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A review by natrosette
Broken Stars: Contemporary Chinese Science Fiction in Translation by Ken Liu
3.5
3.5 stars maybe? I don't know, I'm terrible at rating collections and anthologies.
My favorite by far was also I believe the longest, Baoshu's What Has Passed Shall in Kinder Light Appear. The concept was so cool, and it really made me think about the course of history, the way we think back on the past differently than the future, and just how much can take place over one lifetime. Plus, I was invested enough to augment my negligible knowledge of Chinese history with frequent googling.
A few others I enjoyed include:
- Moonlight by Liu Cixin - a shorter story around timeline alterations and what I interpreted as a reminder that what if's aren't always worth our attention, the grass may not be greener, etc.
- The Snow of Jinyang by Zhang Ran - my introduction to chuanyue; I was quite surprised how much fun I had with it, considering my typical ambivalence towards historical fiction and comedy
- The Restaurant at the End of the Universe: Laba Porridge by Anna Wu - the second story I've encountered in this universe and my lesser favorite of the two, but I still really like the style and hope to have the opportunity to read the full collection some day
My favorite by far was also I believe the longest, Baoshu's What Has Passed Shall in Kinder Light Appear. The concept was so cool, and it really made me think about the course of history, the way we think back on the past differently than the future, and just how much can take place over one lifetime. Plus, I was invested enough to augment my negligible knowledge of Chinese history with frequent googling.
A few others I enjoyed include:
- Moonlight by Liu Cixin - a shorter story around timeline alterations and what I interpreted as a reminder that what if's aren't always worth our attention, the grass may not be greener, etc.
- The Snow of Jinyang by Zhang Ran - my introduction to chuanyue; I was quite surprised how much fun I had with it, considering my typical ambivalence towards historical fiction and comedy
- The Restaurant at the End of the Universe: Laba Porridge by Anna Wu - the second story I've encountered in this universe and my lesser favorite of the two, but I still really like the style and hope to have the opportunity to read the full collection some day