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The Sorcerer of Pyongyang
Ten-year-old Jun-su is a bright and obedient boy whose only desire is to be a credit to his family, his nation, and most importantly, his Dear Leader. However, when he discovers a copy of The Dungeon Master’s Guide, left behind in a hotel room by a rare foreign visitor, a new and colorful world opens up to him.
With the help of an English-speaking teacher, Jun-su deciphers the rules of the famous role-playing game and his imaginary adventures sweep him away from the harsh reality of a famine-stricken North Korea. Over time, the game leads Jun-su on a spellbinding and unexpected journey through the hidden layers of his country, toward precocious success, glory, love, betrayal, prison, a spell at the pinnacle of the North Korean elite, and an extraordinary kind of redemption.
A vivid, uplifting, and deeply researched novel, The Sorcerer of Pyongyang is a love story and a tale of survival against the odds. Inspired by the testimony of North Korean refugees and drawing on the author’s personal experience of North Korea, it explores the power of empathy and imagination in a society where they are dangerous liabilities.
The acclaimed author of the “sublime” (The New York Times) Far North, a finalist for the National Book Award, returns with a mesmerizing novel about a North Korean boy whose life is irrevocably changed when he stumbles across a mysterious Western book—a guide to Dungeons & Dragons.
With the help of an English-speaking teacher, Jun-su deciphers the rules of the famous role-playing game and his imaginary adventures sweep him away from the harsh reality of a famine-stricken North Korea. Over time, the game leads Jun-su on a spellbinding and unexpected journey through the hidden layers of his country, toward precocious success, glory, love, betrayal, prison, a spell at the pinnacle of the North Korean elite, and an extraordinary kind of redemption.
A vivid, uplifting, and deeply researched novel, The Sorcerer of Pyongyang is a love story and a tale of survival against the odds. Inspired by the testimony of North Korean refugees and drawing on the author’s personal experience of North Korea, it explores the power of empathy and imagination in a society where they are dangerous liabilities.
The acclaimed author of the “sublime” (The New York Times) Far North, a finalist for the National Book Award, returns with a mesmerizing novel about a North Korean boy whose life is irrevocably changed when he stumbles across a mysterious Western book—a guide to Dungeons & Dragons.
243 pages, Hardcover
First published November 29, 2022
51 people are currently reading
6161 people want to read
About the author
Marcel Theroux
13 books173 followersMarcel (Raymond) Theroux is a British novelist and broadcaster. He is the older son of the American travel writer and novelist, Paul Theroux. His younger brother, Louis Theroux, is a journalist and television reporter.
Born in Kampala, Uganda, Theroux was brought up in Wandsworth, London. After attending a state primary school he boarded at Westminster School. He went on to study English at Clare College of the University of Cambridge and international relations at Yale University. Currently he lives in London and is married. His French last name originates from the region around Sarthe and Yonne in France. It is quite common in Francophone countries and is originally spelled Théroux. His paternal grandfather was French Canadian.
He wrote The Stranger in The Earth and The Confessions of Mycroft Holmes: a paper chase for which he won the Somerset Maugham Award in 2002. His third novel, A Blow to the Heart, was published by Faber in 2006. His fourth, Far North, a future epic set in the Siberian taiga, was published in June 2009. He worked in television news in New York and Boston.
In 2004 he presented The End of the World as We Know It part of the War on Terra television series about climate change on Channel 4, for which he was chosen as presenter precisely because he initially knew nothing about the subject. He even had a preconception about environmentalists being spoilsports opposed to progress. But during his research he became convinced that we face a global problem, on a scale so serious that an expansion of nuclear energy is probably the best solution (choosing the lesser evil). He reached this conclusion partly via the subjects of several interviews, amongst them Gerhard Bertz of insurance agency Munich Re, who indicated that in the past 20 years payments for natural disasters have increased by 500 percent. During another, with Royal Dutch Shell chairman Lord Ron Oxburgh, a PR assistant intervened to curtail the conversation, apparently because Oxburgh's negative views on the consequences of current oil consumption were considered detrimental to the corporation's image.
In March 2006 Theroux presented Death of a Nation on More4, as part of the The State of Russia series. In the program he explored the country's post-Soviet problems including population decline, the growing AIDS epidemic and the persecution of the Meskhetian Turks.
On 28 September 2008 he presented Oligart: The Great Russian Art Boom on Channel 4 about how Russia's rich are keeping Russia's art history alive by buying, and exhibiting domestic art.
On 16 March 2009, Marcel Theroux presented In Search of Wabi-sabi on BBC Four as part of the channel's Hidden Japan season of programming. Marcel travelled throughout Japan trying to understand the aesthetic tastes of Japan and its people.
Born in Kampala, Uganda, Theroux was brought up in Wandsworth, London. After attending a state primary school he boarded at Westminster School. He went on to study English at Clare College of the University of Cambridge and international relations at Yale University. Currently he lives in London and is married. His French last name originates from the region around Sarthe and Yonne in France. It is quite common in Francophone countries and is originally spelled Théroux. His paternal grandfather was French Canadian.
He wrote The Stranger in The Earth and The Confessions of Mycroft Holmes: a paper chase for which he won the Somerset Maugham Award in 2002. His third novel, A Blow to the Heart, was published by Faber in 2006. His fourth, Far North, a future epic set in the Siberian taiga, was published in June 2009. He worked in television news in New York and Boston.
In 2004 he presented The End of the World as We Know It part of the War on Terra television series about climate change on Channel 4, for which he was chosen as presenter precisely because he initially knew nothing about the subject. He even had a preconception about environmentalists being spoilsports opposed to progress. But during his research he became convinced that we face a global problem, on a scale so serious that an expansion of nuclear energy is probably the best solution (choosing the lesser evil). He reached this conclusion partly via the subjects of several interviews, amongst them Gerhard Bertz of insurance agency Munich Re, who indicated that in the past 20 years payments for natural disasters have increased by 500 percent. During another, with Royal Dutch Shell chairman Lord Ron Oxburgh, a PR assistant intervened to curtail the conversation, apparently because Oxburgh's negative views on the consequences of current oil consumption were considered detrimental to the corporation's image.
In March 2006 Theroux presented Death of a Nation on More4, as part of the The State of Russia series. In the program he explored the country's post-Soviet problems including population decline, the growing AIDS epidemic and the persecution of the Meskhetian Turks.
On 28 September 2008 he presented Oligart: The Great Russian Art Boom on Channel 4 about how Russia's rich are keeping Russia's art history alive by buying, and exhibiting domestic art.
On 16 March 2009, Marcel Theroux presented In Search of Wabi-sabi on BBC Four as part of the channel's Hidden Japan season of programming. Marcel travelled throughout Japan trying to understand the aesthetic tastes of Japan and its people.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 257 reviews
October 11, 2022
unfortunately, this is a book that falls under “enjoyed the story, but not the execution.”
im not familiar with dungeons and dragons, other than knowing that it exists, but i love fantasy. so the premise that a poor boy from north korea comes across a game manual and it provides him a form of escapism from some of the most difficult circumstances in life is a story than i fully support. however, this is not quite the story i thought it would be.
i excepted a much more emotional narrative and instead got something that felt very clinical and flat. its not written badly, it just never made me feel anything for jun-su. maybe its because of the short length, which possibly limits the narrative. had the book been longer, maybe there would have been more room/time for the story to breathe? it is, however, full of great details about life in north korea which feel authentic, so i did enjoy that.
but overall, not quite the evocative story i was hoping for.
thank you, atria books, for the ARC.
↠ 3 stars
im not familiar with dungeons and dragons, other than knowing that it exists, but i love fantasy. so the premise that a poor boy from north korea comes across a game manual and it provides him a form of escapism from some of the most difficult circumstances in life is a story than i fully support. however, this is not quite the story i thought it would be.
i excepted a much more emotional narrative and instead got something that felt very clinical and flat. its not written badly, it just never made me feel anything for jun-su. maybe its because of the short length, which possibly limits the narrative. had the book been longer, maybe there would have been more room/time for the story to breathe? it is, however, full of great details about life in north korea which feel authentic, so i did enjoy that.
but overall, not quite the evocative story i was hoping for.
thank you, atria books, for the ARC.
↠ 3 stars
August 1, 2022
Written by my bro so I am biased but I really enjoyed it.
September 1, 2022
A young North Korean’s boy life is forever altered when he finds an instruction manual for Dungeons and Dragons.
That would be the simple one-sentence description of this novel, but it’s really so much more than that. More than a coming-of-age story, too. This novel encompasses an entire life, a life lived in the strangest most isolated and (possibly) most terrifying country on Earth.
The author (son of Paul Theroux and the apple that smartly didn’t roll all that far) utilized his own travels to the area, extensive interviews with North Koreans and equally extensive research to craft a story as immersive as it is heartrending.
Marcel Theroux’s documentary style of writing with the author himself as a character/observer/narrator has a dual effect in the story – it does create a certain remove/an emotional distance from the protagonist which I don’t think I loved but it also makes for a very compelling storytelling experience, something like an exceptional journalistic article that goes on and on to span years.
It will work for different readers differently, I’m sure, but either way it WILL work. It’s such an emotionally engaging story with such a strong likable protagonist trapped in a seeming procession of impossible situations that can only spring from a place that (much like D&D) makes its own rules and is guided by its own (terrifying) logic.
Wherein the narrative style detracted something from the internality of the protagonist, it made up epically with the grand picture and utilizing the location as character.
Such a clever juxtaposition of a self-mythologized game and a self-mythologized society.
All in all, a terrific book with a sorcery of its own. Recommended. Thanks Netgalley.
That would be the simple one-sentence description of this novel, but it’s really so much more than that. More than a coming-of-age story, too. This novel encompasses an entire life, a life lived in the strangest most isolated and (possibly) most terrifying country on Earth.
The author (son of Paul Theroux and the apple that smartly didn’t roll all that far) utilized his own travels to the area, extensive interviews with North Koreans and equally extensive research to craft a story as immersive as it is heartrending.
Marcel Theroux’s documentary style of writing with the author himself as a character/observer/narrator has a dual effect in the story – it does create a certain remove/an emotional distance from the protagonist which I don’t think I loved but it also makes for a very compelling storytelling experience, something like an exceptional journalistic article that goes on and on to span years.
It will work for different readers differently, I’m sure, but either way it WILL work. It’s such an emotionally engaging story with such a strong likable protagonist trapped in a seeming procession of impossible situations that can only spring from a place that (much like D&D) makes its own rules and is guided by its own (terrifying) logic.
Wherein the narrative style detracted something from the internality of the protagonist, it made up epically with the grand picture and utilizing the location as character.
Such a clever juxtaposition of a self-mythologized game and a self-mythologized society.
All in all, a terrific book with a sorcery of its own. Recommended. Thanks Netgalley.
November 7, 2022
Jun-Su is a ten-year-old North Korean boy who discovers a copy of The Dungeon Master's Guide, left behind by a foreign guest, in the hotel where his father works. The discovery of the book and the strange, fantastical new world it opens for him will forever alter the course of his entire life.
The Sorcerer of Pyongyang is a book that feels both niche and universal -- niche in its subject matter, universal in its themes. No interest in Dungeons & Dragons is required to enjoy this one, although I do think some curiosity about North Korea is necessary. Drawing on his own experiences visiting the country and the testimonies of North Korean refugees, Theroux paints an intimate, vivid portrait of North Korean life, from the famine of the early 1990s to the country's antagonistic, insular present. I've always been fascinated by North Korea, but most documentaries tend to focus on the more sensationalistic aspects of the country and culture, rather than on the day-to-day life of North Koreans like Theroux does here. It's a valuable and important perspective.
Theroux makes the choice to tell Jun-Su's story in a journalistic, almost clinical, style, but that didn't take away from my enjoyment of Sorcerer at all. In fact, Theroux's blurring of the lines between fact and fiction made me care about Jun-Su even more in the end. I felt like I was disconnected from Jun-Su emotionally for most of the book -- until the unexpected, poignant conclusion, when those emotions hit me hard and I realized I was deeply invested in his life and story the entire time.
With universal themes exploring the importance of art and imagination, the resilience of the human spirit, and the need for connection, The Sorcerer of Pyongyang is a riveting and compelling reading experience.
The Sorcerer of Pyongyang is a book that feels both niche and universal -- niche in its subject matter, universal in its themes. No interest in Dungeons & Dragons is required to enjoy this one, although I do think some curiosity about North Korea is necessary. Drawing on his own experiences visiting the country and the testimonies of North Korean refugees, Theroux paints an intimate, vivid portrait of North Korean life, from the famine of the early 1990s to the country's antagonistic, insular present. I've always been fascinated by North Korea, but most documentaries tend to focus on the more sensationalistic aspects of the country and culture, rather than on the day-to-day life of North Koreans like Theroux does here. It's a valuable and important perspective.
Theroux makes the choice to tell Jun-Su's story in a journalistic, almost clinical, style, but that didn't take away from my enjoyment of Sorcerer at all. In fact, Theroux's blurring of the lines between fact and fiction made me care about Jun-Su even more in the end. I felt like I was disconnected from Jun-Su emotionally for most of the book -- until the unexpected, poignant conclusion, when those emotions hit me hard and I realized I was deeply invested in his life and story the entire time.
With universal themes exploring the importance of art and imagination, the resilience of the human spirit, and the need for connection, The Sorcerer of Pyongyang is a riveting and compelling reading experience.
November 5, 2022
*4+ stars. The story of a North Korean boy, Cho Jun-su, whose discovery of the Western guide to the role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons opens up a world of possibilities for him. The author acts somewhat as a documentarian covering Jun-su's life, revealing the harsh realities of living under an oppressive regime where the rules can change without notice. A powerful, compelling story.
I received an arc of this novel from the author and publisher via Net Galley. My review is voluntary and the opinions expressed are my own.
I received an arc of this novel from the author and publisher via Net Galley. My review is voluntary and the opinions expressed are my own.
September 2, 2023
An amazing story in the hands of a poor writer. This is labeled as a FICTIONAL story. The last few pages shifts to the authors perspective as he meets Jung-Su. Turns out it’s a true story, but is it?? Something about garnishing the story of a North Korean refugee feels incredible icky to me. But the real crime?? The writing. Let’s go through it:
1.) "Very kawaii, as the Japanese say”
2.) Is this yours, fam?"
3.) The older brother of Kim Jong-Un being upset because he was called a NPC. I. Cant. Make. This. Up.
4.) A North Korean man going to London for the first time after never leaving North Korea and experiencing no distinguishable culture shock. Even being able to classify a portrait as from the Tudor English period. I am so sorry but how would he know that. How?? Not rhetorical—I genuinely want to know where in North Korea he learned about the English Tudor period. Theroux, why??
I wish that this story was given to a journalist or someone who could give this story justice. Such. A. Shame. I hope Su-Ok does write her book. I’ll be waiting.
1.) "Very kawaii, as the Japanese say”
2.) Is this yours, fam?"
3.) The older brother of Kim Jong-Un being upset because he was called a NPC. I. Cant. Make. This. Up.
4.) A North Korean man going to London for the first time after never leaving North Korea and experiencing no distinguishable culture shock. Even being able to classify a portrait as from the Tudor English period. I am so sorry but how would he know that. How?? Not rhetorical—I genuinely want to know where in North Korea he learned about the English Tudor period. Theroux, why??
I wish that this story was given to a journalist or someone who could give this story justice. Such. A. Shame. I hope Su-Ok does write her book. I’ll be waiting.
March 3, 2026
“The Sorcerer of Pyongyang” is historical fiction that reads like a memoir. Although, is it truly a memoir if it’s third person point of view? Never mind. Doesn’t matter. I’m wandering. Through extensive research and by drawing on firsthand accounts, Theroux offers a sobering look at life in North Korea, tracing one man’s path from rural poverty to rare privilege to defection from a state built on spectacle and silence. And to think, it all starts with a pervert and a D&D manual. I was gobsmacked by the absolute, unquestioned loyalty that springs from relentless political indoctrination, by the way belief and fear braid together until they’re indistinguishable. WILD.
January 13, 2024
the exact vapidness you’d expect from a story about a boy growing up under north korean dictatorship written by a white british american man who has never experienced such life firsthand and is as unequipped to write about it as i am to write a dungeons & dragons handbook. beyond the novelty and grasp of its title and premise, the story unfolds like a crumpled up piece of paper onto which someone’s spewed their attempt at a historical novel, supplemented by extraordinarily plain writing; a jarring ending wherein we discover this was based on the true story of a real north korean man, making it all the more egregious in my opinion; and not half the charm i think it thinks it has. i’ve literally read more compelling and more compassionate middle grade novels about north korea than this.
January 12, 2023
3.5 rounded up, it was good! A little hard to explain but I wish DnD aspects of imagination were a little more present in junsu's thoughts as he was clearly very bright and imaginative, so it's a little sad we only got to see him thinking/creating when actually playing DnD. But still! Very good and I enjoyed the end a lot
February 1, 2024
This book brings back memories of my own resistance to the indoctrination of South Korean propaganda against the North when I was in middle school. Now that I’m grown, it’s hard to say whether I believe a lot of it because it must be true based on external reports and literature like this book or because it’s easier to believe in the absence of information. Regardless, I’m intrigued about how the author chose the topic, researched it, validated research, and if he’s ever been to North Korea himself. I know I would like to visit, aside from fears of being arrested myself as a South Korean US citizen. So it’ll be books like this for now.
December 15, 2022
It's funny that the description says this draws on "the author's personal experience of North Korea," because he doesn't have any. The ending/reveal that the protagonist is someone Theroux knows in his own life is how he was inspired to write about Jun-su - everything from there is textbook research about the country.
I was wary of this as soon as I realized it was written by a white author, but decided to commit based off of the premise. I do appreciate the parallels in Dungeons & Dragons and how Jun-su is expected to uphold the mythology North Korea tells its citizens - this is definitely the strongest part of the book.
The narration is a little confusing in that this is presented as fiction, but Theroux refers to himself and real-life events throughout the book. It was jarring to be invested in the story but then hear the previously third person say "I," like wait, we never established who "I" is.
Above all else, white people should not be writing people of color's stories (see American Dirt and countless other examples). I would much rather read Jun-su's personal account of his experience growing up in North Korea and how he decided to defect.
I was wary of this as soon as I realized it was written by a white author, but decided to commit based off of the premise. I do appreciate the parallels in Dungeons & Dragons and how Jun-su is expected to uphold the mythology North Korea tells its citizens - this is definitely the strongest part of the book.
The narration is a little confusing in that this is presented as fiction, but Theroux refers to himself and real-life events throughout the book. It was jarring to be invested in the story but then hear the previously third person say "I," like wait, we never established who "I" is.
Above all else, white people should not be writing people of color's stories (see American Dirt and countless other examples). I would much rather read Jun-su's personal account of his experience growing up in North Korea and how he decided to defect.
November 13, 2022
The Sorcerer of Pyongyang by Marcel Theroux. Thanks to @tlcbooks for the gifted copy ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Cho Jung-su is shocked and by a Dungeons and Dragons game book that he stumbles upon. It’s not something one would typically find in North Korea. As he learns to play, he begins a journey that will change his life forever.
This was a fascinating look at life in North Korea in the 90’s. The coming of age aspect was great because you see the blind obedience develop into questioning as the main character gets older. I am a Dungeons and Dragons fan, so I loved that aspect of the story but if you are put off by it, don’t be. While it’s a huge basis for the plot, the details of the games are small and not too involved.
“Someone can choose to serve - this is a beautiful thing. But being made to serve - this is slavery.”
The Sorcerer of Pyongyang comes out 11/29.
Cho Jung-su is shocked and by a Dungeons and Dragons game book that he stumbles upon. It’s not something one would typically find in North Korea. As he learns to play, he begins a journey that will change his life forever.
This was a fascinating look at life in North Korea in the 90’s. The coming of age aspect was great because you see the blind obedience develop into questioning as the main character gets older. I am a Dungeons and Dragons fan, so I loved that aspect of the story but if you are put off by it, don’t be. While it’s a huge basis for the plot, the details of the games are small and not too involved.
“Someone can choose to serve - this is a beautiful thing. But being made to serve - this is slavery.”
The Sorcerer of Pyongyang comes out 11/29.
January 31, 2023
Not what I expected. I thought it'd be more magical and hopeful, but instead it felt flat and gritty. Not to mention the issues of voice and white authorship
December 16, 2023
3.5 stars
Maybe my first book on North Korea
It was scary
I had just heard of the dictatorship and the poverty and restriction of freedom.
The book frightened me for even reading it. Yesterday night was a disturbed one.
Maybe my first book on North Korea
It was scary
I had just heard of the dictatorship and the poverty and restriction of freedom.
The book frightened me for even reading it. Yesterday night was a disturbed one.
August 2, 2023
Really enjoyed this Book At Bedtime which was an abridged version on BBC Radio 4 (BBC sounds).
May 30, 2025
A phenjani varázsló az egyik legszebb és legjobban kidolgozott szerelmi történet, amit valaha olvastam. Mert emellett megmutat egy olyan életet, amely bármelyik emberen kifogott volna, egy olyan diktatúra tárul a szemünk elé, melyről bár nehéz elhinni, hogy ilyen létezik, mégis tudjuk, hogy megtörtént. Hogy ebben élünk, csak homokba dugjuk a fejünket.
Csunszu története az emberi kitartásról szó, hogy a végletekig el tud menni az ember, ha hajtja az életösztöne, ha van előtte vízió, hogy ő ebből ki akar lépni. Nagyon sokat tanulhatunk ebből a könyvből, és talán azt is megérthetjük belőle, hogy míg az 1984 történetét "ijesztgetésnek" vesszük és még mindig úgy gondoljuk, hogy csak fikció, addig A phenjani varázsló elénk tárja, hogy bizony van olyan ország, ahol létezik a Gondolatellenőrző Bizottság. Hogy van, ahol egy rossz szóért börtönbe, átnevelőtáborba és munkatáborba kerül az ember, amely Auschwitz-cal vagy a Gulággal vetekszik.
Az egyik legszürreálisabban valóságos könyv, amit az utóbbi időben olvastam, sokáig nem fogom elfelejteni, az biztos.
Csunszu története az emberi kitartásról szó, hogy a végletekig el tud menni az ember, ha hajtja az életösztöne, ha van előtte vízió, hogy ő ebből ki akar lépni. Nagyon sokat tanulhatunk ebből a könyvből, és talán azt is megérthetjük belőle, hogy míg az 1984 történetét "ijesztgetésnek" vesszük és még mindig úgy gondoljuk, hogy csak fikció, addig A phenjani varázsló elénk tárja, hogy bizony van olyan ország, ahol létezik a Gondolatellenőrző Bizottság. Hogy van, ahol egy rossz szóért börtönbe, átnevelőtáborba és munkatáborba kerül az ember, amely Auschwitz-cal vagy a Gulággal vetekszik.
Az egyik legszürreálisabban valóságos könyv, amit az utóbbi időben olvastam, sokáig nem fogom elfelejteni, az biztos.
March 18, 2025
Great story idea but I feel like it could've been so much better if there'd been more emotion to it and also if we knew that it was true from the beginning??? that would have been nice????
Did not finish
December 20, 2022DNF @ 18%
March 2, 2023
Oo 3/3/23 fun.
I find stories like this fascinating and I think people judge books way to harshly. This caused all sorts of emotions but overall I really enjoyed reading it:)
I find stories like this fascinating and I think people judge books way to harshly. This caused all sorts of emotions but overall I really enjoyed reading it:)
July 23, 2023
should’ve been written by the guy the book was about
October 11, 2023
Absolutely loved this book and give it a glowing 4.5 stars. It only just barely falls short of 5 stars because there are some abrupt changes from Jun-su's POV to the author's own internal thoughts without warning. There are also some parts of the story I would have liked explained or at least hinted at sooner than the last chapter of the book because when they occur, you're left scratching your head.
I'm left with a dread fascination of North Korena culture and their way of life under such a horrifying "government". In media and pop culture, North Korea is painted as "everyone is so starving and so brainwashed that they don't have time for family, romance, or leisure". While there are definitely shades of that as you will see in very real detail much to your own dismay, they are human. Perhaps my biggest take away from this novel is that propaganda combined with nationalism can easily become normal. When I was a young kid in school, I thought nothing of the Pledge of Allegiance to the flag of the United States of America done every single morning. Now? It rouses an unbearable anger inside me that we even dare to toe the line of nationalism that as evidenced here, leads to hell on earth.
I'm grateful for Theroux's telling of this story and Jun-su, and everyone else who has had the iron will and strength to escape NK. Even for those who haven't, I keep them in my thoughts and hope better days find them.
I'm left with a dread fascination of North Korena culture and their way of life under such a horrifying "government". In media and pop culture, North Korea is painted as "everyone is so starving and so brainwashed that they don't have time for family, romance, or leisure". While there are definitely shades of that as you will see in very real detail much to your own dismay, they are human. Perhaps my biggest take away from this novel is that propaganda combined with nationalism can easily become normal. When I was a young kid in school, I thought nothing of the Pledge of Allegiance to the flag of the United States of America done every single morning. Now? It rouses an unbearable anger inside me that we even dare to toe the line of nationalism that as evidenced here, leads to hell on earth.
I'm grateful for Theroux's telling of this story and Jun-su, and everyone else who has had the iron will and strength to escape NK. Even for those who haven't, I keep them in my thoughts and hope better days find them.
July 17, 2023
fantastic 'book at bedtime' on radio 4 this week
November 22, 2022
I work at a bookstore in Vermont and picked the ARC of this book because I am curious about life in North Korea and an avid D&D player myself. I found the main character, Jun-su to be completely fascinating. The narrator of the story recounts how his friend’s life in North Korea changes after his father brings home a Dungeon Master’s Guide in English that he found in a hotel that was left behind by a left wing academic’s son in the 1990’s. Jun-su finds this book in his Dad’s closet and thinks it’s just a cool comic until he shows it to his teacher Kang who knows English and transcribes it into Korean for him in a game he calls the House of Possibility. He teaches Jun-su how to play but is soon executed for crimes against the state. Jun-su’s life is transformed by his experience of imagining and creating characters in D&D and he becomes an award winning poet and is given a place in Pyongyang at the university. His life soon comes crashing down when his secret game of D&D is discovered and he is sent to a concentration camp for several years. However he fell in love with a beautiful girl with connections in Pyongyang named Su-ok who rises to power in the North Korean bureaucracy eventually becoming the lover of Jimi, a son of Kim-Jong-il. She is able to secure his release from the camp ten years later and they once again resume their affair. After winning Jimi over by running a campaign for him as a DM, Jun-su gets a job at a North Korean Insurance company that writes detailed fictional claims on British insurers and eventually on a trip to London escapes and defects. I loved the way the narrator relates his discovery that Jun-su and Su-ok are able to be reunited in the west after she too escapes and they have a child together and a new life in London. A super gripping story and well researched window into the hermit kingdom of North Korea, I was particularly enamored of the empathetic philosophy that guides Jun-su - no one is an NPC and you should treat everyone with knowledge that they have agency too unlike the cruel way North Korea treats it citizens as NPCs.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 29, 2022
Thanks to Atria for the copy of this book.
This was a unique blend of historical fiction and Dungeons and Dragons. While you don't have to know the ins and outs of the game because the necessary information is given in the book, I think this is still a niche read for people who love D&D and want to read historical fiction about North Korea in the 1990s. It wasn't for me, and I think would've preferred another medium to experience this piece of history.
This was a unique blend of historical fiction and Dungeons and Dragons. While you don't have to know the ins and outs of the game because the necessary information is given in the book, I think this is still a niche read for people who love D&D and want to read historical fiction about North Korea in the 1990s. It wasn't for me, and I think would've preferred another medium to experience this piece of history.
July 31, 2022
3.5
Thank you to Corsair for providing an ARC for review!
Having enjoyed The Secret Books much more than I was expecting, I was looking forward to picking up something new from Theroux. While the Australian cover promises something a bit campy and fun, this was sadder than I was expecting. This is the story of a North Korean man and his suffering at the hands of the state, and of the small happinesses etched out for himself through DND.
I think the thing I like most about Theroux' books is that you can't really tell whether or not they are true stories, and this was no exception. This one also begs the question - are you real or are you just a character in someone else's story? Part biography, part fiction, this was a fun short read that I would recommend for fans of Anthony Marra.
CW: sexual assault of a child, torture, starvation, executions
Thank you to Corsair for providing an ARC for review!
Having enjoyed The Secret Books much more than I was expecting, I was looking forward to picking up something new from Theroux. While the Australian cover promises something a bit campy and fun, this was sadder than I was expecting. This is the story of a North Korean man and his suffering at the hands of the state, and of the small happinesses etched out for himself through DND.
I think the thing I like most about Theroux' books is that you can't really tell whether or not they are true stories, and this was no exception. This one also begs the question - are you real or are you just a character in someone else's story? Part biography, part fiction, this was a fun short read that I would recommend for fans of Anthony Marra.
CW: sexual assault of a child, torture, starvation, executions
December 27, 2022
This is a good book, but I wouldn’t say a great one, which makes me withhold that last star. The final elements of Jun-so’s decision feel incomplete. Similarly, there were moments when I had to go back and re-read passages to make sure I read them correctly.
However, it paints a seemingly well researched portrait of North Korea. The least of which is how the Great, Dear, and Supreme leaders are identified. Furthermore, the examination of life from different perspectives was well done through the story.
Overall, an enjoyable read.
However, it paints a seemingly well researched portrait of North Korea. The least of which is how the Great, Dear, and Supreme leaders are identified. Furthermore, the examination of life from different perspectives was well done through the story.
Overall, an enjoyable read.
July 22, 2022
This is a very niche read. If you aren't a fan or have any working knowledge of North Korea or dungeons and dragons you probably won't appreciate it. It wasn't an easy read and I had a hard time finding the plot points to pull it all together. There was also a random "I" character that I couldn't figure out where they really fit in the book( side note read someone elses review and they said it was the author inserting himself in the book) .
December 12, 2025
The Sorcerer of Pyongyang is probably the most compelling and convincing fictional (?) account of life in North Korea that I’ve read to date. The story moves with such pace and intrigue that I found it genuinely difficult to put down.
It’s clear that Theroux has done his research, and he brings both Wonsan and Pyongyang vividly to life in the reader’s imagination. The novel captures a whole range of different worlds within North Korea. We travel with the protagonist, Cho Jun-su, from the coastal city of Wonsan to the heart of Pyongyang, and we first meet him as an ordinary, unremarkable kid. Everything changes after a chance encounter with a Dungeons & Dragons manual - a moment that sets him on a path that takes him from adolescence to expulsion to a prison camp, and eventually into the unlikely orbit of the North Korean elite.
I found the characters, by and large, convincing and quietly believable in a way that’s rare for novels set inside North Korea. My only criticism - if it even counts as one - is that I wanted more. The world and the story Theroux creates are rich and vivid enough to justify a novel twice the length, and I’d have gladly read every page. Easily one of my favourite books of the year (and the paperback has a brilliant cover, which isn’t the one shown on Goodreads).
It’s clear that Theroux has done his research, and he brings both Wonsan and Pyongyang vividly to life in the reader’s imagination. The novel captures a whole range of different worlds within North Korea. We travel with the protagonist, Cho Jun-su, from the coastal city of Wonsan to the heart of Pyongyang, and we first meet him as an ordinary, unremarkable kid. Everything changes after a chance encounter with a Dungeons & Dragons manual - a moment that sets him on a path that takes him from adolescence to expulsion to a prison camp, and eventually into the unlikely orbit of the North Korean elite.
I found the characters, by and large, convincing and quietly believable in a way that’s rare for novels set inside North Korea. My only criticism - if it even counts as one - is that I wanted more. The world and the story Theroux creates are rich and vivid enough to justify a novel twice the length, and I’d have gladly read every page. Easily one of my favourite books of the year (and the paperback has a brilliant cover, which isn’t the one shown on Goodreads).
September 22, 2024
As a boy growing up in North Korea, Jun-su’s life is very regimented and unimaginative. One day he comes across a Dungeons and Dragons guidebook, left behind in a hotel by a tourist, and is fascinated by the cover. A teacher helps him with the English in the book, and soon Jun-su is able to escape into a world of make believe that he’s careful to keep hidden, unsure of whether it would be considered anti-North Korean and thus a reason for punishment.
This book chronicles Jun-su’s life from boyhood to adulthood, going over the various milestones he hits and showing how scripted his life is but also the ways in which he’s been affected by the ability to imagine worlds outside the one he lives in. The book it written as if it’s a biography, the author including a few parts from first person perspective as if he’s relaying information from Jun-su about his life. It was an interesting way the frame the narrative, and I think it gave the book a greater sense of authenticity. I didn’t know where the story would go when I picked this up, but it kept moving along at a good pace and kept me interested. Naturally, in order to cover so many years in a single book, the novel occasionally jumps forward in time without providing a long look at what happened in the interim, but I thought it was overall done well. This was nicely imaginative and while I don’t know how realistic the story as a whole was, it was an interesting take on someone’s experience in North Korea and I definitely enjoyed reading.
This book chronicles Jun-su’s life from boyhood to adulthood, going over the various milestones he hits and showing how scripted his life is but also the ways in which he’s been affected by the ability to imagine worlds outside the one he lives in. The book it written as if it’s a biography, the author including a few parts from first person perspective as if he’s relaying information from Jun-su about his life. It was an interesting way the frame the narrative, and I think it gave the book a greater sense of authenticity. I didn’t know where the story would go when I picked this up, but it kept moving along at a good pace and kept me interested. Naturally, in order to cover so many years in a single book, the novel occasionally jumps forward in time without providing a long look at what happened in the interim, but I thought it was overall done well. This was nicely imaginative and while I don’t know how realistic the story as a whole was, it was an interesting take on someone’s experience in North Korea and I definitely enjoyed reading.
August 14, 2023
I went into this book practically blindfolded. Again…and yes I love aesthetics, the cover sold me without needing more to buy it apart knowing it was set in North Korea.
And when I thought I’ve seen it all and read it all regarding books about the hermit kingdom, this book hit me like a punch in the stomach and was also a breeze of fresh air.
Fast paced, unpredictable, page turner and quite of few what the heck moments.
North Korea + Dungeons & Dragons was the mindset I entered this book (although never played and barely know what’s the game about) but it was much much more and much different from everything I expected!!
And still broke my heart at the end, what a delightful surprise!
At 50% was thinking around 3 stars, ended knowing couldn’t be less than 5 🥺
What a perfect way to end my weekend of readathon 😌
And when I thought I’ve seen it all and read it all regarding books about the hermit kingdom, this book hit me like a punch in the stomach and was also a breeze of fresh air.
Fast paced, unpredictable, page turner and quite of few what the heck moments.
North Korea + Dungeons & Dragons was the mindset I entered this book (although never played and barely know what’s the game about) but it was much much more and much different from everything I expected!!
And still broke my heart at the end, what a delightful surprise!
At 50% was thinking around 3 stars, ended knowing couldn’t be less than 5 🥺
What a perfect way to end my weekend of readathon 😌
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