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INVISIBLE PLANETS - Ken Liu (2016)


“This anthology collects a selection of short speculative fiction from China that I've translated over the years into one volume.” 

Chinese literature is rich and powerful, but it's always been tricky to access. English translations are rare, and they're hard to get hold of. That's why Ken Liu should be celebrated. For English-speakers, this anthology offers one of the first ever windows into Chinese science fiction. It enriches the speculative landscape of the English-speaking world, by introducing thirteen Chinese visions of the future. 

 Interestingly, all of these stories touch upon familiar issues. Censorship, overpopulation, space exploration, aliens, robotics, virtual reality... it soon becomes clear that Chinese- and English-speaking writers both see similar futures for our species. These shared visions offer a powerful message: they undermine the idea of 'Otherness', of 'East and West', or 'Them and Us'. Ultimately, we're all people. We have similar views on the planet we share. 

 A few of the stories deserve their own short reviews. They were brilliant in translation, and I can only imagine how amazing they are in their original form:

 THE YEAR OF THE RAT - Chen Qiufan
This is a brilliant story with which to open an anthology. The absurdity of a group of youths, desperately hunting for genetically modified rats, is bitingly memorable. Humorous, grotesque, and ultimately poignant... the ambiguity of the ending left me pondering the story for weeks on end.

 THE FISH OF LIJIANG - Chen Qiufan
The second story is just as good as the first. An artificial utopia is wonderfully described, and the little red fish are a brilliant extended metaphor. This story also contained my favourite line in the entire collection: "A man is such a strange animal: fear and desire are expressed by the same organ. For the former, he loses control of the organ and it lets out urine; for the latter, he loses control of the organ and it fills with blood."

 TONGTONG'S SUMMER - Xia Jia
In this emotional study of old age, Xia Jia creates memorable characters who interact with innovative technologies. She artfully presents the story through the eyes of a curious child, whose naivety and wonder offer the perfect lens into this heartfelt and speculative world.

 NIGHT JOURNEY OF THE DRAGON HORSE - Xia Jia
This story is slightly more literary than the last, but equally powerful. Some of the prose is breathtaking. Questions are asked about identity and belonging, through a sentient machine who was created in France, but designed based on Chinese traditions.

 THE CITY OF SILENCE - Ma Bayong
This dystopian story, about extreme censorship, contains deliberate references to '1984'. The style shifts and changes at various stages of the story, as the language swells and recedes, which is fitting for a world in which our protagonist is trying to escape from linguistic inhibition. 

 INVISIBLE PLANETS - Hao Jingfang
This pastiche of Calvino's 'Invisible Cities' is a celebration of pure imagination. By sharing stories with one another, we merge. It's easy to see why the anthology took its name from this story.

 GRAVE OF THE FIREFLIES - Cheng Jingbo
The genre of this story is difficult to classify. It rests somewhere between science fiction and fantasy, and deftly touches upon science and magic in equal parts. The style is distinctive and memorable, and plays with time and light.

 THE CIRCLE - Liu Cixin
Many see Liu Cixin as the most influential writer in the history of Chinese science fiction. His 'Three-Body' trilogy was the first work of sci-fi to gain widespread respect, on both popular and literary levels. After reading 'The Circle', which is an adapted chapter from 'The Three Body Problem', it's easy to see why. The story is tight, and clever, and exciting. The ending is particularly memorable.

 TAKING CARE OF GOD - Liu Cixin
The final story in this anthology is perhaps the most powerful and uplifting on a humanistic level. A mysterious race of aliens appear on Earth, claiming to have created mankind, and requesting to spend their retirement with us. Liu Cixin holds a mirror to our species, and deftly comments upon our strengths and weaknesses. The story is set in China, but it is not about China. Like the rest of the anthology, this story looks at humankind in general. Our shared future transcends nations and races and language.




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