I received this book via NetGalley from the publisher for my honest review.

What would you do if an unmarked, unassuming package was at your doorstep one evening? Would you open it? Would you take a chance on adventure to get away from your stable, no frills, no surprises life as an admin at a technology company? Would you look up from your constant swiping, liking, purchasing in the online world to take a chance on the unknown?

Our nameless female main character chooses just that, to open the package and explore the contents inside that whisk her away to a completely different world than she's ever known to lead a life bigger and louder than her own.

I really loved the description of this book and the premise, so was very excited to read it. If I'm completely honest I HATED the first 25% of this book, and I'm still not entirely sure if I like this book or not. There are a lot of things about it that just grated on me and perhaps that simply means it isn't for me which is, of course, always possible. Every book isn't for every person! I took extensive notes as I was reading along and it's funny because you can see the exact moment I became wrapped up and invested because the notes stop.

Before I get into what I did not care for about this book, I want to mention the things that I did. As I've already pointed out, the premise was fantastic. New and Avant Garde? Of course not, but in a modern society where our entire lives truly can be managed from our phone, this novel explores what if we abandoned that and went back to a lifestyle where we relied on our hands and mysticism to survive the day to day. The depictions of the parallel universe were mesmerizing and enticing for me as a reader and at points reminded me a lot of Manga and Anime scenes like Inuyasha (which I'm a big fan of). The cultural references here all made sense and taught me a lot as a reader and I was googling a lot to better understand the context I was being given which only added to the ambience of the universe.

Another really interesting and positive aspect of this novel for me was that reflection on the influence and hold social media (the online world as a whole) has on our day to day lives. Our main character barely looks up from the Empi world and what a well named world it is, an empire indeed. We briefly see her grow brazen enough to engage with the world of influencers and try her hand at having a voice, only to back quickly out of that when she begins to feel too odd about it.

What didn't I like and what caused this to be a 3.5 star read for me? There's a few things that can be lumped together I believe: the writing, the random references and the feeling I was prepping for the SAT. The writing came across cold, stilted and very staccato in that first 25% of the book which was a lot of my issue with it. It somehow came across incredibly dramatic and pick me (see the FIRST page) and yet completely disassociated. Perhaps this was an intentional choice to parallel our office worker going thru the motions and wearing her mask. The random references in the first half ish of the book most notably were around Western Pop Culture that was very niche, or the casual Italian sentence, or hyper specific and graphic anatomy descriptions. The most jarring of these though was the SAT word prep or $5 dollar words scattered throughout the novel. If you have a teen prepping for the SAT or PSAT, this is the book for them. Perhaps the high brow, literary vibe was the intention for the author but having to stop to google these words to understand the context alongside all the cultural words (which I did not mind in the least) made reading the book take a lot longer. I'm not a dumb person, but I'm also certainly not the smartest person and if the goal of this novel was to appeal broadly, I think these aspects I've pointed out will halt that. The irony of the protagonist calling a writer in the story desultory was not lost on me, perhaps again intentional to align with our main characters life at the beginning of the novel.

TLDR; How do I feel about this book? I have no idea! I need to continue to sit with it and ponder. Will I recommend it to you reader or your friends, my friends? Absolutely.

A genre-bending high fantasy, sci-fi and horror story with a unique premise but the experimental execution didn't land.

What happens in a world where technology can influence our dreams? Our nameless main character leads a solitary life which rotates around going to work and being home watching TV, eating take out. When a mysterious piece of technology arrives at her door, she finds that her dreams become a high-fantasy adventure with dragons and magic.

A majority of the book flips between our main characters days and dreaming nights as share progresses through her adventure with no real goal or answer to what this technology is. The character isn't interesting or likeable, even in her magical dreamland, which made the story drag.

Around the 80% mark the book reveals what the technology is and why it was created. I won't spoil it, but the last 20% was my favourite and I wish the reveal had happened much earlier, because it's so interesting. I wish the author had spent more time here, as the implications of this technology and it's impact on the world brings up really interesting questions I wish they had explored more.

Thank you to NetGalley and Fairlight Books for this advanced reader copy.

This book is best read at night, right before you fall asleep, but be sure to unplug all of your technology, because it's definitely watching you.

"Red Dust, White Snow" by Pan Huiting is a captivating and thought-provoking debut novel that skillfully delves into the realms of dreams, technology, and the blurred lines between reality and fantasy. With a blend of sharp insight and wry humor, Huiting weaves a tale that explores the profound impact of a parallel universe accessible through dreams.

The story revolves around an office worker who receives a mysterious device promising to transport her to a parallel universe. Initially dismissing it as a marketing gimmick, she soon finds herself visiting a fantastical world in her dreams. These vivid and enchanting dreams become increasingly immersive, blurring the boundaries between her waking life and the dream world.

Huiting's narrative is a mesmerizing exploration of the intersection of technology and human desires. As the protagonist's experiences in the dream world become more entwined with her reality, the novel delves into questions of identity, fulfillment, and the consequences of escaping into virtual experiences.

The prose is luminous and evocative, effectively transporting readers into the dreamscapes described in the story. Huiting's writing captures the surreal nature of dreams while also grounding the narrative in a relatable exploration of the modern human condition.

The characters are complex and relatable, and their interactions contribute to the novel's depth. The protagonist's journey of self-discovery is both introspective and immersive, inviting readers to reflect on their own experiences with technology and the boundaries between the real and the virtual.

"Red Dust, White Snow" is more than just a science fiction tale; it's a commentary on contemporary society's relationship with technology, the allure of escapism, and the profound effects of blurring the lines between dreams and reality. Huiting's narrative skillfully navigates these themes, offering readers a thought-provoking and engaging reading experience.

With echoes of Black Mirror and a touch of Haruki Murakami's surrealism, this novel resonates with readers who are intrigued by the possibilities of alternate realities, the allure of technology, and the philosophical questions surrounding human nature and identity. "Red Dust, White Snow" is a luminous and captivating debut that invites readers to explore the edges of their own consciousness while contemplating the power of dreams and the implications of a world increasingly defined by technology.

I was very torn on this book, but ultimately didn't love it. Too much description, not enough clarity. It often wasn't clear when a location had changed or a new character had entered a scene. I was also left unclear on what happened at the end (not a great feeling). I did enjoy the overall concept, and contrast between worlds, and the treatment of loneliness in a weird tech-heavy future. Ultimately I didn't connect with this book, but others might.

So, if you like Black Mirror (and I'm not going to say which episode this book reminds me most of, because that would be a major spoiler) and Everything Everywhere All at Once, this book is for you!

The book follows an unnamed main character after she receives a box which asks her a question, "do you consent to enter into a parallel universe?". Once she provides this consent, she finds herself dreaming of an alternate universe where she is a student at the Academy of Greatest Learning, training to be a summoner. More and more, the main character descends into this extraordinary life she believes some other version of her is living until it begins to affect her real life.

Ultimately, I think this story is about the growing disconnection from humanity as technology starts to take over our life, expanding the possibilities of what we can do without considering the ramifications. The main character was lonely, which was why I think the concept of parallel universe appealed to her, one where she was important and loved and admired (which is why I think fans of Everything Everywhere All at Once will enjoy this particular book). Also I would be amiss if I didn't mention the author's skill with prose and vivid imagery. The fact that the meaning behind this story hit so close to the state of the world right now is I think why I really enjoyed it and the slow but deliberate unravelling of the plot!

With "Red Dust, White Snow" Pan Huiting wrote a SFF story with an compelling setting. After reading the book the title is even better than before experiencing this novel.

Unfortunately my feelings on this novel are conflicted. A long time I thought this could be a highlight for me because I loved how Huiting describes the two different lives of the protagonist and how they intertwined more and more.

Huiting creates an interesting parallel world with the spirit summoner academy. I loved the lore surrounding the academy and what our protagonist learned, how she learned and how she was able to experience friendship for the first time. The development of the story is compelling and I am able to understand why the protagonist wanted to flee into this other universe in her sleep.

But why, why was ist neccessary to dissolve everything into a game and why was it neccessary that she killed every personal connection with the world of the game? It really broke my heart to read this turn of events. After she stopped logging into the game the narration became dry and - for me - lost its uniqueness.

Our protagonist wasn't a step further in her development than in the beginning. And even though I know that traditional asian narratives don't include the "heroes journey" like western storytelling it was frustrating for me. Because the protagonist had chances to connect to the reality and she chose to ignore them.

So in the end I was dissapointed. But because I loved the feeling of this novel through two quarters of the book I probably will recommend this novel.

I read an eARC of this so thank you to Net Galley, the author and the publisher.

My biggest complaint with this book is I wish it was longer because it was so good and I could have spent far longer in the parallel universe parts of the book! My only other issue is I found the ending very bleak. Other than that my feelings on this book are extremely positive.

This is such a fascinating concept for a book. I’ve seen people compare this to Black Mirror and that’s a fair comparison. We follow a character (unnamed) who receives a strange disc in the post with a note asking if she wants to go to a parallel universe. When she sleeps she travels to a wonderful, magical academy where she learns about mythology, summoning, alchemy, travels to wondrous lands to collect ingredients and encounters incredible beings. It is just magnificent.

When she’s awake she struggles to be present in her real life, she wants to prioritise sleeping so she can get back to the parallel universe. She could hardly be described as satisfied with her life even before the disc arrives.

Alongside we have carefully woven commentary on social media, lack of human connection and loneliness.

I found this book absolutely fascinating. It is very clever.

Huiting writes in a somewhat stiff, detached style which takes some getting used to - but does fit the story as you warm into it, which it definitely took me a little while to do. There are, as other reviewers mention, odd moments of verbosity and unusual word choices, but I found I actually didn’t mind this too much, and it felt like it fit the tone and style. The story flips between two ‘parallel universes’ - a near future dominated by monopolistic and ever present social media Empi - and a xianxia-esque fantasy world in which the protagonist joins an academy to become a ‘summoner’. I found the ‘real world’ the more interesting of the two, a sinister glimpse into a future I could see becoming all too real, and a sensitive meditation on how isolated social media and modern life can make us feel. Initially I found the fantasy world to be a bit tropey, though people unfamiliar with the genre it's playing off of may not. The tropey-ness is explained with a great pay-off that I found gut-wrenching, and, once it had sunk in, inevitable - though I hadn’t seen it coming. The end is pretty abrupt, which I did feel let down a little, but overall this was an interesting premise, well executed and well written.

I really enjoyed Red Dust White Snow. I wanted to read it as soon as I read the title and blurb and saw the cover. It sounded right up my street, and I wasn’t disappointed. My only criticism is that the book is too short. I wanted more. I guess that’s a good thing? I liked the way the chapters alternate between the dream world and the real world and gradually start to merge. This is executed well and kept me reading wondering where the story would lead next. This is well-written and hugely entertaining. I had a lot of fun with this book.

This book really reminded me of Black Mirror episode, set in a dystopian future in Singapore that is equally novel and fascinating and yet so familiar. Our nameless main character receives a mysterious package containing a device that asks if she consents to enter an alternate universe. She says yes, and that night she has an incredibly vivid, memorable, and bizarre dream in a beautiful mythological setting all about an academy, spirits, and conjuring. When she goes to sleep the next night and the following nights, the dream continues. She gets more and more involved in her dream world as time goes on, she makes friends, grows attached, and begins to prioritise this world more than her real life.

The story is told in the third person POV, in a mixture of present and past tense. It’s a short book and one that I read in just a few sittings. I really enjoyed reading about the dreamworlds and her real life - the chapters are so different. In the chapters about her real life, they are all about her job, her difficulties making friends, and descriptions of the super-app and company which has dominated all digital activities (controlling social media, banking, shopping, and news…). In the dream chapters, it is like reading a high fantasy book about mythology, full of action and very vivid and beautiful.

Red Dust, White Snow is a powerful and richly-imagined science-fiction debut set in a futuristic Singapore and follows an office receptionist in her late thirties who "disillusioned with her mundane reality, becomes increasingly obsessed with a fantasy world created especially for her". Our unnamed protagonist arises one morning and to her surprise discovers a hand-delivered parcel on her front porch. Wrapped in ordinary brown wrapping paper she wonders what it can be as she was not expecting anything and there are no markings or return address to indicate it had even been shipped. She opens it and sees the words "Levitation Technology" embossed onto the white cube before her. Suddenly it starts to glow and asks the startling question "Do you consent to enter into a parallel universe?" - not knowing what to think she quickly logs in to her Empirean social media account to check bus times and then leaves on her daily commute to work. She works at Verge, a 3D Modelling company that developed Aria, a virtual model, managed by virtual human agency. Knowing the often underhand tactics her company employs to engage users is what stops her from initially believing that the cube present she was unexpectedly delivered is anything more than a slick marketing scheme designed to lure you in.

However, feeling like she has nothing to lose, once home that evening, she cooks some ramen and sits down with the cube. It asks her the all-important question again, and this time she agrees. It then welcomes her to the parallel universe, but as far as she can tell nothing around her has changed even slightly. Having made a fool of herself as she thought she might, she heads to bed as normal and it is there the magic begins. Her dreams are vivid and all too real. Her nightly dreams become her second life and the story continues each night she falls asleep where she becomes a student at The Academy of Greatest Learning where she learns about the creation of summoning stones and how to summon elemental spirits under the expert guidance of Master Zeno. How will these increasingly different worlds play out together and what will it mean in terms of the protagonist's life? This is a compelling cross between real life, Black Mirror and Isekei anime featuring an unnamed central protagonist who feels so lonely, displaced, different and disenfranchised in terms of modern society she finds it helps her to cope if she disengages as much as possible from reality and slips away into her own vivid fantasyland whenever possible where she can be whoever she wants to be and do whatever she wants to do.

In her mind, the boundary between the physical and virtual worlds has become increasingly blurred as she comes to inhabit more and more of the escapist dreamworld and continues to wonder whether she will ever feel truly fulfilled by reality. The narrative moves back and forth creating a juxtaposition between the woman's mundane day to life, a dead-end job and her vacant expression caused by her uninspiring 9-5 job through to inhabiting an alternate reality replete with magic and adventure inspired by Chinese and Korean folklore. It's one of those stories that are fairly plotless and focuses on the characters and worldbuilding more than anything else, however, Huiting also explores, within the context of the narrative, important and relatable themes of alienation, capitalism, modernity, mental health and the exponential increase in the utilization of technology for everything (but particularly as a form of escapism). A key theme throughout is also the takeover of most aspects of life by technology and apps - Empirean and other service providers help with everything in life to the point where they have replaced genuine social interaction. A surreal, claustrophobic tale with much to say about the modern world in which we live and thought-provoking in the sense that this is what our future could indeed resemble.

This book is a slow meditation on the diminishing boundaries between the real world and the virtual reality, steeped in traditions and narrative imagery of the storystelling in Sinosphere. What it isn't is a fast-paced scifi flick, and I'm wondering if the mixed reviews to this novel could be attributed to expectations being geared for the wrong thing. I appreciated having a perspective that was almost slanted sideways in its detachment: very fitting for a Singaporean author writing about China within the SFF sandbox, I felt. it's an intriguing debut, and I would be interesting in hearing more from Pan Huiting in the future.

My thanks to #NetGalley for an advance copy of #RedDustWhiteSnow.

“Do you consent to enter into a parallel universe?”

A woman is about to leave for work when she finds a large box wrapped in brown paper on her doorstep. No name, no address, no stamp. Opening the parcel she finds a white box, and inside is a hovering black disk which asks her the question, “do you consent to enter into a parallel universe?”

I really enjoyed this book, it’s the story of a woman who’s dreams become a second life, continuing on from where she left off the night before. She is a student at The Academy Of Greatest Learning, where you are taught how to create summoning stones, and how to summon elemental spirits. But she just so happens to summon the Snow Dragon, immensely difficult to summon, and original founder of the school.

The book is ultimately about the future of technology. How people are so disconnected from their reality. ‘Empi’ is the all you need app, social media, tv, maps, messenger, so everyone spends their whole time on their phone rather than living their lives, and now they’re even online whilst asleep.

It’s an interesting idea of the future, and it was brought to life brilliantly in this novel, it reminded me very much of a ‘Black Mirror’ episode. I did however find the lack of speech marks rather confusing, and the ending was quite abrupt, and I was left wanting more of this story, to know what happened to the characters after she left the game, to know if she engages in life more after living to the fullest in her dreams? Here’s hoping for a sequel!

This, in theory, should have really worked for me. It wasn't a complete failure, but it was not as good as I was hoping. I feel like it lost its way a bit.

I think this book was not for me. I found the synopsis very interesting, I thought I was really going to like it, to get hooked, but I couldn't wait to finish it.

Here we find ourselves with a dystopia that takes place in China where our protagonist, who curiously has no name, receives a mysterious package that asks her if she wants to travel to another dimension and she says yes. From that moment on, he has very vivid dreams that transport us to a VERY COOL fantasy world and that was what I liked the most, those moments.

But still I failed to connect at all. I. That does not mean that it is not a good book because the idea and everything it presents is more than interesting.

However, I would like to read some more of Pan Huiting because I feel it has great potential, it just wasn't for me this time. I understand that it is the first book and a first book is not easy and this is a VERY GOOD start.

Thanks Fairlight Books for the ARC I read on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Although I liked the concept of weaving the fantasy world with the dystopian real-world story, I found the fantasy world to be both underdeveloped and overly detailed. The ending of the novel felt abrupt and incomplete. Some of the language choices were overly formal and distracting.

received an eARC of this book from NetGalley and the publisher, and while I was initially drawn in by the alluring cover and intriguing description, my reading experience left much to be desired.

The concepts explored in this novel are undeniably interesting, touching on virtual worlds, the dark side of capitalism, and the digital resurrection of actors after their death. However, the writing style greatly hindered my enjoyment of the story. It felt as though the author had attempted to showcase an extensive vocabulary, leading to an overabundance of rare and esoteric words throughout the narrative. While learning new words can be enriching, here, it felt excessive and disconnected from the plot, detracting from the overall flow and meaning of the story.

The world-building and the ideas presented were the book's redeeming factors, making me wish that the writing had lived up to its potential. Unfortunately, the overindulgence in verbose language often made the reading experience cumbersome, breaking the immersion in the narrative.

The isekai section held promise, exploring interesting themes, but the lack of quotation marks for speech proved to be distracting and frustrating, further impacting the overall reading experience.

In the end, I found myself disappointed by this book despite its intriguing concepts. While I did learn some new words, their frequent and forced usage became more of an annoyance than a delight. The writing style's ambitious attempt to showcase a rich vocabulary overshadowed the story's potential and made it difficult to fully engage with the plot and characters.

Overall, this book had the potential to be captivating, but the writing choices ultimately hampered its success. While some readers may appreciate the emphasis on linguistic prowess, it detracted from the book's overall enjoyment for me. If you're a fan of verbose language and unique concepts, this might be worth a try, but I would approach it with caution.

Red Dust, White Snow by Pan Huiting is a book that gently ensnared me and held me in its grip until the very last word. My entrance into its world was as unexpected as the protagonist's voyage into her dream universe, and I found myself wholly absorbed from the start.

it felt like watching the early days of Black Mirror, before the show went... anyway. This book paints a vivid picture of a very near future that's both enthralling and unsettling. Located in Singapore (I might not have enough context clues to be sure) it offers a universe where a mega app holds sway over daily life. Through the fascinating blend of (I believe isekai?) fantasy and a keen observation on our increasingly digitized existence, I felt a connection to the story and its themes.

The portrayal of loneliness struck me as particularly poignant. The main character's life seems to be on an unchangeable track, a continuous loop with no exits. The mundane reality and the isolation she experiences at work were rendered with such clarity that it was hard not to empathize with her longing for something more. She is what really drew me into the novel: I just wanted to be her friend. Her nightly escapes to a magical mountaintop school, filled with friendships and the thrill of summoning spirits, became a place of refuge, not only for her but also for me as a reader.

What remains with me the most, though, is the ending. Without revealing too much, the emotional punch it delivered was unique and lingering. It wasn't the sudden shock of a tragedy but a gradual realization, akin to the slow fading of a once-vibrant friendship. A chill that descends slowly but is felt long after.

Red Dust, White Snow is more than just a read; it's an experience. It's a quiet contemplation on what we seek, of what connection is in the digital age. How can we be lonely when we're constantly bombarded with social interactions? If you allow yourself to be drawn into its world, it might just stay with you, as it has with me, for a long time to come.

•Dystopian Future
•Parallel Universe
•Third Person POV
•Magic and Mystery
•Mythological elements

The book is written in third person. It’s very descriptive and informative. There is a parallel world. The protagonist receives a package oblivion to what’s inside it but it transforms her life. She finds herself in weird, vivid, and bizarre dreams but couldn’t fathom anything. She thinks it’s too good to be true but soon it fills her up.

Thank you Author, Publisher and Netgalley

Wow! What an amazing book!!
Would love to read more from the author.
Thankyou netgalley for the Arc!