These past couple of weeks, the #MalaysiaBoleh spirit was on full display.
First, our Malaysian Paralympics team came home with three golds and a bronze. Then, 15-year-old Lee Pei Ling stunned Malaysians by reaching the top six of a singing competition in China.
Now, a Malaysian author has made the country proud by winning a book award in the UK.
Selangor-born Zen Cho was named Best Newcomer at the British Fantasy Awards held at the FantasyCon 2016 in Scarborough, England on Monday.
Her book, titled ‘Sorcerer To The Crown’, came out tops after being pitted against several highly-acclaimed novels such as ‘The Heir To The North’ by Steven Poore, ‘When The Heavens Fall’ by Marc Turner and ‘The Long Way To A Small Angry Planet’ by Becky Chambers.
According to Star2, ‘Sorcerer To The Crown’ was also nominated in the Best Fantasy Novel category, but ultimately lost to ‘Uprooted’ by Naomi Novik.
The first book of a trilogy, ‘Sorcerer To The Crown’ is set in Regency-era Londo and tells the story of Zacharias Wythe, England’s first African Sorcerer Royal, who sets out on an adventure to discover why the country’s magical stocks are drying up.
The British Fantasy Awards — previously known as the August Derleth Fantasy Awards — is the latest feather in the 30-year-old’s impressive cap.
Last year, Cho, who currently lives in London, became the first Malaysian to receive the William L Crawford Fantasy Award for her book ‘Spirits Abroad’.
She was also nominated for the Campbell Award for Best New Writer and honour-listed for the Carl Brandon Society Awards for her short fiction.
