Asian-Inspired Fantasy With More Than a Decorative Setting

A convincing fantasy world gives people more than striking scenery to move through. These 25 books make family obligations, religious ideas, political institutions, everyday practices or the authority of stories matter to what their characters can do. Their influences are deliberately varied: Chinese classics, Korean folklore, Malaysian life, Indian history and philosophy, Arab storytelling, Sri Lankan political memory and the connected world of the Indian Ocean. The range includes close retellings and freely invented worlds, with particular influences explained in the recommendations. The recommendations distinguish intimate ghost stories, romantic adventures, demanding epics and much darker literary fantasies, with series commitments noted where useful.