Books, Movies, and V

ThePaperTrailtothe1923ChineseExclusionAct （PlumleafPress，June30）

known，farlessattention hasbeen paid toasimilar lawpassed in neighboring Canada in1923.Thisrecentbookrevisitsadark，largely forgotten chapterofCanadianhistory，toldthroughthepersonalstoriesofthosewho lived it.'swriting standsasa powerfulreminderof the lastingdamagecausedbydiscriminationand exclusion，which isespecially relevantamid today'srising geopolitical tensionsand growing isolationism.

Transplants （RegaloPress，May13）

nhisdebut novel，American writer Daniel Tam-Claiborne tells the story of two young women-Chinese student Linand Chinese American teacher Liz一who meetata rural university in China and navigate questions of identity，belonging，and the tangled connectionsbetween theirworlds. Drawing from hisownexperience teaching Englishinrural China from 2009 to 2011，Tam-Claiborne，who is Chineseon hismother's side，explores themesofculturalaffinityand dislocationwithnuanceanddepth.

Mending Bodies （Two Lines Press，April 29）

nadystopian city，agovernment program urges couplesto\"conjoin\"- surgically fuse theirbodies-promising social，economic，and ecological benefits.Asastudent researching the initiativedescends into insomniaand selfdoubt，she beginsto question whether losing herself for the so-called greater good is trulya choice.Translated from award-winning Hong Kong author Hon Lai Chu's2010 novel，Mending Bodiesunsettlesreaders'assumptionsabout identity， autonomy，andthepowerofthestate.

Mending Bodies Hon Lai Chu Translated by Jacqueline Leung

Forget You Not （May 23）

CengLelesiealisarresa convenience storebydayand performsstand-up comedyat night.Her lifeis， inmany ways，a mess-caring fora fatherwith Alzheimer's，mourning the lossof herlong-absent mother，and going througha divorce.Yetshe remains stubborn andresilientto thecore.DirectedbyactressRene Liu，theeight-episode Netflix seriesactsasamirror，reflecting the strugglesofmiddle-agedwomenwho find themselvesunemployed，unbalanced，or losing momentum in life.The show currently holdsa strong rating of 8.3on Doubanand hasbeen praisedas the ChineseversionofTheMarvelousMrs.Maisel.

Resurrection （May 22）

unanimouslyapproved bythe jury.The storyunfoldsasa six-part fever dream， followingamovie monsteras itdriftsthrough 100 yearsof Chinese history. Although the film，starring TaiwanactressShu Qiand formerboy band idol JacksonYee，hasyettohitscreensoutsidethefestivalandonlyabrief trailer hasbeenreleased，Chinese cinephilesarealreadyabuzzwithanticipation.

Trapped （May 1）

etinthe1990sin Mangya，asmallborder townencircledby200kilometers standoffbetweenthreepolicemenarmedwithasingle gunanda gangof 44 heavily armed bandits.Winner of Best Screenplay at the 15th Beijing InternationalFilm FestivalinApril，thisdirectorial debutof Zhang Qi hasbeen widelypraised foritsactionsequences，visual effects，andcast performances. Though ithasalso beencriticized for itsweak plot，with viewers pointing to excessive internal conflictand abruptbetrayalswithin the gang，aswellasthe improbable ending. - Hayley Zhao

Video Games

KARMA：TheDarkWorld

（Pollard Studio， March 27）

Setie takeon theroleofanagentfrom theLeviathan Corporation，taskedwithinfiltratingtheminds ofcriminal suspectsand searching for evidence bysyncingwiththeirmemories.KARMAisone of those games that doesn't immediatelycome acrossasaChineseindietitle.Whenitwasfirst revealedonPlayStation'sofficial YouTubechannel， manyinternationalplayersactuallymistookitfor a Western release. The game currently boastsa 90 percent positiveratingon Steam.

Al Limit （Sense Games， March 27）

nadistant futurewhere civilization teeters on the brink of extinction，survivors cling tothelegend of Elysiuminthe lastcity， Havenswell. In this post-apocalyptic sci-fi actiongame，playerstakeontheroleofArrisa animmortal Blader，exploring the city's ruins insearch ofhopeandachanceatnewlife. When the demo was first released last year， many test players criticized its poor gameplay experience.After carefullyaddressing player feedback，A/Limithasnowachieveda90 percent positiveratingon Steam following its officialreleaseinMarch.

Sultan's Game （Double Cross， March 31）

etina fantasyworldinspiredbyTheArabianNights， mustdrawa\"sultan card\"everyseven daysand complete its assigned challenge-or face execution. Card types include\"Lust，\"\"Luxury，\"\"Conquest，\"and“Slaughter，\" eachrepresentingadifferentmoraldilemmaandlife-ordeath trial. The game has quickly become one of the most talked-about Chinese indie games of the year.Within just three days of release，it sold over 100，000 copies on Steam， reaching250，0o0inits firstweek.Manyplayers，especially women，were initiallydrawn inbythe game's intricateand sometimessensualillustrationsand storyline，but soon found themselveshookedby its fast-pacedcardstrategymechanics and the nerve-wracking pressure of looming deadlines.-H.Z.