For a genre that’s supposed to blow past the boundaries of what’s imaginable, fantasy can be predictable. The genre historically suffers from a lack of diversity on all fronts, and features a plethora of common tropes rooted in racist and sexist ideologies. (And some fans like it that way: When the cast of Amazon’s “The Rings of Power” was announced, the showrunners weathered a barrage of complaints that racial diversity was inauthentic to Tolkien’s made-up world.)
Traci Chee is part of a new generation of writers changing the landscape of the genre. Her latest young adult novel, A Thousand Steps Into Night, takes place in the Japanese-influenced world of Awara, and follows an ordinary girl, Miuko, as she embarks on a quest to reverse a curse that transforms her into a demon. It’s a fun story full of magic, demons, and adventure that also invites reflection on real-world problems.
“One of my favorite parts about writing fantasy is that you can pull together a lot of different inspirations and creative impulses,” says Chee. “[It’s] both a fun folk-tale road trip through a Japanese-influenced fantasy world populated by all manner of demons and spirits, and also an interrogation of American patriarchy and the many insidious ways that sexism manifests in our everyday lives, from microaggressions to social ostracization to violence.”
Dreaming up a whole new world wasn’t enough for Chee—she took things a step further by creating her own original folklore and language. She developed a syllabary, glossary, and basic grammar for the language of Awara, which includes gender-neutral pronouns (hei/heisu). As for the folklore, Chee was inspired by the Japanese children’s stories of her childhood. “I had so much fun daydreaming up bits of humble magic—like tree goblins that live in wood beams and shapeshifting magpie spirits obsessed with shiny things,” says Chee. “My favorite creature is actually one that almost got cut!” The tskemyorona, or heebie-jeebie spirit, is a centipede-like creature with fireflies for eyes. If you just got a chill up your spine—sorry!
A Thousand Steps Into Night is fantasy for the young adults of today—and everyone else who reads YA (it’s never too late to start). It’s dark yet playful, creative, and takes readers along on Miuko’s journey of self-discovery, transformation, and growth. “I think there’s something so compelling about being a teenager—it’s such a fascinating time, when you’re figuring out so much about yourself and about the world and about who you want to be and what kind of a world you want to make,” says Chee. “What a privilege to be able to write about that.”
Chee will discuss A Thousand Steps Into Night on March 16 at 7pm, and her acclaimed novel, We Are Not Free, on March 17 at 7pm. Both events take place at the Irving Theater in the CODE building. More information at vabook.org.
