City of Others
On sale
13th January 2026
Price: £9.99
Genre
Rivers of London meets A Master of Djinn in this warm-hearted, action-packed urban fantasy debut full of workplace found family, queer romance and supernatural creatures straight out of Southeast Asian lore.
In the sunny city of Singapore, the government takes care of everything – even the weird stuff.
Benjamin Toh is an overworked and underpaid middle manager in a government department tasked with keeping the supernatural population of Singapore happy and out of sight.
But when an entire housing estate glitches out of existence on what was meant to be a routine check-in, Ben has to scramble to keep things under control and stop the rest of the city from following in its wake. He may not have the budget or the bandwidth, but he has the best – if highly irregular – team to help him. Together, they’ll traverse secret shadow markets, scale skyscrapers, and maybe even go to the stars, all so they can just do their goddamn job.
‘Heartfelt and laugh out loud, City of Others is urban fantasy as you’ve never seen it before . . . I smiled my way through this entire book. An absolute breath of fresh air’
Eliza Chan, author of Fathomfolk
‘I absolutely loved this book – couldn’t tear myself away from it. A delightful and engrossing read, with a knowing wink to best office practices. Loved it’
Genevieve Cogman, author of The Invisible Library
‘Full of wonder, tenderness and breathtaking adventure, City of Others is a fresh and captivating fantasy that will grow roots in your heart’
Kylie Lee Baker, Sunday Times bestselling author of Bat Eater
‘City of Others delights and charms with a ragtag group of magical bureaucrats doing their best to save an entire city from being dragged out of reality. Poon seamlessly blends action, magic, romance and the tight bonds of an understaffed workplace that truly believes in the good they’re doing’
Andrea Stewart, author of The Bone Shard Daughter
In the sunny city of Singapore, the government takes care of everything – even the weird stuff.
Benjamin Toh is an overworked and underpaid middle manager in a government department tasked with keeping the supernatural population of Singapore happy and out of sight.
But when an entire housing estate glitches out of existence on what was meant to be a routine check-in, Ben has to scramble to keep things under control and stop the rest of the city from following in its wake. He may not have the budget or the bandwidth, but he has the best – if highly irregular – team to help him. Together, they’ll traverse secret shadow markets, scale skyscrapers, and maybe even go to the stars, all so they can just do their goddamn job.
‘Heartfelt and laugh out loud, City of Others is urban fantasy as you’ve never seen it before . . . I smiled my way through this entire book. An absolute breath of fresh air’
Eliza Chan, author of Fathomfolk
‘I absolutely loved this book – couldn’t tear myself away from it. A delightful and engrossing read, with a knowing wink to best office practices. Loved it’
Genevieve Cogman, author of The Invisible Library
‘Full of wonder, tenderness and breathtaking adventure, City of Others is a fresh and captivating fantasy that will grow roots in your heart’
Kylie Lee Baker, Sunday Times bestselling author of Bat Eater
‘City of Others delights and charms with a ragtag group of magical bureaucrats doing their best to save an entire city from being dragged out of reality. Poon seamlessly blends action, magic, romance and the tight bonds of an understaffed workplace that truly believes in the good they’re doing’
Andrea Stewart, author of The Bone Shard Daughter
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Reviews
I absolutely loved this book - couldn't tear myself away from it. A delightful and engrossing read, with a knowing wink to best office practices. Loved it.
Urban fantasy that vibes like The X-Men meets Parks and Recreation? A send-up of government bureaucracy that is also a magnificent homage to public service? Sign me up! I love it when a book makes me think, 'I have never read anything like this before.' City of Others is that book - such a unique and refreshing read!
City of Others is a wickedly funny take on paranormal government bureaucracy that interlaces world-drowning stakes with incisive social commentary, extremely mandatory corporate team-building, and a ghost cat that refuses to be exorcised. Warm-hearted and delightful
Full of wonder, tenderness and breathtaking adventure, City of Others is a fresh and captivating fantasy that will grow roots in your heart
Dazzling, rich, and so lusciously weird - Poon makes bureaucracy downright thrilling in a world richly textured with outcasts, misfits, and the beautiful bonds that tie them
A whip-smart urban fantasy humming with the vibrant energy of Singapore and its chaotic magical inhabitants, this found family will welcome you in with open arms (and tentacles)!
City of Others delights and charms with a ragtag group of magical bureaucrats doing their best to save an entire city from being dragged out of reality. Poon seamlessly blends action, magic, romance and the tight bonds of an understaffed workplace that truly believes in the good they're doing
From undead ducklings to prowling wyverns and market-going jiangshi, City of Others is an absolutely delightful mythological smorgasbord bursting with wit, humour and a cast of vibrant characters that warmed my heart. It would be no exaggeration to say that my dream job is now a position at DEUS!
This is one of those books that expands the boundaries of what speculative fiction can be and do. By turns funny, philosophical, and delightfully bizarre, City of Others had me hooked all the way from the undead ducklings to the final poignant chapter
City of Others is a fun, twisty adventure through supernatural Singapore. Poon writes with humour and tenderness, skewering bureaucracy while immersing the reader in the beauty of this world. Absolutely delightful!
Heartfelt and laugh out loud, City of Others is urban fantasy as you've never seen it before. Filled with Southeast Asian folklore, an eclectic cast of outsiders and a thoroughly satisfying takedown of bureaucracy, I smiled my way through this entire book. An absolute breath of fresh air
City of Others is such a wildly fun ride - equal parts supernatural mystery and heartfelt workplace comedy. The overworked government crew steals the show: zany, chaotic, full of quirks and charm . . . The supernatural twists are pitch-perfect - think Monsters, Inc. meets Singaporean bureaucracy, with otherworldly creatures lurking just beneath the surface of suburban order. And the writing is so compulsively readable I couldn't stop flipping the pages, desperate to see how the chaos would untangle. Full of twists, wit, and heart, this is one utterly unputdownable story
Served with a healthy portion of delight and whimsy, and a side of dramatic action, Poon crafts a gorgeous fantasy that leaves you compelled from start to finish