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tmawhir's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
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
3.5
happylilkt's review against another edition
4.0
A very thought-provoking collection of hard-to-categorize fiction. Is it fantasy? Is it science fiction? Historical fiction? Steampunk? Dystopian? The truth is that it varies from story to story and some might be all of the above. Overall, a grand collection of short stories.
I've sent this book as a gift to at least 3 people. I think about this book often!
I've sent this book as a gift to at least 3 people. I think about this book often!
marcusinacup's review
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- 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
4.0
sashapasha's review against another edition
4.0
4.5 stars.
Overall an excellent and fascinating collection of short stories. Ken Liu really demonstrates the breadth of his storytelling.
In order of appearance, a one-sentence summary and rating of each story:
* The Bookmaking Habits of Select Species: unrated.
* State Change: (4 stars) What if our souls lived in ordinary objects outside our bodies and we had to protect these objects or die?
* The Perfect Match: (3 stars) What if ran your life for you, monitored everything you did, and told you what you wanted and how to live? What would the world look like then?
* Good Hunting: (3 stars?) The magical world in China is being subsumed by technology and colonialism, and the remaining humans and spirits that live in that world must adapt to survive or die.
* The Literomancer: (4 stars) The innocence of a young girl gets some people tortured and killed. The girl is a child no longer.
* Simulacrum: (4 stars) A man invents a technology that creates a fake copy of a person frozen in time, and his estranged daughter campaigns against it.
* The Regular: (5 stars) Technology is used to enhance and replace body parts and regulate a body’s chemicals and hormones which control emotions among other things. A serial killer is murdering high end prostitutes with implanted eye-cameras and using the videos to blackmail people, while a private detective with a tragic past hunts him down.
* The Paper Menagerie: (3.5 stars) A half Chinese young man shuns his Chinese mother in order to try to fit in. After she dies and he finds her old paper animals, he discovers what he has lost.
* An Advanced Readers' Picture Book of Comparative Cognition: (3 stars)
* The Waves: (3.5/4 stars) Humanity evolves beyond humanity. An examination of the choice of immortality and whether or not an immortal can be considered human.
* Mono No Aware: (4.5/5 stars) A difficult choice is faced after an asteroid destroys the earth and the remains of humanity have fled into space.
* All The Flavors: (4 stars) The lives of early Chinese immigrants in the US from the point of view of a young white girl.
* A Brief History of the Trans-Pacific Tunnel: (3.5 stars) A tunnel is dug under the Pacific using slave labor.
* The Litigation Master and The Monkey King: (3.5 stars) A litigation master draws strength from the monkey king during a difficult time.
* The Man Who Ended History: (4.5/5 stars) Can viewing the past be used to redress old wrongs? A couple invents a machine that allows individuals to watch any moment in time with the caveat that a given moment can only be viewed once. They attempt to use it to bring to light some of the horrific crimes of the past, but political conflicts ensue.
Overall an excellent and fascinating collection of short stories. Ken Liu really demonstrates the breadth of his storytelling.
In order of appearance, a one-sentence summary and rating of each story:
* The Bookmaking Habits of Select Species: unrated.
* State Change: (4 stars) What if our souls lived in ordinary objects outside our bodies and we had to protect these objects or die?
* The Perfect Match: (3 stars) What if
* Good Hunting: (3 stars?) The magical world in China is being subsumed by technology and colonialism, and the remaining humans and spirits that live in that world must adapt to survive or die.
* The Literomancer: (4 stars) The innocence of a young girl gets some people tortured and killed. The girl is a child no longer.
* Simulacrum: (4 stars) A man invents a technology that creates a fake copy of a person frozen in time, and his estranged daughter campaigns against it.
* The Regular: (5 stars) Technology is used to enhance and replace body parts and regulate a body’s chemicals and hormones which control emotions among other things. A serial killer is murdering high end prostitutes with implanted eye-cameras and using the videos to blackmail people, while a private detective with a tragic past hunts him down.
* The Paper Menagerie: (3.5 stars) A half Chinese young man shuns his Chinese mother in order to try to fit in. After she dies and he finds her old paper animals, he discovers what he has lost.
* An Advanced Readers' Picture Book of Comparative Cognition: (3 stars)
* The Waves: (3.5/4 stars) Humanity evolves beyond humanity. An examination of the choice of immortality and whether or not an immortal can be considered human.
* Mono No Aware: (4.5/5 stars) A difficult choice is faced after an asteroid destroys the earth and the remains of humanity have fled into space.
* All The Flavors: (4 stars) The lives of early Chinese immigrants in the US from the point of view of a young white girl.
* A Brief History of the Trans-Pacific Tunnel: (3.5 stars) A tunnel is dug under the Pacific using slave labor.
* The Litigation Master and The Monkey King: (3.5 stars) A litigation master draws strength from the monkey king during a difficult time.
* The Man Who Ended History: (4.5/5 stars) Can viewing the past be used to redress old wrongs? A couple invents a machine that allows individuals to watch any moment in time with the caveat that a given moment can only be viewed once. They attempt to use it to bring to light some of the horrific crimes of the past, but political conflicts ensue.
“History is delicate, and it has many enemies.”
“It is not true that just because all narratives are constructed that they are equally far from the truth. The earth is neither a perfect sphere nor a flat disc, but the model of the sphere is much closer to the truth. Similarly there are some narratives that are much closer to the truth than others.”
sl4u's review against another edition
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Reading a lot of these stories, I was reminded of a reddit post claiming that many of the self-styled aspiring writers on reddit did not in fact want to write, but only resorted to writing since they lacked the funds and abilities to make a movie. Sure, some of the stories in this collection were purposely structured in this style. But even for those that were not, characters that may have otherwise felt real had they been depicted visually, with their facial expressions and postures and movements, feel extremely flat on paper. I think one of the biggest strengths of written stories have over movies is the ability to explore characters' inner thoughts and feelings through what an author chooses to write or not write. This author does not make adequate use of this strength in most of the stories.
And, the author tried very hard to use his identity to lend legitimacy to his stories, while at the same time trying to make them palatable for a white, elite (and more ignorant) audience. Which I am not.
I also think it was unwise to put two (unconnected) stories in the same collection where the protagonist is a little white girl named Lily with red hair who befriends a Chinese man (+boy or +pals).
I thought the concept behind "State Change" was interesting. But, the female protagonist only changes herselfthrough an encounter with a male romantic interest . I think it's sort of a pity that the concept was only used to this end.
And, the author tried very hard to use his identity to lend legitimacy to his stories, while at the same time trying to make them palatable for a white, elite (and more ignorant) audience. Which I am not.
I also think it was unwise to put two (unconnected) stories in the same collection where the protagonist is a little white girl named Lily with red hair who befriends a Chinese man (+boy or +pals).
I thought the concept behind "State Change" was interesting. But, the female protagonist only changes herself
portiaf's review against another edition
Read The paper menagerie (enjoyedvthis story very much). Will come the rest of the stories another time.
meatballhead02's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Ken Liu's short stories in The Paper Menagerie are a blend of science fiction and fantasy that also weave in elements from Chinese mythology.
In the short stories in this collection, Liu often tells stories of Asians divided with westerners along the lines of race and ethnic customs in a way that is all too reminiscent of interactions I've also had in my life.
In the short stories in this collection, Liu often tells stories of Asians divided with westerners along the lines of race and ethnic customs in a way that is all too reminiscent of interactions I've also had in my life.
In the short stories in this collection, Liu often tells stories of Asians divided with westerners along the lines of race and ethnic customs in a way that is all too reminiscent of interactions I've also had in my life.
Liu’s prose is simple and easy to read. His stories very perfectly capture the discomfort and pain of racism and prejudice towards cultures branded as “the other”. Many stories in here also feature war as a backdrop, and along with that, gruesome depictions of violence and torture. In terms of theme and writing style, his works very much reminded me of Ted Chiang (another SF writer I adore).
I'll definitely be reading Liu's future works.
I'll definitely be reading Liu's future works.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Torture and Violence
suryanii's review against another edition
5.0
tbh i only picked up this book cause it was by an asian author #aapimonth! so when every review stated that it was a sci-fi, dystopian type book, i was hesitant to start reading since that’s not my kind of vibe.
i admittedly have a narrow understanding of science fiction, so i was expecting far out borderline nonsense without tangible meaning like space battles or time travel warp portals idk. so i was pleasantly surprised when paper menagerie turned out to be the exact opposite of far out nonsense. liu is a great world builder; inviting me into the world of xxx and a universe where ai controls our every thought, while still having heart and remaining grounded in reality; perfectly intertwining fantastical aspects (mythological figures, magic, out of this world inventions, etc.) with concepts that feel familiar (belonging, familial complexities, embracing culture). the literomancer was also the first story that has made me cry, so that’s a biggie!
ugh what an amazing short story collection, thanks ken liu. i will be tuned in for more!
i admittedly have a narrow understanding of science fiction, so i was expecting far out borderline nonsense without tangible meaning like space battles or time travel warp portals idk. so i was pleasantly surprised when paper menagerie turned out to be the exact opposite of far out nonsense. liu is a great world builder; inviting me into the world of xxx and a universe where ai controls our every thought, while still having heart and remaining grounded in reality; perfectly intertwining fantastical aspects (mythological figures, magic, out of this world inventions, etc.) with concepts that feel familiar (belonging, familial complexities, embracing culture). the literomancer was also the first story that has made me cry, so that’s a biggie!
ugh what an amazing short story collection, thanks ken liu. i will be tuned in for more!
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.