{"product_id":"ghost-cities-9781668241813","title":"Ghost Cities by Lu, Siang","description":"\u003cb\u003eA\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003en award-winning novel from an international rising star--spanning ancient and modern China--in the dazzlingly inventive style of Susanna Clarke, David Mitchell, and Charles Yu.\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eInspired by the vacant, uninhabited megacities of China, \u003ci\u003eGhost Cities\u003c\/i\u003e 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\".\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e 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?\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Siang Lu\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e S\u0026amp;s\/Summit Books\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 08\/25\/2026\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 304\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBinding Type:\u003c\/b\u003e Hardcover\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.95lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 9.10h x 5.90w x 1.10d\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN:\u003c\/b\u003e 9781668241813\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eReview Citation(s): \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eLibrary Journal\u003c\/i\u003e 06\/01\/2026 pg. 79\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003ePublishers Weekly\u003c\/i\u003e 06\/15\/2026\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eBooklist\u003c\/i\u003e 07\/01\/2026\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eSiang Lu\u003cb\u003e \u003c\/b\u003eis the Miles Franklin Literary Award-winning author of \u003ci\u003eGhost Cities\u003c\/i\u003e and the ABIA-winning \u003ci\u003eThe Whitewash\u003c\/i\u003e, the cocreator of The Beige Index, and the creator of #SillyBookstagram. Siang is based in Brisbane, Australia, and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"S\u0026s\/Summit Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":68004965449881,"sku":"9781668241813","price":28.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0572\/3367\/0297\/files\/9781668241813.jpg?v=1794521774","url":"https:\/\/bookmarksretail.store\/products\/ghost-cities-9781668241813","provider":"Bookmarks Retail","version":"1.0","type":"link"}