I just want to get one thing out of the way before we start. There are many Asia-inspired fantasy books out there that I don’t mention but that are absolutely worth reading. So I had to narrow it down quite a bit. Therefore, this list is by no means a complete or definitive account. The 12 books I did choose for this list were published recently-ish. Most of them in the past few years (2020 onward) — with probably one or two exceptions. I also decided to focus on five specific countries, knowing that each book is inspired by their culture/mythology. These countries are Japan, China, Korea, Malaysia, and India. Without further ado, let’s get into it. Want more South Asian books? Here are 33 of the most anticipated releases of 2022! And if you want more fantasy recommendations, don’t forget to check out our SFF Archives.
