City of Others bookcover

City of Others

Jared Poon 

(Author)

This title will be released on:

Jan 13, 2026

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Description

Dive into a world where magic lies hidden just below the surface in this charming urban fantasy full of workplace found family, queer romance, and supernatural creatures straight out of Southeast Asian lore, from debut author Jared Poon.

In the sunny city of Singapore, the government takes care of everything--even the weird stuff.

Benjamin Toh is a middle manager in the Department for Engagement of Unusual Stakeholders (DEUS), and his job is straightforward: keep the supernatural inhabitants of Singapore happy and keep them out of sight. That is, don't bother the good, normal citizens, and certainly don't bother the bosses. Sure, he's overworked and understaffed, but usually, people (and senior management) don't see what they don't want to see.

But when an entire housing estate glitches out of existence on what was meant to be a routine check-in, Ben has to scramble to keep things under control and stop the rest of the city from disappearing. He may not have the budget or the bandwidth, but he has the best--if highly irregular and supernaturally inclined--team to help him. Together, they'll traverse secret shadow markets, scale skyscrapers, and maybe even go to the stars, all so they can just do their goddamn job.

Product Details

PublisherOrbit
Publish DateJanuary 13, 2026
Pages368
LanguageEnglish
TypeBook iconPaperback / softback
EAN/UPC9780316585477
Dimensions8.3 X 5.5 X 1.0 inches | 0.0 pounds
BISAC Categories: Fantasy

About the Author

Jared Poon is a philosopher, facilitator, and game designer, working with governments in Southeast Asia and around the world to improve policy-making through storytelling, imagination, and co-creation. He's a recovering public servant, and lives in Singapore with his husband and two very silly cats.

Reviews

"City of Others is a wickedly funny take on paranormal government bureaucracy that interlaces world-drowning stakes with incisive social commentary, extremely mandatory corporate team-building, and a ghost cat that refuses to be exorcised. Warm-hearted and delightful." --P. H. Low, Locus-, Ignyte-, and Rhysling-nominated author of These Deathless Shores

"Heartfelt and laugh out loud, City of Others is urban fantasy as you've never seen it before. Filled with Southeast Asian folklore, an eclectic cast of outsiders and a thoroughly satisfying takedown of bureaucracy, I smiled my way through this entire book. An absolute breath of fresh air."

--Eliza Chan, Sunday Times bestselling author of Fathomfolk
"A whip-smart urban fantasy humming with the vibrant energy of Singapore and its chaotic magical inhabitants, this found family will welcome you in with open arms (and tentacles)!"--Molly O'Neill, author of Greenteeth

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