First, I was arrested by the cover; seriously, what a beautiful cover. Then I was taken in by the story, a relatively simple plot of smuggling contraband from point A to point B, but the addition of the nun Guet Imm to the smuggling party led by Lau Fung Cheung (but really by his second, Tet Sang), unravels the simple plot spectacularly. Because then the novella sneaks up on you with commentary on gender, honor, religion, and, ultimately, love. A genuinely fun and immersive read.
Meaghan
— From The Order of the Pure Moon Reflected in WaterA 2021 Locus Award Finalist!
A Lambda Literary Award Finalist
A Book Riot Must-Read Fantasy of 2020
Amazon's Best of 2020 So Far
“Fantastic, defiant, utterly brilliant.” —Ken Liu
Zen Cho returns with The Order of the Pure Moon Reflected in Water, a found family wuxia fantasy that combines the vibrancy of old school martial arts movies with characters drawn from the margins of history.
A bandit walks into a coffeehouse, and it all goes downhill from there. Guet Imm, a young votary of the Order of the Pure Moon, joins up with an eclectic group of thieves (whether they like it or not) in order to protect a sacred object, and finds herself in a far more complicated situation than she could have ever imagined.
"Fun and full of adventure."—John Scalzi
“Fantastic, defiant, utterly brilliant.” —Ken Liu
“A fun and sweet wuxia-inspired tale of banditry, faith, and changes both of the world and of the self. By turns hilarious, sharp and heartbreaking, it will keep you turning the pages late at night.” —Aliette de Bodard
“Both hilariously fun and deeply moving, this tale has shenanigans and soul.”—Karen Lord
Praise for Zen Cho
“Zen Cho unpins the edges of the canvas and throws them wide.” —Naomi Novik
“A sheer delight from beginning to end.” —Samantha Shannon
“Complex and rich.” —Genevieve Cogman
“A winning combination of magic and thrill.” —The Washington Post