In his essay “The Worst of All Possible Universes,” Liu Cixin himself believes that The Three-Body Problem actually helped to recontextualize science fiction in China very recently. And for readers who want to dive more deeply, three essays at the end of the book argue over the actual definition of Chinese science-fiction.

And now, in the years following the success of Liu Cixin’s award-winning novel, The Three-Body Problem, western audiences are starting to take notice.įor an easy introduction to this massive subgenre, see Ken Liu’s new anthology of short fiction, Invisible Planets, which highlights his favorite contemporary translated Chinese science fiction.

Read 11 of 2023.Chinese science fiction writers are having more fun with the genre than anyone else, and in fact, might even be producing its best new works.

Translated from the Spanish by Sean Manning Translated from the Korean by Deborah Smith and Emily Yae Won. Translated from the Bengali by Arunava Sinha It is edited brilliantly by Ken Liu and for one it will introduce readers to new Chinese authors who have an uncanny flair for science fiction which is not only unique, but also very literary at the same time. Invisible Planets is a fantastic anthology. I will not say more about this short story as the title also gives something away. Taking Care of God again presents a very unique vision of the world. Another story that stood out for me was Folding Beijing – which is all about money, money and more money and how it impacts the future. My personal favourites were: The Year of the Rat by Chen Qiufan about young men trying to control mutant rats (this might give some sleepless nights), then there’s also Ma Bayong’s The City of Silence which almost reminded me of the times that we are living in (more so in India where freedom of expression is going away day by day) and was quite a chilling tale at that. Some stories of course stand out and some not all that much. Invisible Planets has it all – dystopia, western science-fi, science opera (thank God not too much of it), futuristic for sure, and stories also by Liu Cixin whose The Three-Body Problem was a brilliant piece of science fiction which I urge everyone to read. To me, that was the most rewarding thing about reading this anthology.

Invisible Planets takes readers of English outside their comfort zone and introduces us to futures imagined by people whose lives are vastly different from ours. I also think reading other genres from other lands just broadens your world-view, even if it is science-fiction, because hey it is after all rooted in reality.

I’ve read a couple in the past and absolutely loved them. I think because of living in the conditions that they have and do, the Chinese write some brilliant sci-fi stories. I love science fiction and when it came from China, somehow it became even more special and I don’t know why. Title: Invisible Planets: Contemporary Chinese Science Fiction in Translation

Invisible Planets by Ken Liu