Lu Siang
Summit Books
25 August 2026
304
eBook - PDF
Literary Fiction
ARC via Edelweiss
Inspired by the vacant, uninhabited megacities of China, Ghost Cities follows multiple narratives, including one in which a young man named Xiang is fired from his job as a translator at Sydney's Chinese Consulate after it is discovered he doesn't speak a word of Chinese and has been relying entirely on Google Translate for his work. The incident goes viral under the hashtag #BadChinese and attracts the attention of the eccentric film director Baby Bao, who uses Lu to attract press for his latest film. Bao’s movie, based on ancient legends, is to be filmed in one of China’s “ghost cities”.
How is his relocation to a ghost city connected to a parallel odyssey in which an ancient Emperor creates a thousand doubles of Himself? Or where a horny mountain gains sentience? Where a chess-playing automaton hides a deadly secret? Or a tale in which every book in the known Empire is destroyed—then recreated, page by page and book by book—all in the name of love and art?
Ghost Cities was a book with a fascinating premise and some interesting points to make. I really enjoyed how the two narratives at first seemed distinct before blending closer and closer together as the tales progressed, until the parallels between them became increasingly clear. The quasi-historical tale had the feeling of a myth about it. Meanwhile, the modern-day narrative seemed highly plausible in light of the increased use of AI in everyday tasks. The book touches on many themes, though a notable one is the situation of the Chinese diaspora -- those who stay closer to their ancestral roots and those, like Xiang, who do not. It questions if there is a requirement to delve deep into ancestry and what part ancestral background plays in who a person is. The idea of 'ghost cities' was not one I had come across before reading this book, but it is amazing to think such places exist: ready for occupation yet devoid of life. This is a book that will definitely stay in my mind and I would happily read more from this author in the future. I am giving it 4.5 stars.
I received this book as a free eBook ARC via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.
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