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The Sorcerer of Pyongyang
The Sorcerer of Pyongyang: A Novel | Marcel Theroux
5 posts | 2 read | 6 to read
The acclaimed author of the sublime (The New York Times) Far North, a finalist for the National Book Award, returns with a mesmerizing novel about a North Korean boy whose life is irrevocably changed when he stumbles across a mysterious Western booka guide to Dungeons & Dragons. Ten-year-old Jun-su is a bright and obedient boy whose only desire is to be a credit to his family, his nation, and most importantly, his Dear Leader. However, when he discovers a copy of The Dungeon Masters Guide, left behind in a hotel room by a rare foreign visitor, a new and colorful world opens up to him. With the help of an English-speaking teacher, Jun-su deciphers the rules of the famous role-playing game and his imaginary adventures sweep him away from the harsh reality of a famine-stricken North Korea. Over time, the game leads Jun-su on a spellbinding and unexpected journey through the hidden layers of his country, toward precocious success, glory, love, betrayal, prison, a spell at the pinnacle of the North Korean elite, and an extraordinary kind of redemption. A vivid, uplifting, and deeply researched novel, The Sorcerer of Pyongyang is a love story and a tale of survival against the odds. Inspired by the testimony of North Korean refugees and drawing on the authors personal experience of North Korea, it explores the power of empathy and imagination in a society where they are dangerous liabilities.
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Walaka
Pickpick

A North Korean boy is exposed to the Advanced Dungeons and Dragons Dungeon Master's Guide and the trajectory of his life is changed forever. The D&D game features not so much as nerd service as it does as an extended metaphor for luck, agency, and destiny. A great read for anyone.

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KateReadsYA
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#book2book @AllDebooks Thank you for hosting. @soubhville thanks so much for the book and goodies.

Soubhiville You‘re welcome! 1y
45 likes1 comment
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Soubhiville
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Open to those who signed up for #book2book with @AllDebooks

Comment below if you‘d like to take this one home. If multiple folks are interested I‘ll draw a random number. I‘m in the US.

@CSeydel @Bookish_Gal @LiteraryinLawrence @Chrissyreadit @Clwojick @Cuilin @bcncookbookclub @Tineke @julieclair @Catsandbooks @TheAromaofBooks @BookwormAHN @Lizpixie @KateReadsYA @TheBookHippie @dabbe

KateReadsYA I'm interested!!!!! 1y
37 likes1 comment
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Soubhiville
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Pickpick

In North Korea, a young boy named Jun-su ends up with an old Dungeons and Dragons rule book, a thing which could get his family in trouble with authorities. He has no idea what it is, but is enthralled with the illustrations. It ends up shaping his life in unexpected ways.

I expected some fantasy element to this, but there isn‘t any it‘s straight fiction. Short and unusual, with insight into secretive North Korea.

Megabooks Wow! You are reviewing some interesting books tonight! 2y
Soubhiville @Megabooks this was strange, unexpected, but I liked it. 2y
Soubhiville @Megabooks I should mention there‘s a weird short section with animal cruelty, in case that‘s a deal breaker. 2y
Megabooks Thanks for letting me know. Sometimes I‘m more sensitive about that than others, so I always appreciate the info! 👍🏻💜 2y
65 likes4 stack adds4 comments
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Soubhiville
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I couldn‘t resist squeezing a B&N sale stop. The top 6 are from there, the bottom from Half Price Books‘ 20% off sale.

I didn‘t find the 3 I was really looking for, LOL, so I‘ll be trying Book People‘s New Years sale this weekend. (For Ocean‘s Echo, Remarkably Bright Creatures, and A Closed and Common Orbit.)

As if I don‘t have plenty to read already 🙄, but the seasonal sales get me every time.

BookBosomed1 Love the seasonal sales. FYI- I loved Remarkably Bright Creatures 2y
Ruthiella Score! 😃 2y
69 likes2 comments