Neon Yang

Neon Yang, formerly JY Yang, is a Singaporean writer of English-language speculative fiction best known for the Tensorate series of novellas published by Tor.com, which 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, received a starred review from Publishers Weekly, received a nomination for the 2022 Goodreads Choice Award for Science Fiction, and 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 legally changed their name to "Neon" in 2020. 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.

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. The Black Tides of Heaven received a starred review from Publishers Weekly, which called it "a captivating Buddhist-inspired steampunk setting" that "captures an epic sweep in compact, precise prose", and a positive review from Library Journal, which called it (and its sibling volume, The Red Threads of Fortune) "an impressive, fresh debut steeped in Chinese culture". The Red Threads of Fortune was also reviewed by Publishers Weekly, which said "though not as gripping as [The Black Tides of Heaven], the novella authentically depicts trauma and lays promising groundwork for future books in the series". The Black Tides of Heaven was a finalist for the 2017 Nebula Award for Best Novella, the 2018 Hugo Award for Best Novella, the 2018 World Fantasy Award for Best Novella, and the 2018 Kitschies Golden Tentacle, and was named one of the 100 best fantasy novels of all time by a Time magazine panel. The Tensorate series continued with the novellas The Descent of Monsters in 2018 and The Ascent to Godhood in 2019. The Descent of Monsters was a finalist for the 2019 Lambda Literary Award for LGBTQ SF/F/Horror and the 2019 Locus Award for Best Novella. The Ascent to Godhood received a positive review from Publishers Weekly, which called it "a thrilling adventure [that] stands alone, as well as providing moving, complicated backstory for the earlier books", and was a Finalist for the 2020 Locus Award for Best Novella and the 2020 British Fantasy Award for Best Novella.

Yang's debut novel, The Genesis of Misery, the first in The Nullvoid Chronicles trilogy, was announced by Tor Books in 2020, published in September 2022, and described as a retelling of the story of Joan of Arc as a mecha space opera. The Genesis of Misery received a starred review from Publishers Weekly, which called it a "vibrant tour de force" and "a triumph", noting that it "presents a simultaneous embrace and inversion of Chosen One narratives" and its "themes of faith, suffering, queerness, and duty".

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.

Awards and nominations

 * The Black Tides of Heaven - 2017 Otherwise Award Honor List, 2017 Finalist for the Nebula Award for Best Novella, 2018 Finalist for the Hugo Award for Best Novella, 2018 Finalist for the World Fantasy Award for Best Novella, 2018 Finalist for the Locus Award for Best Novella, 2018 Finalist for the Kitschie Award Golden Tentacle for Best Debut Novel
 * The Red Threads of Fortune - 2017 Otherwise Award Honor List, 2018 Finalist for the Locus Award for Best Novella
 * "Waiting On a Bright Moon" - 2018 Finalist for the Locus Award for Best Novelette
 * The Descent of Monsters - 2019 Finalist for the Locus Award for Best Novella, 2019 Finalist for the Lambda Literary Award for LGBTQ SF/F/Horror
 * "Circus Girl, the Hunter, and Mirror Boy" - 2020 Finalist for the Ignyte Awards for Best Novelette
 * The Ascent to Godhood - 2020 Finalist for the Locus Award for Best Novella, 2020 Finalist for the British Fantasy Awards for Best Novella
 * "A Stick of Clay, in the Hands of God, is Infinite Potential" - 2021 Finalist for the Locus Award for Best Novelette
 * The Tensorate Series - 2022 Finalist for the Lambda Literary Award for LGBTQ Speculative Fiction
 * The Genesis of Misery - 2022 Nominee for the Goodreads Choice Awards, 2023 Finalist for the Compton Crook Award, 2023 Finalist for the Locus Award for Best First Novel

Novels
The Nullvoid Chronicles trilogy
 * 1) The Genesis of Misery, Tor Books, 2022

Tensorate series
The four volumes were collected in an omnibus edition: The Tensorate Series, Tor.com, 2021, ISBN 9781250807540
 * 1) The Black Tides of Heaven, Tor.com, 2017, ISBN 978-0-7653-9541-2
 * 2) The Red Threads of Fortune, Tor.com, 2017, ISBN 978-0-7653-9540-5
 * 3) The Descent of Monsters, Tor.com, 2018, ISBN 978-1250165855
 * 4) The Ascent to Godhood, Tor.com, 2019, ISBN 9781250165886

Standalone

 * Between the Firmaments, Book Smugglers Publishing, 2018 ISBN 978-1942302827

Collections

 * The Ayam Curtain, Math Paper Press, 2012, ed. as June Yang with Joyce Chng, ISBN 978-981-07-4008-5

Interviews

 * Author Spotlight: JY Yang, Xander Odell, Lightspeed Magazine, issue #68, 2016
 * Asian Science Fiction, Fantasy, & Horror: A Round Table Discussion, Aliette de Bodard, Mithila Review, 2016
 * JY Yang: Energy Systems, Francesca Myman, Locus Magazine, 2018
 * Interview: JY Yang, Christian A. Coleman, Lightspeed Magazine, issue #98, 2018