SPIRITS ABROAD is such a wonderful short story collection that, after finishing the ebook, I ordered a physical copy because it would have been a greater shame to deprive myself and my bookshelf of this great collection. I have also recommended SPIRITS ABROAD to anyone in earshot as readily as I give my name when introducing myself.

Grouped into 3 sections (4 if you’re reading the ebook, with extra stories!), the stories are grouped by their setting, and unifying all of them is the whimsical way Cho brings to life the spirits of Malaysian folklore. The interactions between humans, spirits, and magic is, for lack of a better word, delightful, reminiscent of Miyazaki, which can aptly be applied to Cho’s voice as a writer within SPIRITS ABROAD and her other works.

What sets Cho apart from other writers is how well she writes dialogue—not just how clever it is, but how well she writes the small sounds and asides people make when speaking. Like turning lead to gold, the dialogue transforms “said” from descriptor to gestures and expressions, and make the characters come alive with misleadingly simple sentences. The ever-present aunties and mothers especially are shining examples of this three-dimensional dialogue, even those outside the brilliant “House of Aunts.”

Fans of Cho’s novel, SORCERER TO THE CROWN (which, if you haven’t read, needs to be next on your list) will be delighted to see a return to that world in “Prudence and the Dragon.” Without giving away too much, there is a wonderful scene that takes place in a grocery store which I have read aloud for friends and co-workers, usually unprovoked. Also cat buses. The ebook offers the added bonus “The Perseverance of Angela’s Past Life,” an equally fantastic short story that expands upon Prudence’s best friend. I will long for it when I open my physical copy.

In short, SPIRITS ABROAD is a brilliant collection, and the ebook is inexpensive enough that you don’t have a good excuse.