“The Girl with Ghost Eyes is a fun, fun read. Martial arts and Asian magic set in Old San Francisco make for a fresh take on urban fantasy, a wonderful story that kept me up late to finish.”
—#1 New York Times bestselling author Patricia Briggs
It’s the end of the nineteenth century in San Francisco’s Chinatown, and ghost hunters from the Maoshan traditions of Daoism keep malevolent spiritual forces at bay. Li-lin, the daughter of a renowned Daoshi exorcist, is a young widow burdened with yin eyes—the unique ability to see the spirit world. Her spiritual visions and the death of her husband bring shame to Li-lin and her father—and shame is not something this immigrant family can afford.
When a sorcerer cripples her father, terrible plans are set in motion, and only Li-lin can stop them. To aid her are her martial arts and a peachwood sword, her burning paper talismans, and a wisecracking spirit in the form of a human eyeball tucked away in her pocket. Navigating the dangerous alleys and backrooms of a male-dominated Chinatown, Li-lin must confront evil spirits, gangsters, and soulstealers before the sorcerer’s ritual summons an ancient evil that could burn Chinatown to the ground.
With a rich and inventive historical setting, nonstop martial arts action, authentic Chinese magic, and bizarre monsters from Asian folklore, The Girl with Ghost Eyes is also the poignant story of a young immigrant searching to find her place beside the long shadow of a demanding father and the stigma of widowhood. In a Chinatown caught between tradition and modernity, one woman may be the key to holding everything together.
Skyhorse Publishing, under our Night Shade and Talos imprints, is proud to publish a broad range of titles for readers interested in science fiction (space opera, time travel, hard SF, alien invasion, near-future dystopia), fantasy (grimdark, sword and sorcery, contemporary urban fantasy, steampunk, alternative history), and horror (zombies, vampires, and the occult and supernatural), and much more. While not every title we publish becomes a New York Times bestseller, a national bestseller, or a Hugo or Nebula award-winner, we are committed to publishing quality books from a diverse group of authors. - (Perseus Publishing)
“The Girl with Ghost Eyes is a fun, fun read. Martial arts and Asian magic set in Old San Francisco make for a fresh take on urban fantasy, a wonderful story that kept me up late to finish."
—#1 New York Times bestselling author Patricia Briggs
It's the end of the nineteenth century in San Francisco's Chinatown, and ghost hunters from the Maoshan traditions of Daoism keep malevolent spiritual forces at bay. Li-lin, the daughter of a renowned Daoshi exorcist, is a young widow burdened with yin eyes—the unique ability to see the spirit world. Her spiritual visions and the death of her husband bring shame to Li-lin and her father—and shame is not something this immigrant family can afford.
When a sorcerer cripples her father, terrible plans are set in motion, and only Li-lin can stop them. To aid her are her martial arts and a peachwood sword, her burning paper talismans, and a wisecracking spirit in the form of a human eyeball tucked away in her pocket. Navigating the dangerous alleys and backrooms of a male-dominated Chinatown, Li-lin must confront evil spirits, gangsters, and soulstealers before the sorcerer's ritual summons an ancient evil that could burn Chinatown to the ground.
With a rich and inventive historical setting, nonstop martial arts action, authentic Chinese magic, and bizarre monsters from Asian folklore, The Girl with Ghost Eyes is also the poignant story of a young immigrant searching to find her place beside the long shadow of a demanding father and the stigma of widowhood. In a Chinatown caught between tradition and modernity, one woman may be the key to holding everything together.
Skyhorse Publishing, under our Night Shade and Talos imprints, is proud to publish a broad range of titles for readers interested in science fiction (space opera, time travel, hard SF, alien invasion, near-future dystopia), fantasy (grimdark, sword and sorcery, contemporary urban fantasy, steampunk, alternative history), and horror (zombies, vampires, and the occult and supernatural), and much more. While not every title we publish becomes a New York Times bestseller, a national bestseller, or a Hugo or Nebula award-winner, we are committed to publishing quality books from a diverse group of authors. - (Simon and Schuster)
M. H. Boroson was obsessed with two things as a young man: Buffy the Vampire Slayer and kung fu movies. He has studied Chinese religion at Naropa University and the University of Colorado and now lives in Denver, Colorado, with his wife and three cats. The Girl with Ghost Eyes is his first novel. - (Perseus Publishing)
Library Journal Reviews
In 19th-century San Francisco, a friend of Li-lin's deceased husband lures her into a trap set for her in the spirit world. A mysterious one-armed man wants her father dead and hoped to use Li-lin as a conduit for an evil spirit, owing to her ability to see spirits and travel to their realm—an ability known as having yin or "ghost" eyes. Caught in the spirit world, Li-lin must find a way back to Chinatown to help her father and get revenge on the man who tried to trap her. With her father injured, Li-lin will need to search in some unusual places for allies, including local criminal gangs and a talking eyeball spirit. VERDICT This slim debut is packed with evocative imagery of the multitudes of spirits lurking just out of sight. Li-lin is a strong, determined character, but Boroson doesn't make her wildly anachronistic for her time, imbuing her with filial loyalty and a respect for her culture that should not be called meekness. Fans of Molly Tanzer's excellent Vermillion should check this out, as should fans of Hong Kong action films and kung fu.—MM
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Publishers Weekly Reviews
Debut novelist Boroson crafts a brilliant tale of magic, monsters, and kung fu in the San Francisco Chinatown of 1898. Xian Li-lin is a Maoshan priestess, destined to fight monsters with paper talismans and her peachwood sword. When she is tricked and trapped in the spirit world, her father, who is a powerful priest, must make a terrible sacrifice to rescue her. Li-lin learns that the ambush was meant to eliminate both of them before they can stop a horrifying plan to create a Kulou-Yuanling, a monstrous spirit giant created from the corpses of 100 men. With her father weakened, Li-lin must seek allies among monsters, spirits, and gangsters. Her only protector and counselor is Mr. Yanqiu, the spirit of her father's eye. This fantastic tale smoothly mixes Hong Kong cinema with urban fantasy, and Li-lin is a splendid protagonist whose cleverness and bravura will leave readers eager for her future adventures. Agent: Sandy Lu, L. Perkins Agency. (Nov.)
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