Kim Bo-Young, whose previous titles in English translation are story collections--I'm Waiting for You and On the Origin of Species--presents A Plagued Sea, an eerie novella about a fatal pandemic, originally published in 2020, before the Covid-19 lockdowns. Sophie Bowman, who co-translated I'm Waiting for You, translates from the Korean.
Security officer Seo Muyoung is traveling on holiday with her young niece, Hyun, ahead of Hyun's parents, who are scheduled to join them the next day. Despite a significant earthquake 10 kilometers from their destination of Haewon Village, train service remains surprisingly uninterrupted, and Hyun's excitement propels them forward. Three years later, life in the village is virtually unrecognizable: a mysterious plague that hideously deforms its victims before causing death triggers a government-mandated lockdown. Hyun is presumed dead; Muyoung, who seems immune to the virus, is regularly dispatched by local officials to contain quarantine violators. This East Sea disease brings infectious disease researcher Ha Woojin to Haewon; he's practically ebullient over procuring permission to enter Haewon for a long-neglected on-site survey. His utterly distraught letter to the president that appears on the first page, before even the prologue, hints at the catastrophes ahead.
Kim's 2020 author's note explains that A Plagued Sea is part of British independent press Honford Star's Lovecraft Reanimated project, with clear nods to the H.P. Lovecraft horror universe: the transformed victims' vocabulary includes "Cthulhu," directly referencing the Cthulhu mythos; Kim names "The Shadow over Innsmouth" as inspiration. Kim's own persuasive imagination, however, ensures Lovecraft familiarity isn't required for thoroughly chilling, postpandemic enjoyment. --Terry Hong