Zen Cho
Malaysian fantasy author (born 1986)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Zen Cho is a Malaysian fantasy author based in Birmingham, United Kingdom.[1] She is known for her Sorcerer to the Crown series. She was the joint winner of the Crawford Award in 2015 for her short story collection Spirits Abroad.[2]
Zen Cho | |
|---|---|
At MCM London Comic Con, 24 October 2025 | |
| Education | University of Cambridge |
| Occupation | Author |
| Writing career | |
| Language | English |
| Period | 2015–Present |
| Genres | |
| Notable works |
|
| Notable awards |
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| Website | zencho |
Biography
Cho has a law degree from University of Cambridge, and she works as a lawyer.[3][4]
Cho's debut novel, Sorcerer to the Crown, was published in 2015.[4][5][6] It was a finalist for the Locus Award for Best First Novel in 2016,[7] and in the same year, Cho won the British Fantasy Award for Best Newcomer.[8] Her novelette "If at First You Don't Succeed, Try, Try Again", published by the B&N Sci-Fi and Fantasy Blog, won the 2019 Hugo Award for Best Novelette.[9]
Spirits Abroad: Stories (2021)[10] was awarded the Ray Bradbury Prize by the 2021 Los Angeles Times Book Prize.[11]
Awards
| Year | Title | Award | Category | Result | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Spirits Abroad | Crawford Award | — | Won[a] | [12] |
| Sorcerer to the Crown | Otherwise Award[b] | — | Longlisted | [13] | |
| 2016 | British Fantasy Award | Newcomer | Won | [14] | |
| Fantasy Novel | Shortlisted | [14] | |||
| Locus Award | First Novel | Finalist | [15] | ||
| 2019 | "If at First You Don't Succeed, Try, Try Again" | Hugo Award | Novelette | Won | [16] |
| 2021 | The Order of the Pure Moon Reflected in Water | British Fantasy Award | Novella | Shortlisted | [17] |
| Lambda Literary Award | Sci-fi, Fantasy, and Horror | Finalist | [18] | ||
| Locus Award | Novella | Finalist | [19] | ||
| Black Water Sister | Kitschies | Red Tentacle (Novel) | Finalist | [20] | |
| 2022 | Ignyte Award | Adult Novel | Finalist | [21] | |
| Locus Award | Fantasy Novel | Finalist | [22] | ||
| RUSA CODES Reading List | Fantasy | Shortlisted | [23] | ||
| World Fantasy Award | Novel | Nominated | [24] | ||
| Spirits Abroad | Locus Award | Collection | Finalist | [22] |
Bibliography
Sorcerer Royal series
- —— (2015). Sorcerer to the Crown (hardcover 1st ed.). Ace. p. 371. ISBN 9780425283370.
- —— (2019). The True Queen (paperback 1st ed.). Ace. p. 371. ISBN 9780425283417.
Standalone novels and long fiction
- —— (2012). The Perilous Life of Jade Yeo (ebook ed.). Smashwords. p. 81. ISBN 9781476177670.
- —— (2020). The Order of the Pure Moon Reflected in Water (hardcover 1st ed.). Tor. p. 160. ISBN 9781250269256.
- —— (2021). Black Water Sister (paperback 1st ed.). Ace. p. 384. ISBN 9780425283431.
Collections
- —— (2014). Spirits Abroad (paperback 1st ed.). FIXI Novo. p. 284. ISBN 9789670374987.
- —— (2021). Spirits Abroad (paperback expanded ed.). Small Beer Press. p. 338. ISBN 9781618731869.
