Roadkill by Amil

An exhilarating speculative short story collection from South Korean author Amil, transporting readers to new worlds

We had always been rare and mysterious creatures. We’d been taught this ever since we were children.

With strong roots in feminist science fiction and fantasy, Roadkill’s exhilarating stories transport us to strange new worlds.

In a near future where women are an endangered minority, two young friends try to break free from a facility designed for those few who can still give birth. Every year in a secluded seaside village, a maiden is sacrificed to a divine sea serpent. In a daring thriller about a woman’s fragmentation of her self, a writer in an abusive marriage becomes obsessed with a mysterious woman in a purple dress. The last female shaman of an indigenous tribe tells her stories to a visiting research team. And in South Korea’s Alps Grand Park, the residents exist in an exclusive world dominated by giant air purifier towers as others are left to live in the shade.

The women in these stories find themselves trapped – by circumstance, society or tradition – as they fight for a means of escape. This sweeping and subversive collection celebrates their strength and their courage, their desire for independence and self-expression.

Translated by Archana Madhavan

About the Author: Amil is a South Korean writer and translator. She has won numerous awards for her short stories, including the SF Award in the Short-Mid Novel category for ‘Roadkill’ and the SF Award Grand Prize for ‘Rabbi’. Under her name, Jihyun Kim, Amil has translated works by authors including James Baldwin, Joyce Carol Oates, Jeanette Winterson, R.O. Kwon and Lucas Rijneveld into Korean. Roadkill is her debut in English, with her novel, The Forest Called You, forthcoming in 2026.

07 Aug 2025
 

Roadkill by Amil ISBN 9781787304857