Roadkill

From a prize-winning new voice in Korean fiction, with roots in feminist SFF, these exhilarating stories will transport you to strange new worlds, celebrating young women striving for their independence and self-expression 
 
'Radically brilliant... made me want to spark trouble and overthrow the system' JANE FLETT 
 
'Plenty to keep you up at night, I loved the eerie beauty of the worlds Amil creates' NAOMI ISHIGURO 
 
'Thrilling and unsettling... I loved this' MEGAN BRADBURY 
 
In a near future where women are an endangered minority, two young friends try to break free from a facility designed for those few who can still give birth. Every year in a secluded seaside village, a maiden is sacrificed to a divine sea serpent. Elsewhere, the last female shaman of an indigenous tribe tells her stories to a visiting research team. And in South Korea’s Alps Grand Park, the residents exist in an exclusive world dominated by giant air purifier towers as others are left to live in the shade. 
 
The women in these stories find themselves trapped – by circumstance, society or tradition – as they fight for a means of escape. This sweeping and subversive collection celebrates their strength and their courage, their desire for independence and self-expression. 
 
Translated by Archana Madhavan

Roadkill is a radically brilliant collection. These uncanny fables shine a spotlight on the many ways women have been kept down, with nimble sentences that belie the fury thrumming beneath. Reading this book made me want to spark trouble and overthrow the system

I loved how unsettled each of these stories made me feel, and how Amil never neatly tidies away that unease, choosing instead to leave readers with plenty to contemplate, and plenty to keep them up at night. I loved, too, the eerie beauty of the worlds she creates, the complicated women at the stories’ hearts, and the often surprising way each story explores and explodes conventional ideas of entrapment and escape

This thrilling and unsettling story collection pulls no punches. It might introduce us to strange new worlds, but the themes at its heart are disturbingly close to home. I loved this collection

Megan Bradbury, author of EVERYONE IS WATCHING

Amil is a South Korean writer and translator. She has won numerous awards for her short stories, including the SF Award in the Short-Mid Novel category for ‘Roadkill’ and the SF Award Grand Prize for ‘Rabbi’, both of which feature in her debut story collection in English, Roadkill. Amil has translated works by authors including James Baldwin, Joyce Carol Oates, Jeanette Winterson, R. O. Kwon and Lucas Rijneveld into Korean.

We had always been rare and mysterious creatures. We’d been taught this ever since we were children. 
 
With strong roots in feminist science fiction and fantasy, Roadkill’s exhilarating stories transport us to strange new worlds. 
 
In a near future where women are an endangered minority, two young friends try to break free from a facility designed for those few who can still give birth. Every year in a secluded seaside village, a maiden is sacrificed to a divine sea serpent. Elsewhere, the last female shaman of an indigenous tribe tells her stories to a visiting research team. And in South Korea’s Alps Grand Park, the residents exist in an exclusive world dominated by giant air purifier towers as others are left to live in the shade. 
 
The women in these stories find themselves trapped – by circumstance, society or tradition – as they fight for a means of escape. This sweeping and subversive collection celebrates their strength and their courage, their desire for independence and self-expression. 
 
Translated by Archana Madhavan

Amil

Joheun Lee

Worship the idol. Fall for the real girl. 
 
In a future Korea, those who can afford to have retreated from the ravaged world outside, slipping on virtual reality headsets to lose themselves in simulations of the past. 
 
But high school student Soop, unable to access VR, is bullied by her classmates for being forced to remain in the real world. Her only solace comes from the K-pop she listens to on repeat. When Yichae – Soop’s favourite idol – comes to film a new music video at her school, Soop hopes this might be her chance at real connection. 
 
But Yichae has her own troubles. She is one of few remaining ‘real’ idols, celebrated for her authenticity, yet forced to live up to the unattainable beauty standards of her virtual counterparts. As Soop and Yichae are drawn closer through their shared love of music and unexpected feelings start to grow, both must question how to stay true to themselves and each other in an increasingly artificial world.

Amil

Books by Amil

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