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robbieli's review against another edition
4.5
A great collection of kehuan short stories. A few left me confused but others created worlds that I would love to explore further. There’s a dystopian undertone in many of the stories, with a pervasive exploration of AI-infested worlds. My favorite was “Flower of the other shore” by A Que.
dee9401's review
5.0
What a fantastic collection of SF from Chinese authors. I found a recommendation for this work and picked it up end of 2021 and finally started reading it in January 2023. The introduction by Xueting Christine Ni was very good, setting up the stories and process for the book. I liked many of the stories and only a few left me wanting, hence the 5 star rating overall. A good choice for my first five star of the year.
“The Tide of Moon City”, by Regina Kanyu Wang, was one of the best stories in the collection. It reminds me of 70s New Wave in all its best attributes: love, science, politics, friendship, and inner thoughts. All beautifully woven here. A Que’s “Flower of the Other Shore” was also a standout in this volume. At times I grimaced with the parody or fourth wall breaking, but it was a great story well told. I also loved “Starship: Library” by Jiang Bo, and not just because libraries are dear to my heart. So well done.
I really liked Gu Shi’s “The Last Save”, with its cool time travel idea approached from unique perspective. Han Song’s haunting, philosophical “Tombs of the Universe” was excellent and nicely written to boot. I thoroughly enjoyed the very short “Qiankun and Alex” by Hao Jingfang, which explored a fun approach to AI between a machine and a child. A perfect nibble of a story. A more provocative story on AI that is growing more relevant in our age today was Nian Yu’s “Cat's Chance in Hell”. I also really enjoyed Anna Wu’s “Meisje met de Parel”, a thought provoking piece.
“Rendezvous: 1937”, by Zhao Haihong was an important that was hard to follow at the beginning. But, as the story progressed, it made great, and sad, sense. This is the style of work that many on the right would seek to ban today, that explores truth and hard realities.
Of the other stories, “The Return of Adam” by Wang Jinkang was an interesting idea but it had too much exposition. It was an early work by the author and one of the oldest in the collection as a whole, so that might partly contribute to why I didn’t like it is as much as the other stories. I thought Tang Fei’s “The Heart of the Museum” was just a little “too clever”. Ma Boyong’s “The Great Migration” was just okay too. “The Absolution Experiment” by Bao Shu was also an interesting idea but it was too short to work effectively. Immortality stories are very good but they need time to grow and develop.
Overall, I highly recommend this collection of stories.
“The Tide of Moon City”, by Regina Kanyu Wang, was one of the best stories in the collection. It reminds me of 70s New Wave in all its best attributes: love, science, politics, friendship, and inner thoughts. All beautifully woven here. A Que’s “Flower of the Other Shore” was also a standout in this volume. At times I grimaced with the parody or fourth wall breaking, but it was a great story well told. I also loved “Starship: Library” by Jiang Bo, and not just because libraries are dear to my heart. So well done.
I really liked Gu Shi’s “The Last Save”, with its cool time travel idea approached from unique perspective. Han Song’s haunting, philosophical “Tombs of the Universe” was excellent and nicely written to boot. I thoroughly enjoyed the very short “Qiankun and Alex” by Hao Jingfang, which explored a fun approach to AI between a machine and a child. A perfect nibble of a story. A more provocative story on AI that is growing more relevant in our age today was Nian Yu’s “Cat's Chance in Hell”. I also really enjoyed Anna Wu’s “Meisje met de Parel”, a thought provoking piece.
“Rendezvous: 1937”, by Zhao Haihong was an important that was hard to follow at the beginning. But, as the story progressed, it made great, and sad, sense. This is the style of work that many on the right would seek to ban today, that explores truth and hard realities.
Of the other stories, “The Return of Adam” by Wang Jinkang was an interesting idea but it had too much exposition. It was an early work by the author and one of the oldest in the collection as a whole, so that might partly contribute to why I didn’t like it is as much as the other stories. I thought Tang Fei’s “The Heart of the Museum” was just a little “too clever”. Ma Boyong’s “The Great Migration” was just okay too. “The Absolution Experiment” by Bao Shu was also an interesting idea but it was too short to work effectively. Immortality stories are very good but they need time to grow and develop.
Overall, I highly recommend this collection of stories.
roubiliana's review
5.0
A must have for any Sci-Fi reader. This collection of short stories promises till the beginning diversity and stays true to that promise. The authors belong to younger and older generations, they are male and female, new and established. The stories also vary from hard science fiction to mild, from libraries that' travel beyond the milky way to. zombie apocalypse. They have in common a sence of optimism, even if everything seems doomed.
edent_'s review
5.0
This is a brilliant and fascinating set of short stories. Xueting Ni has lovingly translated this collection into British English - which makes a nice change from having everything in standard American! As well as translating, each story gets a "translator's commentary". A set of notes which gives a little insight into the interpretation process - as well as some context on the author. There's also some great explaining of some of the symbolism lost in translation. For example, the characters 比喆 and 赫林 are star-crossed lovers on twin worlds - something which doesn't come off in their Romanised forms.
The stories themselves are excellent. Sure, there are a couple of recycled plots - but told from a Chinese perspective. Is that perspective so different from the West? Just like my review of Black Sci-Fi Short Stories, it is sometimes hard to pick out what makes the stories uniquely Chinese. If these were in a mixed anthology, would you know they were all from authors from one region?
A few of the stories have an undercurrent of nationalism to them which feels very old fashioned. It's unusual to find a modern story which revels in the innate superiority of the English, for example.
That said, I never thought I'd feel sympathy for a zombie!
My 中文 isn't good enough to rate the quality of the translation - although I'd love a simultaneous version - so I can't comment on that. But the book raises the interesting question of how you translate a story about time travel from a language which uses tenses quite differently to English.
Most importantly, each story is fun! With a good mix of lengths, styles, and genres, there really is something for every type of sci-fi fan here.
Thanks to NetGalley for the review copy. The book will be published in late 2021.
The stories themselves are excellent. Sure, there are a couple of recycled plots - but told from a Chinese perspective. Is that perspective so different from the West? Just like my review of Black Sci-Fi Short Stories, it is sometimes hard to pick out what makes the stories uniquely Chinese. If these were in a mixed anthology, would you know they were all from authors from one region?
A few of the stories have an undercurrent of nationalism to them which feels very old fashioned. It's unusual to find a modern story which revels in the innate superiority of the English, for example.
That said, I never thought I'd feel sympathy for a zombie!
My 中文 isn't good enough to rate the quality of the translation - although I'd love a simultaneous version - so I can't comment on that. But the book raises the interesting question of how you translate a story about time travel from a language which uses tenses quite differently to English.
Most importantly, each story is fun! With a good mix of lengths, styles, and genres, there really is something for every type of sci-fi fan here.
Thanks to NetGalley for the review copy. The book will be published in late 2021.
nobeniam's review
5.0
Really interesting mix of stories. So cool to see the world from a different perspective. Beautifully edited group of stories.
latad_books's review
4.0
I generally prefer novels to short stories, but was intrigued by the possibility of reading works by authors whose work I have not heard of before. I was pleasantly surprised to find that I enjoyed most of the stories in here:
The Last Save -by Gu Shi
-3.5 stars. An interesting take on opting out of a commonly used technology which has effects on people's relationships and to the wider society. The main character chooses not to constantly reset his life when he discovers his wife, who up till now has opted out, had signed them up for the "family" account.
Tombs of the Universe -by Han Song
-4 stars. The images of countless gravestones on different planets and moons from the first wave of spacefaring by humans into the solar system had such a melancholic and lonely feel. Coupled with the account within the story of someone dealing with the dead, as well as the changing attitudes of people as humans travelled in space, made this a thought-provoking story.
Qiankun and Alex -by Hao Jingfang
-4.5 stars. I really liked this story about AI, and how one very powerful AI managing many systems must also learn how to interact with people, and the person it does interact with is a curious three-year old. There’s learning and attachment on both sides.
Cat’s Chance in Hell -by Nian Yu
-4 stars. Great action and ethical questions raised by a soldier returned to active duty because of a new war.
The Return of Adam -by Wang Jinkang
-2 stars. My least favourite in this collection. An astronaut is awakened back on Earth after his cryosleep of many years.
Rendevous: 1937 -by Zhao Haihong
-4 stars. The author shows how a person from the future is anxious to capture part of the horrific history in Nanjing, but not the atrocities. Rather, the strength of the people in the city, and their will to oppose the Japanese soldiers’ horrific behaviour.
The Heart of the Museum -by Tang Fei
-3.5 stars. Interesting, in how an alien might view time and the endeavours of one individual’s efforts to create a revolutionary structure for a museum with an unusual approach for displaying its objects. I had a little trouble understanding the end of this story.
The Great Migration -by Ma Boyong
-4 stars. A bit male-gazey, but otherwise quite enjoyable. In China thousands of people currently travel from their work locations home for family and festivals. The idea that this would continue into the far future if people worked off planet makes sense. I liked how the author portrayed the crushing difficulties of procuring a prized ticket on a ship back home to Earth—I could really get the sense of desperation and frustration the characters experienced.
Meisje met de Parel -by Anna Wu
-3 stars.I had a hard time understanding this one; there were individual moments of startling beauty (the descriptions of food prep, and the ocean), but I only sort of got the point the author was making about Art and its lasting impact through time.
Flowers of the Other Shore - by A Que
-4 stars. A sensitive and quietly funny take on the zombie story, with the main zombie character, a “Stiff”, and his zombie pal discussing the mundane and philosophical while wandering around looking for their next human snack. Then, a flower and a relationship with a still human woman offer a possibility of hope for the remaining humans.
The Absolution Experiment -by Bao Shu
-3.5 stars. Talk about getting one’s revenge! A chilling option to a question about appropriate punishment for heinous actions.
The Tide of Moon City -by Regina Kanyu Wang
-4 stars. A story of two planets and two scientists, each from one of the planets, and all separated by politics. I liked the use of a legend to illustrate the way the two people cannot be together.
Starship: Library -by Jiang Bo
-4 stars. As a huge fan of libraries, this story about a woman advocating for the existence of the library she managed, as she travelled through space, was satisfying. I loved how relevant all those books became….
Overall: 3.7 stars.
Thank you to Netgalley and Rebellion for this ARC in exchange for my review.
The Last Save -by Gu Shi
-3.5 stars. An interesting take on opting out of a commonly used technology which has effects on people's relationships and to the wider society. The main character chooses not to constantly reset his life when he discovers his wife, who up till now has opted out, had signed them up for the "family" account.
Tombs of the Universe -by Han Song
-4 stars. The images of countless gravestones on different planets and moons from the first wave of spacefaring by humans into the solar system had such a melancholic and lonely feel. Coupled with the account within the story of someone dealing with the dead, as well as the changing attitudes of people as humans travelled in space, made this a thought-provoking story.
Qiankun and Alex -by Hao Jingfang
-4.5 stars. I really liked this story about AI, and how one very powerful AI managing many systems must also learn how to interact with people, and the person it does interact with is a curious three-year old. There’s learning and attachment on both sides.
Cat’s Chance in Hell -by Nian Yu
-4 stars. Great action and ethical questions raised by a soldier returned to active duty because of a new war.
The Return of Adam -by Wang Jinkang
-2 stars. My least favourite in this collection. An astronaut is awakened back on Earth after his cryosleep of many years.
Rendevous: 1937 -by Zhao Haihong
-4 stars. The author shows how a person from the future is anxious to capture part of the horrific history in Nanjing, but not the atrocities. Rather, the strength of the people in the city, and their will to oppose the Japanese soldiers’ horrific behaviour.
The Heart of the Museum -by Tang Fei
-3.5 stars. Interesting, in how an alien might view time and the endeavours of one individual’s efforts to create a revolutionary structure for a museum with an unusual approach for displaying its objects. I had a little trouble understanding the end of this story.
The Great Migration -by Ma Boyong
-4 stars. A bit male-gazey, but otherwise quite enjoyable. In China thousands of people currently travel from their work locations home for family and festivals. The idea that this would continue into the far future if people worked off planet makes sense. I liked how the author portrayed the crushing difficulties of procuring a prized ticket on a ship back home to Earth—I could really get the sense of desperation and frustration the characters experienced.
Meisje met de Parel -by Anna Wu
-3 stars.I had a hard time understanding this one; there were individual moments of startling beauty (the descriptions of food prep, and the ocean), but I only sort of got the point the author was making about Art and its lasting impact through time.
Flowers of the Other Shore - by A Que
-4 stars. A sensitive and quietly funny take on the zombie story, with the main zombie character, a “Stiff”, and his zombie pal discussing the mundane and philosophical while wandering around looking for their next human snack. Then, a flower and a relationship with a still human woman offer a possibility of hope for the remaining humans.
The Absolution Experiment -by Bao Shu
-3.5 stars. Talk about getting one’s revenge! A chilling option to a question about appropriate punishment for heinous actions.
The Tide of Moon City -by Regina Kanyu Wang
-4 stars. A story of two planets and two scientists, each from one of the planets, and all separated by politics. I liked the use of a legend to illustrate the way the two people cannot be together.
Starship: Library -by Jiang Bo
-4 stars. As a huge fan of libraries, this story about a woman advocating for the existence of the library she managed, as she travelled through space, was satisfying. I loved how relevant all those books became….
Overall: 3.7 stars.
Thank you to Netgalley and Rebellion for this ARC in exchange for my review.
latad_books's review against another edition
4.0
I generally prefer novels to short stories, but was intrigued by the possibility of reading works by authors whose work I have not heard of before. I was pleasantly surprised to find that I enjoyed most of the stories in here:
The Last Save -by Gu Shi
-3.5 stars. An interesting take on opting out of a commonly used technology which has effects on people's relationships and to the wider society. The main character chooses not to constantly reset his life when he discovers his wife, who up till now has opted out, had signed them up for the "family" account.
Tombs of the Universe -by Han Song
-4 stars. The images of countless gravestones on different planets and moons from the first wave of spacefaring by humans into the solar system had such a melancholic and lonely feel. Coupled with the account within the story of someone dealing with the dead, as well as the changing attitudes of people as humans travelled in space, made this a thought-provoking story.
Qiankun and Alex -by Hao Jingfang
-4.5 stars. I really liked this story about AI, and how one very powerful AI managing many systems must also learn how to interact with people, and the person it does interact with is a curious three-year old. There’s learning and attachment on both sides.
Cat’s Chance in Hell -by Nian Yu
-4 stars. Great action and ethical questions raised by a soldier returned to active duty because of a new war.
The Return of Adam -by Wang Jinkang
-2 stars. My least favourite in this collection. An astronaut is awakened back on Earth after his cryosleep of many years.
Rendevous: 1937 -by Zhao Haihong
-4 stars. The author shows how a person from the future is anxious to capture part of the horrific history in Nanjing, but not the atrocities. Rather, the strength of the people in the city, and their will to oppose the Japanese soldiers’ horrific behaviour.
The Heart of the Museum -by Tang Fei
-3.5 stars. Interesting, in how an alien might view time and the endeavours of one individual’s efforts to create a revolutionary structure for a museum with an unusual approach for displaying its objects. I had a little trouble understanding the end of this story.
The Great Migration -by Ma Boyong
-4 stars. A bit male-gazey, but otherwise quite enjoyable. In China thousands of people currently travel from their work locations home for family and festivals. The idea that this would continue into the far future if people worked off planet makes sense. I liked how the author portrayed the crushing difficulties of procuring a prized ticket on a ship back home to Earth—I could really get the sense of desperation and frustration the characters experienced.
Meisje met de Parel -by Anna Wu
-3 stars.I had a hard time understanding this one; there were individual moments of startling beauty (the descriptions of food prep, and the ocean), but I only sort of got the point the author was making about Art and its lasting impact through time.
Flowers of the Other Shore - by A Que
-4 stars. A sensitive and quietly funny take on the zombie story, with the main zombie character, a “Stiff”, and his zombie pal discussing the mundane and philosophical while wandering around looking for their next human snack. Then, a flower and a relationship with a still human woman offer a possibility of hope for the remaining humans.
The Absolution Experiment -by Bao Shu
-3.5 stars. Talk about getting one’s revenge! A chilling option to a question about appropriate punishment for heinous actions.
The Tide of Moon City -by Regina Kanyu Wang
-4 stars. A story of two planets and two scientists, each from one of the planets, and all separated by politics. I liked the use of a legend to illustrate the way the two people cannot be together.
Starship: Library -by Jiang Bo
-4 stars. As a huge fan of libraries, this story about a woman advocating for the existence of the library she managed, as she travelled through space, was satisfying. I loved how relevant all those books became….
Overall: 3.7 stars.
Thank you to Netgalley and Solaris for this ARC in exchange for my review.
The Last Save -by Gu Shi
-3.5 stars. An interesting take on opting out of a commonly used technology which has effects on people's relationships and to the wider society. The main character chooses not to constantly reset his life when he discovers his wife, who up till now has opted out, had signed them up for the "family" account.
Tombs of the Universe -by Han Song
-4 stars. The images of countless gravestones on different planets and moons from the first wave of spacefaring by humans into the solar system had such a melancholic and lonely feel. Coupled with the account within the story of someone dealing with the dead, as well as the changing attitudes of people as humans travelled in space, made this a thought-provoking story.
Qiankun and Alex -by Hao Jingfang
-4.5 stars. I really liked this story about AI, and how one very powerful AI managing many systems must also learn how to interact with people, and the person it does interact with is a curious three-year old. There’s learning and attachment on both sides.
Cat’s Chance in Hell -by Nian Yu
-4 stars. Great action and ethical questions raised by a soldier returned to active duty because of a new war.
The Return of Adam -by Wang Jinkang
-2 stars. My least favourite in this collection. An astronaut is awakened back on Earth after his cryosleep of many years.
Rendevous: 1937 -by Zhao Haihong
-4 stars. The author shows how a person from the future is anxious to capture part of the horrific history in Nanjing, but not the atrocities. Rather, the strength of the people in the city, and their will to oppose the Japanese soldiers’ horrific behaviour.
The Heart of the Museum -by Tang Fei
-3.5 stars. Interesting, in how an alien might view time and the endeavours of one individual’s efforts to create a revolutionary structure for a museum with an unusual approach for displaying its objects. I had a little trouble understanding the end of this story.
The Great Migration -by Ma Boyong
-4 stars. A bit male-gazey, but otherwise quite enjoyable. In China thousands of people currently travel from their work locations home for family and festivals. The idea that this would continue into the far future if people worked off planet makes sense. I liked how the author portrayed the crushing difficulties of procuring a prized ticket on a ship back home to Earth—I could really get the sense of desperation and frustration the characters experienced.
Meisje met de Parel -by Anna Wu
-3 stars.I had a hard time understanding this one; there were individual moments of startling beauty (the descriptions of food prep, and the ocean), but I only sort of got the point the author was making about Art and its lasting impact through time.
Flowers of the Other Shore - by A Que
-4 stars. A sensitive and quietly funny take on the zombie story, with the main zombie character, a “Stiff”, and his zombie pal discussing the mundane and philosophical while wandering around looking for their next human snack. Then, a flower and a relationship with a still human woman offer a possibility of hope for the remaining humans.
The Absolution Experiment -by Bao Shu
-3.5 stars. Talk about getting one’s revenge! A chilling option to a question about appropriate punishment for heinous actions.
The Tide of Moon City -by Regina Kanyu Wang
-4 stars. A story of two planets and two scientists, each from one of the planets, and all separated by politics. I liked the use of a legend to illustrate the way the two people cannot be together.
Starship: Library -by Jiang Bo
-4 stars. As a huge fan of libraries, this story about a woman advocating for the existence of the library she managed, as she travelled through space, was satisfying. I loved how relevant all those books became….
Overall: 3.7 stars.
Thank you to Netgalley and Solaris for this ARC in exchange for my review.
danielleh_e's review
4.0
I really, really loved many of the stories in this collection. I’ve already re-read and cherish a couple. But there are several typos; it needs another pass by a proofreader.
ithinktfiam's review
2.0
I got a third of the way through before stopping, with an overwhelming feeling of sadness. The editor/translator does point out, in the introduction, how SF in China is in early stages. However, since she doesn't wish to be arrested and jailed, she can't say way. That's what makes me sad.
The stories are childishly simple. In addition, they go nowhere near politics. Decades, centuries, and (past SF) millennia of overwhelmingly dictatorial and repressive regimes means that there isn't anything close to freedom of the press. That lack of freedom means things that the people of China might wish to express can't be, out of fear for safety. What results is bland and forgettable writing or hard SF tripe. While I understand the constraints under which the authors work, I can't give them bonus points for that.
The stories are childishly simple. In addition, they go nowhere near politics. Decades, centuries, and (past SF) millennia of overwhelmingly dictatorial and repressive regimes means that there isn't anything close to freedom of the press. That lack of freedom means things that the people of China might wish to express can't be, out of fear for safety. What results is bland and forgettable writing or hard SF tripe. While I understand the constraints under which the authors work, I can't give them bonus points for that.
mindtrick's review
4.25
An overall great collection with some really standout stories. My thanks to the author and translator for getting these to us, as Chinese sci-fi has not been widely available.