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3.21 AVERAGE
3.21 AVERAGE
This is my first science fiction book so I was a little hesitant about it at the beginning, but this book completely surpassed my expectations. An incredible plot, very reminiscent of Lord of the Flies but much more modern and mature. I have heard excellent reviews about Cixin Liu’s works — I now completely agree and cannot wait to read more of his novels.
Big disappointment from an author whose other works I really like. Supernova Era, however? Awful, just awful. The premise is that star goes supernova, unleashes radiation on the Earth that will kill everyone over the age of 13 in about a year. Unrealistic, yes, but I'm willing to roll with it for the sake of a good story. Which this is not. It takes close to half the book until the adults actually die off, as mostly people are training their children to do their jobs.
The first big "Okay this is breaking my suspension of disbelief too much" moment came when the adults all conveniently die off within a few days of each other, and have arranged transport services to bring them all to specific die-off points, so their bodies will be out of the way of the children. Every adult on the entire planet seems to cooperate with this. Eyeroll-worthy, but not a huge plot point, so fine.
So all the adults die, chaos breaks out in China as children panic, but all is resolved with the help of a supercomputer that knows e v e r y t h i n g, including what floor a fire is breaking out on in an apartment building thousands of miles away, so it can call the other children and direct them to evacuate. It seems the adults hadn't planned to centralize the children so they could take care of each other, but instead there are four-year-olds who can't feed themselves in a house by themselves. OK.
At first, with the help of the supercomputer, things go mostly okay and the children are spending all day working, all evening studying, and then go online where they fantasize about unrealistic possibilities. When told by the 13-year-old leadership that their five-year "Candytown" plan isn't workable, they go on a bit of a rampage, ignoring work, eating and drinking to excess, and lazing about. America's version of this period, incidentally, involves all the children having guns and shooting each other for the hell of it.
The book really hinges on the idea that children take life and death less seriously than adults, and that their primary motivation is play. So the entire middle section of the book involves them playing "war Olympics" killing each other for basically no reason. There's some attempts to rationalize it, like the US basically coerces them into playing because everyone wants the Antarctic territory for climate change reasons, but it's such BS. There is no emotional reality. We finally get a brief glimpse into the POV of a soldier actually participating in this games, having his tank attacked and set on fire, killing the tank driver and damaging his own leg, but he's still ready to keep going, and continues on to the next game. And the insane detail Liu goes into describing all the different types of games is excruciating: "Tank battles, tank versus infantry (heavy weapons), tank versus infantry (without heavy weapons), artillery battles (five-kilometer large-caliber guns, fifteen-kilometer rockets, self-propelled mobile rockets, and one-kilometer mortars), infantry battles (machine guns), infantry battles (grenades), infantry battles (cold weapons), guided-missile battles (short-range, mid-range, cruise missile, ICBM), land mines." We also had to read about how these different categories were decided amongst the leadership.
Eventually, the games escalate to nuclear attacks, and that brings things to an end before the next game is introduced: A territory swap. China and America decide to move all their people into each other's country. It's unrealistic, but again, I could roll with the premise if they did something interesting with it. Unfortunately, we are just introduced to the idea, see it start to get underway, and then jump forward in time to see that it eventually led to the colonization of Mars. OK. Cool outline, not an actual story.
There is the barest thread of some interesting ideas in this book, but the execution fails on pretty much every level.
The first big "Okay this is breaking my suspension of disbelief too much" moment came when the adults all conveniently die off within a few days of each other, and have arranged transport services to bring them all to specific die-off points, so their bodies will be out of the way of the children. Every adult on the entire planet seems to cooperate with this. Eyeroll-worthy, but not a huge plot point, so fine.
So all the adults die, chaos breaks out in China as children panic, but all is resolved with the help of a supercomputer that knows e v e r y t h i n g, including what floor a fire is breaking out on in an apartment building thousands of miles away, so it can call the other children and direct them to evacuate. It seems the adults hadn't planned to centralize the children so they could take care of each other, but instead there are four-year-olds who can't feed themselves in a house by themselves. OK.
At first, with the help of the supercomputer, things go mostly okay and the children are spending all day working, all evening studying, and then go online where they fantasize about unrealistic possibilities. When told by the 13-year-old leadership that their five-year "Candytown" plan isn't workable, they go on a bit of a rampage, ignoring work, eating and drinking to excess, and lazing about. America's version of this period, incidentally, involves all the children having guns and shooting each other for the hell of it.
The book really hinges on the idea that children take life and death less seriously than adults, and that their primary motivation is play. So the entire middle section of the book involves them playing "war Olympics" killing each other for basically no reason. There's some attempts to rationalize it, like the US basically coerces them into playing because everyone wants the Antarctic territory for climate change reasons, but it's such BS. There is no emotional reality. We finally get a brief glimpse into the POV of a soldier actually participating in this games, having his tank attacked and set on fire, killing the tank driver and damaging his own leg, but he's still ready to keep going, and continues on to the next game. And the insane detail Liu goes into describing all the different types of games is excruciating: "Tank battles, tank versus infantry (heavy weapons), tank versus infantry (without heavy weapons), artillery battles (five-kilometer large-caliber guns, fifteen-kilometer rockets, self-propelled mobile rockets, and one-kilometer mortars), infantry battles (machine guns), infantry battles (grenades), infantry battles (cold weapons), guided-missile battles (short-range, mid-range, cruise missile, ICBM), land mines." We also had to read about how these different categories were decided amongst the leadership.
Eventually, the games escalate to nuclear attacks, and that brings things to an end before the next game is introduced: A territory swap. China and America decide to move all their people into each other's country. It's unrealistic, but again, I could roll with the premise if they did something interesting with it. Unfortunately, we are just introduced to the idea, see it start to get underway, and then jump forward in time to see that it eventually led to the colonization of Mars. OK. Cool outline, not an actual story.
There is the barest thread of some interesting ideas in this book, but the execution fails on pretty much every level.
Enough of an interesting idea for a 60 page novella. Kept waiting for something interesting to happen and it didn't.
This book starts of with a great idea: what if the world is run by 12 year old children and all of its governance is a form of play. I generally am great with suspension of disbelief, but by the end of this book things are happening at such a pace and such escalation that I found myself asking "How?".
The tale also feels allegorical, and according to Liu, is inspired by the Tiananmen Square protes, which casted the novel in quite a grim light, despite the hopeful ending.
3/5
The tale also feels allegorical, and according to Liu, is inspired by the Tiananmen Square protes, which casted the novel in quite a grim light, despite the hopeful ending.
3/5
How do you even begin to summarise this book! In many ways it's an alternative future history, but also a near future dystopian fiction except the tone of the novel is at times so hopeful and upbeat it doesn't feel dystopian despite the content being completely dystopian.
A world where all adults have died following a supernova the world is left in the hands of the kids. Liu imagines so very interesting concepts the best of which is the whole Candy Town idea.
The concept of a kids world built on play where 500k are killed during war game Olympics is simply stunning story telling and a brutal imagining of "play" taken to an unfettered unconstrained limit.
I have seldom read a book that asks such difficult questions and then imagines such brutal consequences and almost complete indifference from those involved.
As future imagining sci fiction goes this is right up there. This is as unique and interesting book as you'll read well worth picking up.
A world where all adults have died following a supernova the world is left in the hands of the kids. Liu imagines so very interesting concepts the best of which is the whole Candy Town idea.
The concept of a kids world built on play where 500k are killed during war game Olympics is simply stunning story telling and a brutal imagining of "play" taken to an unfettered unconstrained limit.
I have seldom read a book that asks such difficult questions and then imagines such brutal consequences and almost complete indifference from those involved.
As future imagining sci fiction goes this is right up there. This is as unique and interesting book as you'll read well worth picking up.
dark
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This was a really interesting take on a child society. Liu definitely pushed the boundaries of what I could imagine for a society in which every member is 13 or younger.
I’m not well-versed in military tactics or weapons, nor space science, so a lot of the technical talk went right over my head— but I was able to glean the important information every time. Sometimes the characters spoke as though they were older and more experienced than a 13 year old should be, but then they sort of had to be.
I really enjoyed the evolution of the society and the way the kids had to adapt. There are some really interesting premises explored.
One thing I wasn’t a huge fan of was the epilogue. It felt a little out of place with the style of the rest of the book and didn’t really allow for a satisfying ending, even though it gave some insight to civilization a couple decades down the road from the supernova.
All in all a pretty good read!
I’m not well-versed in military tactics or weapons, nor space science, so a lot of the technical talk went right over my head— but I was able to glean the important information every time. Sometimes the characters spoke as though they were older and more experienced than a 13 year old should be, but then they sort of had to be.
I really enjoyed the evolution of the society and the way the kids had to adapt. There are some really interesting premises explored.
One thing I wasn’t a huge fan of was the epilogue. It felt a little out of place with the style of the rest of the book and didn’t really allow for a satisfying ending, even though it gave some insight to civilization a couple decades down the road from the supernova.
All in all a pretty good read!
Had very high expectations for this book, which I was let down on after like 1/4 of it :/
Very political and military focused, the plot seemed kind of baseless and out of pocket.
Very political and military focused, the plot seemed kind of baseless and out of pocket.
Whoa...I haven't read such an obvious piece of propaganda since probably the Cold War. Written by a Chinese author, it's obviously very clear whose side he is on (even in this SciFi world). Here are some examples: Chinese children leaders are wise, smart and are thinking about the future, while the children leaders of the other countries act just like children; It's the "evil" America that starts Global War Games, but it is the Chinese children that end it! Another example (and considering the history between Japan and China it's the one that really stood out to me) - it's the Japanese children that are eating a whale alive (literally, chopping off pieces of meat while it is still breathing), but it's the Chinese child that saves a cat in a dangerous snowstorm (anyone heard of Yulin Dog Meat Festival? Anyone?). I also found it very funny leaders from China (who is the world's worst polluter in real life) are demanding actions from international community to protect natural resources.
The novel is also very male centered and chauvinistic. There are only TWO female characters: one of the three Chinese leaders (who is always second if not third to her male comrades) and the other is a girl who was originally US Secretary of State, but was eventually elected US President (and only because she looks like Shirley Temple). The very first time we see new US President she is very busy - filing her nails and plucking her eyebrows. Really? Couldn't help yourself there, could you Mr. Liu Cixin?
On top of that, there were SOO many issues with the actual story. NONE of it made ANY sense whatsoever, despite the insane amount of scientific info dump!
Oh, and the best part - this piece of garbage is blurbed by Barack Obama as "Wildly imaginative". LMAO, why I am not surprised that he would say that?
The novel is also very male centered and chauvinistic. There are only TWO female characters: one of the three Chinese leaders (who is always second if not third to her male comrades) and the other is a girl who was originally US Secretary of State, but was eventually elected US President (and only because she looks like Shirley Temple). The very first time we see new US President she is very busy - filing her nails and plucking her eyebrows. Really? Couldn't help yourself there, could you Mr. Liu Cixin?
On top of that, there were SOO many issues with the actual story. NONE of it made ANY sense whatsoever, despite the insane amount of scientific info dump!
Oh, and the best part - this piece of garbage is blurbed by Barack Obama as "Wildly imaginative". LMAO, why I am not surprised that he would say that?
dark
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
The premise of Supernova Era is an intriguing one - what happens when a star eight light years away dies, showering the Earth with deadly radiation and only children below the age of 13 will survive the event? Adults in every nation busy themselves with the task of equipping children to with the knowledge and skills necessary to keep society running. But how will a society run by children - its logic and its rules - fundamentally differ from a society run by adults?
I found the first part of the book absolutely riveting (not to mention easier to grasp compared to the Remembrance of Earth's Past trilogy, where most of the physics went over my head). But I struggled with the second half of the novel and the final section in particular, which details the descent into a sci-fi version of Lord of the Flies. I'm not sure if it's because I found the scenario a little too disturbing, because I found the plot and pacing less engaging at this point, or a bit of both.
I found the first part of the book absolutely riveting (not to mention easier to grasp compared to the Remembrance of Earth's Past trilogy, where most of the physics went over my head). But I struggled with the second half of the novel and the final section in particular, which details the descent into a sci-fi version of Lord of the Flies. I'm not sure if it's because I found the scenario a little too disturbing, because I found the plot and pacing less engaging at this point, or a bit of both.