Genres: Fantasy
Cast of Wonders 272: The Forbidden Books of Da Lin Monastery (Banned Books Week)
Show Notes
Don’t miss our other Banned Books Week episodes.
Theme music is “Appeal to Heavens” by Alexye Nov, available from Promo DJ or his Facebook page.
The Forbidden Books of Da Lin Monastery
by Andrew K. Hoe
Hoong-Lung watched, horror-struck, as the book slid along the flagstone floor of the monastery library. The spine shivered, the cover’s fabric shredded itself, and something like spittle foamed along its edges. The title’s brush-stroked ideographs broke from their calligraphy, ink squirming like black worms.
The untamed writing made Hoong-Lung want to vomit.
In his sixteen years training as a warrior-monk at Da Lin Monastery, he’d never seen anything like it. Judging from Wong-Gum’s bloodless face, neither had he. The book snapped at Wong-Gum’s foot, and he jumped back.
As rivals, they’d battled plenty through the years, and Hoong-Lung wasn’t displeased at Wong-Gum’s panic. But besides Da Lin’s ferocious martial reputation, the forbidden texts were the monastery’s greatest treasure.
Even a rabid attack-book was precious.