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k_aro's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.75
A really, really good book that I also am kind of uncomfortable in reading. The book is, I guess inevitably, about Chinese history, tracing all kinds of past atrocities and conflicts, all of which is marred by the decay of history, the anti-Communist and Sinophobic world we currently live in, as well as complications around how we should talk about all of these things. These stories have also all been written at various points in Liu's life, which may or may not change how we can read them/where his feelings have changed.
A lot of really imaginative sci-fi concepts; I especially love the first short story, which follows in the Invisible Cities tradition of a society/universe? sketched out by its constituents, by its minor details. It's really magical and a great introduction to the series. I'm not really sure what to make of "The Regular"; it does feel a little like the conclusion is that cops should shoot people faster when they feel justified, but a lot more of the story is bound up in both the stresses that policing introduces on police as well as the biases that exist even in an "objective" world. I also felt a little weird about "Simulacrum", mostly because of my own contested feelings around fatherhood.
There were a lot of stories that I think are stereotypically "diasporic"; I also cried 3-4 times while reading this book, which has to count for something.
A lot of really imaginative sci-fi concepts; I especially love the first short story, which follows in the Invisible Cities tradition of a society/universe? sketched out by its constituents, by its minor details. It's really magical and a great introduction to the series. I'm not really sure what to make of "The Regular"; it does feel a little like the conclusion is that cops should shoot people faster when they feel justified, but a lot more of the story is bound up in both the stresses that policing introduces on police as well as the biases that exist even in an "objective" world. I also felt a little weird about "Simulacrum", mostly because of my own contested feelings around fatherhood.
There were a lot of stories that I think are stereotypically "diasporic"; I also cried 3-4 times while reading this book, which has to count for something.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Alcohol, Child abuse, Medical content, Rape, Blood, Confinement, Death, Medical trauma, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Death of parent, Racism, Xenophobia, Drug use, Gaslighting, Grief, Murder, Sexual assault, Torture, Trafficking, War, and Violence
Moderate: Bullying, Infidelity, Gun violence, Sexual content, Colonisation, Animal death, and Kidnapping
Minor: Dementia and Addiction
talonsontypewriters's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Murder, Body horror, Racism, Xenophobia, War, Gun violence, Gore, Torture, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Medical trauma, and Grief
Moderate: Genocide, Animal death, Slavery, Bullying, Racial slurs, Death of parent, Colonisation, and Child death
Minor: Infidelity, Excrement, Sexual content, Alcohol, Cancer, and Suicide
Surveillance ("The Perfect Match"). Eye trauma/gore, violence against sex workers ("The Regular").bluejay21's review against another edition
challenging
dark
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Xenophobia and Racism
Moderate: Torture, Colonisation, Death, and Medical trauma
niakantorka's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
This was a marvellous compilation of short stories and novellas. Contrary to what one might expect these aren’t all science fiction stories. There are also some fantastical AUs and some stories about historical events.
Ken Liu has a wonderful way of creating characters and settings that seem either intriguing and alien or safe and warm and in both ways make the reader about humanity. Be aware that in the ‘cosy’ settings humans tend not to stay like that. Better be prepared for each story to take a turn into the darker aspects of humanity.
I loved this way of storytelling but I had to take my time to digest each of them afterwards. It’s been a few days since I read the last and weeks since the first story and I’m still ruminating over them. That’s definitely a sign of a great and touching writing style.
I’ve taken some notes while reading so here’s my verdict on each story separately:
The Bookmaking Habits of Selected Species
Great first story. Very alien and yet super relatable that every species wants to preserve their essence or messages over time with books. The way books took shape here were mesmerising. While reading I thought that Ken Liu’s brain must be an interesting one to be preserved too. Lol, this sounds way creepier than it is meant to be.
4.75 stars
State Change
The idea behind this story that peoples’ souls manifest in every day things that can get damaged, lost, or simply used up was amazing. The soul of our MC was definitely challenging to preserve and how she did it made me laugh at times (even though it wasn’t a laughable matter for her). The ending was surprising and I loved that too. Definitely a unique story.
5 stars
The Perfect Match
Creepy surveillance story and - with regard to social media and in our cases increasing state surveillance - very believable. I hope we’ll never end up in a world like this. It gave me the shudders with how well it was done. The ending felt so true and yet I wished for another one.
4.75 stars
Good Hunting
Absolutely fascinating Alternative Universe in a world where magic was dying and a steam punk industrialisation was rising. The MC and his female friend meet over time and that how their dynamic changes was really something. I loved how they made the best of even the ugliest things happening to them and had each other’s backs.
4.5 stars
The Literomancer
This one broke me a bit. Together with the last story of the book it was the toughest to read. That real people suffered like this only made it worse in my head. The way Mr. Lán and Teddy had brought magic and warmth to Lilly’s life was so wonderful to see and then it went all to hell. My heart bled for those three people, especially for Lilly who was once again so lonely in the end.
4.5 stars
Simulacrum
This was a weaker story to me. The idea of memories brought back to life from advanced imaging techniques to be played how often one wanted was good. Yet I could neither connect with the father/inventor whom I found to be too laissez-faire nor with the daughter who definitely wanted to see the worst in her father.
3.75 stars
The Regular
This one was my favourite story of the whole book. It had this Blade Runner-esque setting I found utterly fascinating. It had also an intriguing cat-and-mouse game between a killer and a female detective who had been a cop once. We got both povs and that was a perfect contradiction of world views, goals, and empathy (or lack there of). Really, I wish I could give this story more stars.
5 stars
The Paper Menagerie
The title story was surprisingly short. I loved how magical the paper animals were and nearly cried over the brave old tiger. It was a touching story, especially when the reader realised how much the MC forgot about his Chinese heritage and how the will to do so of him as a child hurt the mother. Honestly, I wanted to hug that woman quite badly. At least there’s Qingming each year.
4.75 stars
An Advanced Readers’ Picture Book of Comparative Cognition
This story had some compelling lore in it brought to us in a mixture of fairytale and history book. It took me a while to realise that those stories in the story stood for some scientific concepts which was clever and well done. It was also a story about family and that sometimes having family isn’t enough to give up your dreams. Sadly, I couldn’t connect that well with the narrator because they seemed quite manipulative to me.
4.25 stars
The Waves
This one had such an amazing concept. How people evolved bodily before they went for evolving the mind and how they come full circle with it in the end. Admittedly, it’s advantageous if you have an inkling of Chinese mythology to admire the circle more. I also loved the sci-fi concepts we got to see here and would have easily read more about them.
5 stars
Mono no aware
That was a surprising sci-fi story because it didn’t seem like one at the start. The flashbacks were my favourite parts. It’s got sort of a sad ending, but in comparison with other stories in this book it wasn’t too bad. I loved the epic proportions of it.
4.5 stars
All the Flavours
Loved this one. Both historical topics were super interesting and so well woven together. I loved the mix and clash of cultures and how well it worked here. The newer story has an open ending and I imagine it went well for Logan/Lao Guan and for Lily.
5 stars
A Brief History of the Trans-Pacific-Tunnel
One of the two weaker stories for me. The MC couldn’t grip me like in other stories and even though I found the idea of the idea of this Alternative Universe compelling its execution didn’t touch me that much. I did like that the MC finally tried to do something about his guilty conscience.
3.75 stars
The Litigation Master and the Monkey King
In this story the sadness sneaked up on me because the dialogue between the more or less crazy litigation master and the Chinese Monkey King was good fun. I loved that they both didn’t take life too seriously until the story took a turn and became one about courage and making difficult choices. Our master took the chance, it didn’t end well, and yet it was the right choice to make. The story makes you ask yourself: Would I be able to make this difficult choice too?
4.75 stars
The Man Who Ended History: A Documentary
This was the toughest one to read. I’ve you have ever heard of Unit 731 or of Japanese war crimes in WW2 you know what you’re in for and that most of the warnings regard this particular novella. It was so well done too. Behind the disguise of a documentary we got many different aspects and povs to see. That coerced the reader into creating their own opinion about war crimes and how and when they should be punished. It was not an easy read with quite a few punches and yet I loved it.
5 stars
Ken Liu has a wonderful way of creating characters and settings that seem either intriguing and alien or safe and warm and in both ways make the reader about humanity. Be aware that in the ‘cosy’ settings humans tend not to stay like that. Better be prepared for each story to take a turn into the darker aspects of humanity.
I loved this way of storytelling but I had to take my time to digest each of them afterwards. It’s been a few days since I read the last and weeks since the first story and I’m still ruminating over them. That’s definitely a sign of a great and touching writing style.
I’ve taken some notes while reading so here’s my verdict on each story separately:
The Bookmaking Habits of Selected Species
Great first story. Very alien and yet super relatable that every species wants to preserve their essence or messages over time with books. The way books took shape here were mesmerising. While reading I thought that Ken Liu’s brain must be an interesting one to be preserved too. Lol, this sounds way creepier than it is meant to be.
4.75 stars
State Change
The idea behind this story that peoples’ souls manifest in every day things that can get damaged, lost, or simply used up was amazing. The soul of our MC was definitely challenging to preserve and how she did it made me laugh at times (even though it wasn’t a laughable matter for her). The ending was surprising and I loved that too. Definitely a unique story.
5 stars
The Perfect Match
Creepy surveillance story and - with regard to social media and in our cases increasing state surveillance - very believable. I hope we’ll never end up in a world like this. It gave me the shudders with how well it was done. The ending felt so true and yet I wished for another one.
4.75 stars
Good Hunting
Absolutely fascinating Alternative Universe in a world where magic was dying and a steam punk industrialisation was rising. The MC and his female friend meet over time and that how their dynamic changes was really something. I loved how they made the best of even the ugliest things happening to them and had each other’s backs.
4.5 stars
The Literomancer
This one broke me a bit. Together with the last story of the book it was the toughest to read. That real people suffered like this only made it worse in my head. The way Mr. Lán and Teddy had brought magic and warmth to Lilly’s life was so wonderful to see and then it went all to hell. My heart bled for those three people, especially for Lilly who was once again so lonely in the end.
4.5 stars
Simulacrum
This was a weaker story to me. The idea of memories brought back to life from advanced imaging techniques to be played how often one wanted was good. Yet I could neither connect with the father/inventor whom I found to be too laissez-faire nor with the daughter who definitely wanted to see the worst in her father.
3.75 stars
The Regular
This one was my favourite story of the whole book. It had this Blade Runner-esque setting I found utterly fascinating. It had also an intriguing cat-and-mouse game between a killer and a female detective who had been a cop once. We got both povs and that was a perfect contradiction of world views, goals, and empathy (or lack there of). Really, I wish I could give this story more stars.
5 stars
The Paper Menagerie
The title story was surprisingly short. I loved how magical the paper animals were and nearly cried over the brave old tiger. It was a touching story, especially when the reader realised how much the MC forgot about his Chinese heritage and how the will to do so of him as a child hurt the mother. Honestly, I wanted to hug that woman quite badly. At least there’s Qingming each year.
4.75 stars
An Advanced Readers’ Picture Book of Comparative Cognition
This story had some compelling lore in it brought to us in a mixture of fairytale and history book. It took me a while to realise that those stories in the story stood for some scientific concepts which was clever and well done. It was also a story about family and that sometimes having family isn’t enough to give up your dreams. Sadly, I couldn’t connect that well with the narrator because they seemed quite manipulative to me.
4.25 stars
The Waves
This one had such an amazing concept. How people evolved bodily before they went for evolving the mind and how they come full circle with it in the end. Admittedly, it’s advantageous if you have an inkling of Chinese mythology to admire the circle more. I also loved the sci-fi concepts we got to see here and would have easily read more about them.
5 stars
Mono no aware
That was a surprising sci-fi story because it didn’t seem like one at the start. The flashbacks were my favourite parts. It’s got sort of a sad ending, but in comparison with other stories in this book it wasn’t too bad. I loved the epic proportions of it.
4.5 stars
All the Flavours
Loved this one. Both historical topics were super interesting and so well woven together. I loved the mix and clash of cultures and how well it worked here. The newer story has an open ending and I imagine it went well for Logan/Lao Guan and for Lily.
5 stars
A Brief History of the Trans-Pacific-Tunnel
One of the two weaker stories for me. The MC couldn’t grip me like in other stories and even though I found the idea of the idea of this Alternative Universe compelling its execution didn’t touch me that much. I did like that the MC finally tried to do something about his guilty conscience.
3.75 stars
The Litigation Master and the Monkey King
In this story the sadness sneaked up on me because the dialogue between the more or less crazy litigation master and the Chinese Monkey King was good fun. I loved that they both didn’t take life too seriously until the story took a turn and became one about courage and making difficult choices. Our master took the chance, it didn’t end well, and yet it was the right choice to make. The story makes you ask yourself: Would I be able to make this difficult choice too?
4.75 stars
The Man Who Ended History: A Documentary
This was the toughest one to read. I’ve you have ever heard of Unit 731 or of Japanese war crimes in WW2 you know what you’re in for and that most of the warnings regard this particular novella. It was so well done too. Behind the disguise of a documentary we got many different aspects and povs to see. That coerced the reader into creating their own opinion about war crimes and how and when they should be punished. It was not an easy read with quite a few punches and yet I loved it.
5 stars
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Physical abuse, Rape, Torture, Colonisation, Medical trauma, Death, Body horror, Genocide, Xenophobia, Racism, and War
paulaortuno's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Genocide, Suicide, Police brutality, Colonisation, Hate crime, Medical trauma, Rape, Mental illness, Racism, Blood, and Classism
samdalefox's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
I had first read 'The paper menagerie' as a stand alone story and loved it, so bought Liu's full short story collection. As you can see from the individual ratings below, I also loved the rest of the stories. The only one to drop below 4/5 was 'All the flavours', mostly because I don't think the structure and length entirely paid off. Outstanding pieces include 'State change', Simulacrum', 'The paper menagerie', and 'The man who ended history: a documentary'. Although the collection averaged 4.5, I'm bumping it up to 4.75 because the work is greater than the sum of its parts.
It's hard to describe Ken Liu's writing style and subject matter. It's an easy to read, sci-fi, magical realism, literary, historical fiction, kind of genre. There were several times I looked up specific events referenced and learnt about Chinese and pan-Asian history. I found this incredibly enjoyable, the way history and culture are presented is informative, but in an appeasing way because it's told almost like a fairy tale. I also greatly appeciated the author's notes at the end of the stories with historical features explaining the references and pointing to further reading.
The stories cover difficult themes such as imperialism, industrialisation, migration and immigrant experience, ethical use/misuse and philosophical development of technology, revolution and nationalism, militarianism, philosophy of communication and memory, and censorship, all with respect to Chinese people.
It's hard to describe Ken Liu's writing style and subject matter. It's an easy to read, sci-fi, magical realism, literary, historical fiction, kind of genre. There were several times I looked up specific events referenced and learnt about Chinese and pan-Asian history. I found this incredibly enjoyable, the way history and culture are presented is informative, but in an appeasing way because it's told almost like a fairy tale. I also greatly appeciated the author's notes at the end of the stories with historical features explaining the references and pointing to further reading.
The stories cover difficult themes such as imperialism, industrialisation, migration and immigrant experience, ethical use/misuse and philosophical development of technology, revolution and nationalism, militarianism, philosophy of communication and memory, and censorship, all with respect to Chinese people.
"Every act of communication is a miracle of translation"
The book making habits of select species 4.25⭐
State change 4.75⭐
The perfect match 4.25⭐
Good hunting 4⭐
The literomancer 4.5⭐
Simulacrum 5⭐
The regular 4⭐
The paper menagerie 5⭐
An advanced reader's picture book of comparative cognition 4.25⭐
The waves 4.5⭐
Mono no aware 4.5⭐
All the flavours 3.5⭐
A brief history of the trans Pacific tunnel 4.25⭐
The litigation master and the monkey king 4.75⭐
The man who ended history: a documentary 5⭐
Average = 4.43
Content Warnings
Moderate: Colonisation and Classism
Minor: Murder, Racism, Violence, Xenophobia, Death, Genocide, Confinement, Hate crime, Bullying, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Misogyny, Racial slurs, and Rape
The stories cover difficult themes such as imperialism, industrialisation, migration and immigrant experience, ethical use/misuse and philosophical development of technology, revolution and nationalism, militarianism, philosophy of communication and memory, and censorship all with respect to Chinese people.mariopartygod's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
relaxing
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
this is a book I'd love to read again. upon re-reading the preface (comparing every communication to an almost impossible feat of translation), I realize that there is a thread I didn't notice at first connecting all the stories - that there are many truths sometimes, or a truth comprised of many perspectives, and it always has many facets that are hard to reconcile, or perhaps cannot be reconciled. I appreciated the nuance in perspective in the "the man who ended history: a documentary" story, as well as the "simulacrum". meanwhile, the stories tell us that even though the truth is perhaps never going to be 100% understood or discovered, an approximation is enough, and we should act to do what we think is right given that information. "mono no aware", "a brief history of the trans-atlantic tunnel", "the litigation master and the monkey king", "good hunting" seem to communicate this to me, despite all the nuance. ordinary characters faced with extraordinary truths and choices. and then there are stories where a character perhaps learn a bit more later, and maybe looks back on their actions with regret. "the paper menagerie" and "state change" both had this twinge of living life on assumptions, almost to the regret of the characters. I also appreciated the form of the stories - sci-fi, fantasy, and historical fiction blend seamlessly in this collection to paint intricate stories.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault, Colonisation, War, and Violence
Moderate: Racism and Xenophobia
lynxpardinus's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Injury/Injury detail, Torture, Trafficking, Violence, Colonisation, Genocide, Medical content, Medical trauma, Child abuse, Death of parent, Racism, Suicide, War, and Xenophobia
Moderate: Rape, Racial slurs, Infidelity, Police brutality, Animal death, Animal cruelty, Cancer, Mental illness, Misogyny, Sexual violence, and Slavery
Minor: Dementia and Sexual content
kalira's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Ken Lie has a brilliant approach to weaving together history and realism with fantastical/speculative fiction elements, drawing it all into poignant and deeply emotional relief.
It took me a long time to read this anthology, largely because the stories are very good . . . and sometimes, so painful and heavy and immediate that upon finishing I needed to set the book aside and take some time. Both to process the story and to give myself a little emotional space to breathe.
It took me a long time to read this anthology, largely because the stories are very good . . . and sometimes, so painful and heavy and immediate that upon finishing I needed to set the book aside and take some time. Both to process the story and to give myself a little emotional space to breathe.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Medical content, Medical trauma, Murder, Sexual violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Genocide, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Rape, Child death, Religious bigotry, Slavery, Classism, Cultural appropriation, Gore, Trafficking, Vomit, Hate crime, Fire/Fire injury, Body horror, Death, War, Alcohol, Colonisation, Police brutality, Racial slurs, Racism, Torture, Violence, Chronic illness, and Grief
onamoonbeam's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
4.25
sometimes, ken liu, you are SO deep in the sauce
my favorite stories in this collection were paper menagerie, bookkeeping habits, and the waves. monkey king was so fun but also i was listening to my audiobook on my morning commute and i was not expecting so many stories to have graphic depictions of torture! an important topic esp in the context of historical erasure! not what i was expecting!
oh i am so tired when writing this i nearly forgot about good hunting (first saw it in love death and robots! i actually like the og better even if the animation is gorgeous) and state change
sometimes the sauce is good sometimes the sauce gets lost in so much extensions of history and context
my favorite stories in this collection were paper menagerie, bookkeeping habits, and the waves. monkey king was so fun but also i was listening to my audiobook on my morning commute and i was not expecting so many stories to have graphic depictions of torture! an important topic esp in the context of historical erasure! not what i was expecting!
oh i am so tired when writing this i nearly forgot about good hunting (first saw it in love death and robots! i actually like the og better even if the animation is gorgeous) and state change
sometimes the sauce is good sometimes the sauce gets lost in so much extensions of history and context
Content Warnings
Graphic: Torture, Colonisation, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Medical trauma, Rape, Murder, Sexual violence, and Suicide