Never before published in English, the 17 stories collected here—by a group of female and nonbinary Chinese authors—offer a window into the past and future of science-fiction and fantasy writing in China.
... a trailblazing new anthology of Chinese science fiction and fantasy ... I found this collection a true gift—warm and generous to the novice like myself, for whom Chinese literature has only ever been accessible through translation. Under the meticulous curatorial vision of Yu Chen and Regina Kanyu Wang, the stories and essays within celebrate decorated and emerging voices alike, indicating at an exciting future of sci-fi and fantasy for digital natives in our culturally porous world. As you enter the collection, leave everything at the door and hold on tight. This book will whisk you away from one uncanny valley to the next ... a welcome expansion to the homes I’ve made in this genre over the years. This anthology was a feast in which I felt myself a grateful guest—delighted by both the meal and the company.
As more speculative short story collections arrive on shelves than ever before, this anthology of 17 Chinese-language stories by nonbinary and female authors shines a new light on the genre ... An important anthology showcasing compelling voices and perspectives in science fiction and fantasy.
This strong collection breaks out of the high-concept trend set for Chinese genre fiction in translation by the wild popularity of Liu Cixin’s work ... The essays provided in the collection also help give some context to some of the issues of translation of certain stories and to the place of women writers of genre fiction in the current Chinese-fiction landscape. The one omission is a discussion of trans women or LGBTQ women in China in general and their relationship to gender, genre fiction, or publishing as a whole, apart from a vague gesturing to 'women and other marginalized genders' in an essay by Jing Tsu. Even with that caveat, this collection is essential reading for anyone interested in a fuller picture of Chinese genre fiction as a whole.
