I love the Ryū ga Gotoku/Yakuza games, though I’ve always found them more Yakuza-adjacent than actually playing a character that’s in a yakuza family. They often have great plotlines, highly compelling characters, absurdist yet fun side stories, and a massive amount of detail that make it clear that the games were lovingly made by people …
Can’t believe it’s already been another year. Maybe it’s because I’m still working from home thanks to the ongoing pandemic, but time feels like it’s both passing very fast and very slowly. Popping back to Singapore soon to see my family for the first time in years since the pandemic begun, looking forward to all …
I originally tried getting published for two (likely) shallow reasons: to make a little extra money to offset my elderly cat Russ’ increasing medical expenses, and in the hopes of someday being able to personally see one of my books on a bookstore shelf. Several years later, while what I do make from publishing short …
We’re nearly one month on from ION CURTAIN’s book birthday! Check out my interview about it over on Clarkesworld, my AMA over on r/Fantasy, and a list of inspirations on SciFiNow. If you’re looking for a fun summer space opera read (or winter, if you’re in the Southern Hemisphere like me), I hope you’d consider …
I don’t have any interest in modern war films. I’ve never watched Saving Private Ryan, or Dunkirk, or most of the World War I / II / Vietnam war etc films. The only ones I’ve enjoyed watching that I can recall offhand are fantasy-esque ones like Captain America and Wonder Woman. Growing up, I’ve never …
Damn, I’ve missed this game. Still one of the most cinematic, visually beautiful games I’ve ever played – Ghost of Tsushima’s Iki Island expansion came out in August. Finished it over the weekend. It was, sadly (or not?) pretty much a five hour exploration of (even more) of Sakai Jin’s deep-seated daddy issues. Dad Sakai …
Thrilled to reveal that my upcoming SFF space opera, The Ion Curtain, has been acquired by Rebellion Publishing, slated for release in 2022! Huge thanks to my agent, Jennie Goloboy, who got the deal through so quickly. Seriously thought it’d take far longer, given I only signed on with an agent in January. Enemies to …
I am asking you to watch Word of Honor | 山河令 . Even if (especially if!) you’ve never watched wuxia before. Even if you don’t like the danmei (Chinese BL) genre. For all its troubled production, tiny budget, and occasional plot hole from adapting a book with characters so Unrepentantly Murder that they’d never pass …
Season’s greetings and all that from Melbourne. This is the first year where I’ve had to spend the holiday season in Australia rather than back in Singapore, and it’s been a surreal feeling. The cats were pleased that I didn’t abandon them to a catsitter, presumably, though less so about the cheapie Kmart costumes they …
I think part of the reason why I find games like Ghost of Tsushima and Genshin Impact so compelling is that their non-Western settings are a form of personally familiar fantasy. The aesthetic is familiar and yet unfamiliar, and so the games just feel more immersive to me, even in their surrealist beauty. The difference …
