I don’t know it there’s an inspiration per se other than “I like dragons, and I like lady knights, I want to write a book about those things.” And so I did. “Brighter Than Scale” tells the story of Yeva, a dragon hunter with special abilities who was absorbed into empire against her will as a child and, as an adult, is sent as an ambassador to a nation that worships dragons as part of her emperor’s territorial aggressions. There she meets the girl-king Sookhee, the charismatic leader of the nation. But their growing relationship is threatened when Yeva uncovers secrets that will challenge the way she sees the world, and herself. The book may appear to be a queer love story, and it is indeed a queer love story, but at its core I think it’s about identity, it’s about finding your place and finding yourself in a world which constantly wants to erase you.
― Neon Yang, Interview, OutSFL
What booksellers are saying about Brighter Than Scale, Swifter Than Flame
- Yang combines near-expert worldbuilding with cleverly constructed prose, earning themself a place along fantasy greats. Balancing commentary on imperialism with moments of queer joy, Brighter than Scale, Swifter than Flame is a brilliant exploration of what it means to belong, to a person, to a place, and most importantly, to yourself.
― Sydney Mason, Epilogue Books Chocolate Brews in Chapel Hill, North Carolina | BUY
- Yang weaves a beautiful tale about duty, love, magic, the mask you choose to show the world, and finding home. I absolutely love the world Yang creates and the love story at the heart of this novella. Knights, kings, emperors and the quest to find a dragon- you’ll fly through it!
― Tayler Engelhardt, Bookmarks in Winston-Salem, North Carolina | BUY
- It’s incredible how much richness Neon Yang was able to pack into such a small number of pages. I thoroughly enjoyed this updated take on the classic narrative of the heroic knight riding in to save the damsel in distress: Yang flips the story on its head and gives readers an all-too-brief but beautiful story about coming to accept all parts of ourselves and the cultures we come from
― Bailey Ross, Cavalier House Books in Denham Springs, Louisiana | BUY
About Neon Yang
Neon Yang (they/them) is the author of four other novellas (The Red Threads of Fortune, The Black Tides of Heaven, The Descent of Monsters, and The Ascent to Godhood) and one novel (The Genesis of Misery). Born and raised in Singapore, they currently live in the UK where they spend their days avoiding productivity by playing video games. Find them on social media @itsneonyang.
