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A review by yapxinyi
Broken Stars: Contemporary Chinese Science Fiction in Translation by Cheng Jingbo, Gu Shi, Zhang Ran, Xia Jia, Ma Boyong, Anna Wu, Mingwei Song, Regina Kanyu Wang, Baoshu, Chen Qiufan, Han Song, Hao Jingfang, Tang Fei, Cixin Liu, Fei Dao
5.0
Really, really good. Original, dynamic and bursting with potential. I've always enjoyed [a:Ken Liu|2917920|Ken Liu|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1400610835p2/2917920.jpg]'s works - [b:The Paper Menagerie and Other Stories|24885533|The Paper Menagerie and Other Stories|Ken Liu|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1511290092l/24885533._SY75_.jpg|44534169] mostly - and this did not disappoint.
My favourite story would be What Has Passed Shall in Kinder Light Appear by Baoshu. It was longer than most of the stories in it, with a few mini-chapters, but it was absolutely lovely. The way Baoshu incorporated historical events you thought you knew (I didn't even know my history well enough to realise it was events going backwards /cough/) and you really see how humanity doesn't learn from history. :'(
I loved that Ken Liu thought of adding essays on Chinese science fiction (SF) in it too! I kinda knew that the Chinese government stifled SF and banned the time-travelling genre on Chinese television shows and broadcast after 步步惊心 (Scarlet Heart), but I didn't know that SF literature was so popular - well, gaining in traction, in any case. I bought Liu Cixin's [b:The Three-Body Problem|20518872|The Three-Body Problem (Remembrance of Earth’s Past #1)|Liu Cixin|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1415428227l/20518872._SY75_.jpg|25696480] right away after reading the first SF essay (I skipped right to the end at the bookstore while browsing HAHA) and so far, so good! Promising start.
Definitely worth a dip into even if you're sceptical - some stories are a bit science-y but most explore human relationships. And a little bit of philosophy. ;) You rarely get away from SF without some sort of thinking about the future of humanity!
My favourite story would be What Has Passed Shall in Kinder Light Appear by Baoshu. It was longer than most of the stories in it, with a few mini-chapters, but it was absolutely lovely. The way Baoshu incorporated historical events you thought you knew (I didn't even know my history well enough to realise it was events going backwards /cough/) and you really see how humanity doesn't learn from history. :'(
I loved that Ken Liu thought of adding essays on Chinese science fiction (SF) in it too! I kinda knew that the Chinese government stifled SF and banned the time-travelling genre on Chinese television shows and broadcast after 步步惊心 (Scarlet Heart), but I didn't know that SF literature was so popular - well, gaining in traction, in any case. I bought Liu Cixin's [b:The Three-Body Problem|20518872|The Three-Body Problem (Remembrance of Earth’s Past #1)|Liu Cixin|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1415428227l/20518872._SY75_.jpg|25696480] right away after reading the first SF essay (I skipped right to the end at the bookstore while browsing HAHA) and so far, so good! Promising start.
Definitely worth a dip into even if you're sceptical - some stories are a bit science-y but most explore human relationships. And a little bit of philosophy. ;) You rarely get away from SF without some sort of thinking about the future of humanity!