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.