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chll_momchil's review against another edition
3.0
Мисля, че ми хареса толкова главно, понеже си падам доста по sci fi, а и стилът на автора беше ужасно увлекателен, но като изключим това, поредицата от разкази бяха доста неконсистентни. Нормално е в сборник не всичко да е идеално подредено, но просто си личеше къде е прокарана някаква идея и къде просто е развит сюжет, просто защото е WOKE.
(МИКРО СПОЙЛЕР: поредица от 5 страници, в които агент на тайните служби разказва на жена си с гнусни подробности измъчването и убийството на тайвански дядка и внучето му... WTF кой нормален брак се крепи на подобни изповеди??)
Азиатският мотив също е доста самоцелно използван. В някои от разказите е съвсем оправдан, но цяла история тип стиймпънк в Хон Конг + древна китайска митология/магия е туу мъч. Не се чете трудно, но поне мен ме изнервя, когато прочета нещо уникално и го последва поредната боза.
(МИКРО СПОЙЛЕР: поредица от 5 страници, в които агент на тайните служби разказва на жена си с гнусни подробности измъчването и убийството на тайвански дядка и внучето му... WTF кой нормален брак се крепи на подобни изповеди??)
Азиатският мотив също е доста самоцелно използван. В някои от разказите е съвсем оправдан, но цяла история тип стиймпънк в Хон Конг + древна китайска митология/магия е туу мъч. Не се чете трудно, но поне мен ме изнервя, когато прочета нещо уникално и го последва поредната боза.
empoi's review against another edition
4.25
Any short story collection always have better and less good stories so it is hard to give 5 stars to them.
This book contains 5 star stories. The paper menagerie, good hunting, the literomancer, and all the flavors were my favorite. Many of the others were too similar and did not stand out to me.
This book contains 5 star stories. The paper menagerie, good hunting, the literomancer, and all the flavors were my favorite. Many of the others were too similar and did not stand out to me.
trvreooo's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
mysterious
reflective
tense
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? No
4.5
Amazing anthology. Not 100% winners, hence 4.5, there were a couple of stories that didn't quite hit for me, but the ones that did hit (almost all of them) were truly amazing.
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
daydreamingdragons's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
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? N/A
4.25
jennkei's review against another edition
5.0
Superb. The eponymous story made me cry.
Mono No Aware - I've previously read this and knew it was good.
State Change - Interesting concept that stays with you. I quite liked the story and how there is hope at the end.
Simulacrum - A bittersweet tale of the near future.
The Regular - This made my eyes boggle, it's more violent and I didn't think it would be part of the repertoire! But it's done quite well.
The Waves - Plausible far-future.
The Man Who Ended History - Interesting and engaging, even with the challenging subject matter.
The Perfect Match, Good Hunting, The Bookmaking Habits of Select Species, The Literomancer,
All the Flavors, A Brief History of the Trans-Pacific Tunnel, The Litigation Master and the Monkey King - These were only OK for me.
Mono No Aware - I've previously read this and knew it was good.
State Change - Interesting concept that stays with you. I quite liked the story and how there is hope at the end.
Simulacrum - A bittersweet tale of the near future.
The Regular - This made my eyes boggle, it's more violent and I didn't think it would be part of the repertoire! But it's done quite well.
The Waves - Plausible far-future.
The Man Who Ended History - Interesting and engaging, even with the challenging subject matter.
The Perfect Match, Good Hunting, The Bookmaking Habits of Select Species, The Literomancer,
All the Flavors, A Brief History of the Trans-Pacific Tunnel, The Litigation Master and the Monkey King - These were only OK for me.
gojibeary's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
hopeful
informative
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
5.0
christinakann's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
5.0
ashtonreads1's review against another edition
I actually really enjoyed this but the stories were getting heavier and I just could not keep going emotionally but it would definitely have been a four star if I did
bridnich's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
5.0