Utama

by Ng Yi-Sheng

Finalist for the 2025 Epigram Books Fiction Prize

A mythic historical novel by two-time Singapore Literature Prize winner.

Utama reimagines the rise of Sang Nila Utama through the eyes of those who shaped his path— exiles, warriors and queens. From the Chola invasion to a fateful sea crossing, ambition and betrayal forge an empire. As dragons fall and a sea goddess awakens, the Lion City is born.

360 pages, Paperback

Published August 1, 2025

About the author

Ng Yi-Sheng is a poet, fictionist, playwright, journalist and activist. He was awarded the Singapore Literature Prize for his debut poetry collection, last boy (2006). His other publications include a spiritual sequel to that work, called A Book of Hims (2017); a compilation of his best spoken-word pieces, Loud Poems for a Very Obliging Audience (2016); the bestselling non-fiction book, SQ21: Singapore Queers in the 21st Century (2006); and a novelisation of the Singapore gangster movie, Eating Air (2008). He also co-edited GASPP: A Gay Anthology of Singapore Poetry and Prose (2010) and Eastern Heathens: An Anthology of Subverted Asian Folklore (2013). He recently completed his MA in creative writing at the University of East Anglia and is currently pursuing his PhD at Nanyang Technological University. Lion City is his first fiction collection, published in 2018 by Epigram Books.

Reviews

[Zurairi · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think I’ve found my new obsession: retelling of Nusantara myths. This version of Sang Nila Utama does it in the most magical and magnificent way…reducing the fabled discovery of Singapura to a mere footnote is a time-spanning epic. The real heroes of this book aren’t who you thought it’d be: a mere couple of women who had a roller coaster of lives.

[Ning · Rating 2 out of 5]

Kudos to Ng for attempting fiction set in pre-colonial Singapore. I was quite excited for this. It was quite evident Ng put considerable effort into historical accuracy and weaving together local lore. But unfortunately, that is where the depth ends.

The plot unfolds quite mechanically and procedurally, rather than as a flowing narrative. Events feel disconnected, characters arrive, meet someone, receive explanation, exchange some dialogue, lacking in emotional or dramatic momentum. Characterisation was equally weak. With a large cast squeezed into just over 200 pages, no character receives sufficient room to breathe. This was a lost opportunity to present them as complex individuals, leaving us never quite invested in any one of them (more depth to Empuk and Malini pls??). Some creative liberties with the source material might have improved the narrative.

[Hay · Rating 2 out of 5]

Sure he takes some Nusantara myths from the Malay Annals, and retells some of them in this book, some of them faithfully, sometimes rearranging some of the details, but... to what end?...

And for a historian, there are also some glaring and annoying mistakes... in the book the characters repeatedly refer to the island as Temasek, but actually this name would not have been use yet as the name actually refers to the early settlement that would be later built there

[S S · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful book. Enchanting, mythic story about precolonial Singapore (and beyond!) "About" Sang Nila Utama, but not really. The story foregrounds the women and other people around him, and in doing so, paints a picture of precolonial Singapore that is diverse and colorful, a place of magic and legend, in sharp contrast to many depictions of the modern day.