A review by alin01
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

3.0

It's so difficult to rate an anthology! but i think 3 might be an accurate average
I really enjoyed that every author was introduced and the notes on the cultural aspects that might be unknown to the Western reader

Some favourites
Goodnight, melancholy by Xia Jia, 5 stars

Spoiler

Reading this short story made me buy the book :-) The way the two stories (LINDY and ALAN) intertwine and the sense of melancholy in the story was so well thought through. Great way to start off the collection! I personally loved the appearance of the famous propositional logic example, "All men are mortal, Socrates is a man, therefore Socrates is mortal." and the mention of anaphora as a difficulty for computing AI. when things you learn in school appear in fiction.... Best overlap <3

Submarines by Han Song, 4 stars

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Han Song's writing style >> I loved the imagery in this and the political aspects combined with sci-fi

What Has Passed Shall in Kinder Light Appear by Baoshu, 4 stars

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Although it felt a little long at times (since it was the longest story lol) retrospectively I enjoyed this a lot, especially for the interesting message of how much (or whether or not) it matters what progress humanity makes and what causes what historical events to happen...mwah

Reflections by Gu Shi, 2 stars maybe but

Spoiler

the concept for the clairvoyance stuck with me, I just didn't like where the story went at all. But the clairvoyance concept. hey. i think looking at these stories, fiction that plays with how time works/unfolds might be a new favourite theme

The Brain Box by Regina Kanyu Wang, 4 stars

Spoiler

I enjoyed how this idea/concept was conveyed in just a few pages and gave an interesting insight into how people would handle the existance of the "brain box"

and I liked all three essays a lot!!