A review by zsabella
The Paper Menagerie by Ken Liu

challenging emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

4.5

this is a wonderfully crafted collection of short stories from one of my new favorite authors. like many others, I got acquainted with ken liu's writing from his excellent translations of cixin liu’s the three body problem and death’s end. there was a lasting empathetic, emotional quality to those translations that I adored and drove me to check out liu's own work. I'm happy to say that the paper menagerie didn’t let me down! 

liu’s prose is lush and flows naturally. from the first story, you can tell he’s well-read and can easily flex his brilliance when it suits the story. I can’t remember the last time I saved this many passages or looked up words I didn’t know. I’ve also never read so many stories where reading a few sentences felt like being gripped and shook by the collar and devastated me, so thanks for that! 

though the majority of the stories have well realized “lo-fi” and “hard” sci-fi elements, liu fearlessly dips into other genres including cyberpunk action (the regulator), western (all the flavors), retrofuturism (good hunting), and literary magic realism (paper menagerie). in doing so, he interweaves SO many concepts to emphasize the significance of storytelling and storytellers, parenthood, identity, assimilation, and cultural exchange, and fighting against historical denialism and suppression. on top of these recurring themes, liu mixes in hearty doses of east asian history and chinese mythology, though your enjoyment could vary by how much you like learning about these.