Goodreads helps you keep track of books you want to read.

Start by marking “The Unnamed Country” as Want to Read:

Other editions

Enlarge cover

Rate this book

Clear rating

1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

Open Preview

The Unnamed Country

Jeffrey Thomas (Goodreads Author)

4.32 · Rating details · 22 ratings · 11 reviews

“Other countries have conquered us over our long history, and sometimes they changed our name. Hundreds of years ago, our Emperor Tho tried to think of ways to protect his country from being attacked again, after he managed to drive out the last invaders. And he knew he had to change the name his enemies had given to his country. Then Tho had an idea… a way to keep other p ...more

Get A Copy

Paperback, 264 pages

Published November 19th 2019 by Word Horde

More Details... Edit Details

Friend Reviews

To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up.

Reader Q&A

To ask other readers questions about The Unnamed Country, please sign up.

Be the first to ask a question about The Unnamed Country

Lists with This Book

This book is not yet featured on Listopia. Add this book to your favorite list »

Community Reviews

Showing 1-42

Average rating 4.32 ·

Rating details

· 22 ratings · 11 reviews

More filters

Sort order

Start your review of The Unnamed Country

Nov 23, 2019 Alex rated it really liked it

The Unnamed Country is braided collection of grotesques that should be sought out by fans of Barker. As the title implies, it is set in a southeast Asian country whose location and identity have been deliberately obscured, but it is located firmly of the territory of The Weird. It is filled with characters worthy of soap operas, and each story here could be an episode of an ongoing show. My personal favorite was “The Uninvited Grave” as the black humor of this conte cruel is quite delightful.

flag 6 likes · Like · see review

Feb 24, 2020 Joshua rated it it was amazing

I’ve been reading an awful lot of Jeffrey Thomas lately. Many collections over the past few weeks, in fact. I’ve been on a bit of a quest to explore the breadth of his work, which is no mean feat given that he changes and mixes genres as often as I change socks and has been writing professionally for several decades. Anyone who has dipped their toe into his work likely knows that his stories run the gamut in terms of theme and content. Of course, even within that broad context, similarities and I’ve been reading an awful lot of Jeffrey Thomas lately. Many collections over the past few weeks, in fact. I’ve been on a bit of a quest to explore the breadth of his work, which is no mean feat given that he changes and mixes genres as often as I change socks and has been writing professionally for several decades. Anyone who has dipped their toe into his work likely knows that his stories run the gamut in terms of theme and content. Of course, even within that broad context, similarities and recurring themes are perceptible, whether he’s writing horror, Lovecraftian pastiche, sci-fi horror, or what have you. The works are all different, yes, but they’re all markedly Jeffrey Thomas.

And then we have The Unnamed Country. Thomas’s latest publication, so intriguingly titled, is also his most unique. His most exotic. His most exhilarating. And, in this reviewer’s estimation, his most heartfelt. Reading this book was a singular experience and a deeply rewarding one for a host of reasons.

Right from the start (ostensibly even from the title) it is evident that Thomas has chosen to incorporate one of my personal favorite literary devices in this collection. He has elevated the setting so far beyond mere trappings and backdrop that she becomes a character unto herself. In this case, the principal character. The leading lady. The Jewel in the Jade Crown. Though every single character within these tales is infused with the life and vitality that Thomas is known for in his characterizations, none breathe so deeply, so hotly, and so longingly as The Unnamed Country herself.

She’s a mysterious lady, this Unnamed Country that Jeffrey has dared to share with us. Sensual and accommodating, fierce and hungry, ancient and wise, a sinful whore, and an elegant queen. She is rich with treasures, but she guards them closely and with a jealous grip. She is less conscientious with her blemishes and scars, almost seeming to wear them as gaudy bangles on her slender wrists, glaring for all the world to see. She is cloaked in the choking stink of engine exhaust and cheap cigarettes, bent with the heavy weight of her peoples’ burdens. Disfigured beggars cling to her ankles, caked with the grime of the filthy streets. Her fingers are sticky with greed, her palms slick with blood, her lips chapped with curses, and her eyes dark with the hunger of vengeance.

But to brave these things and look deeper is to earn a glimpse of the beauty that she hides within. Once you have your arms around her, in spite of all her flaws, she will show you things that leave you breathless. Her heart is made of rubies and she is full of dreams. Her secret places are home to unicorns and angels. Indeed, she guards the gates to Heaven itself. And on those jeweled streets Ten gods walk, Sevens always come in Threes, circuit boards can shepard lost souls, and True Love is right next door...or at least on your television set.

The cast of characters that fill in the gaps between The Unnamed Country’s crowded streets are diverse, yet entwined in myriad ways. They are students and farmers, factory workers and nail technicians, prostitutes and monks, doctors, ghosts, and jewel-eyed monkeys. They walk alongside one another, each just struggling to make their way. Frequently beset by the same mortal frailties that plague us all, they meet these conflicts and contend with challenges in many of the same ways we might. But nothing on Her shadowy streets unfolds in quite the same way it does everywhere else in the world. There’s a certain magic to every wind that blows through The Unnamed Country and it touches all who dwell there, whether with whispery touch or a hurricane gale.

Though the setting itself is largely based on the author’s experiences in Vietnam, glimpses of other southeast Asian cultures can be seen as well. Interspersed among these bits and pieces of reality are strains of fantasy and myth, all swirling together to form a glorious melting pot of such richness that every bite the reader takes reveals a new taste. The more you stir the spoon around, the more surprising new morsels bob to the surface.

I absolutely adored this book. It is quite probably my favorite collection from the past year. Try as I might, I could scarcely even find a flaw among its pages. Obviously, I give a lot of credit to its uniqueness. The setting is so remarkable and singular that it practically radiates freshness while still keeping an undercurrent of legendry as ancient as the earth itself.

But it wasn’t the uniqueness, grand as it may have been, that took such a hold of my heart. It was the abundance of love that Jeffrey infused in each and every story. Each character is crafted so lovingly and so earnestly. Each descriptive line of this deeply lived-in world is delivered so truthfully and with such a sense of place that you see and feel and smell this world as it unfolds around you. And yes, some of this is reflective of the pure, honed skill that the writer has built through years of work. But not all of it. Not, in fact, the most important part of it. No, what really drives the impact of this work home is how damned apparent it is that Jeffrey loves this world he has built for us. His deep affection for this mythical land and its real world counterpart is so achingly and tenderly palpable in each tale that the sheer gravity of it moved me to years more than once.

The author mentions in the Afterward to this edition that this collection is his love-letter to the country of Vietnam and the beloved friends he has made there. And while the truth of that statement is abundantly clear in every word he writes, I also feel strongly that it is every bit as much a love letter to his readers. He has put so much of his heart into these earthy and mystical tales that I could not help but feel, upon closing the book, that Jeffrey Thomas chose to share something deeply special and personal with me in their telling.

The Unnamed Country truly showcases some of Jeffrey Thomas’s finest work. These tales are resplendent and evocative. They are magical, mystical, and so achingly human.

If you’re a fan of Jeffrey Thomas’s work, please read this book. If you’re a fan of exotic settings and well-realized characters, please read this book. If you’re a fan of cracking good storytelling, please...read this book. You’re going to find something to love within these pages. And who knows? Perhaps the Ruby Empress will favor you with a smile when you close the last page. There are worse boons to have earned when you buy your next lottery ticket.

...more

flag 2 likes · Like · see review

Dec 22, 2019 Suresh S rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

If you know Jeffrey Thomas from his Punktown series of Philp K Dick-ian hard-boiled futuristic novels and short stories, this new collection will come as a surprising veer into fairy tale territory. Yes, although most of the stories in The Unnamed Country are set in a contemporary or at least modern world, they have an almost folkloric quality. Jeffrey draws upon his experiences in Vietnam and related countries and processes them through the enviable wonderland of his imagination to give us a So ...more

flag 2 likes · Like · see review

Dec 14, 2020 Paul rated it it was amazing

Shelves: travel

I already wrote a longer review on this - link below. I said there that this is a modern classic of writing about another country or culture on the level of Lafcadio Hearn or ltalo Calvino. It belongs on the shelf of any, and every, bookstore in any airport with a flight to Southeast Asia. I still stand by that. Anyone interested in Vietnam or Southeast Asia should be reading this - no matter that the title doesn't sing out Vietnam.

http://greydogtales.com/blog/the-unna... ...more

flag 3 likes · Like · see review

Dec 17, 2019 Christopher rated it really liked it

Shelves: fiction

Its like the 'Punktown' of contemporary Southeast Asia. So if you like that you will probably like this. ...more

flag 2 likes · Like · see review

Dec 04, 2020 Dave Higgins rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: reviewed, yog-sothothery

Collecting stories that span science-fiction, fantasy, and realism but are connected by a shared fictional Asian country, Thomas offers both a series of character-driven individual narratives and an engaging gestalt vision of the liminal zone between beliefs and reality.

This collection contains nine short stories set in a fictional Asian country shaped both by religion and cutting-edge technology.

‘Cholukan and the Gods’: Wishing to learn more of the lives of humans without the distortion that s ...more

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Jan 01, 2020 Eric rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: 2020

Thomas proves once again what a treasure he is to weird fiction, this time immersing the reader in a fictitious Southeast Asian setting. Some of his stories are achingly moving and profound, others are humorous, and a few, as always, are batshit crazy; all are elements that I love. An absolute favorite of mine.

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Apr 20, 2020 Daniel Keohane rated it really liked it

These series of connected (at times loosely, others more directly) stories by Thomas is darker fare tone-wise than I'm used to, with a gritty realism that dives deeply into far more human (versus technological or supernatural) emotional world. The characters are normal, at times lost and drifting but all very real. With dashes of humor - itself also tending towards the dark side - I found myself knowing where this "unnamed country" is and other times feeling it's just slightly left of our univer ...more

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Feb 16, 2020 Robin rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

The several excellent stories more than make up for the few that are merely fine. The opener story is easily the best, establishing the rules and mood of the setting naturally, by the characters' progress in their projects rather than by infodump. Jeffrey Thomas is good at every aspect of the writers' craft, and, particularly for a weird writer, he's astonishingly good at dialog. ...more

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Mar 21, 2020 Shikhar rated it it was amazing

With THE UNNAMED COUNTRY, the creator of Punktown has engaged in worldbuilding on a smaller but infinitely richer scale. Through a series of linked short stories, Jeffrey Thomas blends and deconstructs several genres in order to create a living, breathing land that transcends its own “fictionality.” Presumably somewhere in Southeast Asia is a nation with its very own myths, superstitions, popular television shows, prejudices, and pantheon of Gods and Demons. Thomas tackles serious issues, rangin ...more

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Jan 17, 2020 Jason Williams rated it really liked it

Marvelous collection of weird fiction set in southeast Asia as viewed through a western perspective.
Not every single story was to my taste but as with most Jeffrey Thomas collections I am not disappointed in purchasing and reading it!

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Alicia Kenny rated it really liked it
Nov 17, 2020

Allen Long rated it really liked it
Jan 20, 2020

Jon R. Meyers rated it it was amazing
Jan 05, 2020

Allan rated it really liked it
Jun 22, 2020

Lou rated it liked it
Dec 02, 2019

L.Jayde rated it liked it
Jan 19, 2020

Ivan rated it really liked it
Nov 26, 2020

José Ángel de Dios rated it really liked it
Jan 19, 2021

Bruno Bueno rated it it was amazing
Dec 19, 2019

Jayaprakash Satyamurthy rated it it was amazing
Jun 01, 2020

Markthulhu rated it really liked it
Dec 07, 2020

Bill Barnett rated it really liked it
Nov 27, 2020

George Ibarra is currently reading it
Nov 18, 2019

Tom Over marked it as to-read
Nov 21, 2019

Nikki marked it as to-read
Nov 27, 2019

Lou Columbus is currently reading it
Nov 28, 2019

Chris Huntley marked it as to-read
Dec 09, 2019

Addison Phillips is currently reading it
Dec 21, 2019

Richard Shewmaker added it
Dec 31, 2019

Derrick Mcvicker is currently reading it
Jan 05, 2020

Joao Barreiros is currently reading it
Jan 13, 2020

Paula added it
Feb 17, 2020

Jan added it
Mar 30, 2020

Neil E. Trais is currently reading it
Jun 24, 2020

Jacob Carpenter added it
Jul 07, 2020

Mike added it
Sep 16, 2020

Dizzybea marked it as to-read
Sep 16, 2020

Matthew marked it as to-read
Dec 04, 2020

Kenneth Skaldebø marked it as to-read
Nov 19, 2019

Pearse Anderson marked it as to-read
Nov 20, 2019

George Hopper marked it as to-read
Nov 24, 2019

new topic
Discuss This Book

There are no discussion topics on this book yet. Be the first to start one »

Recommend It | Stats | Recent Status Updates

Readers also enjoyed

See similar books…

Genres

Horror

4 users

Fantasy

4 users

Fiction

2 users

See top shelves…

About Jeffrey Thomas

Jeffrey Thomas

184 followers

Jeffrey Thomas is an American author of fantastical fiction, the creator of the acclaimed milieu Punktown. Books in the Punktown universe include the short story collections PUNKTOWN, VOICES FROM PUNKTOWN, PUNKTOWN: SHADES OF GREY (with his brother, Scott Thomas), and GHOSTS OF PUNKTOWN. Novels in that setting include DEADSTOCK, BLUE WAR, MONSTROCITY, HEALTH AGENT, EVERYBODY SCREAM!, and RED CELLS ...more