People don’t see what they don’t want to see, and our minds are marvellous confabulators.
That lady on the MRT with frangipanis growing where her eyes should be? Don’t look at her face, don’t remember seeing her, focus on your phone and the K‑drama you’re watching.
That temple near your old house, where you’ve only seen people leaving but never entering, where you’ve seen something enormous and many-limbed and holy dancing inside? Well, it’s usually dark, and it could have been something else.
That canteen stall you went to all the time in primary school, where you could pay with promises and the food tasted like thunderstorms? Your friends don’t admit to recalling anything like that, so you probably just misremembered. You know how fanciful children’s imaginations can be.
So, we whistle to ourselves as we walk deserted streets home at night, singing tuneless little songs, our brains protecting us from the horrors around us. Officially, this phenomenon is known as Deviant Occurrences Blind Eye Syndrome, or DOBES, following the British government’s understated (and poorly chosen) name for it, but no one calls it that except in official reports, not even the Brits. They call it “the jumblies,” I heard, and here in Singapore, we call it the DKP effect.
Don’t kaypoh, don’t be a busybody, and mind your own business.
Dive into a world where magic lies hidden just below the surface in this charming urban fantasy full of workplace found family, queer romance, and supernatural creatures straight out of Southeast Asian lore, from debut author, me!
In the sunny city of Singapore, the government takes care of everything—even the weird stuff.
Benjamin Toh is a middle manager in the Department for Engagement of Unusual Stakeholders (DEUS), and his job is straightforward: keep the supernatural inhabitants of Singapore happy and keep them out of sight. That is, don’t bother the good, normal citizens, and certainly don’t bother the bosses. Sure, he’s overworked and understaffed, but usually, people (and senior management) don’t see what they don’t want to see.
But when an entire housing estate glitches out of existence on what was meant to be a routine check-in, Ben has to scramble to keep things under control and stop the rest of the city from disappearing. He may not have the budget or the bandwidth, but he has the best—if highly irregular and supernaturally inclined—team to help him. Together, they’ll traverse secret shadow markets, scale skyscrapers, and maybe even go to the stars, all so they can just do their goddamn job.
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What Nice People Are Saying about City of Others
“Urban fantasy that vibes like The X-Men meets Parks and Recreation? A send-up of government bureaucracy that is also a magnificent homage to public service? Sign me up! I love it when a book makes me think, ‘I have never read anything like this before.’ City of Others is that book—such a unique and refreshing read!”
— Megan Bannen, USA Today bestselling author of The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy
“City of Others delights and charms with a ragtag group of magical bureaucrats doing their best to save an entire city from being dragged out of reality. Poon seamlessly blends action, magic, romance, and the tight bonds of an understaffed workplace that truly believes in the good they’re doing. I absolutely adored this!"
— Andrea Stewart, author of The Bone Shard Daughter
“From undead ducklings to prowling wyverns and market-going jiangshi, City of Others is an absolutely delightful mythological smorgasbord bursting with wit, humor, and a cast of vibrant characters that warmed my heart. It would be no exaggeration to say that my dream job is now a position at DEUS!”
— Sophie Kim, Sunday Times bestselling author of The God and the Gumiho
“A whip-smart urban fantasy humming with the vibrant energy of Singapore and its chaotic magical inhabitants, this found family will welcome you in with open arms (and tentacles)!”
— Molly O'Neill, author of Greenteeth
“City of Others is such a wildly fun ride—equal parts supernatural mystery and heartfelt workplace comedy. The overworked government crew steals the show: zany, chaotic, full of quirks and charm—they prove that colleagues aren’t just people you bicker with over the AC setting. Underlying all that mayhem was beautifully layered exploration of how we each grapple with love, grief, and the terrifying act of letting others in. The supernatural twists are pitch-perfect—think Monsters, Inc. meets Singaporean bureaucracy, with otherworldly creatures lurking just beneath the surface of suburban order. And the writing is so compulsively readable I couldn’t stop flipping the pages, desperate to see how the chaos would untangle. Full of twists, wit, and heart, this is one utterly unputdownable story.”
— Kyla Zhao, author of The Fraud Squad and Valley Verified
“Heartfelt and laugh out loud, City of Others is urban fantasy as you've never seen it before. Filled with Southeast Asian folklore, an eclectic cast of outsiders and a thoroughly satisfying takedown of bureaucracy, I smiled my way through this entire book. An absolute breath of fresh air.”
— Eliza Chan, Sunday Times bestselling author of Fathomfolk
“City of Others is a wickedly funny take on paranormal government bureaucracy that interlaces world-drowning stakes with incisive social commentary, extremely mandatory corporate team-building, and a ghost cat that refuses to be exorcised. Warm-hearted and delightful.”
— P. H. Low, Locus-, Ignyte-, and Rhysling-nominated author of These Deathless Shores
“City of Others is clever, exciting, and a much-needed breath of fresh air in urban fantasy. Singapore's mix of cultures is the perfect setting for Poon's brilliant blending of magic and myth, supernatural and mundane. Within the hilarious unbalancing of Benjamin Toh's work and personal lives is a deep story of grief and guilt and the burden of carrying them unceasing, without the grace of forgiveness. This is vividly told and a love letter to Singapore and her citizens in all their incarnations.”
— Mia Tsai, author of Bitter Medicine & The Memory Hunters
“This is one of those books that expands the boundaries of what speculative fiction can be and do. By turns funny, philosophical, and delightfully bizarre, City of Others had me hooked all the way from the undead ducklings to the final poignant chapter."
— M. Stevenson, author of Behooved
"A witty and entertaining insight into the bureaucracy that deals with the paranormal. Against the backdrop of vivid Singapore, Poon envelops you in the chaos and the magic of wrestling with spirits, deities, and ghosts."
— Roselle Lim, author of Natalie Tan's Book of Luck and Fortune
"Served with a healthy portion of delight and whimsy, and a side of dramatic action, Poon crafts a gorgeous fantasy that leaves you compelled from start to finish."
— Amy Leow, author of The Scarlet Throne
“Full of wonder, tenderness, and breathtaking adventure, City of Others is a fresh and captivating fantasy that will grow roots in your heart.”
— Kylie Lee Baker, Sunday Times bestselling author of Bat Eater and Other Names
"Jared Poon has delivered a rollicking read with multicultural integrity, fan service, and literary excellence - this bizarre hybrid of The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen / My Date with a Vampire / Yes Minister should be required reading for every aspiring / expiring public servant."
— Joshua Ip, author of ownself say ownself
“A fun, twisty adventure through supernatural Singapore. Poon writes with humor and tenderness, skewering bureaucracy while immersing the reader in the beauty of this world. Absolutely delightful.”
— Julia Vee, author of Ebony Gate
"Dazzling, rich, and so lusciously weird—Poon makes bureaucracy downright thrilling in a world richly textured with outcasts, misfits, and the beautiful bonds that tie them."
— AM Kvita, author of An Unlikely Coven
"City of Others is a delightfully fun and zany adventure that breathes magic into the city that I call home. It's a fascinating blend of Southeast Asian folklore and all-too-familiar government bureaucracy that is so uniquely and unmistakably Singaporean!"
— Amber Chen, author of Of Jade and Dragons
“At its best, City of Others evokes the City Watch books of the Discworld series; in both, minor officials are finally the stars of the show. They are all at once literally mythological creatures, bumbling do-gooders, and plucky bastards, desperately trying to get their shit together before the world ends. Isn't that us in the real world too, meeting rooms unbooked and deadlines looming? Books like these remind me that any sufficiently advanced bureaucracy is indistinguishable from magic.”
— Tse Hao Guang, author of The International Left-Hand Calligraphy Association
"In City of Others, Jared Poon combines cozy slice-of-life antics with the cosmic ineffable (my favorite pairing!) to create a wonderfully astonishing story. It’s both heart-warming and mind-bending, and I can’t count the number of times Ben’s clever commentary made me smile!"
— Sylvie Cathrall, author of A Letter to the Luminous Deep
“CITY OF OTHERS immerses you in a Singapore both completely magical and utterly real, with characters you’ll love and office dynamics you can relate to. Full of action and heart and wonder, this book is an absolute delight!”
— Melissa Caruso, author of The Last Hour Between Worlds
"Bursting with charm and heart and imbued with the driving spirit of cities, City of Others is an urbane, witty and touching meditation on grief and the ties and water-cooler talk that hold us together (but with monsters!). Poon expertly blends philosophy and fantasy in a world that feels vivid and lived-in, and reminds us of the unglamorous and important work that keeps it all going. From ghost cats to the otherworldly inflections of office jargon, City of Others reveals the fantastic under the everyday and makes honorary civil servants of us all."
— C. K. Chau, author of Good Fortune
“I absolutely loved this book! I loved the undead ducklings, recognising my Singapore in the shopping centres, eateries, bureaucracy and DKP (don't kaypoh) effect. But most of all I love how ultimately heartwarming it is towards all us 'Others'. And yes—it's an action packed urban fantasy!”
— Ovidia Yu, author of The Tree Mysteries
“Inventive and immersive, City of Others will take readers on a delightfully wild adventure! Blending rich Southeast Asian mythology with humorous jabs at Singaporean bureaucracy, this enchanting tale is full of heart and humor—a perfect escape!” —June CL Tan, Sunday Times bestselling author of Darker By Four and Jade Fire Gold
— June CL Tan, Sunday Times bestselling author of Darker by Four and Jade Fire Gold
"If Jared Poon begins this rollicking tale as a mischievous bard, deftly satirising the byzantine world of a multicultural bureaucracy, he ends it in the urgent voice of a town crier - calling us to heed the visible and invisible fractures in our real-world body politic. While we may not all possess the powers of his stout-hearted characters, the merely human reader has nothing to fear. It is a warning delivered with more than a touch of lightness, and heaps of love."
— Theophilus Kwek, author of Commonwealth
"A delightful portrait of 21st century Singapore, anchored equally in diverse Asian magics and the messiness of middle-management office politics, somehow balancing a light, breezy narrative with epic battles against apocalyptic creatures out of cosmic horror. Plus there's a wholesome gay romance and a transdimensional kitten! What more can a reader ask for?"
— Ng Yi-sheng, author of Lion City and Utama
Who’s this guy?
Hi! I’m Jared. I write urban fantasy about secret places, families chosen and unchosen, and workplace shenanigans, all set in Southeast Asia.
I’m the author of City of Others, coming Jan 2026 from Orbit Books. It stars Benjamin Toh, a civil servant who has to deal with an elderly father, a new boyfriend, and a team of bickering misfits, all while trying to manage the supernatural inhabitants of Singapore.
Totally not a real thing, I promise.
By training, I’m a philosopher—my Ph.D. focused on moral psychology and how ethical norms are shaped and transmitted. In my day job, I work with governments across the world on foresight, strategy, and public engagement. That part of my life is called Counter-Fictional, because sometimes the stories we don’t tell are the most powerful.
I also work with Team Project Lunch, a small indie game development studio. We have a demo of our new game out—wishlist us on Steam!
You can usually find me running workshops, playing games (not with your heart—never that), and chasing my two cats around.
Maddy Belton, from the Madeleine Milburn Literary Agency, is my literary agent and partner-in-crime. Please reach out to her with any questions I’m not smart enough to answer.
