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Are there any Asian fantasy novels that don't take place in the Far East? That seems to be what makes up all the list so far, and there are all those other countries in Asia. I would be interested in reading something set in India, for instance.

For a fantasy set in India I'd look at The Iron Ring by Lloyd Alexander, The Conch Bearer by Chitra Baerjee Divakaruni, and Kara Dalkey's Blood of the Goddess trilogy.

How about Salman Rushdie? Would you consider The Satanic Verses to be fantasy?

Maybe, but THE GOOD EARTH? how is that fantasy exactly?

It's amusing. In this country (UK), the term Asian is used to mean from the Indian subcontinent. The rest of the region isn't considered.

Er... a lot of these books are not fantasy

I went through the list and identified the following as not fantasy books - any objections if I went though and deleted them from this list?

Snow Flower and the Secret Fan
Memoirs of a Geisha
The Tale of Genji
The Years of Rice and Salt (Alt history, not fantasy)
Feng Shui Detective
Shogun
Shanghai Girls
The Good Earth
Factory Girls: From Village to City in a Changing China
Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress
A Dream of Red Mansions
Romance of the Western Bower
Sea of Poppies
Hong lou meng ba shi hui jiao ben (shang, xia) ; Hong lou meng hou bu si shi hui ; Hong lou meng ba shi hui jiao zi ji [Chinese Classic]
San guo yan yi (Gu dian wen xue ming zhu ping dian) [Historical Fiction]
Rescue at Wild Boar Forest

Go for it.

Go ahead :)

All right - they're gone. If I missed any others that don't belong, let me know.

Prince of Ayodhya by Ashok K. Banker, as a suggestion for a fantasy story from India? I'd add it to the list but I haven't actually read it yet!

Start a list. :)

Lian Hearn's series is definitely the best out of these, imo!

How about a fantasy series set in a world based on Asia?
They even have the equivalent of samurai.

I'm looking for a book I read ages ago, in the title was something about a nitengale, I think, but the girls father dies when she is young and they become poor, and her mother maries a farmer, then she gets called to the palace to sing for the empoerer, then he gets dethroned and she evetually marries the farmer. Anyone know what the book is called?

Cinward wrote: "I'm looking for a book I read ages ago, in the title was something about a nitengale, I think, but the girls father dies when she is young and they become poor, and her mother maries a farmer, then..."

I suggest you also post this in the What's the name of that book? group. Good luck!

Debbie wrote: "Cinward wrote: "I'm looking for a book I read ages ago, in the title was something about a nitengale, I think, but the girls father dies when she is young and they become poor, and her mother marie..."

Debbie wrote: "Cinward wrote: "I'm looking for a book I read ages ago, in the title was something about a nitengale, I think, but the girls father dies when she is young and they become poor, and her mother marie..."

Thanks. ^_^

This is a wonderful list! I want to read all of them! (or quite some, but whatever)

I'm kind of surprised to find none of Kylie Chan's books here. She's completed two of a series of three trilogies set in present day Hong Kong and China, featuring Chinese mythological figures.

The first six books (Dark Heavens Trilogy: White Tiger, Red Phoenix, Blue Dragon; Journey to Wudang Trilogy: Earth to Hell, Hell to Heaven, Heaven to Wudang) are very, very good and totally unlike anything I've read anywhere else.

Book of a Thousand days is based on Mongolia, not China or Japan...

I am going to make my way through this wonderful list. I love asian inspired fantasy! Thanks all for putting it all together :)

Rokka No Yuusha is a good Mystery based fantasy book from Japan due in America soon (they haven't set a schedule yet). It doesn't take place in Japan though, just a fantasy world. =(



There's a lot of series in Japan about being stuck in a virtual reality world. I assume those count? The most borderline one I know of is Grimgar (people plopped in a fantasy world, but they don't recall much, and you never really see Japan). That's due soon too I think (got an anime).



Baccano is probably best urban fantasy novel turned anime from Japan besides Shiki (and maybe Steins;Gate). Too bad it takes place in 1930s Chicago + New York. This one is already out stateside.