A Thousand Beginnings and Endings

A new reading of Asian myths and legends

Unfortunate lovers, celestial beings who interfere in people’s affairs, colorful tricksters, battles of sages, and terrible omens—these elements of fairy tales, myth, and folklore have drawn us in for centuries.

And now fifteen brilliant authors with Asian roots have reimagined their people’s traditional mythology in enchanting, heartbreaking, romantic, and passionate stories.

A mountain loses its heart. Two sisters transform into birds to avoid captivity. A misanthrope summoned to battle the gods learns the true meaning of sacrifice. A knight once killed by his mother’s brothers returns from beyond the grave to court her daughter. Unfortunate lovers who were never meant to be together, in their final embrace, become butterflies out of ashes. A girl continues a family tradition, helping the restless souls of the dead find peace in the afterlife.

From classic fantasy and realism to science fiction, from stories of love to stories of revenge—tales gathered in this exquisite collection by Ellen Oh and Elsi Chapman will enchant listeners from the very first words.

For all fans of Neil Gaiman’s “Fantastic Creatures” and Emery’s “Because You Love to Hate Me.”