After the Dragons

by Cynthia Zhang

Overview

Dragons were fire and terror to the Western world, but in the East they brought life-giving rain. Now, no longer hailed as gods and struggling in the overheated pollution of Beijing, only the Eastern dragons survive. As drought plagues the aquatic creatures, a mysterious disease – shaolong, or "burnt lung" – afflicts the city's human inhabitants.

Jaded college student Xiang Kaifei scours Beijing streets for abandoned dragons, distracting himself from his diagnosis. Elijah Ahmed, a biracial American medical researcher, is drawn to Beijing by the memory of his grandmother and her death by shaolong. Interest in Beijing's dragons leads Kai and Eli into an unlikely partnership. With the resources of Kai's dragon rescue and Eli's immunology research, can the pair find a cure for shaolong and safety for the dragons? Eli and Kai must confront old ghosts and hard truths if there is any hope for themselves or the dragons they love.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781777091743
Publisher:	Stelliform Press
Publication date:	08/19/2021
Pages:	160
Sales rank:	434,357
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.37(d)

About the Author

Cynthia Zhang is a Ph.D. student in Comparative Studies in Literature and Culture at the University of Southern California. In 2022 her novel After the Dragons was shortlisted for the Ursula K. Le Guin Prize for Fiction.

Editorial Reviews

05/17/2021

Zhang’s quiet, Beijing-set romantic fantasy debut kicks off when Afro-Chinese-Amerian Elijah “Eli” Ahmed, an intern at Beida’s Department of Immunology, goes to a back-alley dragon fight. There, he meets Xiang “Kai” Kaifei, a college student who rescues stray dragons in his spare time. Kai is terminally ill with shaolong, the lung disease that killed Eli’s grandmother. When Eli finds a way to get the university involved in the care and keeping of Kai’s rescue dragons, who act charmingly like stray cats, the men begin to grow closer. Their meandering romance unfolds gently as Eli comes to terms with his sexuality and tries to help the stubbornly self-sufficient Kai, who does not want charity or to be defined by his illness. The stakes are almost nonexistent, and the lack of action may disappoint readers who expect contemporary fantasy to contain more plot than just a leisurely love story set against a magical backdrop. Those looking for a tender, mild escape, however, will appreciate the space Zhang leaves for introspection as the men’s feelings grow. Sweet, slow, and lightly speculative, this is sure to find an audience. (Aug.)

Publishers Weekly

Shortlisted for the 2022 Ursula K. Le Guin Prize for Fiction.

"Zhang's portrayal of Beijing is rich with intimate details and subtle commentary on climate change, while the delightfully distinct dragons are seamlessly integrated. Despite being a slim novel, Zhang's introspective fantasy has enormous heart and astonishing depth." – Krista Hutley for Booklist

"This is a slim, beautiful jewel-box of a novel. It is vividly atmospheric and feels real as if tiny flocks of dragons might sit on telephone lines in modern-day Beijing. It explores falling in love in the wake of grief and the ways in which we try to exert control over our lives. Its quiet intimacy will break your heart and give you hope – and also dragons. Perfect, beautifully drawn dragons. It's a lovely debut and I look forward to seeing what Cynthia Zhang does next." – Mary Robinette Kowal, Hugo and Nebula Award-winning author of The Calculating Stars

From the Publisher