Fantasy with an eastern setting?

Brian · 4 months

There's Barry Hughart's Master Li and Number Ten Ox books, set in "An Ancient China that never was". The first is Bridge of Birds, and it's excellent.

astragal · 4 months

Empire series by Raymond Feist and Janny Wurts. It has more of generic oriental feel rather than actually based on an actual region I think.

unconundrum · 4 months

Middle-Eastern wise, there's Saladin Ahmed's Throne of the Crescent Moon (mentioned in another recent post) and The Desert of Souls by Howard Andrew Jones.

Asia-wise, there's Guy Gavriel Kay's Under Heaven which is based off China.

exNihlio · 4 months

Journey to the West is set in China. Of course this loosely based on Chinese History. Not sure if you want to count it.

1001 Arabian Nights are a great read and are set completely in the Middle East or fictionalized areas thereof.

The Wheel of Time has numerous Eastern influences prevalent throughout. Several of the countries within are ostensibly analogues of Persia and Japan. Much of the philosophy is influenced by Buhdism and Taoism.

Robert E. Howards Conan takes place in a prehistory era and has areas reminiscent of South America and ancient Egypt.

Legend of the Five Rings has several novels set in its universe. I would also suggest picking up a copy of the Oriental Adventures. This is sourcebook for D&D that includes the setting for Rokugan, the world that Legend of the Five rings is set in. It has numerous references in there that may help you flesh out your ideas.

Rifts is a terribly confusing and all around frustrating pen and paper RPG. But its sourcebooks detail numerous non Western settings including, Japan, China, South American, Africa and Russia. If you are looking for more inspiration you should search around for some of them online.

nowonmai666 · 4 months

Barry Hughart's series set in "A China That Never Was" has been mentioned.

Guy Gavriel Kay's Under Heaven is also set in a fantasy version of China.

What I've read of Brandon Sanderson's work strikes me as not particularly European. The Mistborn trilogy sort of feels a bit Chinesey to me, although it's not explicitly so and people's mileage varies. The societies in The Way of Kings are for the most part just alien.

1point618 · 4 months

I posted about this ages ago and got a bunch of really good recommendations so I'll leave this here for you: http://www.reddit.com/r/Fantasy/comments/ca0ub/fantasy_minus_europe_what_is_your_favorite/

Also from that thread I'd specifically recommend Lord of Light by Zelazny (Hindu / Buddhist fantasy).

MindCanaries · 4 months

The Long Price Quartet by Daniel Abraham has definite oriental leanings, without being cribbed straight from Japanese culture.

ninjacello · 4 months

I asked a similar question a few months ago- "What are some good fantasy stories in an Asian setting?" and got some pretty good responses.

StrawhatPirate · 4 months

Well seems it bugged out...writing again.

Rose of the Prophet trilogy (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rose_of_the_Prophet) by Tracy Hickman and Margaret Weis. Middle-Eastern world with Djinn's etc. Been a while since I read it but I liked how the gods were done in that one.

wicksy · 4 months

Saladin ahmed

robot-rollcall · 4 months

Juuni Kokki, also called Chronicle of the 12 Countries or just The Twelve Kingdoms, by Fuyumi Ono.

It's a series of Japanese novels based on Chinese mythology. Four of the novels, comprising the first story set in this world, have been translated and released in English. Here's an Amazon link to novel 1.

kelloish · 4 months

Assassins of Tamurin is one of my favorites. By S.D. Tower.

ncbose · 4 months

The Emperor's Knife - Mazarkis Williams has got a mix of asian influences.great reviews so far.

http://thefoundingfields.com/2011/12/the-emperors-knife-bane-of-kings/

Accelerator · 4 months

The Prince of Nothing Trilogy - It's set in a "Middle Eastern" style fantasy world with warring tribes, kingdoms and religions... oh and a healthy dose of Mages and what appears to be Space Demons.

FireNova · 4 months

Trudi Canavan includes some main characters from a very eastern style part of her world in The Magicians Apprentice and her Black Magician Trilogy.

sblinn · 4 months

Kij Johnson's The Fox Woman and Fudoki.

Also, check out the fantasy titles from Haikasoru.

Also, Half World by Hiromi Goto.

Also, Haruki Murakami's The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle, or 1Q84, or Kafka on the Shore. It's modern set, not feudal/classical/ancient Japan, though. And for some the magical realism isn't "enough" to be "fantasy" or whatever.

clockworklycanthrope · 4 months

As I noted in another recent thread, "The Book on Fire" by Keith Miller would be a good option. The setting and story culture is Egyptian, as the book takes place in a sort of alternate past, magical Egypt. It's largely centered around the library of Alexandria.

YA author Tamora Pierce has also written some books that fit this bill. Although she usually establishes her main characters in a vaguely European culture, they never stay there for long. The second "Circle of Magic" quartet and the two books that follow it ("Melting Stones," and "The Will of the Empress") take place in a variety of different cultures resembling India, the Middle East, China, and others respectively. Her Trickster books take place on some quasi Indonesian/Malaysian islands. Similarly, one book from her "Immortals" series takes place in Carthak, which is quite non-Western despite not seeming to have any particular real world counterpart country. Even her "Song of the Lioness" books contain some multi-cultural, non-European segments; in several of them, Alanna (the main character) lives among a vaguely Middle-Eastern tribe of desert nomads called the Bazhir.

I hope this helps!

greenskyx · 4 months

This series is a historical fiction about Genghis Khan and it's awesome.

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wolf_of_the_Plains

undergarden · 4 months

Barry Hughart--Bridge of Birds. My favorite fantasy novel, period.

AdamVen · 4 months

Interesting Times - Terry Pratchett

WillPhillips · 4 months

I have to admit that I'm really, really disappointed in myself because my first thoughts were the Sopranos or Jersey Shores with elves and dwarves and battleaxes.

Wavemanns · 4 months

Sword Dancer series by Jennifer Roberson has very middle east setting.

Sunset Warrior cycle by Eric Van Lustbader is samurai meets fallout.

Both well worth reading series. Might be hard to find in local bookstores but online stores solve that issue :)

causa_est_licentia · 4 months

Easily the best oriental fantasy I have read. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tales_of_the_Otori

DigitalHeadSet · 4 months

Shogun - not fantasy per se, but required reading for all.

Fourwinds · 4 months

Here's a free audio novella set in a far east with fantasy elements, "Moon viewing at Shijo Bridge".

http://podcastle.org/2008/09/02/pc023-moon-viewing-at-shijo-bridge-podcastle-giant/

The author, Richard Parks has a few short story collections, and is planning one for 2013 all featuring the protagonist of "moon viewing", Lord Yamada.

Januaryf · 4 months

Fiona McIntosh's "Percheron" series (first book is "Odalisque") is set in a Turkey-like country - harems, sultans, etc. Great series!

iHobbit · 4 months

Empire trilogy by Feist and Wurts is a culture with a more Asian feel.

woadgrrl · 4 months

Most of the suggestions appear to be for pretty straight-up, high-fantasy type novels or series, and that's great, but if I can throw a bit of a curveball...

there are a few books in Terry Pratchett's Discworld series that are set, at least in part, in West- or East-Asian inspired cultures.

Of course, being Discworld novels, the settings are generally use to satirize modern foreign relations, and provide contrast to the very western setting of Ankh-Morpork. And, also, they are only loosely based on these cultures. But, I couldn't pass up an opportunity to recommend Pratchett. So, if you're in the mood for something completely different, and highly entertaining, check them out.

Specifically, Interesting Times is a Chinese/Japanese style setting. Jingo has a middle east/Arabian style setting. Nation, not really part of the larger Discworld series, has a South Pacific/Oceania setting. Small Gods is a bit harder to pin down; there's certainly middle-eastern influence, but it's also clearly Mediterranean/Vatican inspired.

mmm_burrito · 4 months

Sean Russel's Initiate Brother books. It's only two novels. The fantasy elements are very low-key, with the focus kept on politics and warring factions, à la Game of Thrones (though I'm pretty sure Russell came first). What "magic" exists in the world is actually an extension of the kung-fu/Buddhist religion within Russel's universe.

lasercow · 4 months

The Iron Ring is a young adult fantasy book with an Asian cultural feel.

atrasicarius · 4 months

The Initiate Brother/Gatherer of Clouds by Sean Russel and The Winds of Khalakovo by Bradley P. Beaulieu.

greentangent · 4 months

The latter books in Glen Cook's "The Black Company" novels; the Books of the South, are rather Indian in the culture and mythology.

johny5w · 4 months

This is such a good question. Almost all fantasy series I've read have been firmly European sounding.

I would like to recommend The Prince Of Nothing by R Scott Bakkar. It's set in both a European and Middle Eastern setting, sort of mirroring the crusades. Plus, it's an amazing series with positively staggering characterizations. Very violent, so be careful with that.

Malazan too has different settings for different continents.

zootie1973 · 4 months

Chung Kuo by David Wingrove

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