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kat_caledonia's review against another edition
reflective
slow-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? Yes
3.0
beccaand's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide
Moderate: Violence, Grief, and Death of parent
jimmybrewster's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
picastoste's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
This novel should have been an essay, on account of there not being any plot whatsoever, and all the characters having the same voice. The worldbuilding and scifi aspects are amzing and great and I thoroughly enjoyed them, and that is where the 2.5 stars come from, exclusively.
Nothing happens, the protagonist is not appealing, neither is any character, the dialogues are Very Bad , and the whole book is a constant telling instead of showing. I would have loved to learn anything about the characters by way of them doing something, but instead you can only learn it through other people telling you how much of a something they are.
The writer is a woman, the main character is also a woman, and yet the entire book is a compendium of men doing things and the main character being in awe at them. Literally women cooking while the men drive the spaceship, over and over and over. Whenever a bunch of important people in the history of the planet are named, there are NO women!!!! It was honestly hard to read. The politics of the book are also so LUKEWARM its honestly insulting. I will refrain from making any spoilers, but I will say you can only get so far with a “sometimes things are complex” approach, like, we know, that is literally life.
Very very disappointing in the way that it has a good premise and very interesting concepts for the technology and architecture and territorial organisation, but it fails spectacularly at anything story-related. So yeah, I would read an essay or one of those fake encyclopedias for fictional universes, definitely, but this did not need to be a novel and it was honestly a hard read.
Nothing happens, the protagonist is not appealing, neither is any character, the dialogues are Very Bad , and the whole book is a constant telling instead of showing. I would have loved to learn anything about the characters by way of them doing something, but instead you can only learn it through other people telling you how much of a something they are.
The writer is a woman, the main character is also a woman, and yet the entire book is a compendium of men doing things and the main character being in awe at them. Literally women cooking while the men drive the spaceship, over and over and over. Whenever a bunch of important people in the history of the planet are named, there are NO women!!!! It was honestly hard to read. The politics of the book are also so LUKEWARM its honestly insulting. I will refrain from making any spoilers, but I will say you can only get so far with a “sometimes things are complex” approach, like, we know, that is literally life.
Very very disappointing in the way that it has a good premise and very interesting concepts for the technology and architecture and territorial organisation, but it fails spectacularly at anything story-related. So yeah, I would read an essay or one of those fake encyclopedias for fictional universes, definitely, but this did not need to be a novel and it was honestly a hard read.
Content Warnings
Minor: Ableism
serranok's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
andrewbutler92's review against another edition
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
4.0
eegah's review against another edition
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.75
This is more of a philosophy/literary fiction read rather than the sci-fi I was expecting. The concept of having Terran and Martian societies evolve independently of one another, and the systems extrapolated from that premise was interesting, but not entirely as well-rendered as I thought it would be.
Bears the hallmarks of recent Chinese lit that I have encountered, in that there is a lot of musing about how societies are shaped. There is an abundance of speeches here. Almost a DNF for me, but I managed to power through the slow first half.
Bears the hallmarks of recent Chinese lit that I have encountered, in that there is a lot of musing about how societies are shaped. There is an abundance of speeches here. Almost a DNF for me, but I managed to power through the slow first half.
rakoerose's review against another edition
4.0
This book made me think very intensely about myself and my goals in a way I’d never thought to before. I love this aspect of speculative fiction, for how it worms into the brain and delivers new ideas and ways of thinking.
No one liked to abandon themselves.
This is a very philosophical book. The concept of freedom is discussed immensely, alongside desire, fate, materialism, and creativity. It’s shown really well through, the protagonist, Luoying’s struggles with liking aspects of both Earthen and Martian ways of life. There’s a lot of focus on how systems come about, who they benefit, and the greed that can permeate even the ones we think are honest. Earth is viewed as free in the way people can change careers, homes, and their lives in general. Mars is considered free because everyone has a space designated to them, their ideas don’t rely on profit. But both systems are flawed, and I appreciated seeing it so plainly stated. Nothing can ever be perfect.
”Once you get used to something, you no longer need a reason for it.”
Luoying herself is a really spectacular protagonist in how we experience her confusion and disillusionment alongside her. I think it matches a lot of how young people feel today, where as we grow up we realize the systems our elders put in place have become outdated and undesirable. Her struggle to find “purpose” I think is also relatable in anyone trying to exist in our capitalistic society.
Not to mention the giant cast of other characters with their own unique perspectives on the differences between Mars and Earth and whether it’s good or bad. So many different points of view are put on display, and I still don’t know who I would agree with the most. I don’t know who to view as a villain, because everyone is understandable as the individual human persons they are.
”To achieve the height you crave, is it worth ignoring the pain of others?”
It’s a very long, detailed tale. 600 pages is nothing to sneeze at, and if you know you can’t handle the length, I understand and wouldn’t recommend this to you. On the flip side, if you love speculative fiction that makes you ponder our own society, and have the time to invest in digesting something this length, I recommend it wholeheartedly.
I really appreciate that works like this are translated, because I never would have gotten to experience this otherwise. I will keep Hao Jingfang on my radar because whew, I’m feeling extremely existential now. But in a good way; a way that I think will push me into momentum. What a lovely feeling to get from a book. ✨
No one liked to abandon themselves.
This is a very philosophical book. The concept of freedom is discussed immensely, alongside desire, fate, materialism, and creativity. It’s shown really well through, the protagonist, Luoying’s struggles with liking aspects of both Earthen and Martian ways of life. There’s a lot of focus on how systems come about, who they benefit, and the greed that can permeate even the ones we think are honest. Earth is viewed as free in the way people can change careers, homes, and their lives in general. Mars is considered free because everyone has a space designated to them, their ideas don’t rely on profit. But both systems are flawed, and I appreciated seeing it so plainly stated. Nothing can ever be perfect.
”Once you get used to something, you no longer need a reason for it.”
Luoying herself is a really spectacular protagonist in how we experience her confusion and disillusionment alongside her. I think it matches a lot of how young people feel today, where as we grow up we realize the systems our elders put in place have become outdated and undesirable. Her struggle to find “purpose” I think is also relatable in anyone trying to exist in our capitalistic society.
Not to mention the giant cast of other characters with their own unique perspectives on the differences between Mars and Earth and whether it’s good or bad. So many different points of view are put on display, and I still don’t know who I would agree with the most. I don’t know who to view as a villain, because everyone is understandable as the individual human persons they are.
”To achieve the height you crave, is it worth ignoring the pain of others?”
It’s a very long, detailed tale. 600 pages is nothing to sneeze at, and if you know you can’t handle the length, I understand and wouldn’t recommend this to you. On the flip side, if you love speculative fiction that makes you ponder our own society, and have the time to invest in digesting something this length, I recommend it wholeheartedly.
I really appreciate that works like this are translated, because I never would have gotten to experience this otherwise. I will keep Hao Jingfang on my radar because whew, I’m feeling extremely existential now. But in a good way; a way that I think will push me into momentum. What a lovely feeling to get from a book. ✨
sarabz's review against another edition
4.0
Decades after people working on Mars win a war to become independent of earth and establish a socialist city, young Martians are returning from five years of living on Earth, the first Martians to do so since independence was established. Upon their return, they find themselves struggling with how to live their ideals, informed by both their Martian roots and their time on earth, and find a place in the machinery of Martian society and politics.
Beautifully written, I especially appreciated the sense of striving for something that is conveyed in the interactions of the young Martians as they explore ideas about freedom, individualism, and collectivity.
The story also prompted me to reflect on connections between scarcity and abundance, collectivism and individualism. Although Earth has been thoroughly developed and exploited, there is still an ability to walk away from cities and live in relative isolation while on Mars, the environment outside the city is uninhabitable without technology and tools and supports. But the story focuses on powerful and privileged people, so there isn't a lot deep exploration of the material impacts of inequalities.
I also loved that the Martian city was a glass city, taking advantage of the abundance of sand where other materials are lacking. I enjoyed the description of the development of the city and the opportunities created by the development of the technology for making the glass domes it is composed of.
Definitely see echoes of Le Guin's The Dispossesed, as noted by reviewers, although this society feels more fleshed out than the one on Anarres. This review had interesting things to say about the intended audience for the book because there is a market right now in the U.S. for Chinese science fiction in translation.
Beautifully written, I especially appreciated the sense of striving for something that is conveyed in the interactions of the young Martians as they explore ideas about freedom, individualism, and collectivity.
The story also prompted me to reflect on connections between scarcity and abundance, collectivism and individualism. Although Earth has been thoroughly developed and exploited, there is still an ability to walk away from cities and live in relative isolation while on Mars, the environment outside the city is uninhabitable without technology and tools and supports. But the story focuses on powerful and privileged people, so there isn't a lot deep exploration of the material impacts of inequalities.
I also loved that the Martian city was a glass city, taking advantage of the abundance of sand where other materials are lacking. I enjoyed the description of the development of the city and the opportunities created by the development of the technology for making the glass domes it is composed of.
Definitely see echoes of Le Guin's The Dispossesed, as noted by reviewers, although this society feels more fleshed out than the one on Anarres. This review had interesting things to say about the intended audience for the book because there is a market right now in the U.S. for Chinese science fiction in translation.
rymdkejsaren's review against another edition
3.0
A great setting and interesting characters and themes, but the book is marred by a frayed and meandering narrative and a fleet of strange POV choices. The voice can't seem to decide if it's omnipotent or not. Some parts I really liked, but several pages of philosophical musings about the past shouldn't be the staple of any chapter, let alone most of them. This is a book I wish I had enjoyed more than I did.