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Babylon, South Dakota: A Novel
TIME Magazine's Most Anticipated Books of the Year | Town & Country's Best Books of Spring 2026
From the author of the Carnegie Medal in Fiction winner The Thousand Crimes of Ming Tsu comes a tantalizing, American West saga about a Chinese American family trying to survive on their Dakota farm as a powerful, mysterious, and morally dubious military secret shapes their lives.
When Saul Keng Hsiu and his wife, Mei Lee, move from China to the United States to take possession of a 160-acre homestead bequeathed to them by a distant relative, all they have are the possessions on their back, some hidden gold, and a pocketful of chrysanthemum seeds. After a rocky start and a long, harsh winter, the couple find themselves successfully raising chrysanthemums and livestock, and soon after, a daughter, Mara.
But when representatives from the US Army Corps of Engineers buy an acre of the Hsiu’s farmland and begin building a missile silo, the inexplicable starts to Mara can commune with the animals on the farm, Mei develops a hidden talent for augury, and the chrysanthemums become impervious to everything. When the Hsius learn that the project on their farm is an effort to make America’s nuclear deterrent invulnerable, they see firsthand the long arm of power and empire.
In the years and generations that follow, increasingly impacted by the silo and its residue, the Hsius experience strange, wondrous, and tragic events on their farm. An ambitious epic and an ode to the beauty and glory of our connection to the natural world, Babylon, South Dakota upends the idea of "strangers in a strange land" to become a classic American story. It is a daring novel about how choices reverberate across generations and asks us what we owe to one another.
From the author of the Carnegie Medal in Fiction winner The Thousand Crimes of Ming Tsu comes a tantalizing, American West saga about a Chinese American family trying to survive on their Dakota farm as a powerful, mysterious, and morally dubious military secret shapes their lives.
When Saul Keng Hsiu and his wife, Mei Lee, move from China to the United States to take possession of a 160-acre homestead bequeathed to them by a distant relative, all they have are the possessions on their back, some hidden gold, and a pocketful of chrysanthemum seeds. After a rocky start and a long, harsh winter, the couple find themselves successfully raising chrysanthemums and livestock, and soon after, a daughter, Mara.
But when representatives from the US Army Corps of Engineers buy an acre of the Hsiu’s farmland and begin building a missile silo, the inexplicable starts to Mara can commune with the animals on the farm, Mei develops a hidden talent for augury, and the chrysanthemums become impervious to everything. When the Hsius learn that the project on their farm is an effort to make America’s nuclear deterrent invulnerable, they see firsthand the long arm of power and empire.
In the years and generations that follow, increasingly impacted by the silo and its residue, the Hsius experience strange, wondrous, and tragic events on their farm. An ambitious epic and an ode to the beauty and glory of our connection to the natural world, Babylon, South Dakota upends the idea of "strangers in a strange land" to become a classic American story. It is a daring novel about how choices reverberate across generations and asks us what we owe to one another.
333 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 26, 2026
About the author
Tom Lin
2 books227 followersTom Lin was born in Beijing and lives in Iowa City with his partner, Pia, their cat, and their dog. His first novel, THE THOUSAND CRIMES OF MING TSU, won the 2022 Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Fiction; he is its youngest winner. He studies how popular culture participates in the shaping of technologies, with particular interest in the relation between science fiction and nuclear weapons. He teaches English and creative writing at the University of Iowa.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 36 reviews
November 17, 2025
Babylon, South Dakota is generational epic that blends magical realism with immigrant family drama, and political critique into something intimate and fantastical. The magical or science-fiction elements of the story can seem a bit too surreal and strange. Especially when it comes to the world building.
With themes such as empire, legacy, and power the story can feel heavy at times but Lin weaves together the magical and realistic threads well. There is a bit of philosophical depth that can feel demanding at times but it is rewarding. I myself enjoy vivid, atmosphere-rich writing with language that reverberates magic and in my opinion that is what Lin delivers.
If you prefer realism with no magical or fantasy elements or a fast paced read without a lot of emotional weight this will not be the read for you. But if you enjoy morally and philosophically dense fiction that is not afraid to take on heavy themes and do it with a magical feel, then this is a must read.
Overall its an unsettling and beautifully strange family epic that examines how power structures, history, and family narratives intersect.
With themes such as empire, legacy, and power the story can feel heavy at times but Lin weaves together the magical and realistic threads well. There is a bit of philosophical depth that can feel demanding at times but it is rewarding. I myself enjoy vivid, atmosphere-rich writing with language that reverberates magic and in my opinion that is what Lin delivers.
If you prefer realism with no magical or fantasy elements or a fast paced read without a lot of emotional weight this will not be the read for you. But if you enjoy morally and philosophically dense fiction that is not afraid to take on heavy themes and do it with a magical feel, then this is a must read.
Overall its an unsettling and beautifully strange family epic that examines how power structures, history, and family narratives intersect.
May 22, 2026
Very little plot, mostly just vibes. Lovely commentary on family bonds. Perfect sci-fi element in the guise of military experiments. The writing is poetic and beautiful. Lin perfectly describes feelings I never knew how to explain before. All the characters are so perfectly human, they could step right out off the pages into our reality and o wouldn’t know the difference.
May 12, 2026
Thank you Netgalley for the early copy of Babylon, South Dakota. This story begins when Saul (his name would become this soon in the story)and his wife Mei leave their homeland in China after famine. They arrive in Babylon to land left to them by a distant relative with only a. Few chrysanthemum seeds and a bit of gold Mei hides away. Things get weird. The government comes and buys an acre of the land and builds a missile silo. This story is filled with magical realism that ranges from whimsical to bizarre. I was very invested in the first half of the book, but the last half was so wordy I continually found myself skimming entire pages. One scene in particular was dragged out page after page thr could have been a few paragraphs. I actually didn’t notice until I was about 70% into the book that there was no quotation marks. So apparently it didn’t bother me or take away from the story! :) Overall I liked this mysterious and fantastical novel about a good family who continued to fight to just love their lives with their loved ones.
May 20, 2026
Elusive and dreamlike. I liked the imaginative force of this one, even if it lost some momentum by the end.
The prose is both the book’s greatest strength and, occasionally, its weakness: rich, vivid, full of beautiful imagery and unexpected ideas, but also prone to long meandering sentences and paragraphs that sometimes slowed things down. I found myself wishing the final stretch had been tighter, but I was captivated by the world itself — the speculative elements, the beauty of those ghostly chrysanthemums and that stained-glass greenhouse, the feeling that enormous stretches of time had passed and left these characters adrift inside them.
This book left me with a lot of stunning mental images, although it felt a little untethered thematically.
The prose is both the book’s greatest strength and, occasionally, its weakness: rich, vivid, full of beautiful imagery and unexpected ideas, but also prone to long meandering sentences and paragraphs that sometimes slowed things down. I found myself wishing the final stretch had been tighter, but I was captivated by the world itself — the speculative elements, the beauty of those ghostly chrysanthemums and that stained-glass greenhouse, the feeling that enormous stretches of time had passed and left these characters adrift inside them.
This book left me with a lot of stunning mental images, although it felt a little untethered thematically.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for sharing an ARC with me in exchange for my honest review!
I went into this one really wanting to love it—it has so many elements that should have worked for me—but ultimately, I made the decision to DNF at 48%.
There are pieces I genuinely appreciated. The setting is vivid and atmospheric (two things that usually work really well for me!). Mara and Mei were by far the most compelling characters for me. Mei's backstory added emotional depth and I loved Mara's personality, so I found myself most engaged when the narrative focused on them. I also loved the recurring presence of the flowers, they added a subtle, almost symbolic layer that I wish had been explored more. And the dog ended up being one of my favorite “characters" (if you know me though this probably isn't a surprise).
One of the most impactful moments for me was a hospital scene involving Saul, where he speaks English to a doctor who still insists on using a translator. It was heartbreaking and frustrating in a way that felt very real, highlighting the lived experience of immigrant families and the kinds of biases that still exist today. That moment, in particular, felt grounded and meaningful.
However, the book as a whole just wasn’t coming together for me. The magic system felt underdeveloped and never clearly explained, which made it difficult to understand what was happening or why, especially as more unexplained or seemingly random events occurred. Combined with the magical realism elements, this lack of clarity made the story feel disjointed at times.
The prose also didn’t quite land for me. It leans heavily into long, flowing, and overly descriptive sentences that at times felt more focused on impressing the reader than serving the story. This contributed to a very slow pace, and I often felt like the narrative was weighed down by excessive backstory that didn’t meaningfully move the plot forward, much of which could have been more concise without losing impact.
I also struggled with the structure. Timeline shifts were difficult to follow, and there were moments where I couldn’t tell when events were taking place. There were also inconsistencies that pulled me out of the story, particularly around character ages. For example, Mei is described as being 15–20 years older than Abram (who appears to be at least 18), but later references to her age and life stage don’t fully align.
On a character level, Saul was difficult for me to connect with. He often came across as inept, and it felt like the narrative leaned into that portrayal in a way that made him frustrating rather than compelling.
Overall, this is a book that had a lot of potential: strong themes, an interesting premise, and moments of emotional resonance, but it just didn’t fully come together for me. That said, readers who enjoy slower-paced, highly descriptive writing and more abstract magical realism may have a different experience.
I went into this one really wanting to love it—it has so many elements that should have worked for me—but ultimately, I made the decision to DNF at 48%.
There are pieces I genuinely appreciated. The setting is vivid and atmospheric (two things that usually work really well for me!). Mara and Mei were by far the most compelling characters for me. Mei's backstory added emotional depth and I loved Mara's personality, so I found myself most engaged when the narrative focused on them. I also loved the recurring presence of the flowers, they added a subtle, almost symbolic layer that I wish had been explored more. And the dog ended up being one of my favorite “characters" (if you know me though this probably isn't a surprise).
One of the most impactful moments for me was a hospital scene involving Saul, where he speaks English to a doctor who still insists on using a translator. It was heartbreaking and frustrating in a way that felt very real, highlighting the lived experience of immigrant families and the kinds of biases that still exist today. That moment, in particular, felt grounded and meaningful.
However, the book as a whole just wasn’t coming together for me. The magic system felt underdeveloped and never clearly explained, which made it difficult to understand what was happening or why, especially as more unexplained or seemingly random events occurred. Combined with the magical realism elements, this lack of clarity made the story feel disjointed at times.
The prose also didn’t quite land for me. It leans heavily into long, flowing, and overly descriptive sentences that at times felt more focused on impressing the reader than serving the story. This contributed to a very slow pace, and I often felt like the narrative was weighed down by excessive backstory that didn’t meaningfully move the plot forward, much of which could have been more concise without losing impact.
I also struggled with the structure. Timeline shifts were difficult to follow, and there were moments where I couldn’t tell when events were taking place. There were also inconsistencies that pulled me out of the story, particularly around character ages. For example, Mei is described as being 15–20 years older than Abram (who appears to be at least 18), but later references to her age and life stage don’t fully align.
On a character level, Saul was difficult for me to connect with. He often came across as inept, and it felt like the narrative leaned into that portrayal in a way that made him frustrating rather than compelling.
Overall, this is a book that had a lot of potential: strong themes, an interesting premise, and moments of emotional resonance, but it just didn’t fully come together for me. That said, readers who enjoy slower-paced, highly descriptive writing and more abstract magical realism may have a different experience.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Thank you to NetGalley and Little, Brown for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Babylon, South Dakota follows the Hsiu family. Saul and Mei are Chinese immigrants who settle on a 160-acre homestead in South Dakota after surviving the Cultural Revolution. They farm chrysanthemums and livestock, raise their daughter Mara, and contend with a government missile silo built on the edge of their land. From there, the story ventures into increasingly surreal territory: flowers that bloom year-round, auroras that hang in the sky for months, ghosts appearing on camera, rooms that materialize out of nowhere, and a transdimensional device that supposedly grants immortality.
I'll start with what worked: the immigrant experience at the heart of the story has real emotional weight, and the premise of a family building a life on unforgiving land is compelling on its own. There are individual moments, like a scene where Saul speaks English to a doctor who insists on using a translator, that land with genuine force.
But the execution lost me. The prose is dense and overly ornamental, with long, winding sentences that feel more concerned with sounding literary than moving the story forward. The unpunctuated dialogue adds another layer of visual heaviness to already thick paragraphs. I kept waiting for the narrative to tighten up and find its footing, but it never did.
My bigger issue is with the speculative elements. As someone with a science background who reads a lot of sci-fi, I couldn't get past the sheer absurdity of the scenarios. The book introduces concepts like "Project Methuselah" and transdimensional physics, but treats them with a hand-wavy magical realism that has no internal logic or consistency. It's less science fiction and more science fantasy, and not in a way that felt intentional or earned. The supernatural events pile up without explanation or payoff, and the result is a story that feels untethered from any kind of stakes or structure.
And that's the core problem: I struggled to find a plot. Events happen, time shifts around, backstory accumulates, but there's no real throughline pulling you forward. The pacing is glacial, weighed down by excessive description and tangents that don't meaningfully serve the story. By the midpoint, I felt like I was reading a sketch of a novel that had been stretched well past its natural length.
This was my first Tom Lin book. Readers who enjoy slow, atmospheric magical realism with lush prose may connect with this in ways I didn't, and several other reviewers clearly loved it. But for anyone coming to this expecting grounded sci-fi, or even speculative fiction with a coherent internal framework, I'd set those expectations aside. This one just wasn't for me.
Babylon, South Dakota follows the Hsiu family. Saul and Mei are Chinese immigrants who settle on a 160-acre homestead in South Dakota after surviving the Cultural Revolution. They farm chrysanthemums and livestock, raise their daughter Mara, and contend with a government missile silo built on the edge of their land. From there, the story ventures into increasingly surreal territory: flowers that bloom year-round, auroras that hang in the sky for months, ghosts appearing on camera, rooms that materialize out of nowhere, and a transdimensional device that supposedly grants immortality.
I'll start with what worked: the immigrant experience at the heart of the story has real emotional weight, and the premise of a family building a life on unforgiving land is compelling on its own. There are individual moments, like a scene where Saul speaks English to a doctor who insists on using a translator, that land with genuine force.
But the execution lost me. The prose is dense and overly ornamental, with long, winding sentences that feel more concerned with sounding literary than moving the story forward. The unpunctuated dialogue adds another layer of visual heaviness to already thick paragraphs. I kept waiting for the narrative to tighten up and find its footing, but it never did.
My bigger issue is with the speculative elements. As someone with a science background who reads a lot of sci-fi, I couldn't get past the sheer absurdity of the scenarios. The book introduces concepts like "Project Methuselah" and transdimensional physics, but treats them with a hand-wavy magical realism that has no internal logic or consistency. It's less science fiction and more science fantasy, and not in a way that felt intentional or earned. The supernatural events pile up without explanation or payoff, and the result is a story that feels untethered from any kind of stakes or structure.
And that's the core problem: I struggled to find a plot. Events happen, time shifts around, backstory accumulates, but there's no real throughline pulling you forward. The pacing is glacial, weighed down by excessive description and tangents that don't meaningfully serve the story. By the midpoint, I felt like I was reading a sketch of a novel that had been stretched well past its natural length.
This was my first Tom Lin book. Readers who enjoy slow, atmospheric magical realism with lush prose may connect with this in ways I didn't, and several other reviewers clearly loved it. But for anyone coming to this expecting grounded sci-fi, or even speculative fiction with a coherent internal framework, I'd set those expectations aside. This one just wasn't for me.
May 11, 2026
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
What a lovely, unexpected story! I adored both the setting and the characters, and the storytelling structure was unique and interesting.
This story takes place on a farm plot in Babylon, South Dakota, where Mei and Saul immigrate and raise their family, alongside fields of chrysanthemum flowers and their livestock. The remote yet beautiful landscape takes center stage here and is so vividly described. The rolling plains and big sky seem the perfect setting for the more magical elements of the story, and I felt immersed and almost outside of time while living there with the characters.
During the story we follow the lives of Saul and Mei, who move to this remote farmhouse from China, where they both have survived the horrors of famine and the death of their families. Their memories of home are a recurrent theme, and despite China being so far away it feels sometimes right across the next hill. Saul brings with him his skills cultivating chrysanthemums, and these soon carpet the landscape, while Mei takes on some livestock and they make a living managing a farm stand. Soon they have a daughter Mara, who grows up and starts a family of her own, having two children with Luke, a local kid from town. Saul, Mei, Mara, Luke, and their sons Junior and Caleb all live and grow up on the same plot of land and the way their family dynamics evolved as they got older was lovely to see.
Fans of magical realism and nonlinear storytelling would also love this, as many elements of the story require you to suspend your disbelief for a moment, so if this is not something you enjoy then maybe this would not be for you. However I thought this made the story fascinating and much deeper than it otherwise would have been. One major plot point is that the government has built a sort of nuclear facility in a silo on the edge of their farmland, which causes many peculiar things to happen. The chrysanthemum flowers turn white and start to grow truly everywhere no matter the season, an aurora shines in the sky above their farm for months, ghosts start to appear in their fields on camera, Mei begins to design extra rooms in their house that mysteriously become real but only to her, and time sometimes seems to blur between past, present, and future.
Overall this was a lovely world to escape to, and the relationships of everyone in the family and their connections to the past and future was beautiful. I think the only wish I have is that it would have been a bit more sad or had made me cry- but would definitely recommend!
What a lovely, unexpected story! I adored both the setting and the characters, and the storytelling structure was unique and interesting.
This story takes place on a farm plot in Babylon, South Dakota, where Mei and Saul immigrate and raise their family, alongside fields of chrysanthemum flowers and their livestock. The remote yet beautiful landscape takes center stage here and is so vividly described. The rolling plains and big sky seem the perfect setting for the more magical elements of the story, and I felt immersed and almost outside of time while living there with the characters.
During the story we follow the lives of Saul and Mei, who move to this remote farmhouse from China, where they both have survived the horrors of famine and the death of their families. Their memories of home are a recurrent theme, and despite China being so far away it feels sometimes right across the next hill. Saul brings with him his skills cultivating chrysanthemums, and these soon carpet the landscape, while Mei takes on some livestock and they make a living managing a farm stand. Soon they have a daughter Mara, who grows up and starts a family of her own, having two children with Luke, a local kid from town. Saul, Mei, Mara, Luke, and their sons Junior and Caleb all live and grow up on the same plot of land and the way their family dynamics evolved as they got older was lovely to see.
Fans of magical realism and nonlinear storytelling would also love this, as many elements of the story require you to suspend your disbelief for a moment, so if this is not something you enjoy then maybe this would not be for you. However I thought this made the story fascinating and much deeper than it otherwise would have been. One major plot point is that the government has built a sort of nuclear facility in a silo on the edge of their farmland, which causes many peculiar things to happen. The chrysanthemum flowers turn white and start to grow truly everywhere no matter the season, an aurora shines in the sky above their farm for months, ghosts start to appear in their fields on camera, Mei begins to design extra rooms in their house that mysteriously become real but only to her, and time sometimes seems to blur between past, present, and future.
Overall this was a lovely world to escape to, and the relationships of everyone in the family and their connections to the past and future was beautiful. I think the only wish I have is that it would have been a bit more sad or had made me cry- but would definitely recommend!
May 26, 2026
Babylon, South Dakota by Tom Lin is a beautifully crafted and thought-provoking novel that blends mystery, family history, and cultural identity into a deeply reflective story. Set in a small Midwestern town, the novel follows characters grappling with memory, displacement, and the hidden tensions beneath everyday life. Lin’s writing is atmospheric and literary, drawing readers into a quiet but emotionally charged narrative that unfolds with patience and precision.
One of the novel’s greatest strengths is its rich characterization. Lin explores the inner lives of his characters with sensitivity and depth, allowing their struggles with belonging, identity, and personal history to feel authentic and relatable. The setting itself becomes an important part of the story, with the isolated landscape of South Dakota mirroring the emotional distance and loneliness experienced by many of the characters.
The prose is elegant and restrained, relying more on subtle emotional moments than dramatic twists. Lin carefully layers themes of immigration, generational trauma, and the search for connection without becoming overly heavy-handed. Readers who appreciate literary fiction that focuses on mood, character, and emotional complexity will likely find the novel especially rewarding.
Although the pacing is slower and more contemplative than plot-driven, Babylon, South Dakota succeeds because of its emotional resonance and beautifully observed storytelling. Overall, it is a haunting and memorable novel that explores the ways people carry the past with them while searching for meaning and belonging in the present.
One of the novel’s greatest strengths is its rich characterization. Lin explores the inner lives of his characters with sensitivity and depth, allowing their struggles with belonging, identity, and personal history to feel authentic and relatable. The setting itself becomes an important part of the story, with the isolated landscape of South Dakota mirroring the emotional distance and loneliness experienced by many of the characters.
The prose is elegant and restrained, relying more on subtle emotional moments than dramatic twists. Lin carefully layers themes of immigration, generational trauma, and the search for connection without becoming overly heavy-handed. Readers who appreciate literary fiction that focuses on mood, character, and emotional complexity will likely find the novel especially rewarding.
Although the pacing is slower and more contemplative than plot-driven, Babylon, South Dakota succeeds because of its emotional resonance and beautifully observed storytelling. Overall, it is a haunting and memorable novel that explores the ways people carry the past with them while searching for meaning and belonging in the present.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
A richly imagined and deeply compelling family saga. Lin charts the ups and downs of a newly emigrated Chinese couple in the American West, tilling an unforgiving land under inscrutable weather and reaping whatever meager fruits their labors can yield. Their resilient family unit bends and bends under the weight of that toil, their successes made all the sweeter by their struggles—much like the chrysanthemums that Saul must nurture to develop hardier stock, also transplanted from China and striving to take hold in this harsh new land.
Tom Lin’s prose is nothing short of otherworldly. There are countless stunning passages and I found myself rereading and highlighting early on, before the story pulled me deeper in. Some may be turned off by the unpunctuated dialogue, as it adds visual density to already thick paragraphs, but I stopped noticing it once I adjusted.
If you enjoyed the setting and beautifully interwoven magical realism of Karen Russell’s The Antidote, this novel will surely sweep you away. It feels destined for major literary award contention.
My thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.
Blog | Twitter | Instagram | Bluesky
Tom Lin’s prose is nothing short of otherworldly. There are countless stunning passages and I found myself rereading and highlighting early on, before the story pulled me deeper in. Some may be turned off by the unpunctuated dialogue, as it adds visual density to already thick paragraphs, but I stopped noticing it once I adjusted.
If you enjoyed the setting and beautifully interwoven magical realism of Karen Russell’s The Antidote, this novel will surely sweep you away. It feels destined for major literary award contention.
My thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.
Blog | Twitter | Instagram | Bluesky
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Thank you NetGalley and Little, Brown and Company for a chance to review this ARC
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Babylon, South Dakota is a multigenerational saga about the Hsiu family, Chinese immigrants who arrive in the windswept plains of South Dakota with little more than a suitcase and a silk bag of chrysanthemum seeds. What grows from those seeds, and from that land, is something singular and strange and deeply moving.
When the US Army Corps of Engineers arrives to claim a parcel of the Hsiu farm for a missile silo, the novel shifts into another register entirely. The magical bleeds into the historical. Animals speak to Mara. Mei reads augury in the ordinary. The chrysanthemums become impervious to drought and herbicide and time itself. Lin never forces an explanation for any of it. The inexplicable is simply part of the texture of the Hsius' lives, the way that empire is, and grief is, and love is.
What elevates this above magical realism as genre exercise is the prose. Lin writes with a precision that makes everyday objects feel charged and invented. Every sentence earns its place. The novel spans generations without losing intimacy, moving through Cold War paranoia and family rupture and quiet acts of survival with equal weight and care.
Babylon, South Dakota is the kind of book that roots itself in you. A meditation on what empire steals, what land holds, and what a family can carry across generations. One of the most extraordinary novels I've read this year.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Babylon, South Dakota is a multigenerational saga about the Hsiu family, Chinese immigrants who arrive in the windswept plains of South Dakota with little more than a suitcase and a silk bag of chrysanthemum seeds. What grows from those seeds, and from that land, is something singular and strange and deeply moving.
When the US Army Corps of Engineers arrives to claim a parcel of the Hsiu farm for a missile silo, the novel shifts into another register entirely. The magical bleeds into the historical. Animals speak to Mara. Mei reads augury in the ordinary. The chrysanthemums become impervious to drought and herbicide and time itself. Lin never forces an explanation for any of it. The inexplicable is simply part of the texture of the Hsius' lives, the way that empire is, and grief is, and love is.
What elevates this above magical realism as genre exercise is the prose. Lin writes with a precision that makes everyday objects feel charged and invented. Every sentence earns its place. The novel spans generations without losing intimacy, moving through Cold War paranoia and family rupture and quiet acts of survival with equal weight and care.
Babylon, South Dakota is the kind of book that roots itself in you. A meditation on what empire steals, what land holds, and what a family can carry across generations. One of the most extraordinary novels I've read this year.
May 20, 2026
Thank you to NetGalley, Little Brown, & Company, and Tom Lin for the chance to read this book in exchange for my honest review.
Literary fiction, Science fiction, immigrant experience as told through generations not without the effects of the American government's machinations.
As I stated right when I finished the book on my Instagram story: What psychosis am I in that I get IT but I can't explain what IT is? Also, Why am I crying?
To be honest, I know why I'm crying. The story was not only moving and emotional, but as a person who's family roots are in South Dakota- Tom Lin captured the beauty and treachery of those lands. The harsh extremes in the natural climate- and the climate brought on by man. And while this story is told of those who arrived to their new country- the way they were received and treated reminded me of the treatment of the people native to those lands. It's all very layered.
I grew up learning about these missile silos in South Dakota and all of the real life questioning after them. How did this effect the ground water? Can they be blamed for illness in the area? I now live my adult life in St. Louis, Missouri. Where the Manhattan Project has wreaked havoc for decades and generations to come. I know this story is Science Fiction- but from growing up and hearing speculation- to being an adult and seeing SOME truths come out-- that makes the fiction part of this story almost contemplative...
Literary fiction, Science fiction, immigrant experience as told through generations not without the effects of the American government's machinations.
As I stated right when I finished the book on my Instagram story: What psychosis am I in that I get IT but I can't explain what IT is? Also, Why am I crying?
To be honest, I know why I'm crying. The story was not only moving and emotional, but as a person who's family roots are in South Dakota- Tom Lin captured the beauty and treachery of those lands. The harsh extremes in the natural climate- and the climate brought on by man. And while this story is told of those who arrived to their new country- the way they were received and treated reminded me of the treatment of the people native to those lands. It's all very layered.
I grew up learning about these missile silos in South Dakota and all of the real life questioning after them. How did this effect the ground water? Can they be blamed for illness in the area? I now live my adult life in St. Louis, Missouri. Where the Manhattan Project has wreaked havoc for decades and generations to come. I know this story is Science Fiction- but from growing up and hearing speculation- to being an adult and seeing SOME truths come out-- that makes the fiction part of this story almost contemplative...
May 24, 2026
What a layered novel, and weird to boot! I have always struggled a bit with magical realism stories so was a little hesitant on picking this up, but from the synopsis I just had a feeling this would be an exception. And it was!
This felt to me to take place somewhere out of our time. Little hints here and there give the reader an inkling of the time period but the way we experience time passing for these characters made this feel outside of a defined time period. The magical realism elements were subtle and perfectly placed in my opinion.
Yes, we have a government owned section of land that was bought from our main characters used to house a secret device. But for the most part this is unrelated to our characters and they show very little curiosity about what they’re doing on that land. The focus is on our characters - this is a multigenerational epic following immigrants. We see them build their life and their business and get snippets of what life was like for them before.
The writing was flowery and did feel quite dense on the whole. I think it was necessary for the story and tone this was meant to convey and think a lighter hand here would have made the story feel a little almost silly. It added to the subtle whimsy threaded throughout. The imagery with the chrysanthemums was my favorite part.
I don’t think this book will be for everyone but it was for me.
I received an eARC via NetGalley.
This felt to me to take place somewhere out of our time. Little hints here and there give the reader an inkling of the time period but the way we experience time passing for these characters made this feel outside of a defined time period. The magical realism elements were subtle and perfectly placed in my opinion.
Yes, we have a government owned section of land that was bought from our main characters used to house a secret device. But for the most part this is unrelated to our characters and they show very little curiosity about what they’re doing on that land. The focus is on our characters - this is a multigenerational epic following immigrants. We see them build their life and their business and get snippets of what life was like for them before.
The writing was flowery and did feel quite dense on the whole. I think it was necessary for the story and tone this was meant to convey and think a lighter hand here would have made the story feel a little almost silly. It added to the subtle whimsy threaded throughout. The imagery with the chrysanthemums was my favorite part.
I don’t think this book will be for everyone but it was for me.
I received an eARC via NetGalley.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
I loved the idea and premise of this book, so went in with high hopes, but the long descriptive prose just made the reading tedious and not enjoyable. Often 3-4 pages of one description that did not add anything to the story or plot.
This book combines a generational family epic, magical realism, and speculative fiction into a narrative where the American West becomes a canvas for wonder, grief, power, and transformation.
We first meet Saul Keng Hsiu and his wife Mei Lee, Chinese immigrants who settle on a 160-acre homestead in rural South Dakota, bringing with them nothing but hidden gold and a pocketful of chrysanthemum seeds. After a harsh winter and some success raising flowers and livestock, their world shifts when the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers buys part of their land to build a missile silo—a project that soon reveals strange and inexplicable effects on the landscape and the family itself.
So this alone had tons of promise as all of a sudden their land becomes more fertile and strange things begin happening, including their daughter being able to communicate with animals.
It's a great character study about the immigrant experience, and I did like how the author discussed roots and dislocation, love and loss, and the surprising ways life persists amid forces outside one’s control.
However, some editing would have improved the experience.
This book combines a generational family epic, magical realism, and speculative fiction into a narrative where the American West becomes a canvas for wonder, grief, power, and transformation.
We first meet Saul Keng Hsiu and his wife Mei Lee, Chinese immigrants who settle on a 160-acre homestead in rural South Dakota, bringing with them nothing but hidden gold and a pocketful of chrysanthemum seeds. After a harsh winter and some success raising flowers and livestock, their world shifts when the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers buys part of their land to build a missile silo—a project that soon reveals strange and inexplicable effects on the landscape and the family itself.
So this alone had tons of promise as all of a sudden their land becomes more fertile and strange things begin happening, including their daughter being able to communicate with animals.
It's a great character study about the immigrant experience, and I did like how the author discussed roots and dislocation, love and loss, and the surprising ways life persists amid forces outside one’s control.
However, some editing would have improved the experience.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
*Babylon* by Tom Lin was an interesting read, but not entirely what I expected.
It leans more literary than plot-driven, with a slow, reflective style that focuses on identity, displacement, and survival in the American West. There’s also this subtle, almost surreal or slightly sci-fi-like vibe running through parts of the story—not overt, but enough to give it an offbeat, dreamlike edge.
Sone strange, unexplained occurrences appear throughout which were a little hard to grasp/understand and felt somewhat unbelievable; this is what landed me in a more mysterious, sci-fi feeling as I read through these subplots. I still had some unanswered questions at the end. The chrysanthemums? The ageless dog? The gold coins that allowed you to “live forever” or something of that nature? Yes, still slightly confusing…
That said, the pacing felt a bit too slow for me, and I never fully connected with the characters on an emotional level. I appreciated the unique perspective and the atmosphere, but I found myself wanting a stronger narrative pull.
Overall, I’m glad I read it, but it didn’t completely land for me.
⭐️⭐️⭐️ (3/5)
Thank you Netgalley for the advanced read..
It leans more literary than plot-driven, with a slow, reflective style that focuses on identity, displacement, and survival in the American West. There’s also this subtle, almost surreal or slightly sci-fi-like vibe running through parts of the story—not overt, but enough to give it an offbeat, dreamlike edge.
Sone strange, unexplained occurrences appear throughout which were a little hard to grasp/understand and felt somewhat unbelievable; this is what landed me in a more mysterious, sci-fi feeling as I read through these subplots. I still had some unanswered questions at the end. The chrysanthemums? The ageless dog? The gold coins that allowed you to “live forever” or something of that nature? Yes, still slightly confusing…
That said, the pacing felt a bit too slow for me, and I never fully connected with the characters on an emotional level. I appreciated the unique perspective and the atmosphere, but I found myself wanting a stronger narrative pull.
Overall, I’m glad I read it, but it didn’t completely land for me.
⭐️⭐️⭐️ (3/5)
Thank you Netgalley for the advanced read..
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Intriguing story of an immigrant Chinese family that finds itself living on an inhospitable farm near Babylon, South Dakota. Just as the family begins to be successful at farming, the military decides to build a silo instillation on part of the farm. The story follows three generations, trying to navigate the challenges of living in a new land that does not really want them there.
If that had been the brunt of the story, I think it would have been a good one. The prose can get a bit verbose at times, and the story lost in the details, but it was a telling and powerful story.
When the author decides to add in the "Chinese device", we are left trying to figure out the magic and machinations behind it, the author lost me. I never grasped the point of that storyline.
The author also never used quotation marks, so at times, one had to stop to figure out who was actually doing the "talking".
While I enjoyed it, I was happy to be done with it. Thanks to Little, Brown & Company along with NetGalley for the ARC.
If that had been the brunt of the story, I think it would have been a good one. The prose can get a bit verbose at times, and the story lost in the details, but it was a telling and powerful story.
When the author decides to add in the "Chinese device", we are left trying to figure out the magic and machinations behind it, the author lost me. I never grasped the point of that storyline.
The author also never used quotation marks, so at times, one had to stop to figure out who was actually doing the "talking".
While I enjoyed it, I was happy to be done with it. Thanks to Little, Brown & Company along with NetGalley for the ARC.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
This novel took me by surprise. I thought it was going to be a multi-generational saga about Chinese immigrants in a farming community in South Dakota. But it was much more. It managed to blend compelling details about the immigrant couple's struggles to farm in an inhospitable landscape with elements of magical realism. I will never forget the images of the hero painstakingly attempting to grow and breed the treasured crysanthamum seeds he'd carried from his homeland. Or the linguistic and cultural disconnects surrounding the family's agreement to allow part of their farm to become a Cold War secret project site. The pace is slow, but it seems to fit with the setting. The characters are all memorable, and the twists keep you reading. I think the story could have benefited from tighter editing (it could be cut back by about 20%), but that did notstop me from completing the book. If you like magical realism, immigrant sagas, and historical fiction, this should be right up your alley.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Babylon, South Dakota follows three generations of a Chinese American family. Saul and Mei inherit a farm in South Dakota While trying to survive and adjust to a completely foreign culture, they also must deal with the military buying some of their land and putting a missile and some top secret projects on it.
While this book is definitely science fiction, it is not your typical action packed, fast paced story. Without giving too much away, I thought the author did a good job of blending the sci-fi and supernatural elements together to make for an interesting story. I also thought the prose was beautiful. The author did a good job of capturing the immigrant experience and the racism that goes with it.
The story did seem a little slow paced at times but overall it was a very enjoyable read.
Thank you to the author and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.
While this book is definitely science fiction, it is not your typical action packed, fast paced story. Without giving too much away, I thought the author did a good job of blending the sci-fi and supernatural elements together to make for an interesting story. I also thought the prose was beautiful. The author did a good job of capturing the immigrant experience and the racism that goes with it.
The story did seem a little slow paced at times but overall it was a very enjoyable read.
Thank you to the author and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Babylon, South Dakota is a captivating read that combines historical fiction and magical realism.
The book follows three generations of the Hsiu family who are Chinese immigrant who arrived with almost nothing .
Their lives are turmoil when for the government for some unkown reason builds a silo on their property.
The family struggles to farm on an unforgiving land that has elements ot that magical realism
The prose is so well written , the pace is perfect and the twists have you reading just one more chapter into the night.
Tom Lin has done a wonderful job of blending historical fiction , magical realism and the story of the Hsiu family.
The book is a bit long but the pages still fly by as you get involved in the story.
Thanks to Net Galley and Little Brown and Company for the privilege of reading and reviewing Babylon, South Dakota.
The book follows three generations of the Hsiu family who are Chinese immigrant who arrived with almost nothing .
Their lives are turmoil when for the government for some unkown reason builds a silo on their property.
The family struggles to farm on an unforgiving land that has elements ot that magical realism
The prose is so well written , the pace is perfect and the twists have you reading just one more chapter into the night.
Tom Lin has done a wonderful job of blending historical fiction , magical realism and the story of the Hsiu family.
The book is a bit long but the pages still fly by as you get involved in the story.
Thanks to Net Galley and Little Brown and Company for the privilege of reading and reviewing Babylon, South Dakota.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Readers looking for an eerie, unsettling story are in the right place. Babylon, South Dakota opens with a Chinese immigrant couple arriving at a farm in South Dakota to start a new life. What begins as a quiet but engaging story of farm life becomes more and more unsettling after a secret military installation is placed on their property. Three generations of the family experience the magic and fear this installation brings.
What works:
Beautiful imagery, particularly of the chrysanthemums, animals, and weather phenomena.
The characters are interesting, sympathetic, and well crafted.
The eerie mysterious atmosphere.
What didn't connect:
The secret behind the military installation. Maybe I just didn't get it? This particularly applies to the end of part 3.
Thanks to Little, Brown and Company and BookHuddle for the ARC.
What works:
Beautiful imagery, particularly of the chrysanthemums, animals, and weather phenomena.
The characters are interesting, sympathetic, and well crafted.
The eerie mysterious atmosphere.
What didn't connect:
The secret behind the military installation. Maybe I just didn't get it? This particularly applies to the end of part 3.
Thanks to Little, Brown and Company and BookHuddle for the ARC.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
In this beautifully strange book, Tom Lin creates a world full of mystery and possibility. The characters are ordinary people, living seemingly ordinary lives, moving to South Dakota to claim inherited land and build a thriving chrysanthemum farm, but their world is more magical than it first appears. Tom Lin’s writing really brought me into Saul and Mei’s world, making even the most extraordinary events seem natural. I enjoyed following along on their journey as they seem to take these unexpected events in stride and carry on with life. Readers who enjoy magical realism and winding, emotional family dramas will enjoy this one!
Thank you to NetGalley and Little, Brown and Company for an early copy of this book!
Thank you to NetGalley and Little, Brown and Company for an early copy of this book!
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Thanks to NetGalley and Little, Brown, and Company for the eARC; all opinions are my own!
This was a really interesting premise and a pretty unique way to tell the story. I did have some trouble getting into the narrative flow - the books writing was flower-y, sometimes making it difficult to piece together what was being said. I do think I'll try this book again in the future, but this time the audio version. I think that would add a lot to the experience.
This is a pretty ordinary family (at least at first) in pretty unique (some would even say magical) circumstances. The magical system felt underdeveloped, and the timeline shifts weren't always apparent. However, I liked the blend of magical realism with the story of an immigrant family together with a story of US empire.
This was a really interesting premise and a pretty unique way to tell the story. I did have some trouble getting into the narrative flow - the books writing was flower-y, sometimes making it difficult to piece together what was being said. I do think I'll try this book again in the future, but this time the audio version. I think that would add a lot to the experience.
This is a pretty ordinary family (at least at first) in pretty unique (some would even say magical) circumstances. The magical system felt underdeveloped, and the timeline shifts weren't always apparent. However, I liked the blend of magical realism with the story of an immigrant family together with a story of US empire.
May 26, 2026
I am struggling with how to rate Babylon, South Dakota. I think that there are some really wonderful moments throughout. The generational family sage pieces are well done. You really care about all of the characters. The magical realism moments just left me a little confused. I felt like I was always waiting for something to happen or waiting to figure it all out. And just left me a little unsatisfied. The book overall is a little wordy. Descriptive and atmospheric but almost to a detriment. All of that puts this at being a middle of the road for me. There was promise but I was left wanting.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.
May 30, 2026
Babylon South Dakota is a very interesting read, unlike any other book that I have personally read. If you are looking for a cohesive plot then there isn’t one. There is a structure of a Chinese immigrant family moving to middle of nowhere because they have inherited the land. It catches your interest because the govt shows up and starts a secret project on part of their land. This is where the magical realism picks up and a string of random events unravel weaving the story that travels in different directions without alot of progress but digs deep into the family dynamics. It is an enjoyable read if you want to build connections with the characters without expecting for the story line to piece together intricately.
Thank you Little Brown and Company for an advanced readers copy.
Thank you Little Brown and Company for an advanced readers copy.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Unfortunately this book just never really clicked for me. I struggle with books that don't mark dialogue with quotation marks, and as a whole I struggled with tracking the overarching plot and world building. The pace was too slow for me, which combined with how overly wordy the prose was throughout most of the book. The premise really interested me, and I really wanted to like it, but this just wasn't a book for me.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
I really, really wanted to love this - the premise was intriguing, and I was fortunate to receive an ARC ecopy. Unfortunately, while I liked the story, it just didn't grab me like I hoped it would. Somewhere between a fantasy and (to me) science fiction, the story covered essentially two generations of a Chinese American family on the edge of a US military solo/installation with a secret.
I never warmed up to the prose. This was also one of those books that doesn't use quotation marks to delineate conversation. It wasn't that hard to figure out, but I still had to try harder than I needed to.
I did appreciate the father's connection to the land, and his horticulture adventures.
I can see a large segment of readers loving this story -- I wish I was one. Would I read more from the author? Yes, I would. There were plenty of interesting ideas and concepts here.
I received a complimentary copy of the novel from the publisher and NetGalley, and my review is being left freely.
I never warmed up to the prose. This was also one of those books that doesn't use quotation marks to delineate conversation. It wasn't that hard to figure out, but I still had to try harder than I needed to.
I did appreciate the father's connection to the land, and his horticulture adventures.
I can see a large segment of readers loving this story -- I wish I was one. Would I read more from the author? Yes, I would. There were plenty of interesting ideas and concepts here.
I received a complimentary copy of the novel from the publisher and NetGalley, and my review is being left freely.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
Lin has described this novel as East of Eden meets Stranger Things, though I'd say it leans much more towards Steinbeck than the Duffers, which is a great thing imo.
Here we have three generations of Chinese Americans making a life for themselves under the shadow of a nuclear missile silo (which is only the tip of the omninousity iceberg). It's understandably epic in scope but also deeply rendered and patient with its scenes, characters, and themes. This combination of depth and breadth gave me the feeling of having really lived these lives and not just read about them.
Here we have three generations of Chinese Americans making a life for themselves under the shadow of a nuclear missile silo (which is only the tip of the omninousity iceberg). It's understandably epic in scope but also deeply rendered and patient with its scenes, characters, and themes. This combination of depth and breadth gave me the feeling of having really lived these lives and not just read about them.
May 25, 2026
Review from a ARC reader:
This story was a bit out of my normal reading habits. That being said, this was quite an interesting story. It had some military drama, an interesting familial storyline, and two sweet romance stories. The author built plenty of mystery and wonder into the plot to span 3 generations. It’s an interesting read and I would recommend it.
This story was a bit out of my normal reading habits. That being said, this was quite an interesting story. It had some military drama, an interesting familial storyline, and two sweet romance stories. The author built plenty of mystery and wonder into the plot to span 3 generations. It’s an interesting read and I would recommend it.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
Solid book. The author does a great job of mapping out an immigrant couple's struggle to make their way on a farm that is then infiltrated by the government building a missile silo on a parcel of land. Compelling and terrifying.
May 16, 2026
I really did not enjoy this book. It was so slow and boring. I just couldn’t get into it. Nearly 200 pages in it finally got interesting, but unfortunately it was also stupid. The ending was stupid, there were no answers and no closure.
Review of advance copy received from Edelweiss+
I didn't like this title at all. Meandering, some magical realism mixed with more realistic narrative. All over the place. Received a complimentary copy of the book through Edelweiss as a member of the TLA Lariat committee.
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