The Greatest Korean Fantasy Novel Recommendations in English
K-Pop and K-Drama seem to be all the rage in the past few years but I believe if you truly want to experience the best of Korean entertainment, you need to check out Korean literary art.
I personally love Korean novels and the stories are often intriguing, innovative and take you to a place full of wonder.
To satiate my thirst for more and more Korean novels, I have created a list of the top Korean fantasy novels that I highly recommend to all reading enthusiasts.
These are Korean fantasy novels in English and are written by authors who are of Korean ethnicity but live all around the world from the United States to South Korea.
My Top Korean Fantasy Novel Recommendations
1) The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea by Axie Oh
The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea by Korean American author Axie Oh is by far one of the highest rated Korean fantasy novels on Amazon and Goodreads.
To try and describe this book in a few words feels like an injustice and quite frankly an impossible task.
Just know that each year, a beautiful young woman is thrown into the sea to serve as the bride of the Sea God in return for protection against all the suffering villagers have been going through over the years.
It was the turn of Shim Cheong to be thrown in the water, when the love of her life, Joon tried to follow in the hopes of saving her from her ordeal. However, since this interference meant certain death, Joon’s beloved sister, Mina, sacrificed herself and jumped into the sea instead.
What follows is an absolutely mesmerizing and fascinating tale of adventure. Mina who is swept away to the spirit realms, soon finds out the Sea God is in an enchanted sleep and there are other sinister forces at work that need to be stopped at any cost.
With time running out, Mina needs to team up with the most unlikely mix of demons and gods to wake the Sea God and put an end to the misery of her village.
The story is based on an old Korean folktale but told through a feminist perspective.
Author Axie Oh has truly been able to create a magical world with vivid descriptions and enthralling adventure. This is a must read for all fantasy fiction fans regardless of whether you are specifically looking for a Korean fantasy novel.
2) Last of the Talons (Talon #1) by Sophie Kim
Based on Korean mythology, Last of the Talons is a young-adult fantasy novel written by author Sophie Kim.
It is the first book of the Talon trilogy and was published in the month of September 2022.
The story follows an eighteen-year-old girl named Shin Lina, known as the Reaper of Sunpo and famous for being the most feared weapon of a deadly crime lord. She is forced into this destiny in order to save the life of her little sister.
However, Shin Lina soon finds herself in the dreamlike realm of the Dokkaebi when trying to steal a priceless tapestry, facing an emperor who seems to be both cruel as well as captivating.
The game of life and death that follows takes you through a crazy ride that is filled with magic, love, enchantment and gripping adventure.
This book is ultimately all about the heart and what you need to do to save the ones you love.
Last of the Talons will satisfy both fantasy adventure lovers as well as Korean fantasy romance readers.
3) Gumiho Series – Wicked Fox by Kat Cho
This is for paranormal romance fans looking for a Korean fantasy romance novel set in urban Seoul.
Note the second book in the series, Vicious Spirits is the one that is highly recommended. However, you can’t get to that without reading the first book Wicked Fox by author Kat Cho.
The book is about an eighteen-year-old named Gu Miyoung, who happens to be a gumiho – a fox with nine tails who must consume the energy from men in order to survive herself.
On a fateful night, against her best judgment, she saves a young man from certain death by a goblin, and in turn, loses her gumiho soul.
What follows is a tale of budding romance between the two main characters but also one of deep dilemma. Will Gu choose her new life or go back to being an immortal? Does she actually have a choice?
The book does have its fair share of fantasy adventure along with paranormal romance keeping everyone happy.
4) The Last Fallen Star – Gifted Clans Book 1 by Graci Kim
The Gifted Clans series is written by author Graci Kim and published by the incredibly popular Rick Riordan Presents.
Rick Riordan, who is most famous for his Percy Jackson series has been publishing similar fantasy adventure novels for a while. They published the Aru Shah series which were fantasy books based on Indian mythology and now you have Gifted Clans series, based on Korean mythology.
Author Graci Kim, has been able to capture similar magic as Percy Jackson with her protagonist, Riley Oh.
Riley, a Korean American tween, is the only one in her family who cannot cast spells mainly due to the fact that she was adopted. When her sister, Hattie, who has come of age to join the powerful lineage of witches known as the Gom clan tries to cast a spell together with Riley so that her sister can share her magic, it leads to consequences that neither of them could have imagined.
Now it is up to Riley to find the last fallen star to save her sister Hattie’s life. A seemingly impossible tasks, her journey, her discoveries and the extraordinary set of creatures she meets on her way make the novel a superb fast paced fantasy adventure.
If you enjoyed Percy Jackson, you are sure to enjoy The Last Fallen Star and the whole Gifted Clan series. Along the way you can also discover the wonderful world of Korean mythology and its retelling in the modern era.
5) Prophecy – The Dragon King Chronicles Book #1 by Ellen Oh
Author Ellen Oh is known for her extremely popular Spirit Hunters trilogy. However, if you want her take on Korean fantasy, then you need to read The Dragon King Chronicles.
Prophecy, the first book in the series starts with our protagonist, Kira. She is a demon slayer and the only woman in the king’s army.
Unfortunately, she is an outcast and not liked by her home town of Hansong.
With signs of a demon invasion, it is up to Kira to save her kingdom and find the missing treasure of myth. She single-handedly must fight the demon army including the demon lord himself and of course other evil that comes her way to finally help the prince become a king.
Readers should note that the story really unfolds across the three books and the first book may be a tad slow for some. If you give it a chance, then the trilogy as a whole is worth it.
6) I’m Waiting for You by Kim Bo-young – English Edition
Translated by Sung Ryu and Sophie Bowman
So far in our list, all books were written by Korean American authors or novelists of Korean origin relying on the country’s vast folklore and mythology.
I’m Waiting for You is a Korean original novel written by legendary author Kim Bo-young. You really need to read this book if you want the best of Korean fantasy and science-fiction novels.
The book comprises of 4 stories.
- I’m Waiting for You
- The Prophet of Corruption
- That One Life
- On My Way to You
What is really interesting about the book is that the first and fourth stories are connected while there is a connection between the second and third stories.
The first and fourth story, are about a bride and a groom making their way to Earth for their wedding.
I’m Waiting for You is from the groom’s perspective while On My Way to You is from the bride’s point of view.
The second and third stories are about Gods who have created earth. With each story, you get to learn more about these creators and their own contemplations as well as the motivations for their “creations”.
The whole book is Korean Science-fiction at its best. The stories are similar to writing letters and quite intriguing to say the least. The worlds created by author Kim Bo-young are immersive and fascinating. You can clearly see why she is considered as one of the best science-fiction writers in the world.
I’m Waiting for You is originally written in Korean. Credit to translators Sung Ryu and Sophie Bowman for the English version as maintaining the spirit of the Korean book was not an easy task thanks to the brilliant writing style of Kim Bo-young.
