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christianoliverio 's review for:
The Wandering Earth
by Cixin Liu
Another fine collection of stories where Cixin destroys Earth soooo many times only to rebuild it without humans. Despite the hopeless world(s) he builds, these stories are full of the hope and beauty of humanity. As you may know, I am a sucker for hopeless stories about hope.
The quality ranged from okay to spectacular to "wow, this is still going." Most of the stories were very exposition heavy, but as I enjoy worldbuilding, this didn't bother me as much as it might some. For instance in "Mountain" it was fascinating and really built into the overall theme of the story. However in the "Micro-Age" it felt a bit... much. Those are the overall thoughts, now here's my thoughts on each story (along with their ranking in this collection):
The Wandering Earth (7th) A history of Earth that explores the ramifications of a united people facing an issue so big, it requires all of humanity to work together. Obviously it is great that humanity is finally united, but at what cost? What kind of society would that build? The Wandering Earth addresses some of those with some very interesting changes to human morality.
Mountain (4) Very expositional and philosophical. Luckily, this all has a point to the story's message and theme (what makes us civilized is our irrational quest for exploration). Even so, the history and concept of the aliens here was very interesting. It is not every day you read about a species biologically completely different from out own.
Sun of China (3) Loved the hero's journey here in a non-violent way. This is also the most hopeful of all the stories. We see a poor, uneducated farmer climb the social ladder in a very interesting journey. There are also some really touching moments with him talking to his parents from space.
The Wages of Humanity (2) The most unique in this being equally concept and character driven. Smoothbore had an interesting backstory, making him the ideal protagonist/assassin for this mission. Liked the familiar themes of espionage and political intrigue. Bonus: Everyone wins!
Curse 5.0 (9) Almost entirely expositional. I do like how Cixin inserts himself and a fellow author into this story, even taking a moment for contrast their reactions to the horror around them. Very interesting concept involving an A.I. apocalypse, but not in your usual way.
The Micro Age (10) The only 3 star story of the bunch, I enjoyed Cixin exploring the idea of a microscopic society and what that would mean. But otherwise, there were not many character moments in here.
Devourer (1) Easily the best story. Lots of character work and I loved the Captain. Low-key might write a few characters like him. The conflict was interesting and the ending was very bitter-sweet. Not to mention the good message of this story. While "Of Ants and Dinosaurs" was not in this collection (despite the blurb on the back), I feel like this would also be a great title for the story, leading to an "ah-ha!" moment when it finally makes sense.
Taking Care of Gods (6) Very atheist story, but still explores some great questions of faith and filial piety. I enjoyed the stages of the gods and humanity's relationships. First the humans are in awe and reverence, then they complain about the gods' uselessness to society and bully them, then they are sad when the gods leave. Meanwhile the gods just are there wanting to vacation.
With Her Eyes (8) A short and sweet story that explores loneliness in space and homesickness. Loved the scene with the flowers.
The Longest Fall (5) What happens when the father gets to experience the sins of his son? A very interesting exploration of human ingenuity and the costs that come with it. Our protagonist had some pretty funny reactions to these situations, being very proud of his son, despite being punished for said son's crimes.
In short, great collection with some pretty common themes of hope in hopelessness, exploring both the horrors and greatness of humanity.
The quality ranged from okay to spectacular to "wow, this is still going." Most of the stories were very exposition heavy, but as I enjoy worldbuilding, this didn't bother me as much as it might some. For instance in "Mountain" it was fascinating and really built into the overall theme of the story. However in the "Micro-Age" it felt a bit... much. Those are the overall thoughts, now here's my thoughts on each story (along with their ranking in this collection):
The Wandering Earth (7th) A history of Earth that explores the ramifications of a united people facing an issue so big, it requires all of humanity to work together. Obviously it is great that humanity is finally united, but at what cost? What kind of society would that build? The Wandering Earth addresses some of those with some very interesting changes to human morality.
Mountain (4) Very expositional and philosophical. Luckily, this all has a point to the story's message and theme (what makes us civilized is our irrational quest for exploration). Even so, the history and concept of the aliens here was very interesting. It is not every day you read about a species biologically completely different from out own.
Sun of China (3) Loved the hero's journey here in a non-violent way. This is also the most hopeful of all the stories. We see a poor, uneducated farmer climb the social ladder in a very interesting journey. There are also some really touching moments with him talking to his parents from space.
The Wages of Humanity (2) The most unique in this being equally concept and character driven. Smoothbore had an interesting backstory, making him the ideal protagonist/assassin for this mission. Liked the familiar themes of espionage and political intrigue. Bonus: Everyone wins!
Curse 5.0 (9) Almost entirely expositional. I do like how Cixin inserts himself and a fellow author into this story, even taking a moment for contrast their reactions to the horror around them. Very interesting concept involving an A.I. apocalypse, but not in your usual way.
The Micro Age (10) The only 3 star story of the bunch, I enjoyed Cixin exploring the idea of a microscopic society and what that would mean. But otherwise, there were not many character moments in here.
Devourer (1) Easily the best story. Lots of character work and I loved the Captain. Low-key might write a few characters like him. The conflict was interesting and the ending was very bitter-sweet. Not to mention the good message of this story. While "Of Ants and Dinosaurs" was not in this collection (despite the blurb on the back), I feel like this would also be a great title for the story, leading to an "ah-ha!" moment when it finally makes sense.
Taking Care of Gods (6) Very atheist story, but still explores some great questions of faith and filial piety. I enjoyed the stages of the gods and humanity's relationships. First the humans are in awe and reverence, then they complain about the gods' uselessness to society and bully them, then they are sad when the gods leave. Meanwhile the gods just are there wanting to vacation.
With Her Eyes (8) A short and sweet story that explores loneliness in space and homesickness. Loved the scene with the flowers.
The Longest Fall (5) What happens when the father gets to experience the sins of his son? A very interesting exploration of human ingenuity and the costs that come with it. Our protagonist had some pretty funny reactions to these situations, being very proud of his son, despite being punished for said son's crimes.
In short, great collection with some pretty common themes of hope in hopelessness, exploring both the horrors and greatness of humanity.