City of Others

· Sold by Orbit
1 review
Ebook
368
Pages
Eligible

About this ebook

“A zany urban fantasy series that blends the bureaucracy of The House in the Cerulean Sea with the action-adventure sequences of Dungeon Crawler Carl.” —BookPage

Dive into a world where magic lies hidden just below the surface in this charming urban fantasy full of workplace found family, queer romance, and supernatural creatures straight out of Southeast Asian lore, from debut author Jared Poon. 

In the sunny city of Singapore, the government takes care of everything—even the weird stuff.

Benjamin Toh is a middle manager in the Division for Engagement of Unusual Stakeholders (DEUS), and his job is straightforward: keep the supernatural inhabitants of Singapore happy and keep them out of sight. That is, don’t bother the good, normal citizens, and certainly don’t bother the bosses. Sure, he's overworked and understaffed, but usually, people (and senior management) don’t see what they don’t want to see. 
 
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 disappearing. He may not have the budget or the bandwidth, but he has the best—if highly irregular and supernaturally inclined—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. 
 

★ “Urban fantasy that vibes like The X-Men meets Parks and Recreation? Sign me up!” —Megan Bannen,bestselling author of The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy

★ “Delights and charms with a ragtag group of magical bureaucrats, action, magic, and romance.” —Andrea Stewart, author of The Bone Shard Daughter

★ “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)!”—Molly O'Neill, author of Greenteeth

“A zany urban fantasy series that blends the bureaucracy of The House in the Cerulean Sea with the action-adventure sequences of Dungeon Crawler Carl.” —BookPage Dive into a world where magic lies hidden just below the surface in this charming urban fantasy full of workplace found family, queer r...

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Ratings and reviews

1 review
Katie Warlund
April 30, 2026
fun for teens and adults. best urban fantasy I've read in years. such a refreshing worldview and setting. it's an important book for all of these features!
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About the author

Jared Poon is a philosopher, facilitator, and game designer, working with governments in Southeast Asia and around the world to improve policy-making through storytelling, imagination, and co-creation. He's a recovering public servant, and lives in Singapore with his husband and two very silly cats.
Jared Poon is a philosopher, facilitator, and game designer, working with governments in Southeast Asia and around the world to improve policy-making through storytelling, imagination, and co-creation. He's a recovering public servant, and lives in Singapore with his husband and two very silly cats.

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