S.P. Somtow, The Other City of Angels, 2001

A dark comedy set in 1990s Bangkok that Somtow wrote as a cliff-hanging serial for Thailand’s The Nation newspaper, directly based on the tale of Bluebeard. Several times divorced Jude Abramowitz is more-or-less kidnapped by marriage from her Californian lifestyle and thrown headlong into some over-the-top Bangkok high society decadence, with a murder mystery to solve along the way. It features at least one real-life character, the food critic Bob Halliday (who also appears in several more of Somtow’s stories), but beyond that any connection to the real world is deliberately suspect. Probably written with a predominantly female audience in mind it readily skims between genres, from Californian chick lit to whodunnit to supernatural thriller, all ending bizarrely in a fit of science fiction fury. For male readers it has its moments too but is best regarded as a kind of lightweight antidote to John Burdett’s Bangkok Eight, which didn’t contain nearly as much wisecracking in the face of death.  PY

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S.P. Somtow, Dragon’s Fin Soup, 2002

Theodore Sturgeon once called Somtow “One of the most gifted masters of colour and spectacle”, though reluctant about being labelled an ‘ethnic’ writer he long resisted writing creative fiction about Thailand. It was Fred Pohl who convinced him otherwise. Several stories in this collection of eight are notable: the truly excellent ‘The Bird Catcher’ won the World Fantasy Award for best short story, ‘Dragon’s Fin Soup’ has been optioned for a film by Japanese cult director Takashi Miike, and there is also the notably good virtual reality caper ‘The Last Time I Died in Venice’. For the most part Somtow’s preference for horror comes through as his strongest suit, and his cultural schizophrenia means he can effectively translate some distinctly Thai supernaturalities into some very well-written and crystal clear English. Recommended.  PY

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