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.
This latest novel by Marcel Theroux will be released on November 29, 2022. Atria Books provided an early galley for review.
I have long known the exhilerating freedom of tabletop role-playing games like Dungeons and Dragons. D&D and others have been a part of my life for over four decades. That connection is what first attracted me to this upcoming novel. And, having run the game for others and having been a player myself, I was very familiar and comfortable with the interpretation and execution of the game within the narrative.
I was intrigued by the depiction of life in North Korea and felt I learned a lot about it through this tale. The author's research and experiences will enlighten readers with the realities the residents live with each day.
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