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jasonben10 's review for:
The Paper Menagerie and Other Stories
by Ken Liu
Started a little slow for me, felt there was nothing special about the first couple of sci-fi stories but after reading all of them I have real appreciation for this guy's ability to weave a story together based on how he sees the power of storytelling. Beautiful writing at times, the message of what a story can mean to people shines through on many of these. Even the 3-page preface seemed remarkable. My favorites were All the Flavors, An Advanced Reader's Picture Book of Comparative Cognition and Paper Menagerie. The first short story actually came back to me as I was reading, a quick explanation of many different sci-fi societies and how they keep record of their history. As the book went on, that story had a much different impact than first reading. Also a nice simulacrum story, I should re-read Baudrillard.
Some of my favorite quotes:
"Time's arrow is the loss of fidelity in compression. A sketch, not a photograph. A memory is a re-creation. Precious because it is both more and less than the original." p. 195
"The universe is full of echoes and shadows, the afterimages and last words of dead civilizations who have lost the struggle against entropy. Fading ripples in the cosmic background radiation, it is doubtful most, or any, of these messages will ever be deciphered. Likewise, most of our thoughts and memories are destined to fade, to disappear, to be consumed by the very act of choosing and living. That is not the cause for sorrow sweetheart. It is the fate of every species to disappear into the void that is the heat death of the universe. But long before then, the thoughts of any intelligent species worthy of the name will become as grand as the universe itself." p. 206
In "All the Flavors" Liu writes about a Chinese folk legend named GuanYu whose stories means so much to so many. Awesome way of expressing it on p. 314, I'll try and encapsulate it here.
"'Let us pray to Lord Guan Yu,' said the scholar to his students. 'He was a poet and a warrior, and he lived each day as a test of his honor.'
'Let us pray to lord Guan Yu,' said the Emperor as he dedicated the Temple to the God of War. 'May he grant us victory over the barbarians.'
'Let us pray to Lord Guan Yu,' said the player with the black stones. 'All of us wei qui players whish we could play a game against him. If we play well today, perhaps he will deign to come and give us lessons.'
'Let us pray to Lord Guan Yu,' said the merchants as they prepared to set out across the ocean for the fabled ports of Ceylon and Singapore. 'He will watch over us and subdue the pirates and typhoons.'
'Let us pray to Lord Guan Yu,' said the laborers as they boarded the sailing ships headed for the Sandalwood Mountains of Hawaii and the Old Gold Mountain of California. 'He will help us endure the journey, and he will break apart mountains before us. He will keep us safe until we have made our fortune, and then he will guide us home.'" p. 304
Such a unique way of showing how humans create meaning from stories, what speaks to them from written or spoken word and it's internalized impact. So cool. He's describing what I'm doing now writing these quotes out except it's less spiritual but still, similar impact of a story.
"The hearts of the Chinamen were suddenly filled with resolve and a yearning for something they did not yet know the name for. 'You feel it?' asked Lao Guan. 'You feel that lift in your heart? The lightness in your head? That is the taste of whiskey, the essence of America. We have been wrong to be drunk and asleep. We should be drunk and fighting.'" p. 334
Great stuff.
Some of my favorite quotes:
"Time's arrow is the loss of fidelity in compression. A sketch, not a photograph. A memory is a re-creation. Precious because it is both more and less than the original." p. 195
"The universe is full of echoes and shadows, the afterimages and last words of dead civilizations who have lost the struggle against entropy. Fading ripples in the cosmic background radiation, it is doubtful most, or any, of these messages will ever be deciphered. Likewise, most of our thoughts and memories are destined to fade, to disappear, to be consumed by the very act of choosing and living. That is not the cause for sorrow sweetheart. It is the fate of every species to disappear into the void that is the heat death of the universe. But long before then, the thoughts of any intelligent species worthy of the name will become as grand as the universe itself." p. 206
In "All the Flavors" Liu writes about a Chinese folk legend named GuanYu whose stories means so much to so many. Awesome way of expressing it on p. 314, I'll try and encapsulate it here.
"'Let us pray to Lord Guan Yu,' said the scholar to his students. 'He was a poet and a warrior, and he lived each day as a test of his honor.'
'Let us pray to lord Guan Yu,' said the Emperor as he dedicated the Temple to the God of War. 'May he grant us victory over the barbarians.'
'Let us pray to Lord Guan Yu,' said the player with the black stones. 'All of us wei qui players whish we could play a game against him. If we play well today, perhaps he will deign to come and give us lessons.'
'Let us pray to Lord Guan Yu,' said the merchants as they prepared to set out across the ocean for the fabled ports of Ceylon and Singapore. 'He will watch over us and subdue the pirates and typhoons.'
'Let us pray to Lord Guan Yu,' said the laborers as they boarded the sailing ships headed for the Sandalwood Mountains of Hawaii and the Old Gold Mountain of California. 'He will help us endure the journey, and he will break apart mountains before us. He will keep us safe until we have made our fortune, and then he will guide us home.'" p. 304
Such a unique way of showing how humans create meaning from stories, what speaks to them from written or spoken word and it's internalized impact. So cool. He's describing what I'm doing now writing these quotes out except it's less spiritual but still, similar impact of a story.
"The hearts of the Chinamen were suddenly filled with resolve and a yearning for something they did not yet know the name for. 'You feel it?' asked Lao Guan. 'You feel that lift in your heart? The lightness in your head? That is the taste of whiskey, the essence of America. We have been wrong to be drunk and asleep. We should be drunk and fighting.'" p. 334
Great stuff.