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Ken Liu

Goodreads Author

Website

http://kenliu.name

Twitter

kyliu99

Genre

Science Fiction, Fantasy, Thriller

Member Since

March 2012

URL

https://www.goodreads.com/kenliu

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Ken Liu (http://kenliu.name) is an American author of speculative fiction. A winner of the Nebula, Hugo, and World Fantasy awards for his fiction, he has also won top genre honors abroad in Japan, Spain, and France.

Liu’s most characteristic work is the four-volume epic fantasy series, The Dandelion Dynasty, in which engineers, not wizards, are the heroes of a silkpunk world on the verge of modernity. His debut collection of short fiction, The Paper Menagerie and Other Stories, has been published in more than a dozen languages. A second collection, The Hidden Girl and Other Stories, followed. He also penned the Star Wars novel, The Legends of Luke Skywalker. His latest book is All That We See or Seem, a techno-thriller starring an AI-whisper ...more

185 posts
Ken Liu's Blog

October Reads

“Rule of the Isotope”

Just in time for Halloween, I have a new story in the latest issue of Grimdark Magazine that’s perfectly on theme.

"The Rule of the Isotope,” with cover art inspired by the story by Carlos Diaz, is a zombie story with a twist about memory, love, and why we forget. Like many well-worn tropes, zombie stories aren’t really about zombies anymore. I found writing a zombie story part

Combine Editions
Ken Liu’s books

Average rating: 4.11 · 863,153 ratings · 93,484 reviews · 477 distinct works • Similar authors

	The Paper Menagerie and Other Stories 4.35 avg rating — 41,054 ratings — published 2016 — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Grace of Kings (The Dandelion Dynasty, #1) 3.80 avg rating — 32,385 ratings — published 2015 — 48 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Wall of Storms (The Dandelion Dynasty, #2) 4.34 avg rating — 11,186 ratings — published 2016 — 34 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Hidden Girl and Other Stories 3.94 avg rating — 8,674 ratings — published 2020 — 4 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Paper Menagerie 4.56 avg rating — 5,905 ratings — published 2011 — 12 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Veiled Throne (The Dandelion Dynasty, #3) 4.12 avg rating — 5,823 ratings — published 2021 — 4 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Cleaners 3.40 avg rating — 7,051 ratings — published 2020 — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Invisible Planets: Contemporary Chinese Science Fiction in Translation 4.04 avg rating — 5,731 ratings — published 2016 — 17 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Speaking Bones (The Dandelion Dynasty, #4) 4.52 avg rating — 4,918 ratings — published 2022 — 16 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	All That We See or Seem (Julia Z, #1) 3.52 avg rating — 3,460 ratings — published 2025 — 17 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

More books by Ken Liu…

Series by Ken Liu

The Dandelion Dynasty (4 books)
by

Ken Liu (Goodreads Author)

4.01 avg rating — 54,380 ratings

Julia Z (2 books)
by

Ken Liu (Goodreads Author)

3.52 avg rating — 3,457 ratings

Bouncing off our collection of Readers’ Most Anticipated Fall Books, we’re taking a peek into the very near future to spotlight upcoming...

Ken’s Recent Updates

Ken Liu is now friends with Alba
Oct 25, 2026 11:59AM · like
Ken Liu has read The Passing of the Dragon and Other Stories by Ken Liu (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Aug 26, 2026 04:40PM · 15 likes · like
Ken Liu has read The Armies of Those I Love by Ken Liu (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Aug 26, 2026 04:39PM · like
Ken Liu has read The Man Who Ended History: A Documentary by Ken Liu (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Aug 26, 2026 04:39PM · 1 like · like
Ken Liu has read All That We See or Seem (Julia Z, #1) by Ken Liu (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Aug 26, 2026 04:39PM · 1 like · like
Ken Liu has read Star Wars: The Legends of Luke Skywalker by Ken Liu (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Aug 26, 2026 04:39PM · 1 like · like
Ken Liu has read The Cleaners by Ken Liu (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Aug 26, 2026 04:39PM · 1 like · like
Ken Liu has read The Paper Menagerie by Ken Liu (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Aug 26, 2026 04:38PM · 2 likes · like

More of Ken's books…

Quotes by Ken Liu (?)

“Who can say if the thoughts you have in your mind as you read these words are the same thoughts I had in my mind as I typed them? We are different, you and I, and the qualia of our consciousnesses are as divergent as two stars at the ends of the universe.

And yet, whatever has been lost in translation in the long journey of my thoughts through the maze of civilization to your mind, I think you do understand me, and you think you do understand me. Our minds managed to touch, if but briefly and imperfectly.

Does that thought not make the universe seem just a bit kinder, a bit brighter, a bit warmer and more human?

We live for such miracles.”
― Ken Liu, The Paper Menagerie and Other Stories

tags: consciousness, mind, miracle, thoughts, translation, universe

164 likes

“Every act of communication is a miracle of translation.”
― Ken Liu, The Paper Menagerie and Other Stories

tags: communication, miracle, translation

117 likes

“We are defined by the places we hold in the web of others’ lives.”
― Ken Liu, The Paper Menagerie and Other Stories

tags: defined, life, web

87 likes

See all Ken Liu's quotes »

Polls

Preliminary FANTASY Poll for June 2023 BotM

All the Seas of the World by Guy Gavriel Kay

11 votes, 28.2%

Spear by Nicola Griffith

10 votes, 25.6%

The Bees by Laline Paull

9 votes, 23.1%

The Wall of Storms by Ken Liu

6 votes, 15.4%

Comfort Me with Apples by Catherynne M. Valente

2 votes, 5.1%

Kamikaze by Kit Sun Cheah

1 vote, 2.6%

39 total votes

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Topics Mentioning This Author

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75 Books...More o...: Candiss's 2012 Challenge	21	33	Apr 01, 2012 06:47PM
The Sword and Laser: 2011 Nebula Award Nomonee Short Story Discussion - "The Paper Menagerie"	6	46	Apr 29, 2012 06:55AM
Chaos Reading: Asian Lit Original Thread [closed]	66	138	Jul 03, 2012 07:24AM
Bookworm Bitches: Books Read in June 2012	36	176	Jul 05, 2012 04:24AM
Beyond Reality: Nebula Nom: The Paper Menagerie, by Ken Liu	19	82	Aug 22, 2012 11:34AM
2026 Reading Chal...: Candiss - 60 Books	17	50	Nov 28, 2012 07:33PM
The Sword and Laser: Nominees for 2012 Nebula Awards	15	144	Feb 21, 2013 11:54AM
Sci-fi and Heroic...: 2012 Nebula Awards Winners announced	19	83	May 20, 2013 04:28PM
The Sword and Laser: Hugo Award Finalists	69	486	Sep 07, 2013 11:54PM
Chaos Reading: Bookshelf Nominations: OBSCURE SHORT STORIES [now online]	27	168	Nov 26, 2013 01:34AM