Red Sword - Honford Star

I’ve been looking forward to writing about a book published by Honford Star for a while now. They’re a publisher local to me in Stockport, specialising in translated East Asian literature, and they put out some of the most beautiful books I’ve come across — full of thoughtful design details that show real attention and care. What’s not to like?

The first thing that strikes you when you pick up a Honford Star book is the quality. They feel good in your hand, their covers look different from what you’re used to and they always have a coloured endpaper that gives the book a distinctive finish (an idea borrowed from the Korean book industry). Even the paper is quality – being Japanese premium paper. The covers are all designed or illustrated by East Asian artists and have a different vibe to most UK publishing.

Honford Star’s journey began in 2017 with the publication of Sweet Potato. Since then, they’ve evolved, from publishing classics of East Asian literature to introducing contemporary authors to English-language readers. They provide a voice for authors who would not otherwise be heard in this part of the world, and they look stylish doing it. 

Make sure to check out their website and purchase as many books from them as possible honfordstar.com. I recommend The Proposal, a short, feel-good sci-fi which again has a beautiful cover and design and would look incredible on any bookshelf.

Released in 2025, Red Sword marks Bora Chung’s first full-length novel to be translated into English and her third piece of work translated into English by Anton Hur. Her 2017 short story collection Cursed Bunny, released in English in 2022 by – you guessed it – Honford Star, found widespread success and positive reviews, being shortlisted for the International Booker Prize and a finalist for the American National Book Award for Translated Literature. 

Based on the name and the front cover, I initially assumed Red Sword would be fantasy or historical fiction. It’s actually science fiction — a welcome surprise, as I’m a big sci-fi fan.

It is a cold, unrelenting story. Told from the perspective of the owner of the titular red sword, it follows captives of war forced to fight on an alien planet. 

Attack! Anyone who does not shall be deemed a traitor and executed!

Though set on another planet, the story draws on real historical events — particularly the plight of Korean soldiers conscripted to fight imperial wars on behalf of the Qing dynasty. The characters are nameless, the writing is stripped of description. The violence of war is constant and claustrophobic, page after page. 

Even the endpaper, usually a colourful trademark for Honford Star, is colourless and translucent, a subtle but striking gesture that reflects the bleakness of the story.

Red Sword is a story of subjugation: people ruled by one power, forced to fight another. It is a story of exploitation, of colonialism and brutality. It is not always an easy read, and you might even be grateful that it’s only short. Still, it explores these themes with precision and restraint, and leaves you wanting to read more.

Red Sword is exactly the kind of book that reminds me why I love what Honford Star are doing — bold, boundary-pushing, and beautifully made.

If you’re local to Stockport, or for some reason happen to be stopping through, I can’t recommend enough dropping by Rare Mags. Though they specialise in magazines, they stock some pretty neat books and always have a supply of Honford Star. I’ve purchased all of my Honford Star books from there, the owners are great and I always walk out having spent more money than I ever intended. Rare Mags is well worth the visit.