Scan barcode
A review by zoes_human
Broken Stars: Contemporary Chinese Science Fiction in Translation by Ken Liu
5.0
Exceptional in breadth and depth, this anthology is nothing short of magnificent. It contains quirky humor pieces as well as the artful sort of stories that are blatantly ignored by those who wish to brush off any genre fiction as childish or unserious. With only one tale that I disliked, picking favorites from this one is a challenge. Nevertheless, I pick the following as my top three while reserving the right to change my mind tomorrow (or perhaps even in the more immediate future):
Goodnight, Melancholy by Xia Jia
A haunting short story in which Turing machines offer hope and possibility to the those struggling with depression.
The Brain Box by Regina Kanyu Wang
What happens to the human mind when the privacy of our final thoughts is lost?
The First Emperor's Games by Ma Boyong
This humorous and absurd tale of the first Qin emperor's quest for the perfect video game does require a little bit of knowledge about the Qin dynasty as well as the main warring Chinese philosophies, but the payoff is tremendous.
Goodnight, Melancholy by Xia Jia
A haunting short story in which Turing machines offer hope and possibility to the those struggling with depression.
The Brain Box by Regina Kanyu Wang
What happens to the human mind when the privacy of our final thoughts is lost?
The First Emperor's Games by Ma Boyong
This humorous and absurd tale of the first Qin emperor's quest for the perfect video game does require a little bit of knowledge about the Qin dynasty as well as the main warring Chinese philosophies, but the payoff is tremendous.