Scan barcode
A review by li3an1na4
Where the Stars Rise: Asian Science Fiction and Fantasy by Gabriela Lee, Minsoo Kang, Elsie Chapman, Tony Pi, Samantha Beiko, Rati Mehrotra, Lucas K. Law, Calvin D. Jim, S.B. Divya, Pamela Q. Fernandes, Priya Sridhar, Regina Kanyu Wang, E.C. Myers, Ruhan Zhao, Amanda Sun, Naru Dames Sundar, Melissa Yuan-Innes, Fonda Lee, Shaoyan Hu, Deepak Bharathan, Angela Yuriko Smith, Miki Dare, Anne Carly Abad, Joyce Chng, Derwin Mak, Karin Lowachee, Jeremy Szal, Diana Xin
4.0
I received this ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
One of the more uneven anthologies I've read in awhile. Some stories were stellar (Weaving Silk and Old Souls) but some lost my interest pretty quickly. What's interesting about having a scifi&fantasy book written by all Asians is just how broad the stories get. The stories take a lot from many different cultures and find a way to mesh the past or a specific culture with a scifi or fantasy plot. For some stories, it's more about just having "non-European names" for characters.
There was one story about Sejong The Great and his invention of Hangul and many other things that I had a small problem with. While the story itself is fine, I view it the same way I view those "Aliens built the pyramids" things - human ingenuity doesn't need outside help. Humans have the capacity to do both great and terrible things all on our own.
3.5/5 rounds to 4. Very uneven with stories ranging from 2/5 - 5/5.
One of the more uneven anthologies I've read in awhile. Some stories were stellar (Weaving Silk and Old Souls) but some lost my interest pretty quickly. What's interesting about having a scifi&fantasy book written by all Asians is just how broad the stories get. The stories take a lot from many different cultures and find a way to mesh the past or a specific culture with a scifi or fantasy plot. For some stories, it's more about just having "non-European names" for characters.
There was one story about Sejong The Great and his invention of Hangul and many other things that I had a small problem with. While the story itself is fine, I view it the same way I view those "Aliens built the pyramids" things - human ingenuity doesn't need outside help. Humans have the capacity to do both great and terrible things all on our own.
3.5/5 rounds to 4. Very uneven with stories ranging from 2/5 - 5/5.