‘Bora Chung has proven once again that she is an undeniable maestro of the uncanny, grotesque, and posthuman. Only a consummate speculative allegorist could write a collection that functions as so haunting a mirror of our modern world, reminding us all the while that the politely deranged cannibals and lovesick AIs and beleaguered alien wives we see reflected in that mirror are really just versions of ourselves.’
Rafael Frumkin, author of Confidence and The Comedown
‘[A] sharp and often bizarre exploration of the borderlands of sci-fi and horror and social satire. It’s an eclectic mix, but many of the stories draw speculative permutations of current social inequities … Contemporary social issues such as domestic violence and discrimination against trans people are woven into unexpected tales, with familiar tropes made strange by the weird and penetrating originality of Chung’s imagination.’
Cameron Woodhead, The Sydney Morning Herald
‘Lovers of science fiction and all the things it can tell us about our world are encouraged to check out this book, and see for themselves what makes Bora Chung’s haunting prose and dry humour so popular.’
Annie Mills, The AU Review
‘Imagining a utopia and mourning when it falls short are the first steps toward creating a better world. A big job for fiction; Chung’s up to the task. The imagined worlds here may not be utopian — but the reading experience is.’
Kirkus Reviews, starred review
‘Hur returns as Chung’s brilliant Korean-to-English cipher for eight more enigmatically irresistible stories … Chung’s electrifying author’s note offers provenance for many of her stories and an empathic invitation to progress “toward a better world for both you and me.”’
Booklist, starred review
‘A gut-punch reminder of our own humanity or lack thereof. It urges readers not only to be kinder, but also to be wide-eyed about the technological world around them. This is a book to slip into your friend’s hand with a knowing nod and a wordless 'trust me' implied.’
Scientific American
‘[An] impressive second collection … Through the prism of her singular imagination, Chung looks sharply at the ways the world we’ve made doesn’t suit us … These are stories to sit with, to read one at a time, and savour.’
Esquire, ‘The Best Sci-Fi Books of 2024 (So Far)’
‘Extraordinary … Every story stretches the imagination but has foundations in the mundane … Each story is as strong as the next. Chung is fully in charge.’
Bob Moore, Good Reading Magazine
‘Uncanny atmospheres and heartfelt human insights strike an unlikely balance … Chung lingers tenderly with the emotional depths of her stories, which arise almost unexpectedly as her characters navigate surreal, speculative, and often mundanely horrifying horizons.’
Shelf Awareness
‘Bora Chung is a writer rich in ideas with an impressive power of controlled narration and tone. Everything is thoughtful and quiet, even amid horrifying details.’
The Arts Fuse
‘This is another fantastic collection … that combines big topics such as technology, human absurdity, and mortality. And [Chung] does it in the most amazing ways.’
Book Riot
‘If you are looking for stories that are reminiscent of Black Mirror or that peek into the unknown, surrounding, burgeoning AI and make one generally question what it means to be human, then Your Utopia is for you.’
BookReporter
‘Your Utopia is another remarkable assembly of speculative tales … whereas almost everything has been done, Chung’s twists actually manage to surprise … very, very good.’
The New Zealand Herald
‘Bora Chung spins tales in which the mundane and the ominous bleed together … [T]here’s no questioning the ambition and philosophical curiosity at play here.’
Doug Wallen, The Big Issue
‘Chung’s distinctive imagination remains delightfully compelling … Chung’s stories eschew techno-pessimism and suggest that empathy and heart are what is missing from discussions about technology’s role in our future.’
The Georgetown Voice
Praise for Cursed Bunny:
‘Anton Hur’s nimble translation manages to capture the tricky magic of Chung’s voice — its wry humour and overarching coolness broken by sudden, thrilling dips into passages of vivid description. Even as Chung presents a catalogue of grotesqueries that range from unsettling to seared-into-the-brain disturbing, her power is in restraint. She and Hur always keep the reader at a slight distance in order for the more chilling twists to land with maximum impact, allowing us to walk ourselves into the trap.’
Violet Kupersmith, The New York Times Book Review
Praise for Cursed Bunny:
‘Sharp, wildly inventive, and slightly demented (in the most enjoyable way, of course) … All we can say is buckle in, because when these stories take their horrific turn there’s no setting them down.’
Chicago Review of Books
Praise for Cursed Bunny:
‘While the stories in Cursed Bunny by Bora Chung blend elements of horror, fantasy and the surreal, each is viscerally rooted in the real fears and pressures of everyday life.’
International Booker Prize judges
Praise for Cursed Bunny:
‘Chung brings together 10 stories that are frightening, fantastical, and oddly funny … there is a glinting humour to Chung’s work and a glee at telling a good story well, no matter how terrifying. Cursed Bunny is absurdist horror with a feminist slant, and Hur’s translation deftly follows its every turn.’
PEN America
Praise for Cursed Bunny:
‘If you were the kind of child who was enthralled by Scary Stories to Read in the Dark, Bora Chung writes for you. Like the work of Carmen Maria Machado and Aoko Matsuda, Chung’s stories are so wonderfully, blisteringly strange and powerful that it's almost impossible to put Cursed Bunny down. In short, this collection may, in fact, be a cursed object in the best possible way.’
Kelly Link, bestselling author of Get In Trouble
