One takes a very long emotional rollercoaster ride in a novel, but in an anthology, one takes many many short emotional rides. And that's what this anthology will do to you: bring you on different rides of new Malaysian writings. So sit back with your cuppa and enjoy the read. Featuring the following new voices: Chloe Lim | Nurhayati Mohd Fadzil | Aimee Lee | Archana Vijai Kumar | Sukanya Dhanarajan | Najrina Suhana Abdul Jalil | Kaljit Kaur | Chong Beng Wei | Peter Soh | Khayma Balakrishnan | Sarah Alwi | Sanjugtha Vigneswaran

What is faith, except hope in desperation? All Putera Mikal wants is to gain the Amok Strength, the supernatural power granted by Kudus to the Mahan royal family. No matter how religiously Mikal keeps his vows, Kudus still denies him the Strength—whilst his father, Sultan Simson, flaunts the Strength despite his blatant defiance of the Temple and the priests’ visions of coming doom. Then the prophecies come true. Taken captive, Mikal must find a way to liberate his people and restore his throne in Maha—and the key to this is the Amok Strength. But what does it take to gain Kudus’ favour?

If cursed is the hand that kills, then it wouldn’t matter if that same hand stole, would it? Tulen feels doubly cursed, forced to serve the bratty princess of Impian as punishment for her crimes. When said princess embarks on a pilgrimage, Tulen grabs her only chance to offer a sacrifice at the holy city of Suci—and maybe, finally, feel clean again. Sultan Mikal has set his face towards Suci—and certain death. Nothing about his Penance is clear, except the fact that if he fails, Terang will fall along with him. When Tulen’s pilgrimage intersects with Sultan Mikal’s quest to fulfil the Covenant of Salt, Tulen faces a difficult dilemma: What is her absolution worth in the face of the sultanate’s very existence?

Yosua wears an uneasy crown. Although he is now Raja of Bayangan, he still longs for the land of his birth where everything was much simpler…and less deadly. But peace doesn’t come easily, not for a twenty-year-old servant playacting at being king. With his parents brutally murdered and his uncle bent on revenge, Yosua must decide where his loyalties truly lie. With his only remaining relative and the kingdom he has claimed? Or with his best friend Mikal and the sultanate that raised him as a hostage?

Equally nostalgic yet nightmarish, Lime Pickled is a short story collection set in a fictional Malaysia on the murky themes of exploitation, ecological damage, poverty, abuse and loss. Nefarious characters and the oppressed interact in modern Asia’s richly-textured familiar and amoral setting. At once dark and surreal yet heartwarming, this collection was written during the author’s 15-year stint in Malaysia and hits hard in many ways. Marc de Faoite’s gritty and satirical storytelling hints at traditional folklore with a brush of Zola’s detached naturalism. The initial primal shock cuts deep but these controversial and revealing stories of human longing and hope will stay with you for a long time. "A collection with an unmistakable heart." - Shih-Li Kow Read Lime Pickled and Other Stories today and discover new Asian writing.

Collection of literature and short stories in Malaysia.

This book comprises a collection of essays that address a significant gap in the study of Malaysian Literature in English by exploring selected local and diasporic writings produced in the new postcolonial millennium, including works by established, emerging, and new writers. The literary developments in this new millennium have been substantial and are reflected in the production of new voices, viewpoints, themes, trends, styles, and forms. By articulating these changing postcolonial perspectives and conditions, the chapters in this volume can inform and enrich the study of nation, society, and culture in a globalized and hyperreal age. Tapping into the difference, diversity, and hybridity of 21st-century historicized and glocalized multicultural Malaysia, the millennium writings explore the changing identities and relations and their social, cultural, and political dimensions through the intersections of race, gender, sexuality, and class. By examining new, different, or changing ideas, forms, themes, and representations, this book considers the vital ways the millennium voices and viewpoints can potentially help us critically rethink and resituate postcolonial studies on Malaysia as they spotlight challenges and new directions in the field. The book will be of interest to researchers, academics, and scholars in the field of Malaysian writing in English, Southeast Asian literature, Asian literature, diaspora, and literary studies. The chapters in the book were originally published as a special issue in the Journal of Postcolonial Writing.