Amid a literal fog of war on a disputed planet, a woman is thrust into battle, forced to fight in her captors' war. With an empire at her back, ready to kill her at the slightest hesitation, this slaveturned- reluctant hero must battle through an unknown enemy, scientific abominations, and truly alien terrain to uncover the truth about her identity and that of her enslaved companions.Chung's novel-told in sparse, evocative prose and expertly translated by Anton Hur-draws on the real history of Korean soldiers who fought and died in a war against Russia on behalf of the Qing Dynasty. Red Sword combines stunning world-building with a thought-provoking challenge to readers: what does it mean to wield power over others?

Bora Chung has written four novels and a whole lot of short stories. She has an MA in Russian and East European area studies from Yale University and a PhD in Slavic literature from Indiana University. She translates modern literary works from Russian and Polish into Korean. Among her works, Cursed Bunny, a collection of short stories, was shortlisted for the International Booker Prize in 2022 and was a finalist for the National Book Award in the translated literature category in 2023. She currently resides in Pohang, South Korea.