Review | Bora Chung’s Red Sword is audacious and often baffling
A review of Bora Chung’s novel 'Red Sword' describes the work as an audacious but repetitive and difficult read. The critic explores the author's unique, non-traditional narrative style while noting the book's challenging allegorical connections to Korean history.
Why it matters
The review provides insight into contemporary Korean literature and the reception of translated works in the global market.
In Bora Chung’s new novel Red Sword , Chrisna, a slave/ warrior of the colonising “Imperials”, is forced to fight, for unclear reasons, a monstrous enemy referred to as the “white aliens”. The novel is a rinse-repeat sequence of imperial oppression; sword-versus-laser fights; escape-and-capture from either aliens or Imperials; clones dealing with Xeroxed memories; and a few matter-of-fact sex scenes.
This is a subjective literary critique that balances praise for originality with criticism of readability.
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