The Girl with Ghost Eyes

Debut novelist Boroson crafts a brilliant tale of magic, monsters, and kung fu in the San Francisco Chinatown of 1898. Xian Li-lin is a Maoshan priestess, destined to fight monsters with paper talismans and her peachwood sword. When she is tricked and trapped in the spirit world, her father, who is a powerful priest, must make a terrible sacrifice to rescue her. Li-lin learns that the ambush was meant to eliminate both of them before they can stop a horrifying plan to create a Kulou-Yuanling, a monstrous spirit giant created from the corpses of 100 men. With her father weakened, Li-lin must seek allies among monsters, spirits, and gangsters. Her only protector and counselor is Mr. Yanqiu, the spirit of her father’s eye. This fantastic tale smoothly mixes Hong Kong cinema with urban fantasy, and Li-lin is a splendid protagonist whose cleverness and bravura will leave readers eager for her future adventures. Agent: Sandy Lu, L. Perkins Agency. (Nov.)