Invisible Planets : : Contemporary Chinese Science Fiction in Translation

Location & Checkout Length	Call Number	Checkout Length	Item Status
Downtown 2nd Floor 4-week checkout	Science Fiction / Liu, Ken	4-week checkout	Due 05-17-2024
Malletts Adult Books 4-week checkout	Adult Book / Fiction / Science Fiction / General / Liu, Ken	4-week checkout	Due 05-01-2024
Traverwood Adult Books 4-week checkout	Adult Book / Fiction / Science Fiction / General / Liu, Ken	4-week checkout	Due 05-12-2024
Westgate Adult Books 4-week checkout	Adult Book / Fiction / Science Fiction / General / Liu, Ken	4-week checkout	Due 05-12-2024

"A Tom Doherty Associates book." -- Title page.
Introduction: China dreams / by Ken Liu -- Chen Qiufan. The year of the rat ; The fish of Lijiang ; The flower of Shazui -- Xia Jia. A hundred ghosts parade tonight ; Tongtong's summer ; Night journey of the Dragon-horse -- Ma Boyong. The city of silence -- Hao Jingfang. Invisible planets ; Folding Beijing -- Tang Fei. Call girl -- Cheng Jingbo. Grave of the fireflies -- Liu Cixin. The circle ; Taking care of God -- Essays : The worst of all possible universes and the best of all possible earths: Three-body and Chinese science fiction -- The torn generation: Chinese science fiction in a culture in transition -- What makes Chinese science fiction Chinese?
"Thirteen intriguing visions of the future from China"--Cover.
"The thirteen stories in this collection...add up to a strong and diverse representation of Chinese SF. Some have won awards in translation, some have garnered serious critical acclaim, some have been selected for Year's Best anthologies, and some are simply Ken Liu's personal favorites.To round out the collection, there are several essays from Chinese scholars and authors, plus an illuminating introduction by Ken Liu."--Book jacket.
"Award-winning translator and author Ken Liu presents a collection of short speculative fiction from China. Some stories have won awards (including Hao Jingfang's Hugo-winning novella, Folding Beijing); some have been included in various 'Year's Best' anthologies; some have been well reviewed by critics and readers; and some are simply Ken's personal favorites. Many of the authors collected here (with the obvious exception of New York Times bestseller Liu Cixin's two stories) belong to the younger generation of 'rising stars'. In addition, three essays at the end of the book explore Chinese science fiction. Liu Cixin's essay, The Worst of All Possible Universes and The Best of All Possible Earths, gives a historical overview of SF in China and situates his own rise to prominence as the premier Chinese author within that context. Chen Qiufan's The Torn Generation gives the view of a younger generation of authors trying to come to terms with the tumultuous transformations around them. Finally, Xia Jia, who holds the first Ph.D. issued for the study of Chinese SF, asks What Makes Chinese Science Fiction Chinese?" -- Publisher's description.

REVIEWS & SUMMARIES

Library Journal Review
Publishers Weekly Review
Summary / Annotation
Author Notes

COMMUNITY REVIEWS

Introduction to Chinese Science Fiction submitted by Meginator on June 24, 2017, 2:13pm I really appreciated Ken Liu's effort in putting this book together, as it's often difficult to find international science fiction in the US. I can't speak to how representative this selection is of Chinese speculative fiction, but Liu's thoughtful introduction indicates that he put a lot of thought into which works he chose to translate. He selected a nice variety of stories, with many different types of science fiction and fantastical elements; some of the stories are stronger than others, but none are dull. The windows into Chinese culture are fascinating, although Liu does cautions readers against viewing the stories in a way that fits our preconceived notions of China (as impossible as that is). The nonfiction element, including the introduction and three nonfiction essays about Chinese science fiction round out the collection nicely, and "Invisible Planets" serves as a compelling introduction for English-reading science fiction fans.