Sinopticon 2021: A Celebration of Chinese Science Fiction
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- Create Date：2021-11-06 06:51:38
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Xueting Christine Ni
- ISBN：1781088527
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Summary
A stunning collection of the best in Chinese Science Fiction， from Award-Winning legends to up-and-coming talent， all translated here into English for the first time。
This celebration of Chinese Science Fiction — thirteen stories， all translated for the first time into English — represents a unique exploration of the nation’s speculative fiction from the late 20th Century onwards， curated and translated by critically acclaimed writer and essayist Xueting Christine Ni。
From the renowned Jiang Bo’s ‘Starship: Library' to Regina Kanyu Wang’s ‘The Tide of Moon City， and Anna Wu’s ‘Meisje met de Parel'， this is a collection for all fans of great fiction。
Award winners， bestsellers， screenwriters， playwrights， philosophers， university lecturers and computer programmers， these thirteen writers represent the breadth of Chinese SF， from new to old: Gu Shi， Han Song， Hao Jingfang， Nian Yu， Wang Jinkang， Zhao Haihong， Tang Fei， Ma Boyong， Anna Wu， A Que， Bao Shu， Regina Kanyu Wang and Jiang Bo。
This celebration of Chinese Science Fiction — thirteen stories， all translated for the first time into English — represents a unique exploration of the nation’s speculative fiction from the late 20th Century onwards， curated and translated by critically acclaimed writer and essayist Xueting Christine Ni。
From the renowned Jiang Bo’s ‘Starship: Library' to Regina Kanyu Wang’s ‘The Tide of Moon City， and Anna Wu’s ‘Meisje met de Parel'， this is a collection for all fans of great fiction。
Award winners， bestsellers， screenwriters， playwrights， philosophers， university lecturers and computer programmers， these thirteen writers represent the breadth of Chinese SF， from new to old: Gu Shi， Han Song， Hao Jingfang， Nian Yu， Wang Jinkang， Zhao Haihong， Tang Fei， Ma Boyong， Anna Wu， A Que， Bao Shu， Regina Kanyu Wang and Jiang Bo。
Reviews
Sahitya
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Average Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐。4After having read Ken Liu's short stories as well as his translated works， I have been very excited to read more stories from Chinese SFF authors。 So， when I saw this collection being reviewed by one of my mutuals， I knew I had to read it。 And what an experience this turned out to be。 I am always scared of reading sci-fi because I am not much into hard core scientific concepts， but I loved that this collection is a lot about ideas and humanity and just humans in general Average Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐。4After having read Ken Liu's short stories as well as his translated works， I have been very excited to read more stories from Chinese SFF authors。 So， when I saw this collection being reviewed by one of my mutuals， I knew I had to read it。 And what an experience this turned out to be。 I am always scared of reading sci-fi because I am not much into hard core scientific concepts， but I loved that this collection is a lot about ideas and humanity and just humans in general， with all their flaws and emotions。 There were many moments here where I was moved and I just couldn't put the book down。 I almost loved all stories here and definitely appreciated the rest which is rarely the case when reading so many authors， so I am very glad that this book exists。 And I hope I will be able to read more stories by these authors in the future。 The Last Save by Gu ShiThis story poses a very important question - what if in our quest for perfect happiness， we develop a technology that lets us erase every small moment that we consider bad or imperfect， and ultimately forget that humanity is what it is because of it's imperfections and flaws。 Great opening to the collection。Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Tombs of the Universe by Han SongThis was an engaging story about what death means to a technologically advanced civilization which has moved much farther from earth， and how the customs and rituals surrounding the celebration of the end of life evolve in mysterious ways when humanity starts living longer。 It also has some interesting commentary on the necessity of studying various aspects of history and the importance of remembering it。Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Qiankun and Alex by Hao JingfangThis was an extremely fascinating and sweet story about the interactions between a little boy and the world's most super intelligent AI。 I loved the idea that even the most technologically advanced artificial intelligence might have something to learn from children。Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Cat's Chance in Hell by Nian YuA kind of a commentary on the ethical aspects of human cloning， this action packed thrilling short story explores a world where humans don't participate in wars anymore but clones and robots do; but the age old habit of exploiting love and affection and patriotism to wage war and create destruction still persists， probably in a more perverse manner。Rating: ⭐⭐⭐。5 The Return of Adam by Wang JinkangThe story of a man out of time， and the conflict between adapting a neural implant that provides a higher level of intelligence and the founding principles of Confucius; this was interesting to begin with but I can't say I liked the way it ended。 But as the oldest story in this collection， it does stand as an example of the evolution of the Kehuan genre。Rating: ⭐⭐⭐ Rendezvous: 1937 by Zhao HaihongThis was undoubtedly a painful story to read but definitely so well written that it moved me deeply。 A tale of a young woman time travelling to the events of the Nanjiang massacre and confronting the horrors of the time while hoping that there existed someone who resisted， this was very emotional and enumerated the fact that this is a part of history that needs to be remembered in the hope that humanity will learn something from it and probably not resort to that depravity again。Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ The Heart of the Museum by Tang FeiI was fascinated that this story was told through the POV of a non human entity living on Earth among humans while concealing their identity。 And I loved how through their timeless eyes - who can see all past， present and future at the same time - we get to explore the idea of how much our actions determine our future or if everything is predestined。 It was also interesting to see a non human entity explore a museum full of past artifacts and try to understand their significance to us， because the past doesn't really have any nostalgia effect for them。Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ The Great Migration by Ma BoyongThe overwhelming feeling I had while reading this was despair。 As the editor mentions， this story is a parallel to the annual travel that Chinese people across the world undertake to reach home before the Lunar New Year; and what would happen if there was a similar scramble to go home to Earth from Mars in a future Space Age。 I think the author wanted to show that however far away from Earth we might go， some basic troubles and tribulations will never change - trying to get the cheapest tickets， cutting queues to be first， trying to buy on the black market， and ultimately the desire to go home under any circumstances - we will essentially remain the same。Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Meisje Met De Parel by Anna WuThis is another time travel and AI story but what I loved was it's appreciation for Art in all forms - especially painting， classical music and the culinary arts。 I loved the way the author describes the melodies of Bach， the turmoil in the paintings of Van Gogh as well as the meticulous way food can be prepared。 I don't wanna give away too much because this sweetly haunting tale deserves not to be spoiled at all but what I will take away from it is that Art is beautiful and timeless。 Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Flower of the Other Shore by A QueCW: virus and pandemicWhen I started this story and I realized that it had a virus which resulted in a pandemic of zombies called Stiffs affecting a huge part of humanity， I thought of abandoning it。 I don't know why I kept on but I'm glad I did because this is probably one of the best in this collection。 It is pretty tropey in many ways like a Hollywood zombie film with constant fights between Breathers and Stiffs， the army trying to take control， and a mad villain scientist thinking he has the right to decide for all of humanity。 But ultimately this story is full of love and hope and I can promise you that it'll leave you teary eyed。Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ The Absolution Experiment by Bao ShuCW: bigoted serial killer who has committed mass murdersA tale of mankind's search for immortality while also not being able to tame one of humanity's basest impulses - retribution - this very short story was interesting and makes you contemplate the blurring distinctions between punishment and justice。Rating: ⭐⭐⭐。5 The Tide of Moon City by Regina Wanyu KangWow did this make me sad。 Taking some inspiration from the story of The Cowherd and the Weaver Girl， the author explores the tale of two binary planets in gridlock whose acrimony towards each other only hinder their progress; simultaneously touching on two characters from the planets who can't be together because of the political situation。 It's a story about loss and grief and it was so touching and emotional。 The melancholic tone of the writing reminded me a lot of some cdramas I have watched。Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Starship: Library by Jiang BoThis was definitely a perfect end to the collection。 Set in a starship library that keeps traveling across the galaxy for millenia in hopes that someone who is in need of it will visit them， this story is an ode to the beauty of libraries and the important part they play in the process of learning。 It shows that if humans continue to imprint knowledge instead of learning it through struggles， humanity will lose it's vitality and become stagnant。 I really appreciated the way this story left us with lots of thoughts about the way we have been neglecting libraries in our real world， hoping that it would create a spark in us to med our ways。Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐。5 。。。more
fridge_brilliance
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It was a really good， thoughtfully assembled anthology perfect for those who want to get a taste of Chinese scifi beyond Liu Cixin -- as much as I am grateful to his books for opening the eyes of the Western SFF audiences to the world of Chinese kehua， I've always wanted to know what other flavours there were to be sampled。 In that sense， this book was an ideal entry point， offering a balanced mix of female and male writers， works published over several decaded， and different in tone and chosen It was a really good， thoughtfully assembled anthology perfect for those who want to get a taste of Chinese scifi beyond Liu Cixin -- as much as I am grateful to his books for opening the eyes of the Western SFF audiences to the world of Chinese kehua， I've always wanted to know what other flavours there were to be sampled。 In that sense， this book was an ideal entry point， offering a balanced mix of female and male writers， works published over several decaded， and different in tone and chosen themes。 I liked some of them more than others -- inevitable in an anthology， really -- but I definitely enjoyed reading all of them to get that sense of breadth and variety with takes that make the stories different from both one another and what is the Western SF tradition。 I especially enjoyed the notes on the selections from the translator and editor: they were very thoughtful and gave the right amount of context and detail: something very welcome for someone like me， with a particular interest in China and female writers。 Among the stories in the I especially liked Qiankun and Alex and Starship: Library （both were so adorable！ and I'm definitely bookmarking Hao Jingfang for further reading）， The Great Migration （infinitely relatable to anyone who had to take long， exhausting trips to homeland from a place of work or study）， Flower of the Other Shore （the fourth-wall breaking full of so much affection for the zombie narrative cliches） and the Tide of the Moon City （a neat SF replay of a timeless myth）。 。。。more
Tom Harnett
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SynopsisAn incredible omnibus of Chinese Science Fiction compiled and edited by self-confessed geek， translator and author of From Kuanyin to Chairman Mao， Xueting Ni。Thirteen carefully-selected Chinese Science Fiction stories from Chinese voices both young and old have been translated into English for the first time。 Sinopticon is an ambitious project， with a broad array of 20th Century and Speculative Fiction that will delight all SFF addicts。ReviewLet’s get one thing out of the way。 I have ne SynopsisAn incredible omnibus of Chinese Science Fiction compiled and edited by self-confessed geek， translator and author of From Kuanyin to Chairman Mao， Xueting Ni。Thirteen carefully-selected Chinese Science Fiction stories from Chinese voices both young and old have been translated into English for the first time。 Sinopticon is an ambitious project， with a broad array of 20th Century and Speculative Fiction that will delight all SFF addicts。ReviewLet’s get one thing out of the way。 I have never read any Chinese Science Fiction before so Sinopticon was my gateway to help rectify this。 Simply put， this is a spectacular collection of short stories。The care and attention Xueting Ni has paid to compiling this wonderful and diverse omnibus is clear throughout the book。 Ni’s careful consideration is most evident in the notes explaining each story’s inclusion and her impressions on translating and editing each story for a Western audience。 It is a perfect addition and feels almost as if you’re chatting away with Xueting over a coffee about the stories。At it’s （presumably A。I。） core， Sinopticon never fails in its bid to introduce a reader like me to Science Fiction works by Chinese authors。 These aren’t cookie cutter translations， each story is painstakingly recreated and intended to champion Chinese culture and literature。 Footnotes throughout are handy for the times when a translation attempt wouldn’t benefit the story while giving insight into Ni’s editing process。As for the stories themselves， there are no weak links at all。 You’re going to find all the space travel， A。I。s and robots you could hope to find in a book like this。 The story order is well-balanced and perfectly suited to a book binge。 I won’t spoil any by reviewing each story in turn but the standouts for me were: The Great Migration， Flower of the Other Shore and Starship: Library。The Great Migration by Ma Boyong。 Inspired by the author’s journey home on a crowded bus， this bleak overpopulated picture of life for workers on Mars is sweaty， sardine-packed brilliance。Flower of the Other Shore by A Que。 A knowlingly-tropey， fourth wall-breaking zombie story。 The zombie-like “Stiffs” communicate with each other through their own developed sign language， often asking each other “Have you eaten？”。 Hilarious and cute。Starship: Library by Jiang Bo。 I loved the concept of a cosmic library floating through the galaxy forever。Sinopticon reads like Black Mirror and Love， Death， and Robots squeezed together and poured onto the page。 I laughed， I cried， I read and re-read， I stayed up through the early hours if it meant finishing one of the longer stories。 This book is everything I love about Science Fiction。 I hope there’s a copy that will be kept safe and sound in a cosmic library millions of lightyears away … 。。。more
Peter Baran
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After my recent foray into short stories with Cosmogramma， I was pleased to get this collection of Chinese Science Fiction。 Not just because there is a bit of an explosion post The Three Body Problem， but as the collection editor and translator Xueting Christine Ni says， Chinese science fiction comes out of a number of different traditions。 Fantasy in China often comes via a Wuxia bent， heightened versions of history， and also the tone of Chinese fiction often pulling against the idea of a happy After my recent foray into short stories with Cosmogramma， I was pleased to get this collection of Chinese Science Fiction。 Not just because there is a bit of an explosion post The Three Body Problem， but as the collection editor and translator Xueting Christine Ni says， Chinese science fiction comes out of a number of different traditions。 Fantasy in China often comes via a Wuxia bent， heightened versions of history， and also the tone of Chinese fiction often pulling against the idea of a happy ending to a more philosophical or stoical denouement。 In reading her foreword， and her biographical and editor notes after each story I recognised one of the other pleasures of short fiction from my youth – this dialogue with the editor （or in Stephen King’s case the author）。 Ni here manages to brief summarise sci-fi scenes as they have developed， and tried to be representative whilst casting a broad net （literally if you’ll humour the pun – she has also decided to make sure the make up of the authors are 50% female）。 And she has done a good job， all the stories have something about them， and if there isn’t a complete tonal unanimity， there are themes and styles which reoccur。Death and immortality， be that actual or memorialised， pop up here a number of times， as does the longevity of projects and worlds。 One of the longest （and oldest from 1991） pieces here Tombs Of The Universe by Han Song which directly talks about how humans will be remembered， or not remembered as part of space colonisation – being about basically a cosmic undertaker。 Bao Shu’s The Absolution Experiment is a pithier， nastier take on the idea of immortality and revenge （it’s a classic twist in the tale narrative）。 There are also classic sci-fi takes on real phenomena – The Great Migration talks about workers on Mars desperate to get back to Earth in a direct parallel to the internal migration for New Year that takes place annually。 And oddly the fate and history of communal buildings of learning， Museums， Galleries， and Libraries turn up a lot。 Perhaps what is also interesting， looking at it as a modern sci-fi collection， is what doesn’t turn up。 There are not that many relationship stories in here – and what there is tends towards the doomed （discovering a wrongful imprisonment of a lover after forty years， a star-crossed relationship ending after a month）。 But unlike a Western collection right now， there isn’t anything vaguely queer here， and extrapolations about the pioneering spirit of the individual are also broadly lacking。That’s not to say it’s a dour collection， there is a lot of humour here， and Ni does her best to subtly fold it into her translation （in the big zombie adventure in the middle I do wonder if the character really keeps referring to Brad Pitt or a Chinese analog）。 She does her best to explain puns or names which might have double meanings， but as a reader in translation you have to accept some of these might pass you by。 What doesn’t slip by is the broad quality – she had a lot to pick between – and yet a cohesiveness too。 There are few duds here， and in a collection of thirteen you can always move on – but this was a very enjoyable and interesting collection， a proper celebration， and I hope more short and long form follows。 。。。more
books4chess
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"Don't remember。 It doesn't matter who we were。 We're all just walking corpses。 For us， memory is just another kind of virus， one even more deadly and that would torment us more than the Hunger。 Forgetting who we are is a defence mechanism for Stiffs。 Don't resist this defence: don't remember"。Sinopticon has taught me that I don't hate science fiction writing， I just hate poorly written sci-fi books。 This anthology of translated short stories delivered the most wonderful， spine-tingling experien "Don't remember。 It doesn't matter who we were。 We're all just walking corpses。 For us， memory is just another kind of virus， one even more deadly and that would torment us more than the Hunger。 Forgetting who we are is a defence mechanism for Stiffs。 Don't resist this defence: don't remember"。Sinopticon has taught me that I don't hate science fiction writing， I just hate poorly written sci-fi books。 This anthology of translated short stories delivered the most wonderful， spine-tingling experience featuring topics including AI， space travel， time travel and zombie apocalypses。 Anything you could have hoped for and then some， complete with Chinese language and culture insights。Just like any short story anthology， the collection fell short for a handful of tales for issues such as too much 'male gaze'， however， the translators notes at the end of each novel identified the weaknesses openly and explained why in spite of these， the story was chosen。 Understanding the process and recognising the strengths regardless， helped me to think outside of my own rating box。There were two stories that really hit me。 "Flowers of the Other Shore" is the first story I've ever read from the infected individuals point of view and it left me on the edge of my seat， filled with great philosophy and a refreshing change of pace。 Additionally， the unexpected plot twist in "The Tide of Moon City" simultaneously made my stomach drop and gave me goosebumps。 To have such strong emotions， from a short story no less， is the sign of a well written， well translated story，Xueting has curated an incredible collection to either allow readers to segue into sci-fi， or continue their love of sci-fi tales。 Marvellous。Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC。 。。。more
Francisco
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Energy Wars[Blurb goes here]This was， all an all， a great anthology。 While not all of the stories where to my liking， I enjoyed most of them， which in my experience is something all too rare when it comes to a compilation of short stories。 This is a book worth reading。Thank you for the free copy！
Kylie
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Content Warnings: death， genocide， horror。 The Collection Overall: Xueting Christine Ni has organized an absolutely beautiful collection of Chinese Sci-Fi。 It's a rare thing to like most of the short stories in a collection， much less to rate nearly every story five stars。 The stories are the absolute cream of the crop and beautifully ordered （with footnotes for context） to allow the best understanding and experience of them。 With little bit of everything， Sinopticon delivers the perfect sampler Content Warnings: death， genocide， horror。 The Collection Overall: Xueting Christine Ni has organized an absolutely beautiful collection of Chinese Sci-Fi。 It's a rare thing to like most of the short stories in a collection， much less to rate nearly every story five stars。 The stories are the absolute cream of the crop and beautifully ordered （with footnotes for context） to allow the best understanding and experience of them。 With little bit of everything， Sinopticon delivers the perfect sampler。 The stories have an excellent range， floating between character-in-a-ship-in-space， to zombie stories， romance， robots and AI， war stories， and more。 The authors， similarly， show an equally impressive range。 The author could not have better accomplished the goals outlined in her introduction—it's truly a masterpiece。 I am so pleased to have had the opportunity to read it。The Last Save ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐This story was an absolutely wonderful piece of almost gamified sci-fi life。 I loved every bit of this story and its crotchety， stubborn protagonist。 The ending was truly simple and beautiful。Tombs of the Universe⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐A thoughtful， philosophic piece， Tombs provides an eerie existential dread and loneliness to space travel。 It's genuinely rare to find a short story so pessimistic， it was a very interesting （if somewhat depressing） read。 Qiankun and Alex ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐This story is so simple， short， and sweet。 Even in its brevity， it is charming。 There's so much optimism and praise for the human spirit contained in a few short interactions。 I also love collecting wonderful AIs， and Qiankun is certainly at the top。 Cats Chance in Hell⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐In a world of Murderbot meets Soma， Nian Yu delivers an absolutely haunting story of a soldier caught in war。 Deeply dark and depressing， this story delves into the heart of a beloved sci-fi debate。 The Return of Adam⭐⭐⭐The notes of this story mention the author is frequently passed over for translation， and I think a good portion of that is how closely this is tied to Chinese Culture and history。 Despite lengthy footnotes， I simply didn't have enough context to get past the chauvinism。 Rendezvous 1937⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐I've never read a short fiction with more contextual notes than content… but the author's struggle with the story actually added quite a bit to the experience of reading。 This is a very special piece。 The Heart of the Museum⭐⭐⭐⭐This was an odd story， technically very good， but not my favorite concept。 Though I was engaged and enjoyed it， I didn't really feel particularly impacted by any of it。 There was just not much there for me， personally。 The Great Migration⭐⭐⭐⭐This story was， in my opinion， purposefully long and arduous to read。 Though it's not pleasant， it's certainly effective at portraying long， cramped travel。 It's an interesting world—one I hope doesn't come true。 Meisje Met De Parel⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐This is such a wonderful YA sci-fi—hopeful， imaginative， and not at all watered down like some genre YA。 The combination of food， art， science， and mystery makes for a read that engages all of the senses。 Flower of the Other Shore⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐I love an interesting zombie story， and this is a *very* good zombie story。 Referential， playful， lyrical， and unexpectedly poignant。 What a phenomenal work and an excellent addition to the subgenre。 The Absolution Experiment⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐Oh， what a surprise。 Such a very short but fascinating story。 There's not much to be said without spoiling anything， but I adore the way this story plants a simple seed that spawns into horror。 The Tide of Moon City⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Tide of Moon City is a gorgeous and heartbreaking story。 I love when sci-fi departs from the hard sciences （though there is plenty of science） to deliver a truly moving story about people。 This one does it so well。 Starship: Library⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐What a beautiful ending to a wonderful collection。 Starship: Library is a very quiet， introspective， and witty read， with a glowing recommendation of the importance of libraries。 Very much in the spirit of some of my favorite sci-fi traveling-the-galaxy tales。 Thank you to NetGalley and Rebellion Publishing for providing this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
The Wulver's Library
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Xueting has introduced an impressively succinct collection of Chinese fiction that have each earned their place in this novel。 Each story is a demonstration of intrinsic Chinese culture that discuss events， identity and customs。 These stories are varied but vastly entertaining。 There are humorous space adventures and comedic apocalyptic tales。 We go through cosmic exploration of the dead to time travelling choices。 There are so many great authors here to devour and learn from。 This is a stunning Xueting has introduced an impressively succinct collection of Chinese fiction that have each earned their place in this novel。 Each story is a demonstration of intrinsic Chinese culture that discuss events， identity and customs。 These stories are varied but vastly entertaining。 There are humorous space adventures and comedic apocalyptic tales。 We go through cosmic exploration of the dead to time travelling choices。 There are so many great authors here to devour and learn from。 This is a stunning collection that has a story for every reader。 This is a great introduction to a different perspective。 。。。more
Neera
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Thank you to Rebellion/Solaris and NetGalley for providing this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review！Actual rating 3。5⭐️。I’m not very familiar with Chinese science fiction so this was a great starting place for me。 It was very interesting to read fresh new takes on familiar concepts like time travel and technologically-enhanced humans， among many others， and in my opinion it proves that there are always new ways to interpret even the most supposedly ‘overdone’ concepts。 I also enjoyed that thi Thank you to Rebellion/Solaris and NetGalley for providing this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review！Actual rating 3。5⭐️。I’m not very familiar with Chinese science fiction so this was a great starting place for me。 It was very interesting to read fresh new takes on familiar concepts like time travel and technologically-enhanced humans， among many others， and in my opinion it proves that there are always new ways to interpret even the most supposedly ‘overdone’ concepts。 I also enjoyed that this collection included stories from a wide range of time， rather than just the most recent ones。There were two things that detracted from my enjoyment of these stories。 Firstly， some of the writing was a bit clunky at times。 Not having read these stories in the original language of course means that I am unsure if this was how they were originally written or if it was an issue with translation， but this sometimes made it difficult to stay engaged in the stories。 Secondly， and this was the main one for me， almost every single story had either strong or subtle elements of misogyny。 It would NOT be accurate or fair， and would actually be pretty racist， to put this down to a cultural difference， because I have read many recently published books by Western authors that contained the same or even greater levels of misogyny。 I expect this when I’m going into stories written a few decades ago， but it was disappointing to read it in the more recent stories too。 Overall though I found this to be an interesting collection of stories that raised a lot of intriguing thoughts and possibilities。 I am especially glad to see more non-Western SFF being translated into English， and I very much hope that this continues！ 。。。more
Dawn
，
"Sinopticon 2021" is subtitled "A Celebration of Chinese Science Fiction" - and what a celebration it is！ This a collection of 13 incredible stories that have been translated into English for the first time - and what a treat they are！ Brilliant writing， great characters， fantastic plots - and imaginations to spark your own。 Give us more Chinese sci-fi， please。。。My thanks to the author， publisher， and NetGalley。 This review was written voluntarily and is entirely my own， unbiased， opinion。 "Sinopticon 2021" is subtitled "A Celebration of Chinese Science Fiction" - and what a celebration it is！ This a collection of 13 incredible stories that have been translated into English for the first time - and what a treat they are！ Brilliant writing， great characters， fantastic plots - and imaginations to spark your own。 Give us more Chinese sci-fi， please。。。My thanks to the author， publisher， and NetGalley。 This review was written voluntarily and is entirely my own， unbiased， opinion。 。。。more
Kerstin Rosero
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3。5 stars Sinopticon 2021 is a collection of short Chinese sci-fi stories。 I was immediately intrigued with the premise， as I rarely get to read Chinese sci-fi （outside of the Three Body Problem trilogy）， let alone shorter pieces。 The stories take concepts of time （and perception of time）， space travel， and AI and add a unique twist to them。 As with all collections of short stories， there will be hits and misses， but in general， I enjoyed the ride。 That said， it is difficult to rate an anthology 3。5 stars Sinopticon 2021 is a collection of short Chinese sci-fi stories。 I was immediately intrigued with the premise， as I rarely get to read Chinese sci-fi （outside of the Three Body Problem trilogy）， let alone shorter pieces。 The stories take concepts of time （and perception of time）， space travel， and AI and add a unique twist to them。 As with all collections of short stories， there will be hits and misses， but in general， I enjoyed the ride。 That said， it is difficult to rate an anthology， because not all stories will hit you the same way。 I will say， however， that one thing that didn't work for me was the lack of character variation: the protagonists are mostly male， and often， women are portrayed as two-dimensional， reduced to stereotypes （such as "nagging" or "emotional"）， or oddly absent。 There were some stories I didn't finish for these reasons （view spoiler）[ （one actually started by associating "female voice" with "the cold mechanization of computer simulations，" while the next story mentioned "the female tendency to get emotional。" It got tiring）。 （hide spoiler）] But as this is a collection of short stories， I could just skip to the next。Here's a quick summary of the stories I finished:"The Last Save" （最终档案）: takes place in a world in which people can hit "save" on their lives and correct mistakes by simply deleting their files and continuing from the last save point。 People who do this simply disappear from this existence。 It throws into question the meaning of choices， consequences， and most of all， accountability。 （5 stars）"Tombs of the Universe" （宇宙墓碑）: space travel is commonplace， and in a world where people no longer speak of the past， the main character is fascinated with graveyards—an outdated， ancient tradition—and becomes a gravemaker。 The writing was a bit too academic/philosophical for me， especially for a short story that does not have much room for blocks of info， but it may appeal to other readers for that reason。 （3。5 stars）"Qiankun and Alex" （乾坤和亚力）: Qiankun is the global AI， and Alex is the child who grows up with it。 In essence， Qiankun fills in all the roles in his life， as none of the adults have time to actually raise him。 They learn from each other。 It was a bit sad， a bit sweet， and in my opinion， too short。 （5 stars）"Cat's Chance in Hell" （九死一生）: Joe is tasked with retrieving bright， blue liquid fuel from a military base， knowing full well his chances of surviving the mission are slim。 The ideas were interesting—especially the role of humans in future armed combat—but some of the writing/translations were a bit off （（view spoiler）[e。g。， "like every father who has to leave his home， Joe got up， checked his luggage was fully packed， and quietly prepared to leave"—I don't quite get why this only applies to fathers， as it is pretty universal？ （hide spoiler）]）。 Still pretty enjoyable， though。 （4 stars）"The Return of Adam" （亚当回归）: a space shuttle returns after 202 years， and only one （brain） has survived。 It started off strong， suffered a bit with info overload， but ultimately presented a "caveman-in-modern-times" scenario， instead taking someone from now and placing him 200+ years into the future。 I didn't quite connect to all of the story， but I liked the Chinese references。 I'm glad there were footnotes at the end， lol （3。5 stars）"Rendezvous 1937" （相聚在一九三七）: an author writes a cat-and-mouse story involving time travel， where one character travels back to the Nanjing Massacre in 1937， and the other—disgusted by the implications of this type of touristic time travel—goes back to。。。 stop her。 Through these fictional characters， the story sheds light on the horrors of the massacre and its ripples throughout time。 （4。5 stars）"The Heart of the Museum" （博物馆之心）: this story is told from an alien POV who has come to Earth， passes off as human， and is tasked with taking care of a child。 The alien experiences time differently—instead of sequential， past， present， and future happen all at once （think "Story of Your Life" by Ted Chiang）。 There's a delightful sense of disconnect as the alien watches the child play but sees the future he will create。 （4 stars）"Flower of the Other Shore" （彼岸花）: I wasn't expecting a zombie apocalypse story in this collection， but this is about a "Stiff" who slowly regains memories of his past life。 The main character tries to hold on to his humanity while his brain continues to rot。 I do like how despite heavy themes， the zombies still had a sense of humor。 Old Jim， bless his soul。 （5 stars）"The Absolution Experiment" （特赦实验）: a deal is offered to a convict with a life sentence—an experiment with a 30% death rate。 I won't lie， for one of the shorter stories in the collection， this one made me think for a while。 The author creates a protagonist so despicable that the reader does not care about what this means for him。 （5 stars）"The Tide of Moon City" （月见潮）: correspondence between two students on different planets orbiting each other， one from Bizhe， the other from He'lin。 It's a bit heavy on the novelty of the "girls-in-STEM" trope， which， while still very relevant， was in my opinion not handled well （view spoiler）[ （e。g。， paragraphs on why Dianne isn't like other girls， which is a bit cringe， or directly mentioning "it was the first time that a man had wanted to consult her，" but then pouting/sulking for a while。 Then the guy gets banned from her planet， so she drops out of Uni—what？） （hide spoiler）]。 The story outside of that was interesting， but I couldn't connect to the characters at all。 Or the roommate， （view spoiler）[the only other girl in the story， who ruins someone's life because a man gave someone else attention。 It is ridiculous that these are the two women in the story， lol （hide spoiler）] （2 stars）Thank you to NetGalley and Rebellion Publishing for giving me a free copy in exchange for an honest review。 Check out my Insta @k。e。rosero for more book spotlights and reviews！ 。。。more
rina
，
The stories were intriguing， all of them had a wonderful atmosphere; some may be more emotional and hard-hitting than others but they were still good plot-wise。 My favorite was Rendezvous: 1937， that dash of historical fiction really got to me。 For some stories， the dialogue felt quite stiff， although I think that is a problem that comes with translated works。 I didn't expect this book to be heavy on myths， superstition， and philosophical themes （not only sci0fi）; it was something I appreciated。 The stories were intriguing， all of them had a wonderful atmosphere; some may be more emotional and hard-hitting than others but they were still good plot-wise。 My favorite was Rendezvous: 1937， that dash of historical fiction really got to me。 For some stories， the dialogue felt quite stiff， although I think that is a problem that comes with translated works。 I didn't expect this book to be heavy on myths， superstition， and philosophical themes （not only sci0fi）; it was something I appreciated。 A lot of these writers were also new to me and I am now very interested in their other works。 This anthology truly explores how creative the human mind can be。Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the arc！ 。。。more
Dan
，
My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher Rebellion for an advanced copy of this new science fiction anthology。Science fiction as a genre is always looking at things in a new way。 Steampunk， Hard Science， Space Opera， First Contact， Dystopian， everything can be changed， made new， made different or better， or ruined。 Some stories are hopeful， some are doubtful， some are just straight reportage。 However even dealing with the future or the different， a writer tends to call on their own background， e My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher Rebellion for an advanced copy of this new science fiction anthology。Science fiction as a genre is always looking at things in a new way。 Steampunk， Hard Science， Space Opera， First Contact， Dystopian， everything can be changed， made new， made different or better， or ruined。 Some stories are hopeful， some are doubtful， some are just straight reportage。 However even dealing with the future or the different， a writer tends to call on their own background， education， culture， even race that defines to them what the future might or should be。 That's why this collection Sinopticon edited and translated by Xueting Christine Ni is so well speculative and excellent。 These stories， written by Chinese authors， offer ways of looking at the future with a new mindset and cultural understanding。 The stories would have been lost to western readers which would be a shame as many are very good。 The stories range in styles and ways they are presented， offering a broad selection of story types， classic sci-fi， to modern day kind of stories。 Each story is followed by a essay detailing various explanations on translation and social nuances， and other things that might be lost on readers unfamiliar with China。 The stories range from ok to brilliant。 Tombs of the Universe and Flower of the Other Shore are both standouts， at least to me。 I've been reading science fiction for quite a long time， and almost every anthology including the "Best Ofs" always have stories I would just pass over in a few pages of looking。 In this collection if did not skip any。 A truly excellent collection of stories。 。。。more
dearnamie
，
A good collection if you enjoy hard sci-fi with a classic vibe。 While this wasn’t an enjoyable read for me personally， I fully recognize the literary and cultural value of a collection like this， and I would still recommend this unique anthology to avid sci-fi enthusiasts。 The editor’s notes at the end of each story were a nice addition and often added valuable context to each story。
N。S。 Ford
，
This review first appeared on my blog - https://nsfordwriter。com - on 3rd November 2021。An intriguing collection of 13 short stories which showcase modern Chinese science fiction。 I liked how the chosen stories had retained elements of Chinese culture and how the editor used footnotes to explain terms which don't have direct English equivalents。 The introduction and the notes for each piece were interesting and enthusiastic。 I liked most of the stories and thought them well worth reading。 One st This review first appeared on my blog - https://nsfordwriter。com - on 3rd November 2021。An intriguing collection of 13 short stories which showcase modern Chinese science fiction。 I liked how the chosen stories had retained elements of Chinese culture and how the editor used footnotes to explain terms which don't have direct English equivalents。 The introduction and the notes for each piece were interesting and enthusiastic。 I liked most of the stories and thought them well worth reading。 One story， the final piece in the collection， really stood out for me and I'll always remember it。'The Last Save' by Gu Shi is an ultimately uplifting story about dealing with consequences instead of obsessively reliving the same events。'Tombs of the Universe' by Han Song is a mysterious story which engages with rites and traditions but was a little too academic for me at times。'Qiankun and Alex' by Hao Jingfang is an optimistic exploration of how super-intelligent AI can improve by learning from children。'Cat's Chance in Hell' in Nian Yu is an action-packed yet emotional thriller engaging with the ethics of clones used for military purposes。'The Return of Adam' by Wang Jinkang is a hard SF story with ethics， evolution and romance。'Rendezvous: 1937' by Zhao Haihong is an important and brutal time-travel story of the Nanjing Massacre。'The Heart of the Museum' by Tang Fei is a philosophical story with an elegiac tone in the tradition of classic SF。'The Great Migration' by Ma Boyong is set on Mars， a weary tale of bureaucracy and trying to beat the system。'Meisje met de Parel' by Anna Wu is a beautifully-written unpredictable piece about art and AI。'Flowers of the Other Shore' by A Que is a zombie pandemic story， not my kind of read so I had to skip。'The Absolution Experiment' by Bao Shu is a short absurd piece about exploitation and criminal justice。'The Tide of Moon City' by Regina Kanyu Wang is an emotional story of healing friendships but I wasn't keen on the academic theme。'Starship: Library' by Jiang Bo is a fantastic epic journey of a fleet of library starships， which affirms the power of knowledge and demonstrates that we'll always need libraries。Thank you to the publisher Rebellion for the advance copy via NetGalley。 。。。more
Lukasz
，
Xueting brings to readers an impressive collection of short stories representing Chinese speculative fiction from the late 20th Century onwards。 Each story has earned its place in the anthology and demonstrates the range of themes found in Kehuan （the Chinese term for science fiction）。An introductory essay places Chinese science fiction in a general context。 Xueting explains that Chinese SF has been influenced by Western science fiction， but also contains elements intrinsic to Chinese identity， Xueting brings to readers an impressive collection of short stories representing Chinese speculative fiction from the late 20th Century onwards。 Each story has earned its place in the anthology and demonstrates the range of themes found in Kehuan （the Chinese term for science fiction）。An introductory essay places Chinese science fiction in a general context。 Xueting explains that Chinese SF has been influenced by Western science fiction， but also contains elements intrinsic to Chinese identity， culture， and history。 For each piece， there are notes about the author and the particular story。 The notes discuss everything from translation considerations to events or cultural customs that might be unfamiliar to Western readers。The result is varied and entertaining; slice-of-life stories mingle with whimsical galactic adventures and post-apocalyptic black comedy。 Han Song's "Tombs of the Universe，" for example， shows how humanity treats the remains of the dead in the age of cosmic exploration。 In "The Last Save，" by Gu Shi， technology gives people the option for rebooting their life， and unlimited memory allows them to correct any mistake by going back in time and making different choices。There are many great stories here， but A Que's "Flowers of the Other Shore" is probably my favorite。 Imagine a story about the zombie apocalypse told from the perspective of a zombie who， despite his urge to hurt people， has no desire to do so。 It is excellent in every way。 The writing style， the idea， the execution， the ending。 I absolutely loved it。 Another story I want to mention， Starship: Library by Jjang Bo， tackles the themes of artificial intelligence， the purpose of life and death， and the importance of learning。 It somehow spoke to me on a deeply personal level。 In its entirety， Sinopticon is a stunning collection。 With such a wide variety of themes and tones， everyone should find something for themselves。 Sinopticon is a must-read for readers who want to discover what science fiction looks like from an Asian perspective。 Heck， it'll be a treat for any fan of sci-fi short stories！ Highly， highly recommended。ARC through NetGalley 。。。more
Βιβή Κανάρη
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A must have for any Sci-Fi reader。 This collection of short stories promises till the beginning diversity and stays true to that promise。 The authors belong to younger and older generations， they are male and female， new and established。 The stories also vary from hard science fiction to mild， from libraries that' travel beyond the milky way to。 zombie apocalypse。 They have in common a sence of optimism， even if everything seems doomed。 A must have for any Sci-Fi reader。 This collection of short stories promises till the beginning diversity and stays true to that promise。 The authors belong to younger and older generations， they are male and female， new and established。 The stories also vary from hard science fiction to mild， from libraries that' travel beyond the milky way to。 zombie apocalypse。 They have in common a sence of optimism， even if everything seems doomed。 。。。more
Allie // Kitasai
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Thank you to the publisher who sent me this e-book via Net Galley in exchange for an honest review I enjoyed a few of these stories， but overall felt this was more classic Sci-Fi （which is more Futurism） and less of the Sci-Fi I really enjoy。 I wish I had fallen in love with this， but I don't think it was my style。 The translation in this was really good and I liked the notes and information given by the editor。 I would definitely recommend this if you're a fan of Sci-Fi like Brave New World an Thank you to the publisher who sent me this e-book via Net Galley in exchange for an honest review I enjoyed a few of these stories， but overall felt this was more classic Sci-Fi （which is more Futurism） and less of the Sci-Fi I really enjoy。 I wish I had fallen in love with this， but I don't think it was my style。 The translation in this was really good and I liked the notes and information given by the editor。 I would definitely recommend this if you're a fan of Sci-Fi like Brave New World and also books in translation。 。。。more
Anny Barros
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Thank you Netgalley for providing me with an arc in exchange for an honest review。• The Last Save by Gu Shi: 4/5 🌸• Tombs of the Universe by Han Song: 3，5/5• Qiankun and Alex by Hao Jingfang: 5/5 💖🌸• Cat’s Chance in Hell by Nian Yu: 4/5 🌸• The Return of Adam by Wang Jinkang: 2，5/5• Rendezvous: 1937 by Zhao Haihong: 4，5/5 🌸• The Heart of the Museum by Tang Fei: 4/5 🌸• The Great Migration by Ma Boyong: 3。5/5• Meisje met de Parel by Anna Wu: 4/5 🌸• Flower of the Other Shore by A Que: 3，5/5• The Abs Thank you Netgalley for providing me with an arc in exchange for an honest review。• The Last Save by Gu Shi: 4/5 🌸• Tombs of the Universe by Han Song: 3，5/5• Qiankun and Alex by Hao Jingfang: 5/5 💖🌸• Cat’s Chance in Hell by Nian Yu: 4/5 🌸• The Return of Adam by Wang Jinkang: 2，5/5• Rendezvous: 1937 by Zhao Haihong: 4，5/5 🌸• The Heart of the Museum by Tang Fei: 4/5 🌸• The Great Migration by Ma Boyong: 3。5/5• Meisje met de Parel by Anna Wu: 4/5 🌸• Flower of the Other Shore by A Que: 3，5/5• The Absolution Experiment by Bao Shu: 3/5• The Tide of Moon City by Regina Kanyu Wang: 4/5 🌸• Starship: Library by Jiang Bo: 5/5 💖（The Heart Emoji 💖 - Means it's a short story I ABSOLUTELY adored）（Cherry Blossom 🌸 - Means it's a short story written by a woman writer） "The sci-fi genre is often an important space for writers to examine issues within society， and allow seeds for growth and change to be planted。" I was so grateful for being able to read this before the release。 I love science fiction and over the last couple of years， I’ve made my own project to read sci-fi stories beyond the American scope。 One of my favorites so far has been Asian writers， but in special， Chinese science fiction。 I’ve read some short stories and even novels from Chinese sci-fi writer’s before， so it’s a pleasure to read another collection。 Xueting Christine Ni did a wonderful job selecting， translating and organizing this one。 One thing I love about this collection it’s how original each story is。 I don’t even think there’s a repeated theme in these stories。 Sure， it’s science fiction， so some are in space， in the future or the past， some on Earth and other in Mars， but the essence in each story is quite unique， and portrait very well the signature of each writer。 You can find the rating for each short story above （as well and the title and writer）， but I won’t be speaking about each at large。 Some stories， thought， just weren’t really my cup of tea。 I’m insanely happy to be able to read more of Chinese sci-fi， which is still a growing genre in the motherland （as well as globally）， and hopefully， there’s still a long way for them to go。 My only criticism is towards the way some stories portrayed their female characters， and the fact that most of the stories didn’t even had one to begin with （I counted only four stories with female characters as the MC）。 I acknowledge my privilege as someone born and raised in the West， and I also understand that feminism over the East isn’t the same as ours。 But I do hope that these writers can grow to write better， not only men， but also women。If you like short stories collections， and it’s willing to give Chinese science fiction a go， I say go for this one。 You’re probably gonna be surprised by it， and will definitely learn a thing or two about how Chinese people see their place in society right now， but also looking forward to the future。 。。。more
kerrycat
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intriguing， bite-sized stories with a very classic sci-fi feel
Dan
，
I really enjoyed this anthology。 It was good， first， to get an idea of contemporary authors from China。 I didn't love every story。 I'm sure that's not even possible， but I did enjoy many of them。 I found them to be as rich and full of plot as anything I've read from the west in Asimov's， Fantasy and Science Fiction， Analog， and Clarkesworld。 A few of the stories that really stuck out to me were "Qiankun and Alex，" which was the fun little story of friendship between an AI and a boy。 It also teac I really enjoyed this anthology。 It was good， first， to get an idea of contemporary authors from China。 I didn't love every story。 I'm sure that's not even possible， but I did enjoy many of them。 I found them to be as rich and full of plot as anything I've read from the west in Asimov's， Fantasy and Science Fiction， Analog， and Clarkesworld。 A few of the stories that really stuck out to me were "Qiankun and Alex，" which was the fun little story of friendship between an AI and a boy。 It also teaches a lot about humanity in this story。 I also enjoyed "Starship: Library" a great deal。 It was a bit simplistic in terms of plot， but it was also rich in meaning。 Finally， I enjoyed "The Last Save。" It was a little mind-bendy in the best way。These three are probably the ones I enjoyed the most， but I liked others as well。 Overall。。。worth it！Get a hold of this anthology。 You'll enjoy it。 。。。more
Megan
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*I received an eARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review。*I thoroughly enjoyed everything about the reading experience of Sinopticon 2021。 This collection contains 13 short stories from a wide range of modern Chinese science fiction authors。 As with any short story collection， there were some I loved and some that I didn't like as much。 That being said， this is one of the few collections where there hasn't been a story I've hated。 Individually， none of the stories rated lower than 3 st *I received an eARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review。*I thoroughly enjoyed everything about the reading experience of Sinopticon 2021。 This collection contains 13 short stories from a wide range of modern Chinese science fiction authors。 As with any short story collection， there were some I loved and some that I didn't like as much。 That being said， this is one of the few collections where there hasn't been a story I've hated。 Individually， none of the stories rated lower than 3 stars for me and over half of them were 4 stars or above。 Some of my favorites include: "Rendevous: 1937" - not very sci-fi but a harrowing look at the Nanjing Massacre- and "The Absolution Experiment" - super short story where awful things happen to an awful person and packed such a punch。 I also really enjoyed "The Return of Adam" and "The Great Migration" because they called to mind some visceral reminiscing of my time living and teaching in China。 I loved the variety of stories presented here。 Sci-fi concepts ranged from space travel， virtual reality， AI and robots， time travel， zombie plague， and more。 I truly believe that this collection will have something for everybody to enjoy。 I also really appreciated Ni Xueting （Christine）'s commentary after each story shedding light on the story's author， why she chose that story， some of her thought process while translating and some of the cultural context of the story。 Some additional information about the cultural and linguistic aspects of the story could be found in footnotes throughout the stories and I found those to be very helpful。All in all， I would recommend this to anyone who likes sci-fi or anthologies or anyone who has an interest in translated literature。 I will absolutely be picking up my own copy when it is released and have a couple authors bookmarked to look for future translations of their work！ 。。。more
John R
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Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC。I thoroughly enjoyed this collection of Chinese Sci-fi short stories。 There are 13 stories in the collection， and like any sci-fi collection， there are some you love and some you don't。 My favourites were "Flowers of the Other Shore " and "Starship:Library"。The translator's notes on each story and author definitely enhanced the book， as I'm sure did the fact that all the stories had the same translator。I hope we get the chance to read more from some of the author Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC。I thoroughly enjoyed this collection of Chinese Sci-fi short stories。 There are 13 stories in the collection， and like any sci-fi collection， there are some you love and some you don't。 My favourites were "Flowers of the Other Shore " and "Starship:Library"。The translator's notes on each story and author definitely enhanced the book， as I'm sure did the fact that all the stories had the same translator。I hope we get the chance to read more from some of the authors in this collection。 。。。more
Afifah Mohd
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First of all， thank you so much to Rebellion and NetGalley for this ARC！This anthology compiles thirteen sci-fi short stories from thirteen sci-fi writers in China。 They come from many different backgrounds and represent the width of Chinese SF。 These stories are translated for the first time in British English。I decided to read this collection because I am actually interested in reading stories other than western sci-fi stories because I think it is a new experience to read short stories from t First of all， thank you so much to Rebellion and NetGalley for this ARC！This anthology compiles thirteen sci-fi short stories from thirteen sci-fi writers in China。 They come from many different backgrounds and represent the width of Chinese SF。 These stories are translated for the first time in British English。I decided to read this collection because I am actually interested in reading stories other than western sci-fi stories because I think it is a new experience to read short stories from the eyes of Chinese SF。 It is actually really hard for me to give a rating for this anthology。 This is because there are many factors that I need to consider before giving this rating。 For the translation， in my opinion， the editor has translated them well because I managed to get the stories that authors try to convey quite well。 I am also really grateful for the author’s note and footnotes at the end of each story。 From there， I get to learn a little bit more about the background of the author and meanings/background of some words or phrases used in the story。 For the stories， there are some of them that are not really to my liking but I think that is inevitable in a short story collection but I still have my favourite one。 My favourite short story is the last short story in the collection which is Starship: Library by Jiang Bo。 The message that I got from this story is that knowledge is the essence of humanity。 Truly saving the best for the last one。 For any sci-fi lovers out there， I highly recommend you to read this collection。 This collection will be published on 9 November 2021。 。。。more
Nakeisha
，
Wow， I really really liked the short stories I was not able to finish my free digital download of this book， not because of the stories but just timing issue。 From the beautiful cover to the 1st 3 stories I read I knew this was a physical book I would be reading。 5 start on the stories I did read。 Loved getting to read sci-fiction from a different lense。 Can't wait to read the rest of the stories。Thank you once again Netgalley for another fantastic book I might not have had a chance to read。 If Wow， I really really liked the short stories I was not able to finish my free digital download of this book， not because of the stories but just timing issue。 From the beautiful cover to the 1st 3 stories I read I knew this was a physical book I would be reading。 5 start on the stories I did read。 Loved getting to read sci-fiction from a different lense。 Can't wait to read the rest of the stories。Thank you once again Netgalley for another fantastic book I might not have had a chance to read。 If you enjoy speculative fiction grab a copy。 。。。more
Paul
，
Lots of good stories here， many were quite good。 Chinese sci-fi seems to be a having a moment， which I expect to continue。 I don't know if this the best of the last 20 years of Chinese sci-fi， but I enjoyed it overall。 Thanks very much for the free ARC for review！！ Lots of good stories here， many were quite good。 Chinese sci-fi seems to be a having a moment， which I expect to continue。 I don't know if this the best of the last 20 years of Chinese sci-fi， but I enjoyed it overall。 Thanks very much for the free ARC for review！！ 。。。more
M。 A。 Blanchard
，
Sinopticon 2021 is a fascinating new look into a rich and vibrant world of speculative fiction that remains largely unfamiliar to Anglophone readers。 I hadn't read a great deal of Chinese SF before this collection， but I'll be actively seeking it out from now on。 The 13 stories in this collection engage both with tropes and notes familiar to readers of Western SF and with ideas perhaps more specific to Chinese culture， literature， and society。 The result is a set of stories that both feel famili Sinopticon 2021 is a fascinating new look into a rich and vibrant world of speculative fiction that remains largely unfamiliar to Anglophone readers。 I hadn't read a great deal of Chinese SF before this collection， but I'll be actively seeking it out from now on。 The 13 stories in this collection engage both with tropes and notes familiar to readers of Western SF and with ideas perhaps more specific to Chinese culture， literature， and society。 The result is a set of stories that both feel familiar enough to immediately engage an Anglophone SF reader and fresh enough to not be completely predictable。 As in any short story collection， particularly one featuring work by multiple authors， some of these stories grabbed me more than others。 Two particular highlights for me were "Flowers of the Other Shore"--a poignant and ultimately hopeful love story set against the backdrop of zombie apocalypse--and "Starship: Library"， a wonderfully touching meditation on artificial intelligence， purpose， life， death， and the eternal value of books， reading， and learning。 None of the stories were uninteresting， though， and thanks to all of them being translated by the same person--Xueting Christine Ni--the collection feels satisfyingly cohesive。 In all， I thoroughly enjoyed the experience of reading Sinopticon 2021， and I'll be looking out for more translated work by these and other Chinese SF authors。 I would highly recommend this book to any fan of short science fiction。 I received a free e-ARC of this collection via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
❀●○●○Ashley○●○●❀
，
With anthologies， more often than not you get a mixed bag of stories， which is exactly the case here。 About half of the stories I glossed over because they just didn't pique my interest， but there were some that I found to be rather interesting。 Overall though， if you want to diversify your sci-fi reading by reading stories by Chinese authors you might not have heard of then I would suggest that you give this a try。 If you want to check out my full in-depth review， you can find it here on my blo With anthologies， more often than not you get a mixed bag of stories， which is exactly the case here。 About half of the stories I glossed over because they just didn't pique my interest， but there were some that I found to be rather interesting。 Overall though， if you want to diversify your sci-fi reading by reading stories by Chinese authors you might not have heard of then I would suggest that you give this a try。 If you want to check out my full in-depth review， you can find it here on my blog！ Thank you NetGalley and Solaris for providing me with a copy for review。 。。。more
Terence Eden
，
This is a brilliant and fascinating set of short stories。 Xueting Ni has lovingly translated this collection into British English - which makes a nice change from having everything in standard American！ As well as translating， each story gets a "translator's commentary"。 A set of notes which gives a little insight into the interpretation process - as well as some context on the author。 There's also some great explaining of some of the symbolism lost in translation。 For example， the characters 比喆 This is a brilliant and fascinating set of short stories。 Xueting Ni has lovingly translated this collection into British English - which makes a nice change from having everything in standard American！ As well as translating， each story gets a "translator's commentary"。 A set of notes which gives a little insight into the interpretation process - as well as some context on the author。 There's also some great explaining of some of the symbolism lost in translation。 For example， the characters 比喆 and 赫林 are star-crossed lovers on twin worlds - something which doesn't come off in their Romanised forms。The stories themselves are excellent。 Sure， there are a couple of recycled plots - but told from a Chinese perspective。 Is that perspective so different from the West？ Just like my review of Black Sci-Fi Short Stories， it is sometimes hard to pick out what makes the stories uniquely Chinese。 If these were in a mixed anthology， would you know they were all from authors from one region？A few of the stories have an undercurrent of nationalism to them which feels very old fashioned。 It's unusual to find a modern story which revels in the innate superiority of the English， for example。That said， I never thought I'd feel sympathy for a zombie！My 中文 isn't good enough to rate the quality of the translation - although I'd love a simultaneous version - so I can't comment on that。 But the book raises the interesting question of how you translate a story about time travel from a language which uses tenses quite differently to English。Most importantly， each story is fun！ With a good mix of lengths， styles， and genres， there really is something for every type of sci-fi fan here。Thanks to NetGalley for the review copy。 The book will be published in late 2021。 。。。more
WorldconReader
，