Insignia 2020: Best Asian Speculative Fiction, #1

By Kelly Matsuura, Celestine Trinidad, Jo Wu and 9 more

Insignia 2020: Best Asian Speculative Fiction features 9 short stories set in Japan, China, the Philippines, Malaysia, and India, as well as 6 Chinese fantasy poems (by Mary Soon Lee).

This collection of reprinted works comes from familiar Insignia Stories authors, new Insignia Drabbles authors, and first-time contributors, Tutu Dutta and Sayo Onoda.

Special thanks goes to Toshiya Kamei for providing translations of three stories.

 

Table of Contents

 

Stories:

'A Matter of Possession' by Joyce Chng

'Shadows' by  Celestine Trinidad

'Kindness' by  Vonnie Winslow Crist 

'Moon Rabbit' by Jo Wu

The Washing Machine Ate the Socks' by Sayo Onoda /  Toshiya Kamei 

'The Craving' by  Tutu Dutta

'Lepers' by Keyan Bowes

'The Enchantress Princess & the Mysterious Child'

by  Massimo Soumaré / Toshiya Kamei 

'Railroad to Potalaka' by Juan Takai / Toshiya Kamei

 

Poetry:

'Meisho's Dodos', 'Lantern Festival', 'The Eighth Son of Ganbataar', 'Lotus Moon', 'The Wild Horses Came Hastening', and 'How to Weave the Stars' by Mary Soon Lee

• Language: English
• Publisher: BWWP Publishing
• Release date: Feb 10, 2021
• ISBN: 9781393408512

Kelly Matsuura

Kelly Matsuura grew up in Victoria, Australia, but always dreamed she would live abroad.  She has lived in northern China, Michigan in the US, and over ten years in Nagoya, Japan, where she now lives permanently. Kelly has published numerous short stories online; in group anthologies; and in several self-published anthologies. Her stories have been published by Visibility Fiction, Crushing Hearts & Black Butterfly Publishing, A Murder of Storytellers, and Ink and Locket Press. She majored in Asian Studies at university, and (sometimes) studies Japanese, Chinese and German. Her other hobbies include cooking, knitting, sewing, and traveling. As the creator and editor for The Insignia Series, Kelly uses her knowledge of Asian cultures to help other indie authors produce great diverse stories and to share the group's work with a new audience.

Book preview

Cover Design by Kelly Matsuura

Compilation copyright ©Kelly Matsuura

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This book was created in Japan

First electronic release: February 2021

Published by BWWP Publishing via Digital2 Digital Services

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This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This e-book may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of these authors. Stories are the authors’ original work and are entirely fictional. Any resemblance to real persons (living or dead) or real situations is coincidental.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means without permission from the authors. Short extracts for reviews are allowed.

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All stories herein are copyrighted to their respective authors. A full list, with details of first publication dates can be found at the back of this ebook.

INTRODUCTION

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Welcome to Insignia’s first ‘Best Asian Speculative Fiction’ collection!

2020 may be a year we’d all rather forget, but I believe strongly in community and positivity, so I know we’ll make it out the other side if we all stick together.

And being positive, 2020 is a perfect opening for what I hope will be an annual ‘best of...’ series. (‘Insignia 2019’ just wouldn’t have the same ring to it as the first book in a new series, would it?).

This book is a collection of Asian fantasy and science fiction stories that were first published by other indie presses, including anthologies and online journals.  Works include Japanese, Chinese, Filipino, Indian, and Malaysian settings, with a broad mix of light and dark fantasy, science-fiction, and myth-based themes.

Many stories are from past Insignia contributors: Joyce Chng, Keyan Bowes, Celestine Trinidad, Juan Takai and Vonnie Winslow Crist, and with poetry by Mary Soon Lee.

Tutu Dutta, Jo Wu, Sayo Onoda, and Massimo Soumaré, are also very welcome additions to the Insignia family.

Special thanks to Toshiya Kamei for providing the translations of stories by Sayo Onoda, Juan Takai and Massimo Soumaré.

I hope you enjoy all the stories in this collection as much as I do. It really was a pleasure to select each piece and work with the authors on this project.

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Stay Safe,

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Kelly Matsuura

(Editor)

A MATTER OF POSSESSION

Joyce Chng

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Admiral Wu sat in the executive office sumptuously appointed in a personal favorite style—a lot of calligraphy and embroidery framed in lacquered rosewood. There was the mild fragrance of jasmine tea in the air, the sound of waves and the soft tick-tock of the clock with the golden mechanical canary on the mantle. Exquisitely painted portraits of family members and her child graced the large table. It was an idyllic moment and savored immensely like fine mellowed Burgundy wine, another personal favorite. Of course, the moment would not be complete without the ornately carved teak betel box, filled with areca nuts and betel leaves to be chewed. An acquired taste, of course, from a tour of duty in the seas of Java; the other officers had found the taste strange and unfavorable.

It was indeed a rare moment. Paperwork had to be done with many files requiring her official acknowledgement. This was done with the usual red seal, carved with rank, name and ship’s name. Reports had to be written; at the moment, the stenograph was being prepared by Ensign Han Xing, a young lad eager to please his commanding officer. He was outside the office, waiting to be called in.

Oh, just a few minutes longer for tea. Yet, such thinking was indulgent. There were duties to be done, tasks to be accomplished. The Imperial vessel Feng Huang was not an idle ship.

A fastidious check of uniform, adorned with a braid corded with golden thread and a marker of seniority, very much in the style of the Western nations. There was another set of uniform, courtlier in fashion with brocaded sleeves and pants, in the executive cabin.

It was time. The tea had already been drunk and enjoyed in private. The poor ensign was perhaps impatient now. The bell was pressed and within a few seconds, Ensign Han Xing’s earnest face appeared at the door. He was twenty, having passed his Imperial Academy examinations two years ago. He had proven himself to be reliable, though a little pompous at times. He bore the stenograph, embossed of course with dragons and phoenixes, very carefully. It was a work of art, a gift from her family when the promotion to admiral was announced a year ago.

Yes, Admiral Wu? He snapped to attention; the stenograph held in front of him stiffly.

Please. Come in.

Ensign Han Xing went obediently to the side of the large mahogany table, his usual place, when he worked the stenograph. He set up the apparatus and waited expectantly, his ruddy face alert, eyes bright.

How are the cadets settling in? Admiral Wu asked softly. The eight cadets were fresh from the Imperial Academy, sent to her ship for practical attachment. She took special interest in the eight, because they were all girls, scions from a number of aristocratic and merchant families. A long time ago, she was like them, in a pioneer batch for ’fair maidens’ to join the illustrious Imperial Academy.

Ensign Han Xing answered, his tone neutral, just as he was taught, They have settled down, my lord. They find their accommodations to their satisfaction. Cadets Xiao and Lee are experiencing slight discomfort and are coping at the moment.

Admiral Wu had to stifle a smile. The constant rolling and pitching of the ship was something that the cadets had to get used too. They had to be prepared, eventually, for lift-off too, because the Feng Huang, like all the Hai Feng-class ships, had aero capabilities. Training at the Imperial Academy was one thing. Being on an actual ship was another. She remembered how her stomach lurched when the ship she apprenticed on–the Peony–went into emergency evasive maneuvers in mid-air, to avoid collision with the Mountain Spirit which was approaching too rapidly. The helmsman of the Peony was reprimanded by the then commanding officer for his negligence.

All officers of Her Imperial Majesty’s Aero-Nautical Navy had to be impeccable in their duties, honorable and steadfast in what they did. Negligence was a blemish in personal records. She knew that it was not entirely the helmsman’s fault; she recalled his name was Xu. But he bore the brunt of the commanding officer’s wrath. She hoped that the eight cadets would become good officers. They had after all gone through the rigorous basic training and had proven that they were physically and mentally fit. And young, she thought ruefully. With youthful idealism still in their eyes and hearts. It would be a steep learning curve for them.

The Feng Huang swayed a little. The sea was a little rough today. The stability was soon adjusted by the ship’s inbuilt ballast and Wu decided that she would look into the reports now. She signaled Han Xing who sat up straighter, fingers poised on the keyboard. Time to be impeccable in her duties now.

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Morning