Neon Yang, formerly JY Yang, is a Singaporean writer of English-language

speculative fiction Speculative fiction is a term that has been used with a variety of (sometimes contradictory) meanings. The broadest interpretation is as a category of fiction encompassing genres with elements that do not exist in reality, recorded history, na ...

best known for the ''Tensorate'' series of novellas published by

Tor.com ''Tor.com'' is an online science fiction and fantasy magazine published by Tor Books, a division of Macmillan Publishers. The magazine publishes articles, reviews, original short fiction, re-reads and commentary on speculative fiction. From 20 ...

. The first ''Tensorate'' novella, '' The Black Tides of Heaven'', was a finalist for the 2018

Hugo Award The Hugo Award is an annual literary award for the best science fiction or fantasy works and achievements of the previous year, given at the World Science Fiction Convention and chosen by its members. The Hugo is widely considered the premier a ...

Locus Award The Locus Awards are an annual set of literary awards voted on by readers of the science fiction and fantasy magazine ''Locus'', a monthly magazine based in Oakland, California. The awards are presented at an annual banquet. In addition to the pl ...

Nebula Award The Nebula Awards annually recognize the best works of science fiction or fantasy published in the United States. The awards are organized and awarded by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA), a nonprofit association of profe ...

World Fantasy Award The World Fantasy Awards are a set of awards given each year for the best fantasy literature, fantasy fiction published during the previous calendar year. Organized and overseen by the World Fantasy Convention, the awards are given each year a ...

, and Kitschie Award. The third ''Tensorate'' novella, ''The Descent of Monsters'', was a finalist for the 2019

Lambda Literary Award Lambda Literary Awards, also known as the "Lammys", are awarded yearly by Lambda Literary to recognize the crucial role LGBTQ writers play in shaping the world. The Lammys celebrate the very best in LGBTQ literature.The awards were instituted i ...

for LGBTQ SF/F/Horror. Their debut novel, ''The Genesis of Misery'', the first book in ''The Nullvoid Chronicles'', is scheduled for release in 2022 by

Tor Books Tor Books is the primary imprint of Tor Publishing Group (previously Tom Doherty Associates), a publishing company based in New York City. It primarily publishes science fiction and fantasy titles, and is the largest publisher of Chinese scien ...

Biography

Yang is

non-binary Non-binary and genderqueer are umbrella terms for gender identities that are not solely male or femaleidentities that are outside the gender binary. Non-binary identities fall under the transgender umbrella, since non-binary people typically ...

and

queer ''Queer'' is an umbrella term for people who are not heterosexual or cisgender. Originally meaning or , ''queer'' came to be used pejoratively against those with same-sex desires or relationships in the late 19th century. Beginning in the lat ...

, and uses ''

they In Modern English, ''they'' is a third-person pronoun relating to a grammatical subject. Morphology In Standard Modern English, ''they'' has five distinct word forms: * ''they'': the nominative (subjective) form * ''them'': the accusat ...

'' pronouns. They legally changed their name to "Neon" in 2020. They have a master's degree in creative writing from the

University of East Anglia The University of East Anglia (UEA) is a public research university in Norwich, England. Established in 1963 on a campus west of the city centre, the university has four faculties and 26 schools of study. The annual income of the institution f ...

and were a member of the 2013 class of the

Clarion West Writers Workshop Clarion West Writers Workshop is an intensive six-week program for writers preparing for professional careers in science fiction and fantasy. It runs annually from late June through the end of July. The workshop is limited to 18 students per year. ...

Career

Yang has published short fiction since 2012 in publications such as ''

Clarkesworld ''Clarkesworld Magazine'' (ISSN 1937-7843) is an American online fantasy and science fiction magazine. It released its first issue October 1, 2006 and has maintained a regular monthly schedule since, publishing fiction by authors such as Elizabet ...

'', ''

Lightspeed Magazine ''Lightspeed'' is an American online fantasy and science fiction magazine edited and published by John Joseph Adams. The first issue was published in June 2010 and it has maintained a regular monthly schedule since. The magazine currently publis ...

'', ''

Uncanny Magazine ''Uncanny Magazine'' is an American science fiction and fantasy online magazine, edited and published by Lynne M. Thomas and Michael Damian Thomas, based in Urbana, Illinois. Its mascot is a space unicorn. The editors-in-chief, who originally ...

'', ''

Apex Magazine ''Apex Magazine'', also previously known as ''Apex Digest'', is an American horror and science fiction magazine. This subscription webzine, ''Apex Magazine'', contains short fiction, reviews, and interviews. It has been nominated for several awa ...

'' and ''

Strange Horizons ''Strange Horizons'' is an online speculative fiction magazine. It also features speculative poetry and nonfiction in every issue, including reviews, essays, interviews, and roundtables. History and profile It was launched in September 2000, and ...

''. Their novelette, "Waiting on a Bright Moon" was a top ten finalist for the 2018

for Best Novelette. Their novelette, "Circus Girl, The Hunter, and Mirror Boy" was a finalist for the 2020

Ignyte Award The Ignyte Awards are an annual literary award for the best science fiction, fantasy, and horror works and achievements of the previous year. Established in 2020 by writers L. D. Lewis and Suzan Palumbo as an off-shoot of '' FIYAH Literary Maga ...

. Their novelette, "A Stick of Clay, in the Hands of God, Is Infinite Potential" was a top ten finalist for the 2021

for Best Novelette. Their ''Tensorate'' series of novellas began in 2017 with the simultaneously released '' The Black Tides of Heaven'' and ''

The Red Threads of Fortune ''The Red Threads of Fortune'' is a 2017 LGBT fantasy novella by Singaporean author Neon Yang. After the death of her daughter, Tensor Sanao Mokoya has abandoned her position as prophet and now spends her time hunting naga in the wilderness. She ...

'', which were published by

to critical acclaim. '' The Black Tides of Heaven'' received a starred review from ''

Publishers Weekly ''Publishers Weekly'' (''PW'') is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers, and literary agents. Published continuously since 1872, it has carried the tagline, "The International News Magazine of B ...

'', which called it "a captivating Buddhist-inspired steampunk setting" that "captures an epic sweep in compact, precise prose", and a positive review from ''

Library Journal ''Library Journal'' is an American trade publication for librarians. It was founded in 1876 by Melvil Dewey. It reports news about the library world, emphasizing public libraries, and offers feature articles about aspects of professional prac ...

'', which called it (and its sibling volume, ''

'') "an impressive, fresh debut steeped in Chinese culture". ''

'' was also reviewed by ''

'', which said "though not as gripping as The Black Tides of Heaven''">' The Black Tides of Heaven'' the novella authentically depicts trauma and lays promising groundwork for future books in the series". '' The Black Tides of Heaven'' was a finalist for the 2017

Nebula Award for Best Novella The Nebula Award for Best Novella is given each year by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA) for science fiction or fantasy novellas. A work of fiction is defined by the organization as a novella if it is between 17,500 and 40 ...

, the 2018

Hugo Award for Best Novella The Hugo Award for Best Novella is one of the Hugo Awards given each year for science fiction or fantasy stories published or translated into English during the previous calendar year. The novella award is available for works of fiction of between ...

, the 2018

for Best Novella, and the 2018

Kitschies The Kitschies are British literary prizes presented annually for "the year's most progressive, intelligent and entertaining works that contain elements of the speculative or fantastic" published in the United Kingdom. Awards and criteria The Ki ...

Golden Tentacle, and was named one of the 100 best fantasy novels of all time by a ''

Time Time is the continued sequence of existence and events that occurs in an apparently irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequence events, to ...

'' magazine panel. The ''Tensorate'' series continued with the novellas ''The Descent of Monsters'' in 2018 and ''The Ascent to Godhood'' in 2019. ''The Descent of Monsters'' was a finalist for the 2019

for LGBTQ SF/F/Horror. ''The Ascent to Godhood'' received a positive review from ''

'', which called it "a thrilling adventure

hat A hat is a head covering which is worn for various reasons, including protection against weather conditions, ceremonial reasons such as university graduation, religious reasons, safety, or as a fashion accessory. Hats which incorporate mecha ...

stands alone, as well as providing moving, complicated backstory for the earlier books". Yang's debut novel, ''The Genesis of Misery'', the first in ''The Nullvoid Chronicles'' trilogy, was announced by

in 2020, to be released in September 2022, and described as a retelling of the story of

Joan of Arc Joan of Arc (french: link=yes, Jeanne d'Arc, translit= �an daʁk} ; 1412 – 30 May 1431) is a patron saint of France, honored as a defender of the French nation for her role in the siege of Orléans and her insistence on the coronati ...

as a

mecha In science fiction, or mechs are giant robots or machines controlled by people, typically depicted as humanoid walking vehicles. The term was first used in Japanese (language), Japanese after shortening the English loanword or , but the mean ...

space opera Space opera is a subgenre of science fiction that emphasizes space warfare, with use of melodramatic, risk-taking space adventures, relationships, and chivalric romance. Set mainly or entirely in outer space, it features technological and soci ...

. ''The Genesis of Misery'' received a starred review from ''

'', which called it a "vibrant tour de force" and "a triumph", noting that it "presents a simultaneous embrace and inversion of Chosen One narratives" and its "themes of faith, suffering, queerness, and duty".

Themes

Yang's work revolves around "the human body as a vessel for storytelling", and is based on their background as a molecular biologist, journalist and

science communicator Science communication is the practice of informing, educating, raising awareness of science-related topics, and increasing the sense of wonder about scientific discoveries and arguments. Science communicators and audiences are ambiguously def ...

. They have described themself as "a deep pessimist about human nature," saying that "the best we can do is to recognize this and mitigate that assholic nature when we can. I think, ultimately, that’s what most of my stories end up being about." They have referenced David Mitchell,

Helen Oyeyemi Helen Oyeyemi FRSL (born 10 December 1984) is a British novelist and writer of short stories. Life Oyeyemi was born in Nigeria and was raised in Lewisham, South London from when she was four. Oyeyemi wrote her first novel, '' The Icarus Girl'' ...

, and

William Gibson William Ford Gibson (born March 17, 1948) is an American-Canadian speculative fiction writer and essayist widely credited with pioneering the science fiction subgenre known as ''cyberpunk''. Beginning his writing career in the late 1970s, his ...

as influences on their writing. Yang has described their Tensorate novellas as "queer Asian science fantasy."Author's official website
visited 12/4/2021 The series has been described as " silkpunk" by reviewers.

Bibliography

Novels

''The Nullvoid Chronicles'' trilogy # ''The Genesis of Misery'',

, 2022

Novellas

''Tensorate'' series

# '' The Black Tides of Heaven'',

, 2017, # ''

'',

, 2017, # ''The Descent of Monsters'',

, 2018, # ''The Ascent to Godhood'',

, 2019, The four volumes were collected in an omnibus edition: ''The Tensorate Series'',

, 2021,

Standalone

*''Between the Firmaments'', Book Smugglers Publishing, 2018

Other short fiction

Collections

* ''The Ayam Curtain'',

Math Paper Press BooksActually is an independent bookstore operating online. It was formerly located in Singapore's Tiong Bahru district till 2020. History and description BooksActually was established by Kenny Leck and Karen Wai in 2005 on the second floor o ...

, 2012, ed. as June Yang with Joyce Chng,

Stories

References

External links

* *

Interviews

Author Spotlight: JY Yang
Xander Odell, ''

'', issue #68, 2016
Asian Science Fiction, Fantasy, & Horror: A Round Table Discussion

Aliette de Bodard Aliette de Bodard is a French-American speculative fiction writer. Writing de Bodard published her first short story in 2006. In 2007, she was a winner of Writers of the Future, and in 2009 was nominated for the John W. Campbell Award for Best ...

, ''

Mithila Review ''Mithila Review'' is the only World literature, international science fiction and fantasy magazine published from India. It publishes original speculative fiction, Speculative poetry, poetry, reviews and interviews from authors from South Asia and ...

'', 2016
JY Yang: Energy Systems
Francesca Myman, ''

Locus Magazine ''Locus: The Magazine of The Science Fiction & Fantasy Field'', founded in 1968, is an American magazine published monthly in Oakland, California. It is the news organ and trade journal for the English-language science fiction and fantasy (genre ...

'', 2018
Interview: JY Yang
Christian A. Coleman, ''

'', issue #98, 2018 {{DEFAULTSORT:Yang, Neon Year of birth missing (living people) Living people Alumni of the University of East Anglia Non-binary writers Singaporean short story writers Singaporean LGBT writers 21st-century Singaporean writers Queer people 21st-century LGBT people Queer writers

Biography

Career

Themes

Bibliography

Novels

Novellas

''Tensorate'' series

Standalone

Other short fiction

Collections

Stories

See also

References

External links

Interviews