Books

True Singapore Ghost Stories

Russell Lee

WITH over 1.5 million copies sold since 1989, True Singapore Ghost Stories is the most popular read in Singapore, Malaysia and Brunei. In each book, Russell Lee compiles reports, stories and interviews about the supernatural. Light and entertaining, the books appeal to readers in all age groups. Since the launch of the series in 1989, the Singapore National Library has cited the TSGS books as being the most read books in Singapore – they have been borrowed millions of times. Meanwhile, the well-loved, masked Russell Lee keeps his identity a secret, preferring to let the TSGS books do all the talking. [Buy Now]

TIME OUT

Russell Lee is something of a Singapore institution.

THE STRAITS TIMES (2017)

Russell Lee’s True Singapore Ghost Stories has been a mainstay on Singapore bestseller lists since they hit shelves in 1989.

SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST

Russell Lee is Singapore’s most popular writer by a long stretch. His prose is clear and his titles snappy.

THE STRAITS TIMES

The Almost Complete Collection Of True Singapore Ghost Stories series continues to capture the imagination of Singaporeans.

THE STRAITS TIMES

The material is just so incredibly rich... You just want to read on.

THE STAR

True Singapore Ghost Stories Book 1 is Singapore’s all-time number one bestseller.

THE BRITISH BROADCASTING CORPORATION

Angsana’s Russell Lee is Singapore’s biggest-selling author by a long, long way!

THE STRAITS TIMES

The results of a Forbes survey commissioned by the National Library Board show that as many as four out of ten Singaporeans prefer to read horror-ghost stories... the most popular fiction is Russell Lee’s True Singapore Ghost Stories (Angsana Books).

THE OFFICIAL SINGAPORE GUIDE & MAP

The True Singapore Ghost Stories by Russell Lee is to Singapore what manga is to Japan.

THE STRAITS TIMES

Angsana’s Russell Lee and his team of ghost writers are highly popular, judging by the number of times that the volumes in the True Singapore Ghost Stories series — published by Flame Of The Forest — have hit the bestseller lists of major bookshops in town since the series was launched in 1989.

THE NEW STRAITS TIMES

Morality and the positive have a firm place in Angsana’s True Singapore Ghost Stories. Good triumphs over evil, always.

CHANNEL NEWSASIA

The True Singapore Ghost Stories series has put local fiction at the top spot and opened up possibilities for other home-grown stories and authors. It’s publisher, Flame Of The Forest Publishing, is a Singaporean English language press that has built its name by publishing Singapore authors. Its books, such as the True Singapore Ghost Stories, speak to the Singapore psyche.

About The Author

WHEN Russell Lee’s True Singapore Ghost Stories Book 1 was launched in September 1989, it became an instant bestseller, chalking up mind-blowing sales of 30,000 books in two months. Now, 35 years later, Lee has compiled 27 other books and two Special Editions. Russell Lee is a household name in Singapore and Malaysia. His True Singapore Ghost Stories series has garnered readers across generations, cultures and territories.

The appearance of Russell Lee marked a watershed in Singapore’s literary development. For the first time in Singapore, the stories struck a chord with heartlanders, with voices, settings and storylines that were familiar.

Before Russell Lee, books in Singapore were considered bestsellers if they could achieve sales of 3,000 copies. The sales rate of Lee’s books sent hearts racing and observers gasping in disbelief.

Lee’s example has stoked other Singaporeans to put pen to paper. Authors now own their cultural identity and write with a distinctly Asian style, unencumbered by the strictures of language legacy. Books by Singaporeans for Singaporeans and about Singaporeans. They offer to the rest of the world an authentic experience of the Singapore heartbeat.

Meanwhile, Russell Lee remains anonymous, donning a mask every time he appears in public. We do know he’s Singaporean. He's definitely a real person and proudly says, “Every red blood cell of mine is imprinted with the five stars and crescent moon!”