If Found, Return to Hell

his is a warm-hearted (rather than cosy) novella about burnout, being trapped in a job you hate and just the daily grind of being a small cog in a big machine. It’s told in the second person which some dislike but I think work in this story.

Our protagonist is a journeyman wizard, but throw away any preconceptions you might have about what that looks like – their life is basically first line customer service/tech support. They jump at a call that could get them out of the office for day but find a demon sharing the body of the teenager who made the call, and he doesn’t want to leave any time soon!

The burgeoning friendship between Shine/Wang Ran and our protagonist is sweet, as they try their best to help, and find a new joy in life. At a new friendship, along with their colleague Nathaniel, and new possibilities when you’ve been stuck so long at the same thing that you don’t see any way out.

It packs a lot of depth (and sweetness) into its short length. I'm interested in reading more by Em X. Liu a Chinese diaspora writer and physician born in Tianjin and currently living between Toronto and Vancouver.

Em X. Liu somehow makes a-gender Chinese wizards relatable even to me!!! I really like their writing and hope to read more from them in the future (-1* because I still had questions I wanted answers to but it's a short book)

Possibly more of a 4.5 though.

I mean did decide to buy this novella because it had some great reviews. But I really wasn't expecting to love it so much instantly.

Turns out, it's another wonderful example of what cozy fantasy is all about. The writing is evocative and charming, even though we are following our MC, who is an intern at a corporate wizarding call center, and is completely drained by the bureaucratic/ capitalistic nightmare that is her job. The story is told in second person and we don't even get to know our protagonist's name till almost the end but that doesn't matter because one phone call changes the trajectory of their life and we are hooked. Then we get a delightful story of found family, love, possession, a demon prince from Hell and possibly some unexpected deal making - but who cares because I found myself swept away in the tenderness of the bonds that develop, and the kindness and compassion that our protagonist exemplifies in a world that probably doesn't reward them for these qualities.

Overall, this maybe a completely different world and writing style, but this little novella gave me the same joy I have felt while reading the exploits of Murderbot. So if you want to read an unexpectedly sweet little novella about love and hope, in a possibly bleak world, go for it. I promise you won't be disappointed.