We've entered the stage in our neo-capitalist hellscape where I find escape through mildly dystopian science fiction. Can we give a high-five to the bWe've entered the stage in our neo-capitalist hellscape where I find escape through mildly dystopian science fiction. Can we give a high-five to the book buyer at my local library for always having new releases that are on my To-Read list?
This collection of short stories from Chinese science fiction authors was such a breath of fresh air. It's usually hard for me to finish reading an anthology because the time it takes to dive into a story is variable in this short medium, but every single story in this collection hooked me from the start. I loved that they were all different in subject matter and tone. There are more speculative-fiction pieces, hard sci-fi, more social sci-fi, and even a zombie romance that really worked well.
To be honest, I was worried that some of these stories would be too nationalistic and I'm not too happy with the state of politics in China right now, but that's a disservice to the authors. It turns out that worries about the future of people is a global concern.
The translator was also so great for this collection. I really liked the notes at the end about why she chose the stories she did. The actual translation for each story worked well for people like me who primarily read in English, but also grew up in a Chinese culture. There were explanations about Chinese idioms, historical characters, and even written Chinese characters that had significance in the story.
I typically have no qualms reading anthologies out of order, but I must insist that readers save the last story for last. It was so perfect for finishing up this collection. It read like a cross between Douglas Adams and Cixin Liu and really -- who wouldn't want to read that combination?...more
I don't know why we were forced to read Old Man in the Sea, which was so boring it put me off Hemingway for a long time, in school when this work of hI don't know why we were forced to read Old Man in the Sea, which was so boring it put me off Hemingway for a long time, in school when this work of his is much better. This collection of short stories about his time in Paris, when he was young, just quit his journalism job, and poor, exemplifies Hemingway's style of writing. His sentences are sparse but not spartan -- when he uses and adjective, you know it's because he really means it.
The best thing about A Moveable Feast is that he describes his friendships with fellow writers Gertrude Stein and Scott Fitzgerald in such a loving but honest manner that it's easy to see he really cared for them.
My favorite story from here is the one where Scott Fitzgerald consults him about a little problem -- Zelda found a certain part of his anatomy insufficient and told him that he could "never make any woman happy." Hemingway gives this helpful answer as advice, "It is not basically a question of the size in repose. It is the size that it becomes. It is also a question of angle."...more
Songs of Love and Death is a collection of short stories about star-crossed lovers. Like with any anthology, there are some stand-out stories and someSongs of Love and Death is a collection of short stories about star-crossed lovers. Like with any anthology, there are some stand-out stories and some that I could have skipped. It's hard to review an anthology as a whole because the quality of the stories vary so much, but some of my favorite stories were:
Blue Boots by Robin Hobb The Marrying Maid by Jo Beverly The Thing About Cassandra by Neil Gaiman Hurt Me by M.L.N. Hanover
It's interesting to see the different authors' interpretations on the theme. I was pleasantly surprised by Neil Gaiman's short story. I liked it and I usually don't like his writing (I know, I know). ...more
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