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mworrell's review against another edition
fast-paced
This is an anthology of short science fiction stories. As I read, I began to sense a rhythm to the way Kim germinates her stories. Many, but not all, of these stories explore societies where there is a widely accepted premise—something almost common sense—that a character challenges and refutes. What if this commonly held fact is only due to our limited understanding? Due to our arrogant assumption that all other experiences besides our own are simply unimaginable?
These stories wiggle that idea like a sore tooth, turning it this way and that. Not all the stories are fully fleshed, but they’re perfect for a quick read on the train. Like glimpses of skin.
Admittedly, the stories dealing with familiar sci fi concepts like time travel and robots engaged me a lot more than the ones dealing with human transmogrification. But if you’re into the fleshiness of transhumanism you might like them. There was one that I couldn’t help but imagine as some strange retelling of Cats (2019).
I need to get Kaya Press’ other anthology of South Korean science fiction, Readymade Bodhisattva. I read some early translations from Professor Sunyoung Park since I took (and failed—ha) several of her classes. (She provides an afterword for this book.) If you want to get into South Korean science fiction, either of their collections are good starting points.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death and Body horror
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