부하는 사람들은 논리적으로, 뭔가 아귀가 딱딱 맞게 설명하고 싶어 하는 경향이 유난하던데, 민서 씨도 그렇지 않나? 이래서 저렇게 됐고, 그래서 그렇게 됐고. 다들 그렇게 딱딱 떨어진다 생각하고 싶어 하지만 그렇지가 않아. 그렇게 생각하려다간 더 힘들어져. 일은 그냥 일어나요. 좋은 일도, 나쁜 일도.”
그는 우주의 냉정한 진실을 그렇게 투박한 몇 마디로 요약했다.
물론 이 세상에는 사실 권선징악은커녕 인과 관계도 없다. 우주는 이치에 닿지 않고, 세상은 인간에게 무관심하며, 모든 일은 인과와 상관없이 일어난다. 어디에도 의미 같은 것은 없다. 우리는 하찮은 존재다. 그게 너무 가혹해서 우리 모두가 가장 구석진 곳에 애써 뚜껑을 눌러 닫아 처박아두고 외면하는 현실이다.
하지만 무당이란 사람들에게 그렇지 않다고 말해주는 존재가 아니었나? 종교란 다 그런 게 아닌가.
Fascinating.
The UK publisher and the Lovecraft Reanimated project
Honford Star is committed to bridging literary worlds, celebrating the richness of East Asian literature. Our goal is to respect the authenticity and diversity of these narratives, bringing them to a global audience through collaborative partnerships with skilled translators, artists, and designers.
The Lovecraft Reanimated project features leading Korean speculative fiction writers reimagining the works of horror master H.P. Lovecraft. While honoring his eerie, grotesque imagery and the blurred boundaries between reality and fantasy, they update his ideas for a global audience.
The original Korean series of 8 books (by 9 authors, one co-authored)
러브크래프트를 통해 2020년 오늘의 공포와 경이를 보다
눈이 멀듯한 불꽃의 신을 내게 강림시킬 수 있다면!
한국의 대표 SF 작가들이
오마주와 전복으로 다시 창조하는
H. P. 러브크래프트의 세계
In English translation:
1.『외계 신장』 이수현
2.『낮은 곳으로 임하소서』 이서영
3.『친구의 부름』(그래픽노블) 최재훈
Additional titles:
『악의와 공포의 용은 익히 아는 자여라』 홍지운
『별들의 노래』 김성일
『우모리 하늘신발』 송경아
『뿌리 없는 별들』 은림, 박성환
『역병의 바다』 김보영
This is one of three beautifully produced novellas released by Honford Star as part of their Lovecraft Reanimated project - a translation of a selection of an original series of eight published in Korean in 2020 (see below).
Now I will say upfront I have zero familiarity with HP Lovecraft so any echoes of his work would have passed me by - I'd be interested to see what others pick up - and I read the books in the series as originals.
Alien Gods is in one sense a classic (Lovecraftian?) haunted house story, and even acknowledges itself as such in the text, but really an exploration of the world of Korean 무당 (Mundang) and their 굿 ritualsm the Alien Gods of the title a reference to the 만신, the honorific term for a 무당.
The novel is narrated by a woman researching 무당 for her graduate studies, her own mother having suffered from 신병, but having rejected the 내림굿, and the novel and the narrator are undecided if this is a mental illness or a genuine spirit possession.
"Those of us who are more academically inclined tend to crave explanations that fit just so to everything, and aren't you the same, Minsuh-ssi? That's why you are doing this work. But things don't always fit together perfectly. It'll just make life harder for you if you keep thinking that way. Some-times, things just happen. Good things and bad things both."
The disinterested truth of the universe, summarized in a few sentences.
Of course, I understood there was no real narrative arc to life, no cause and effect to everything. We can never comprehend the complexity of the universe; the universe is always indifferent to us, and most things happen for no good reason. There is no such thing as intrinsic meaning. We are insignificant specks of nothing. This truth is so harsh that we normally stuff it away in some corner of our lives and live our days in denial of it.
But wasn't the role of a mudang to tell us that the universe did have meaning? Wasn't that what all religion was supposed to do?
“공부하는 사람들은 논리적으로, 뭔가 아귀가 딱딱 맞게 설명하고 싶어 하는 경향이 유난하던데, 민서 씨도 그렇지 않나? 이래서 저렇게 됐고, 그래서 그렇게 됐고. 다들 그렇게 딱딱 떨어진다 생각하고 싶어 하지만 그렇지가 않아. 그렇게 생각하려다간 더 힘들어져. 일은 그냥 일어나요. 좋은 일도, 나쁜 일도.”
그는 우주의 냉정한 진실을 그렇게 투박한 몇 마디로 요약했다.
물론 이 세상에는 사실 권선징악은커녕 인과 관계도 없다. 우주는 이치에 닿지 않고, 세상은 인간에게 무관심하며, 모든 일은 인과와 상관없이 일어난다. 어디에도 의미 같은 것은 없다. 우리는 하찮은 존재다. 그게 너무 가혹해서 우리 모두가 가장 구석진 곳에 애써 뚜껑을 눌러 닫아 처박아두고 외면하는 현실이다.
하지만 무당이란 사람들에게 그렇지 않다고 말해주는 존재가 아니었나? 종교란 다 그런 게 아닌가.
Fascinating.
The UK publisher and the Lovecraft Reanimated project
Honford Star is committed to bridging literary worlds, celebrating the richness of East Asian literature. Our goal is to respect the authenticity and diversity of these narratives, bringing them to a global audience through collaborative partnerships with skilled translators, artists, and designers.
The Lovecraft Reanimated project features leading Korean speculative fiction writers reimagining the works of horror master H.P. Lovecraft. While honoring his eerie, grotesque imagery and the blurred boundaries between reality and fantasy, they update his ideas for a global audience.
The original Korean series of 8 books (by 9 authors, one co-authored)
러브크래프트를 통해 2020년 오늘의 공포와 경이를 보다
눈이 멀듯한 불꽃의 신을 내게 강림시킬 수 있다면!
한국의 대표 SF 작가들이
오마주와 전복으로 다시 창조하는
H. P. 러브크래프트의 세계
In English translation:
1.『외계 신장』 이수현
2.『낮은 곳으로 임하소서』 이서영
3.『친구의 부름』(그래픽노블) 최재훈
Additional titles:
『악의와 공포의 용은 익히 아는 자여라』 홍지운
『별들의 노래』 김성일
『우모리 하늘신발』 송경아
『뿌리 없는 별들』 은림, 박성환
『역병의 바다』 김보영
November 27, 2025
For years, before everything is on the internet, I was obsessed with Korean shamanistic practices and (especially) shamanistic music. I was an avid fan of classic studies by Laurel Kendall, Keith Howard, etc, and still own a pile of recordings of sinawi, kuts ("goot" in the novella), etc. (Less importantly, I had my teen Lovecraft period, which I grew out of eventually.) Needless to say I was keen to check out this novella.
This kind of genre mashup is of course fraught. One could easily overload on Shamanism 101, or Cthulhu Mythos backstory tutorials. Lee comes close on the former, while the Lovecraftian bits are perfunctory at best.
What bothered me most was the writing (at least I assume it's the writing, and not very strange decisions made in the translation). I'm not sure I can forgive:
Then:
If you enjoy prose like that, great! But for interesting insight into the lives and fascinating social practices of Korean women and shamans, I would instead recommend Laurel Kendall's Shamans, Housewives, and Other Restless Spirits.
This kind of genre mashup is of course fraught. One could easily overload on Shamanism 101, or Cthulhu Mythos backstory tutorials. Lee comes close on the former, while the Lovecraftian bits are perfunctory at best.
What bothered me most was the writing (at least I assume it's the writing, and not very strange decisions made in the translation). I'm not sure I can forgive:
There is no such thing as intrinsic meaning. We are insignificant specks of nothing. This truth is so harsh that we normally stuff it away [etc etc]
Then:
Someone, somewhere, kept mocking me. Or something. Or the whole world. The whole. World.
If you enjoy prose like that, great! But for interesting insight into the lives and fascinating social practices of Korean women and shamans, I would instead recommend Laurel Kendall's Shamans, Housewives, and Other Restless Spirits.
October 20, 2025
Major thanks to Honfard Star for sending me an ARC of this in exchange for my honest thoughts:
*3.5 rounded up
“𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘢𝘭𝘸𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘣𝘦 𝘥𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘢𝘧𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘰𝘯𝘦’𝘴 𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘩𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘴 𝘢 𝘧𝘰𝘰𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘩 𝘧𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘴𝘺 𝘢𝘴 𝘸𝘦𝘭𝘭.
𝘉𝘢𝘥 𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘯, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘨𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴 𝘢𝘭𝘴𝘰 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘯.”
The strongest out of the Lovecraftian stories recently published as it explores shamanism and the strength and great lengths of our own curiosity. How much of knowing is too much? Who does it benefit? Where does it get us?
Anton Hur maintains a steady translation, creating enough pockets of suspense to really craft the story to a shocking end.
*3.5 rounded up
“𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘢𝘭𝘸𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘣𝘦 𝘥𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘢𝘧𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘰𝘯𝘦’𝘴 𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘩𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘴 𝘢 𝘧𝘰𝘰𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘩 𝘧𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘴𝘺 𝘢𝘴 𝘸𝘦𝘭𝘭.
𝘉𝘢𝘥 𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘯, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘨𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴 𝘢𝘭𝘴𝘰 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘯.”
The strongest out of the Lovecraftian stories recently published as it explores shamanism and the strength and great lengths of our own curiosity. How much of knowing is too much? Who does it benefit? Where does it get us?
Anton Hur maintains a steady translation, creating enough pockets of suspense to really craft the story to a shocking end.
October 25, 2025
Alternating rapidly between mildly eerie to extremely sinister to utterly heart-pounding, this short novel captures a great deal of what Lovecraft did well in his own works and applies it to a contemporary Korea.
Exploring a small slice of Korean history, mythology and shamanism, and using themes of generational trauma and Cosmic horror, Alien Gods packs one hell of a punch, even with it's brief page-count.
I very much enjoyed this and I was able to feel somewhat scared even in a room full of people during our Silent Bookclub, which I think is rather impressive.
4.5 Stars.
I shall definitely be checking out the other books in this new range.
Exploring a small slice of Korean history, mythology and shamanism, and using themes of generational trauma and Cosmic horror, Alien Gods packs one hell of a punch, even with it's brief page-count.
I very much enjoyed this and I was able to feel somewhat scared even in a room full of people during our Silent Bookclub, which I think is rather impressive.
4.5 Stars.
I shall definitely be checking out the other books in this new range.
September 25, 2025
This was such an enjoyable short read for a horror story. I love horror that blends folklore cultures with cultural context heavily focused as its theme. Alien Gods by Suhyeon Lee and beautifully translated by Anton Hur is one part of three novellas in Honford Star's Lovecraftian reanimated project that focused on horror and speculative fiction. This novella gave the readers the gateway to Korean shamanistic culture called Mudang/Shaman and how the role of shamans in the society entwined tightly in history. Its fascinating how a short horror story left an imprint in me for how genuinely creepy this was.
We are following an anthropology graduate student on her thesis project of research on Mudang and the language that existed in this culture. Our protagonist visited the rituals performed by the mudang while having doubts herself on the authenticity and their immense power. While also at the same time, she was suffering from droughts of nightmarish "infestations" of rats in her apartment that she doesn't know if its real or not. There is a haunted house with a disturbing backstory and a powerful mudang that she came to find through a connection. As short as this is, I love that we learn about the main character's struggles and dilemma through the fears ans haunting experiences.
I love watching Korean horror drama & films, so I'm familiar with the mudang concept especially scenes that are vivid to me like The Wailing, Exhuma and The Guest which showed how horrifying and scary these rituals can be dealing with spirits so to have a novella that talked about this was refreshing to me. I sort of wished we get a longer story bcus I want more.
Thank you to Honford Star for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review
We are following an anthropology graduate student on her thesis project of research on Mudang and the language that existed in this culture. Our protagonist visited the rituals performed by the mudang while having doubts herself on the authenticity and their immense power. While also at the same time, she was suffering from droughts of nightmarish "infestations" of rats in her apartment that she doesn't know if its real or not. There is a haunted house with a disturbing backstory and a powerful mudang that she came to find through a connection. As short as this is, I love that we learn about the main character's struggles and dilemma through the fears ans haunting experiences.
I love watching Korean horror drama & films, so I'm familiar with the mudang concept especially scenes that are vivid to me like The Wailing, Exhuma and The Guest which showed how horrifying and scary these rituals can be dealing with spirits so to have a novella that talked about this was refreshing to me. I sort of wished we get a longer story bcus I want more.
Thank you to Honford Star for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review
October 18, 2025
This was such a fun read, it was well-written and atmospheric. I just wish it were a bit longer.
September 22, 2025
I genuinely struggled to sleep after this one. It left me with the feeling of dread, and almost as if something was sitting on my chest. The imagery was so clear to me that I spent the night replaying it in my head like a movie.
November 1, 2025
3.5 rated up
December 2, 2025
bday present from Nat, thanks Nat!
November 4, 2025
2⭐️ - This is decent prose but this does not deliver on a Lovecraftian atmosphere or any real creepy character work. This (and i don't know if it's the translation) feels more like modernity meeting tradition but doing nothing with it. The tone was way more like literary fiction than something that could shake you or make you think of horror/unsettling things.
December 26, 2025
In general, I liked Alien Gods by Su-hyeon Lee, the organizer of the original Lovecraft Reimagined project (eight stories published in Korean in 2020; now with four translated into English in 2025/26, including this one and "Come Down to a Lower Place" which I also reviewed recently).
Alien Gods is an interesting approach to a Shamanism story. It is a fair effort at a Koreanized "Lovecraftian" story although its real strength may have been not in the Lovecraftian direction.
The main character, who narrates in the first person, is clearly a version of the author Su-hyeon herself, from around the early 2000s. Back then, she was an Anthropology graduate student researching shamanistic practices in Korea.
The author says the plot, about a mysterious rat infestation in which rats are never seen, is adopted directly from a friend's experience, but the main character and all the details about the shamanism "scene" I expect are from the author's own memory.
Having seen and heard the author, Su-hyeon Lee, in person at the book-launch event in Seoul in December 2025 (see "event report" of the full event, at: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/... ), I feel the main character is an excellent fictionalized adaptation-rendering of the author herself. I mean her thoughts, attitudes, experiences, actions, and likely behaviors when presented with certain situations.
For all of the strength of Alien Gods in the first half or more, I don't think it quite came together in its concluding action.
A GR reviewer named Natalie wrote:
_______________
I agree with those comments from Natalie. The first half of this short novel was strong; the second half didn't quite work. The story didn't know how to end itself! And the real Lovecraftian "payoffs" were generally back-loaded, coming more towards the end.
The translation is a big challenge, here, dealing with something so unfamiliar as Korean Shamanism. Threading the needle on really effective translation for a genre- and culture-leaping story like this is going to be hard, and different translators would surely approach it different ways.
The translator Anton Hur errs very much on the side of "a assume reader's knowledge of Korea." It's like he's writing for people like himself.
The translation worked well, most of the time, but I wonder about what others' experiences are, those with less background knowledge of Korea (and Korean shamanism).
One or two others reviewers have said: "Oh, I googled such-and-such." These being unknown terms left untranslated or uncontextualized in the text. Wait! People breaking contact with a text to google substantive things they don't understand? Is that not a weakness of translation? People even who like the story and everything are being asked to do a lot, in cases like this, and the people who do like that experience are liking somehting other than the story "per se." Am I wrong?
I realize I did basically like this story because, at the end, I felt myself wondering where I might find more work in English by this author, Suhyeon Lee. She's actually primarily an English-to-Korean translator of fantasy-fiction, and a prolific one at that. She was the organizer of the Lovecraft Remained project and brought in eight others to write these stories. That's also appreciated.
___________
RATING: a firm 4 of 5 from me, in appreciation of what this was going for; for the solidity of the story most of the way through; for effective drawing on her own experiences as a shamanism-researcher. Rated either purely as a translation or purely in Lovecraftian terms, for me it would probably be either a weaker "4" or maybe not sustain a 4 at all, for reasons mentioned already in this review.
___________
This book came to my attention thanks to participation in the Lovecraft Reimagined book-launch event, which I attended with many other members of our active, in-person Korean Literature Club ( https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/... )!
Alien Gods is an interesting approach to a Shamanism story. It is a fair effort at a Koreanized "Lovecraftian" story although its real strength may have been not in the Lovecraftian direction.
The main character, who narrates in the first person, is clearly a version of the author Su-hyeon herself, from around the early 2000s. Back then, she was an Anthropology graduate student researching shamanistic practices in Korea.
The author says the plot, about a mysterious rat infestation in which rats are never seen, is adopted directly from a friend's experience, but the main character and all the details about the shamanism "scene" I expect are from the author's own memory.
Having seen and heard the author, Su-hyeon Lee, in person at the book-launch event in Seoul in December 2025 (see "event report" of the full event, at: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/... ), I feel the main character is an excellent fictionalized adaptation-rendering of the author herself. I mean her thoughts, attitudes, experiences, actions, and likely behaviors when presented with certain situations.
For all of the strength of Alien Gods in the first half or more, I don't think it quite came together in its concluding action.
A GR reviewer named Natalie wrote:
_______________
"I loved the pace and buildup of the first half, yet the second half felt a bit rushed and confusing...I would’ve loved a bit clearer and more description in the last 20-ish pages to clarify what was happening."_______________
I agree with those comments from Natalie. The first half of this short novel was strong; the second half didn't quite work. The story didn't know how to end itself! And the real Lovecraftian "payoffs" were generally back-loaded, coming more towards the end.
The translation is a big challenge, here, dealing with something so unfamiliar as Korean Shamanism. Threading the needle on really effective translation for a genre- and culture-leaping story like this is going to be hard, and different translators would surely approach it different ways.
The translator Anton Hur errs very much on the side of "a assume reader's knowledge of Korea." It's like he's writing for people like himself.
The translation worked well, most of the time, but I wonder about what others' experiences are, those with less background knowledge of Korea (and Korean shamanism).
One or two others reviewers have said: "Oh, I googled such-and-such." These being unknown terms left untranslated or uncontextualized in the text. Wait! People breaking contact with a text to google substantive things they don't understand? Is that not a weakness of translation? People even who like the story and everything are being asked to do a lot, in cases like this, and the people who do like that experience are liking somehting other than the story "per se." Am I wrong?
I realize I did basically like this story because, at the end, I felt myself wondering where I might find more work in English by this author, Suhyeon Lee. She's actually primarily an English-to-Korean translator of fantasy-fiction, and a prolific one at that. She was the organizer of the Lovecraft Remained project and brought in eight others to write these stories. That's also appreciated.
___________
RATING: a firm 4 of 5 from me, in appreciation of what this was going for; for the solidity of the story most of the way through; for effective drawing on her own experiences as a shamanism-researcher. Rated either purely as a translation or purely in Lovecraftian terms, for me it would probably be either a weaker "4" or maybe not sustain a 4 at all, for reasons mentioned already in this review.
___________
This book came to my attention thanks to participation in the Lovecraft Reimagined book-launch event, which I attended with many other members of our active, in-person Korean Literature Club ( https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/... )!
October 4, 2025
While "inspired by Lovecraft" is a prominent selling point for this Korean horror novella, and was the reason for me picking it up, it simply borrows a few weird horror tropes - e.g., the Old Dark House, cursed by being built on a graveyard, resulting in the uncanny deaths of its occupants; a suggestion of the influence of Nyarlathotep - while remaining firmly rooted in its Korean-ness: it's suggested that part of the curse of the house is because it is a 'jeoksangaok', a 'house of the enemy', built by Japanese colonisers during their occupation of Korea.
Like many Lovecraftian protagonists, the MC is an antiquarian, or more precisely in this case, a cultural anthropologist, studying the traditional ritual practices of mudang 'shamans'. This lead me down a fascinating internet rabbit hole regarding these Korean traditions, and it was no surprise to discover that the author herself studied anthropology with the mudang as her thesis subject.
So, the horror element is certainly present, while not especially graphic (fine by me), and I found the interest of the story was its interweaving of a Western literary genre with Korean cultural attitudes towards its own folkloric heritage (mudang have been typified as grifters and charlatans for a long time, perhaps similar to prejudicial attitudes towards gypsy fortune-tellers in Britain), and the stigmatising of impaired mental wellbeing. Pretty good in the space of 94 pages.
Like many Lovecraftian protagonists, the MC is an antiquarian, or more precisely in this case, a cultural anthropologist, studying the traditional ritual practices of mudang 'shamans'. This lead me down a fascinating internet rabbit hole regarding these Korean traditions, and it was no surprise to discover that the author herself studied anthropology with the mudang as her thesis subject.
So, the horror element is certainly present, while not especially graphic (fine by me), and I found the interest of the story was its interweaving of a Western literary genre with Korean cultural attitudes towards its own folkloric heritage (mudang have been typified as grifters and charlatans for a long time, perhaps similar to prejudicial attitudes towards gypsy fortune-tellers in Britain), and the stigmatising of impaired mental wellbeing. Pretty good in the space of 94 pages.
November 4, 2025
First of all the Illustrations by Jaehoon Choi for this collection are so beautifully dark and captivating I am in love.
This Lovecraft Reimagined project by Honford Star piqued my interest immediately and I had to pick this up! Speculative Korean fiction mixed with H. P. Lovecrafts horror and perversion has totally captivated my interest for this project and Honford Star.
I appreciate the translations of such texts for the richness in new narratives and culture. For instance, to read something unique to Korean culture and history in relation to Shamanism is so interesting and new and showcases the importance of reading translated texts. I love the trope between the fine line of madness or paranormal and reading this through the experience of mudangs and shinbyeong was new and intriguing to read. I also loved the trope of ‘madwomen’ and how the narrator runs away from this misogynistic term and tries to escape this title. Despite these mudangs being very powerful and influential women.
This is the first I have read in this collection and I am eager to read the rest. The novella was weird and wonderful and I can’t wait to pick up another.
This Lovecraft Reimagined project by Honford Star piqued my interest immediately and I had to pick this up! Speculative Korean fiction mixed with H. P. Lovecrafts horror and perversion has totally captivated my interest for this project and Honford Star.
I appreciate the translations of such texts for the richness in new narratives and culture. For instance, to read something unique to Korean culture and history in relation to Shamanism is so interesting and new and showcases the importance of reading translated texts. I love the trope between the fine line of madness or paranormal and reading this through the experience of mudangs and shinbyeong was new and intriguing to read. I also loved the trope of ‘madwomen’ and how the narrator runs away from this misogynistic term and tries to escape this title. Despite these mudangs being very powerful and influential women.
This is the first I have read in this collection and I am eager to read the rest. The novella was weird and wonderful and I can’t wait to pick up another.
December 27, 2025
I'll give this a 4 out 5 for a few reasons.
It presents an interesting topic that hasn't been explored enough. Mudangism in Korea.
The idea of Meaninglessness - of both ourselves and the universe. The fear of the unknown vs belief in something of an antidote to this great gulf of meaninglessness.
What could that antidote be? Is science and the pursuit of the analytical enough to quell those demons of madness, chaos, uncertainty unbounded?
What are those forces we can ally with which may give us a semblance of a chance for hope? A slight defence against the Existential Bottomless Pit of Despair?
Could it possibly be something, someone as simple and humble as a person, a woman, a victim who has herself stared into the Void and lived to see another day?
To whom do you look to find your antidote? The counterbalance to the Great Fear.
It presents an interesting topic that hasn't been explored enough. Mudangism in Korea.
The idea of Meaninglessness - of both ourselves and the universe. The fear of the unknown vs belief in something of an antidote to this great gulf of meaninglessness.
What could that antidote be? Is science and the pursuit of the analytical enough to quell those demons of madness, chaos, uncertainty unbounded?
What are those forces we can ally with which may give us a semblance of a chance for hope? A slight defence against the Existential Bottomless Pit of Despair?
Could it possibly be something, someone as simple and humble as a person, a woman, a victim who has herself stared into the Void and lived to see another day?
To whom do you look to find your antidote? The counterbalance to the Great Fear.
December 8, 2025
I loved the pace and buildup of the first half, yet the second half felt a bit rushed and confusing. I’m not sure if it was a translation issue or plot issue but I would’ve loved a bit clearer and more description in the last 20-ish pages to clarify what was happening.
Nevertheless I really liked the characterization of the protagonist and her narration style. Hopefully I can read other books in this series later~
Nevertheless I really liked the characterization of the protagonist and her narration style. Hopefully I can read other books in this series later~
November 10, 2025
incredible, I was immediately hooked and I had to read it all in one sitting!
November 12, 2025
At first i expected something grand but at the end the ending just.. like that? So it is 3.5
November 23, 2025
Stunning cover, brief yet descriptive narration and an engaging story. I cared about what happened to the characters. Loved it!
November 29, 2025
Picked it up on a whim. Easy and light read but could have been longer and more detailed.
December 23, 2025
Watch my review on YouTube here - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CBD-f...
January 7, 2026
the only bad thing in this book is that it's too short
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews