But there is something keeping her there beyond just her need to find something to do. She has nowhere else to go, so she joins Fung Cheung’s gang. She has lived much of her life in the Temple of the Pure Moon and has no family. She is very smart, beautiful, and still dedicated to the temple. Guet Imm is a nun who joins them, much to the chagrin of the other members of the all-male gang, after she is fired for causing a ruckus at the coffee shop. So “clay-faced” Tet Sang must perform much of the bandits’ public duties, such as trying to fence the stolen goods. People can’t stop staring at him, and that’s not good since he is a wanted bandit. He often has to lead the gang because its actual leader, Lau Fung Cheung, is too beautiful to appear in public in most situations.

Tet Sang is a quiet, somewhat sullen bandit in tattered robes that seem to show fallen luxury. It is told in the point of view of Tet Sang, the second to bandit leader Lau Fung Cheung. It features only a few main characters, and we become intimate with them. The story is perfectly adapted to the novella format.

When the gang is forced to adopt a former nun turned coffee-shop waitress into their band, dissension, mystery, lust, violence, and bad cooking ensue. The story follows a small gang of “roving contractors” (aka bandits) as they attempt to hawk extremely valuable stolen-or perhaps preserved-goods. The Order of the Pure Moon Reflected in Water is the new fantasy novella from British Fantasy Award and Hugo winner, Zen Cho.

Zen cho order of the pure moon