Neon Yang

Neon Yang, formerly JY Yang, is a Singaporean writer of English-language speculative fiction. They are best known for the Tensorate series of novellas published by Tor.com, whose entries have been finalists for the Hugo Award, Locus Award, Nebula Award, World Fantasy Award, Lambda Literary Award, British Fantasy Award, and Kitschie Award. The first novella in the series, The Black Tides of Heaven, was named one of the "100 Best Fantasy Books of All Time" by Time magazine. Their debut novel, The Genesis of Misery, the first book in The Nullvoid Chronicles, was published in 2022 by Tor Books. The novel was a finalist for the 2023 Locus Award for Best First Novel and 2023 Compton Crook Award.

Biography

Yang is non-binary and queer, and uses they pronouns. They have a master's degree in creative writing from the University of East Anglia and were a member of the 2013 class of the Clarion West Writers Workshop. They legally changed their name to "Neon" in 2020.

Career

Yang has published short fiction since 2012 in publications such as Clarkesworld, Lightspeed, Uncanny Magazine, Apex Magazine and Strange Horizons. Their novelette, "Waiting on a Bright Moon" was a top ten finalist for the 2018 Locus Award for Best Novelette. Their novelette "Circus Girl, The Hunter, and Mirror Boy" was a finalist for the 2020 Ignyte Award. Their novelette, "A Stick of Clay, in the Hands of God, Is Infinite Potential" was a top ten finalist for the 2021 Locus Award for Best Novelette.

Their Tensorate series of novellas began in 2017 with the simultaneously released The Black Tides of Heaven and The Red Threads of Fortune, which were published by Tor.com to critical acclaim. In particular, The Black Tides of Heaven received nominations for numerous science fiction and fantasy literary awards. The Tensorate series continued with the novellas The Descent of Monsters in 2018 and The Ascent to Godhood in 2019.

Yang's debut novel, The Genesis of Misery, the first in The Nullvoid Chronicles trilogy, was announced by Tor Books in 2020. It was published in September 2022 and has been described as a retelling of the story of Joan of Arc as a mecha space opera.

Themes

Yang's work revolves around "the human body as a vessel for storytelling", and is based on their background as a molecular biologist, journalist and science communicator. They have described themself as "a deep pessimist about human nature," saying that "the best we can do is to recognize this and mitigate that assholic nature when we can. I think, ultimately, that’s what most of my stories end up being about." They have referenced David Mitchell, Helen Oyeyemi, and William Gibson as influences on their writing.

Yang has described their Tensorate novellas as "queer Asian science fantasy." The series has been described as "silkpunk" by reviewers.