The Tales of Eleven - stories that nearly disappeared
Oral traditions are fragile. They exist only as long as someone keeps telling them. Ambi Sun and Sha Roose searched for four stories per country in Southeast Asia, recorded them, translated them, and gave them a place in this book.
The Tales of Eleven contains 44 myths and legends from eleven countries: Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, the Philippines, Singapore, Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos, Brunei and East Timor. These are not rewritten fairy tales or polished children's stories. They are stories as they were told, with the plot twists, cruelty and poetry that belong to them.
What you find in this book
The stories are organized by country. Each country gets four legends, each with its own tone. Some are about gods and creation, others about animals becoming human, or love that ends in death.
The texts are written concisely. Sha Roose writes without preamble: a situation, a choice, a consequence. The stories run from two to five pages. That makes them usable as standalone reading moments, or as a starting point for meditation or reflection.
Ambi Sun illustrated the book. Her style is both botanical and graphic, with much attention to details that recur in the stories themselves: plants, patterns, creatures. The illustrations do not appear on every page, but when they do, they give direction to how you can visualize a character or place.
How this book came to be
Ambi Sun is a graphic designer and illustrator from Malaysia. She previously created the Oriens Animal Tarot and A Little Rain Botanical Oracle. For this project she focused on stories from her own region that were at risk of disappearing through modernization and colonial history.
Sha Roose wrote the stories. She has a background in architectural design and storytelling. She lives with spinal muscular atrophy, a condition that limits her physical mobility, but that has never stood in the way of her writing. Her strength lies in translating cultural complexity into clear, accessible text without smoothing away that complexity.
Together they chose stories that have not made it into the mainstream. Not the Ramayana, not the great epics already found everywhere. Instead, local myths about river spirits, banished princesses, animals taking revenge, sacrifices gone wrong.
Open the book to a random page and read the story you find. The plot turns in Asian folklore often follow a different logic than Western stories, and that can work refreshingly when you are stuck in your own thinking.
How the book looks and feels
Hardcover with a matte lamination that resists scratches. The front has gold holographic foil that shimmers under light. No glossy finish, no smooth shine. The paper inside is cream-colored, 100 grams per square meter, which reads softly and does not glare.
The binding is glued, not sewn signatures. That means you cannot lay the book completely flat without damaging the spine. Open it gently, hold it, read it without forcing.
Format is 135 by 200 millimeters, about the size of a small notebook. Sits easily in the hand, fits in a bag. The book counts approximately 180 pages. The paper for the cover weighs 250 grams per square meter and is FSC certified.
About Ambi Sun and Sha Roose
Ambi Sun works from Malaysia as a graphic designer and illustrator. Her work revolves around botanical forms, cosmic patterns and the translation of symbolism into image. She illustrated several tarot and oracle decks, including the Oriens Animal Tarot.
Sha Roose writes and researches stories. She studied architectural design and later focused on storytelling and cultural research. She lives with a physical disability, but that has not slowed her writing. For this project she dove into archives, spoke with storytellers, and searched for myths that had never been put on paper.
Specifications
- Pages: approximately 180
- Language: English
- Publisher: unknown
- Format: approximately 135 x 200 mm
- Binding: hardcover, glued (perfect binding)
- Finish: scratch-resistant matte lamination, gold holographic foil
- Cover paper: 250 g/m², FSC certified
- Interior paper: 100 g/m², cream-colored
- Author: Sha Roose
- Illustrator: Ambi Sun
- Contents: 44 stories from 11 countries in Southeast Asia
Questions we often get
Are these stories I can find elsewhere?
Most are not. Ambi Sun and Sha Roose deliberately chose lesser-known myths that do not appear in major international anthologies. The focus is on stories that were passed down orally and were at risk of being lost.
Can I use this book alongside my tarot or oracle cards?
Yes. Many readers use the stories as reflection material after a reading, or draw a random story as daily inspiration. The stories are short enough to read in one sitting, but deep enough to think about longer.
