一千種藍

by Cheon Seon-ran, 千先蘭, 胡椒筒 (Translator)

在疾速奔馳、沒有誰願意為誰停留的世界，
讓我們開始練習緩．速．前．行

當地球的一切都只為了人類的發展而存在，一旦利用殆盡就立刻淘汰；即使同為人類，只要身體或心靈有所缺失，為了「多數」的幸福，「少數」永遠得犧牲與退讓，終致消失……作家千先蘭所描繪的不是近未來，而是現在進行式。

她以充滿溫度的眼光，譜寫出人類與其他物種之間被遺忘已久的深厚連結，一一撿拾人類在快速變化中錯過的關係、忽略的情感──幸福究竟為何？以誰為標準？而我們是否曾自以為是地，剝奪了他人渴望的幸福。
　
本書是一封寫給地球萬物的情書，提醒我們慢下來，再慢一點，找回餘裕，珍視每一個生命的重量，記住所有的存在，都可能對某個人而言是獨一無二的。

Genres: Fiction, Science Fiction, Asian Literature, Fantasy, Speculative Fiction, Asia, Audiobook

256 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 19, 2020

About the author

Born in 1993, Cheon Seon-ran is a beloved author by the ‘MZ Generation’ (Millennials and Gen Z) of South Korea. A graduate from the department of creative writing in Anyang Arts High School, she holds a master’s degree in creative writing from Dankook University. She dreams of living in a world where humans become the minority in a world of flora and fauna. She is always thinking what the end of the world will look like, and what is happening elsewhere in the universe. One day, she decides to pen her thoughts down in this novel. A Thousand Blues won the 4th Korea Sci-fi Literature Award. She is the author of several novels and short-story collections.

Reviews

[emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

‘Time flows differently for each person even when they shared the same space, they remembered different things even when they looked at the same thing, and they did not know how others felt unless they talked about it. Sometimes they say one thing but mean another. They seemed intent on using all their energy to constantly hide their true feelings. Even so, from time to time, humans understood what others were feeling even if they didn't talk about it, and faced the same direction even as they looked at different things. Their experience of time sometimes aligned even when they were apart—.’

RTC at a later date.

[Queralt✨ · Rating 5 out of 5]

"You do not have to run if it hurts too much. You are already on track. That is more than enough."

I've been pondering how to write this review because I want it to do justice to A Thousand Blues. But alas, I'm a scatterbrain hot mess so bear with me here. The summary here is that it's a heavy book that will break your heart but also feel like a hug, sort of like Lonely Castle in the Mirror.

Now, I don't want to play the comparison game here, but it's the best way I can talk about this book. Lonely Castle in the Mirror deals with human connection, the brutality of being young, family issues, and bullying (amongst other heavy topics). A Thousand Blues deals with a different set of topics that are equally devastating: animal rights, grief, the people that are left behind once your work is taken over by robots/AI, disability rights, being poor, AND going through life trying to avoid bad feelings.

I know, I know. It's a lot. This book is a lot and I found it to be perfectly balanced.

A Thousand Blues is the story of Coli and Today. Coli is a sentient robot made for the sole purpose of riding a horse (Today) in horse races. Today gets hurt during a race and Coli falls down the horse, getting trampled over by all the horses that ran behind. Therefore, Coli will be destroyed and Today will be euthanized. That is until two sisters come into the scene and work together to save both Coli and Today.

The story is told in POVs: Coli's, the sisters, the mother, and Today's vet. They all go through their own different stories and struggles, which is why this book has so much going on. I found the mother's chapters to be the most devastating for me and I found myself crying more than I'd like to admit. And, as dumb as it is, everything about Today made me furious (and as dumb as this will sound, reading about Today's love for running and the ending just had me sobbing. I love running and I saw myself in there lol).

I came into this book knowing nothing of the story and I almost stopped reading: I hate AI and sentient robots, the fact that the robot is named Broccoli made my eye twitch when I first read it. But I'm so glad I gave it a chance because this is one of the best books I've read in ages.

Bits I liked:

"She wished she had run so far away that she wouldn't have been able to come back. Instead of stopping at the racetrack she should have gone all the way to the southern tip of the Korean peninsula. She had not made the most of that first chance at freedom, and after that she hadn't come across another."

---

"Are you being avoidant?
No, I'm not.
Then why are you hiding?
So I won't be so exhausted.
Are you sure you're not running away?"

---

"'Time, for me, is frozen. It froze while I was waiting for him, while he was in that burning build-ing. It froze during the span of time I believed he would-must-walk out alive.'

'Why?' asked Coli.

'I've forgotten how to make time start ticking again.'"

---

"'Time keeps passing as long as you re not dead. Even if it stops for a moment it's not a problem.

Coli didn't respond.

'In fact, maybe that's not a bad thing for time to stop for a moment. If you speed through life you miss things.'"

Thank you Doubleday for the ARC! This is an unbiased review.

[Paul Fulcher · Rating 3 out of 5]

이대로는 죽어.
콜리는 그렇게 생각했다.
그래서 그날, 관중석이 꽉 찬 늦여름의 경기에서 콜리는 스스로 낙마했다

At this rate she will die.
And that was why, during a late summer race before a crowd of thousands, C-27 purposely threw itself onto the ground.

A Thousand Blues is translated by Chi-Young Kim from the original 천개의 파랑 by 천선란 (Cheon Seon-ran).

Winner of the 2019 한국과학문학상 (Korean Sci-Fi Literature Award), this is a novel very much in the territory of Ishiguro's Klara and the Sun - or rather, since this was published earlier, more accurately Klara and the Sun is fishing in the territory of A Thousand Blues. That applies to the subject matter - centered around a cognitive robot - but also to the style, rather sentimental and close to a children's novel, and although part-dystopian, books which focus on the perspective of a small number of characters, with little information on the wider setting.

The novel is set in 2035. The development of robots has continued to advance and horse racing has been given a boost as a result, the racetrack in 과천 (Gwacheon) currently known as Let's Run Park (렛츠런파크) is now thriving, and renamed:

As the racecourse park was located right by Seoul Grand Park, which housed an amusement park among other attractions, it boasted a nickname highlighting its status as an amusement park solely for grownups: The Other Land of Dreams.  When the new robot jockeys appeared on the scene several years ago, the tired racecourse park began drawing renewed excitement. These jockeys were incredible. They didn’t get hurt or die, even when they fell off the horses, though they did get discarded once they were too damaged. But now that the jockeys were liberated from the specter of death, the horses ran faster and faster. The sheer thrill of watching the racing speeds climb, breaking records, brought people back, and as enormous amounts of digital cash infused the betting pool, more people came, searching for a huge payday.


(present-day entrance to the racecourse)

C-27 was manufactured in Daejoen, Korea, designed with the single-purpose of being a robot jockey, but during the manufacturing process was accidentally given an advanced-chip, intended for a humanoid robot, giving C-27 cognitive and learning capabilities. Partnered with a horse Today (투데이) the two form more of a bond than the more basic robots, leading the duo to become stars until, one day in a race, C-27 realises that Today is being pushed past her limits, and deliberately falls from the horse, being trampled by other horses.

The third-person narrative perspective switches between various characters (see below), but is wrapped by a first-person introduction and closing chapter told by C-27, which in the novel's opening pages describes a deliberate fall but, careful reading will reveal, a second, later one.

Post the initial fall, the badly mangled C-27 is marked for the scrap heap, and Today, increasingly suffering from arthritis, marked for euthanisation rather than the bucolic meadows of Jeju, but for the intervention of two sisters, Yeonjae (연재) and Eunhye (은혜), whose widowed mother, a former actress, runs a restaurant that caters to weekend racegoers.

Yeonjae, socially isolated, is in to robotics, and Eunhye is in a wheelchair, cripped by polio (presciently the author presumably anticipating the toxic influence of Robert F. Kennedy Jr.) but both are drawn to the racecourse, and to the robot and horse respectively. Yeonjae persuades the stablemaster to sell her the shattered C-27, who she rebuilds and re-christens Coli (콜리), after his broccoli-like green colour, and the two girls, the sentient robot and an assorted collection of co-conspirators (their cousin, a journalist investigating race-fixing; the ethically-minded racecourse vet; and a school-mate of Yeonjae who wants to partner with her in a robotics competition to boost her college application; even a favour called in from an inveterate gambling convenience store owner who had replaced Yeonjae's part time job with a robot) embark on a plan to give Today one last chance of life.


(the 2024 stage production of the novel, using an actual robot to play Coli - from the Korea Herald)

3 stars for personal taste - rather like Klara and the Sun (and I think this is the stronger book) not entirely my thing, but well done (4* on its own terms). And rather more original than the wave of Healing Laundry-cum-Coffee-cum-Bookshop Korean novels in translation, while still having the same life-affirming message at heart.

Thanks to the publisher via Netgalley for an ARC.

[Dxdnelion · Rating 4 out of 5]

"𝙔𝙤𝙪 𝙙𝙤 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙧𝙪𝙣 𝙞𝙛 𝙞𝙩 𝙝𝙪𝙧𝙩𝙨 𝙩𝙤𝙤 𝙢𝙪𝙘𝙝. 𝙔𝙤𝙪 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙖𝙡𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙮 𝙤𝙣 𝙩𝙧𝙖𝙘𝙠. 𝙏𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙞𝙨 𝙢𝙤𝙧𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙣 𝙚𝙣𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝."

A Thousand Blues is an unexpectedly moving and endearing tale that takes place in a world where most of the labor that humans used to do has been replaced by robots. It is a heartwarming and sweet story while exploring some pretty heavy themes like grief, regret, animal rights, and disability rights. The story follows Yeonjae, a young woman who finds Coli, a robot on a scrap heap, looking up at the blue sky. Something about the robot draws her in and she decides to take him in. Together they rescue Today, a racehorse who's been overworked and is about to be sent to the knackers’ yard. Their plan is to train Today for one last race but it’s not just any race. Instead of trying to win, they want her to run the slowest race of her life.

Coli and Today are definitely the 'heart' of the book, and their relationship is truly special and sweet. Coli, despite being a robot has this endearing, childlike curiosity about the world. His questions about life and purpose are so simple but also profound. You can’t help but feel for him as he tries to understand what it means to be alive and its purpose. What I also love about the book is how it gives different characters the chance to share their perspective, each one adding depth to the story. Some of these perspectives are heartbreaking, especially Bogyeong, Yeonjae’s mom. She described her grief for her deceased husband as "time being frozen." It was so raw and moving. Coli’s chapters were also my favorites. The way he keeps asking questions about life and the world around him is so endearing. It made me think about how easy it is to get caught up in the chaos of life and forget to ask those simple, important questions. What’s the reason for its existence? What really matters? It was such an intriguing perspective, and Coli’s innocence feels so tender and innocent that makes his chapter so interesting to read and heartwarming.

Overall, the book does have the same vibe as Lonely Castle in the Mirror by Mizuki Tsujimura, though both tackle vastly different themes. However, both books have that same beautiful melancholic tone, where hope and sadness are handled in a delicate balance. A Thousand Blue is such a beautiful, thoughtful story about slowing down and reconnecting with the world around you. It’s a reminder that in a world that’s always moving too fast, sometimes the most important thing we can do is just stop, breathe and focus on what really matters. The emotional depth, the thought-provoking themes, and the heartfelt characters, make this a truly memorable read. Giving this 4.25 ⭐️ Thank you @timesreads for this review copy!

[hans · Rating 4 out of 5]

A charming poignant read for a scifi. Set in the near future of 2035, I followed two sisters; Yeonjae and Eunhye who shared a deep love to a retired racehorse named Today. When they discovered that Today will set to be euthanised, both decided to embark on a mission to save her. They are joined by Coli (once known as C-27), a humanoid robot jockey who had rode on Today in races but was put to dispose before Yeonjae picked and fixed it for a second life chance.

I fancied its melancholic tone and way it was told through multiple POVs from Yeonjae to Eunhye, their mom, Bogyeong as well as Coli. Their backstories were so emotionally rich and loved how the author observed that beauty of familial relationships, of love and empathy with that glimpse of impact on technology or AI in Coli’s narrative— I liked how it sensed vibration like a feeling, and could distinguished Bogyeong’s family as according to the colors of a sky. It gets quite heartfelt too on the friendship part in between Jisu and Yeonjae, about Minju also how Bokhui, the vet who treated Today entered the premise with her POV and giving more dynamics to the whole execution.

It felt more or a slice of life rather than a scifi to me, probably a reason why I enjoyed the read more than I thought I would. It has that charm which absorbed me to further read esp when all teaming up to help Today. There was a slight of grief exploration in Bogyeong’s narrative that engrossed me, of companionship, one’s responsibility and what it truly means to care for both the living and non-human beings.

A compelling read overall, would recommend if you’re into futuristic arc or literary scifi fans and love a human, animal and tech connection theme. 4.2/5*

Thank you Times Reads for the gifted proof copy!

[Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

I spotted A Thousand Blues in the library as it has a very pretty cover and is a nicely proportioned hardback. (Generally I find reading paperbacks more comfortable, but would change allegiance to hardbacks were they all this size.) Obviously the fact it's a best-selling Korean sci-fi novel then convinced me to borrow it. I read the whole novel in one evening. It is gentle, sentimental tale of an intelligent robot befriending first a horse, then a family consisting of a mother & two daughters. The robot was built to be a jockey, a truly ingenious concept, but accidentally received a special chip that allows it to think and learn.

I did enjoy this concept and found the dynamics of the family sweet and deftly written. A Thousand Blues doesn't really have the ethos of sci-fi in my view; its scope is that of a single intelligent robot and a family, whose lives do not have huge importance or impact. The wider social impacts of automation do impinge upon the family at times - Yeonjae loses her job at a convenience store and is replaced by a robot. I found this vision of the near future plausible, in that robots aren't good at customer service at all but have become cheaper than employing people. Really, Cheon Seon-ran depicts enshittification, albeit from an individual emotional perspective. The book doesn't provide much insight into robot intelligence, a topic that has definitely been explored in more depth elsewhere. The familial and friendship dynamics are lovely, though. I enjoyed the kindness of the narrative and its concern with a robot, a horse, and a single-parent family struggling financially, all of them social outcasts and discards of a kind.

Finally, I must offer a fact check to page 123: horses famously cannot vomit! This can actually be a big problem for their digestive health. I don't know when or where I learned this fact, but an editor should have picked it up.

[Yeseul Jung · Rating 4 out of 5]

책을 읽고 울던 때가 있었나?
콜리도 콜리지만,
지수의 말이 나의 마음을 더 울렸다.

어쩌면 무심하면서도 위하는 그 마음.
결국 말하지 않으면 아무도 모른다고~!

하지만, 하고싶은 말을 마구마구 하면 그건 결국 안하느니 못하겠지…?

[Bella Azam · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Because it's all too fast," he said."It's okay to be a little slower, isn't it?"

Welp, didnt expect to get this emotionally attached to a robot and boy, I cried reading that last chapter. Give me a moment to grieve for how beautifully rendered this book is 😭😭

Ser in a near future in 2035 where robots have become part of the society, human labors are slowly being replaced by robots, jockeys for racehorse are now manned by robots, technological advances are the new norms. A Thousand Blues is a deeply moving novel of a beautiful exploration on relationhsip & bond between family members, the co-existence of animals, humans and robots in this novel that brought a lot of questions on our own existence and nature. When a robot jockey was left to be scrapped after damaged from a racehorse, a girl named Yeonjae bought it to bring home to fix while C-27 or Coli dreamed of meeting its horse partner, Today again. Yeonjae's family consisted of her mother, Bogyeong a tenacious woman working as a single mom and her older sister, Eunhye, dreamed of being free while struggling as wheelchair bound due to her polio. Amidst of the unhappiness & struggle, there were strengths, perseverance shown by these three women as they worked as a family unit even if they never really shared their feelings openly

Its devastatingly mellow with tinge of sorrows as the story moved with various perspectives from each of these characters & we get to know their inner thoughts personally. I like that we also get the robot Coli or Broccoli named after its green head on its view on life, its not alive, its a machine but this robot was mistakenly inserted with a chip that gave it high emotional intelligence. Coli was as alive as a robot can be, he appreciated the colors in the world, he love looking up at the sky, he may not understand the concept of happiness but he knew Today is happy when its running, he is curious about everything, he is well conversed & he knew his human's emotions well. As I read this novel, there were many heartbreaks, joy, grief & sadness throughout, my heart ached for these characters especially Coli & his bond with Today. This was an emotional read for me as I didnt expect to cry for the final ending 🥲

A Thousand Blues was a beautiful, heartwrenching story on taking it slow in a fast world. With various perspectives from a robot named Coli with its partner racehorse, Today, the humans around them in this deeply moving tale of a story with hope & loss that made me cry for them🥺

Thank u Times Reads for the review copy

[Benjamin - Les Mots Magiques · Rating 5 out of 5]

ℕ𝕠𝕥𝕙𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕚𝕟 𝕥𝕙𝕚𝕤 𝕨𝕠𝕣𝕝𝕕 𝕖𝕩𝕚𝕤𝕥𝕤 𝕨𝕚𝕥𝕙𝕠𝕦𝕥 𝕒 𝕣𝕖𝕒𝕤𝕠𝕟.
⠀
Coli est un robot jockey mis au rebut après une chute. Today est une jument qui va être euthanasiée maintenant qu’elle ne peut plus courir. YeonJae et EunHye, deux sœurs pas spécialement proches, vont chacune s’attacher à un de ces deux êtres et vont tout faire pour changer leur vie.
⠀
𝕀𝕗 𝕤𝕠𝕞𝕖𝕠𝕟𝕖’𝕤 𝕒𝕤𝕜𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕗𝕠𝕣 𝕙𝕖𝕝𝕡, 𝕚𝕥’𝕤 𝕟𝕠𝕥 𝕣𝕚𝕘𝕙𝕥 𝕥𝕠 𝕡𝕣𝕖𝕥𝕖𝕟𝕕 𝕪𝕠𝕦 𝕔𝕒𝕟’𝕥 𝕙𝕖𝕒𝕣 𝕥𝕙𝕖𝕞.
⠀
Je ne connaissais pas du tout ce ce roman mais j’ai absolument adoré ma lecture. On est pourtant assez loin de ce que j’aime quand j’y pense. Déjà, parce que sans la présence de Coli, on aurait du mal à pouvoir considérer ce roman comme de la SF. Même en l’état, on est plutôt sur du contemporain avec un robot histoire de dire que c’est quand même de l’imaginaire. On rajoute à ça une bonne dose de positivité, d’espoir et de bon sentiment et ça nous donne, en théorie, mon plus grand cauchemar… Bon ben ça m’a quand même beaucoup plu.
⠀
Concrètement il ne se passe pas grand chose dans ce roman au rythme très lent (on est vraiment sur de la tranche de vie ici) mais l’autrice nous propose des personnages vraiment attachants qui nous donnent vraiment envie de les suivre. Que l’on parle de Coli, très touchant avec sa naïveté et sa curiosité très enfantines, de l’histoire des deux sœurs et de leur mère, pleine de non-dits, ou bien de Today, très digne dans sa douleur et toujours heureuse lorsqu’elle court malgré ses articulations en piteux état, on peut tous trouver quelque chose dans ce roman qui nous parlera.
⠀
L’autrice va beaucoup nous parler de famille, d’amitié, de résilience. Elle va aussi aborder des sujets de société comme les horreurs qu’on fait subir aux animaux pour notre propre divertissement, la condescendance et l’infantilisation que peuvent subir beaucoup de personnes en situation de handicap, ou encore les robots (plutôt les IA pour nous en ce moment) qui volent le travail d’êtres humains. Une belle petite leçon de vie en quelque sorte.
⠀
Je ne sais pas si mon avis va tellement vous donner envie - 𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚙𝚝𝚎 𝚝𝚎𝚗𝚞 𝚍𝚎 𝚖𝚎𝚜 𝚐𝚘𝚞̂𝚝𝚜 𝚓𝚎 𝚗𝚎 𝚙𝚎𝚗𝚜𝚎 𝚙𝚊𝚜 𝚚𝚞𝚎 𝚌𝚎𝚝𝚝𝚎 𝚌𝚑𝚛𝚘𝚗𝚒𝚚𝚞𝚎 𝚖𝚎 𝚍𝚘𝚗𝚗𝚎𝚛𝚊𝚒𝚝 𝚝𝚛𝚎̀𝚜 𝚎𝚗𝚟𝚒𝚎 𝚊̀ 𝚖𝚘𝚒-𝚖𝚎̂𝚖𝚎 - mais je pense que c’est un livre qui mérite d’être découvert. Il faut juste le prendre pour ce que c’est : un roman tranche de vie touchant et plein de charme qui nous interroge un peu sur notre rapport au monde et nous encourage à ralentir un peu.
⠀
𝕎𝕖 𝕒𝕝𝕝 𝕟𝕖𝕖𝕕 𝕡𝕣𝕒𝕔𝕥𝕚𝕔𝕖 𝕤𝕝𝕠𝕨𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕕𝕠𝕨𝕟.

[Kari · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5

“Time flows differently for each person even when they shared the same space, they remembered different things even when they looked at the same thing, and they did not know how others felt unless they talked about it. Sometimes they say one thing but mean another. They seemed intent on using all their energy to constantly hide their true feelings. Even so, from time to time, humans understood what others were feeling even if they didn't talk about it, and faced the same direction even as they looked at different things. Their experience of time sometimes aligned even when they were apart…”

A beautiful multi-perspective novel about a family trying to hold itself together after a whole lot of trauma, a damaged robot jockey and the injured horse it rode, and the others who come into their lives and change them for the better.

There is so much humanity in this book that focuses a lot on technology and the role of robots in society. Some of the heavier themes relate to disability and rampant ableism even in a technologically advanced society, grief and how it impacts various members of a family, the worth of animals as related to human priorities, and how money will always be a deciding factor in who gets what they need to be free and healthy.

In the midst of this are beautiful moments, whether it’s characters giving up their own wants to help each other when it counts, people learning to be open and vulnerable with others, or the simple joy of a robot looking up and marveling at a dazzling sky.

This book solidly fits into my idea of cozy sci-fi, where there are real problems but also characters looking out for each other at every turn. I loved it and definitely want to read other works by the author!

[Davita · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kocht dit boek met oek omdat het letterlijk een koreaans paardenboek is. Letterlijk ons kind. Maar het was echt heel goed en mooi, kijk deze quote bvb:
“If you start experiencing tiny joys, very slowly, every day, maybe you will experience the time you are currently living in, and that will thaw the time that has been frozen.”

[Siqahiqa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Set in 2035, the story follows Coli, originally named C-27, a green-colored robot designed to assist with horse racing. Unlike other machines, Coli is curious, constantly asking “why” as it seeks to understand and communicate—especially with its equine partner, Today. Their bond grows strong, and Today becomes a racing sensation worth hundreds of millions. But behind her success, she’s in pain—a truth everyone ignores except Coli. In a desperate act of loyalty, Coli sacrifices itself during a race, leading to Today’s disqualification and its own shutdown.

🤖 I loved the concept behind this story. At first glance, it might seem like a classic sci-fi tale about a robot and a racehorse, but it turns out to be something much deeper—an exploration of life, human relationships, and the invisible struggles we often overlook. It also presents an intriguing perspective on our relationship with technology and the ways in which technology can impact our jobs.

🤖 What I found most captivating was how the story unfolded beyond just Coli and Today’s journey. While I initially thought the book would focus solely on them, it turned out to be a beautifully woven narrative about a family—Bogyeong, a grieving mother, and her two daughters, Eunhye and Yeonjae. Their lives take a profound turn after the loss of the only man in their family, and the way their relationships shift and evolve is comforting.

🤖Bogyeong’s backstory was especially moving, highlighting the deep grief she experiences, which is both difficult to read and heartbreaking. Meanwhile, Eunhye and Yeonjae’s growth was inspiring—they navigate life with wisdom beyond their years. The presence of Coli even helps to mend some of their wounds, creating a bond between them that wasn’t there before.

🤖 Another highlight for me was Yeonjae’s friendship with Jisu. Their connection felt real and relatable, and it was heartwarming to see Yeonjae slowly open her heart to someone.

🤖 From the moment Coli appeared in the book, I adored this little robot. Its curiosity, kindness, and unwavering loyalty made it such an endearing character. That’s why the ending left me heartbroken. I had hoped for a different fate, and that’s the only reason I couldn't give the book more than four stars.

🤖 That said, despite its slow, character-driven pace, I was captivated by every perspective. The translation was smooth, and the story left a lasting impression. While labeled as science fiction, it’s really a poignant reflection on life and connection��one I highly recommend.

Here are quotes that I liked from the book:
❀ “Giving up when something is too hard is a valid option, too. Though it takes a lot of effort for a living being to voluntarily give something up."
❀ “You didn't have to be understood by everyone in the whole world. You just needed to be understood by the people you wanted to understand yourself.”
❀ “Humans had no way of knowing what someone else was feeling without talking about it; everyone just assumed they knew what others felt.”
❀ “Happiness cures all ills. It is the only thing that is more powerful than going back to the past.”
❀ “Growing up meant realizing that other people's lives were different from yours, and it meant accepting and adapting to that fact. Sometimes that process was brutal.”

Thank you, Times Reads, for the review copy!

[Rose Grover · Rating 4 out of 5]

A powerful reflection on being alive and what that means. There were some glaring plot holes and the writing style is strange. There were moments that were simply mentioned in retrospect that could develop the story/character/emotion on a deeper level if told in real time or with a bit of clever foreshadowing.

If you can move past one absurd moment where a horse vomits (wish the author had done some research here), the ending is worth it.

I could read the ending on repeat.

[Caitlyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

ARC review

In 2035, a purpose-built jockey robot (with a little extra than expected) falls from its horse and is destined to be scrapped and repurposed. Until a young woman decides to salvage it. A Thousand Blues is a heartfelt exploration of the highs and lows of humanity, and how we prioritise technological advancements that make the rich richer, rather than improving quality of life for all. One of the key characters is physically disabled and this book discusses in depth society’s failures to accommodate and support disabled people, which was incredibly moving and well- handled.

I need to say straight off the bat I picked up this book for the sentient robot, and immediately I was hating monk & robot duo vibes and I was chomping at the bit. Unfortunately the actual robot is scarcely present in this book, and the focus of this story is actually the girl and her family. Now, this isn’t a BAD story! I really liked the characters and the way the author explores how shared trauma effects close relationships, and it definitely had dystopian vibes regarding how technological advances have effected different classes. It’s just not the story I was wanting/expecting. I think if THAT sounds like something you’re interested in, I’d definitely recommend this book. If you are after a quirky robot with heart, I think you’ll be hung out to dry a little bit. Despite being pretty short it took me a couple days to finish just because I wasn’t very immersed (I think because I was waiting for more robot scenes 💀)

The most important thing is the themes and messages of A Thousand Blues are incredibly important and well-delivered. There’s a lot of commentary about the racing industry and the treatment of animals in general, and this is a really interesting way to weave that in to fiction. I also really love that a book with such heavy and almost threatening themes ends with an abundance of hope and love. I would really love to read more from this author.

[Emma · Rating 3 out of 5]

Described as Klara and the Sun meets The Lonely Castle in the Mirror, A Thousand Blues definitely has similarities to both, though it didn't quite hit the same level of either book for me sadly.

The novel, set in 2035, follows a girl who rescues and fixes up a humanoid robot who's sole purpose was to be a jockey for a horse called Today. Today is on his last legs in the horse racing world, and is about to be sent to slaughter, but together the girl and her sister come up with a plan to give the horse one last race and buy Today a little more time. The only catch is, Today must run the slowest race of his life in order to do no further damage.

The strongest parts of this book centre around Coli (short for Broccoli) the robot. It was hard not to love this character.

What I didn't love was how twee it often felt, especially with the constant life teachings and morals that never felt seamlessly interwoven within the story. I grew really bored of this side of the novel and ultimately this is what made it not quite for me. It also has a very emotional weepy ending!!

[em · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars
Ah! I really wanted to love this one. However, I found the writing very clunky and the time jumps confusing. I couldn’t get invested in the characters despite the sisters having an interesting story. It was an original idea and while I enjoyed some moments, overall it was a drag to read and felt devoid of real emotion and depth.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for kindly providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review. #AThousandBlues #NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

[Beatriz · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Author's Note itself is enough for the 5 stars

[Buchdoktor · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cheon Seon-Ran erzählt in ihrer Utopie von Bogyeon, die ihre Arbeit als Schauspielerin verlor und ein Restaurant betreibt, ihren Töchtern Yeonjae (Schülerin mit Interesse an Robotik) und Eunhye, die nach einer Polioerkrankung im Rollstuhl sitzt, dem Rennpferd Today und dem humanoiden Jockey-Roboter C27, genannt Koli (brokkolifarben lackiert). In Nebenrollen u. a. der junge Reporter Woo Seoyin, der über Rennsport recherchiert.

Koli, eigentlich C27, ist auf einer koreanischen Rennbahn Jockey-Roboter des Spitzenpferds Today. Weil ein Chip auf den Boden fiel und irrtümlich in den Behälter für die Roboterproduktion geworfen wurde, erhielt Koli umfangreiches Selbstlern-Material zum Thema Sprache. Das doppelte menschliche Versagen hätte durch den Einsatz von Maschinen verhindert werden können. Die Geschichte spielt in der nahen Zukunft nach 2035, in der Roboter mit begrenzter Intelligenz für einfache Arbeiten eingesetzt werden. Koli, der in menschlicher Gestalt konstruiert wurde, hat aus seinem irregeleiteten Chip erstaunlichen Nutzen gezogen. Er verfügt über einen Wortschatz von 1000 Wörtern, denkt über die Blautöne des Himmels nach, über Motive menschlichen Handelns – und kann Todays Körpersprache erspüren. Dass Koli Puls, Atmung und Muskelspannung des Pferds wahrnimmt und mit ihm kommuniziert, macht Rennpferd und Roboter zu einem unschlagbaren Team. Als Today wegen abgenutzter Gelenke nicht mehr laufen kann, will Koli ihn mit seinen beschränkten Mitteln retten. Er lässt sich mitten im Rennen vom Pferderücken gleiten und wird von den Hufen der Verfolger zerstört. An diesem Punkt kreuzt sein Weg den der Schülerin Woo Yeonjae, die in der Nähe der Rennbahn wohnt. An Robotik interessiert, kauft sie Kolis Trainer Minju (verbotenerweise) den Roboterschrott ab und beginnt, für ihn intelligente Beinprothesen zu konstruieren. Yeonjae ist auf der Suche nach einem alltagstauglichen Projekt für einen Wettbewerb; dass ihre Schwester Rollstuhlfahrerin ist, spielt sicher auch eine Rolle. Während sie auf Materialsuche ist, sinnt der zerstörte Koli darüber nach, wie Today vor dem Abdecker gerettet werden kann.

Bogyeon und ihre Töchter sind Außenseiterinnen in einer nicht so fernen Gesellschaft, denen der technische Fortschritt bisher nur Nachteile brachte. Seit Bogyeons Mann tödlich verunglückte und sie den ganzen Tag im Restaurant schuftet, lastet ein großer Teil der Hausarbeit auf Yeonjae. Die Schülerin fühlt sich nur mit ihrem Nutzen wahrgenommen, nicht als Person. Mit Dingen kommt Yeonjae besser klar als mit Menschen. Weil Robotik für ein Mädchen aus einfachen Verhältnissen als sonderbares Interesse gewertet wird, sieht sie sich allgemein gemobbt. Ihren Job im 24-Stunden-Laden hat sie gerade verloren, weil ihr Chef lieber den Dienstleistungs-Roboter Betty angeschafft hat als ihr Mindestlohn zu zahlen. Auch Eunhuye fühlt sich vom technischen Fortschritt übergangen; denn als Rollstuhlfahrerin ist sie vom öffentlichen Raum ausgeschlossen. Der Rennsport mit seiner Wettkultur könnte hier das alltägliche Hamsterrad in der nicht so fernen Zukunft symbolisieren, die keinen Raum mehr für Freundschaft und Solidarität lässt. In Yeonjaes Welt haben bisher Männer Nanobots entwickelt - und Frauen kochten. Schon Yonjaes Mutter war einst in einer Prüfung gescheitert, weil sie von der Frage überfordert war, was Technik den Menschen bringen könnte. Damit Yeonjae ihre Begabung für diese Gesellschaft einsetzen kann, muss die sie zunächst als gleichberechtigtes Mitglied akzeptieren.

Die Geschichte des irrtümlich mitfühlenden Roboters und „seiner“ Helfer wird zirkulär erzählt, teils von Koli als Icherzähler; sie beginnt und endet mit Kolis geplantem Sturz vom Pferd. Dass in Cheons utopischem Szenario Robotern menschliche Silhouetten angepasst werden, konnte mich zwar wenig begeistern. Davon abgesehen wirkt Cheons Utopie originell und empathisch. Die Frage, wozu Technik nützt, verknüpft Cheon Seon-Ran mit dem Schicksal jener, denen technischer Fortschritt bisher nur Nachteile gebracht hat.

[Teguh · Rating 5 out of 5]

”If it is fun for humans, then why do the horses race? Why do the humans not race?”(p.18)

Dalam novel kita akan ketemu dengan Broccoli atau Coli robot humanoid yang tugasnya sebagai joki di sebuah stable yang mencoba mengoptimalkan kecepatan kuda. Broccoli ini bertugas menunggangi dan melatih kuda betina bernama Today untuk mencapai kecepatan maksimum. Dalam proses pembuatannya Broccoli ini disengaja dengan chips khusus (tidak perlu dijelaskan juga dalam novel) sehingga mampu merasakan bertindak sebagai manusia.

Si Coli ini kemudian terbiasa memandang langit biru dan menyukai warna biru.

Kita juga akan ketemu keluarga Eunhye (kakak sulung yang sejak kecil pakai kursi roda sebab kena polio), Yeonjae yang kelak akan berkawan dengan Coli, juga ibunya Bogyeong yang pemilik kedai. Keluarga ini yang paling utama. Ada juga tokoh lain seperti dokter di stable kuda, ada sepupu Eunhye yang wartawan, ada juga Jisu, atau teman Eunhye yang seperti platonik-lesbian-ish Juwon.

Di satu titik kemudian Today tidak lagi mampu mencapai kecepatan maksimal. Coli memar kakinya. Keduanya kemudian disingkirkan. Coli dibiarkan teronggok di gudang, sedangkan Today akan dieutanasia. Yeonjae kemudian membeli dengan segala tabungannya dan memeperbaiki. Yeonjae ini sangat antusias dengan robotik sejak kecil.

Aaaaaaah paling suka adalah si Coli ini mengomentari manusia. Bersikap seperti manusia. Dan pada akhirnya berkorban demi Today.

Sederhana sekali sebenarnya ceritanya. Tapi “subplot” masing-masing tokohnya aku suka. Seperti sibling rivalry antara Yeonjae dan Eunhye, kemudian “jatuh cinta” Eunhye dan Juwon sesama gadis, atau bagaimana Eunhye memandang dirinya tidak disabilitas dan benci dikasihani: debab dikasihani membuatnya semakin “tebal” label tidak mampunya.

”But I do not want to be human. I am happy when you treat me like a human beacuse that means you consider me to be someone real. I want to be a machine that is beside humans for a long time.”(p.294)

Prespektif robot yang menarik. Daaaan yaaa manusia itu terlalu “sentris” selama ini. Mau menang sendiri atas robot, atas kuda, bahkan manusia lain.

You died if you were not needed by a human. (p.149)

Aku pikir akan bosan dengan "diskripsi" subplot yang banyak itu, tapi justru itu yang menarik dari novel ini. Prespektif robot-kemanusia-manusiaan juga unik dan beda saja. Layak lima bintang sebagai novel dari Cheon Seon-ran yang pertama aku baca. Sehabis ini akan berpindah ke The Midnight Shift

[Emelia · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Thousand Blues is a beautiful and emotive sci-fi story that follows a cast of characters over the course of 6 months. Likened to Kazuo Ishiguro's 'Klara and the Sun' (my favourite book of 2021!), the setting is a near future in which robots are starting to become widespread. With human jobs being replaced by robots in attempts to save money, this book asks: what does it mean to be alive?

I was interested in the main setting, which was a horse racing track using robot jockeys. I could tell that Cheon Seon-ran thought a lot about even the smallest changes that robots could have in our lives. There were so many tearjerking moments throughout as our characters tried to navigate this new age of technology. I was especially moved by the older sister, Eunhye, as she struggled to travel around as a wheelchair user in a world obsessed with new products and inventions.

The prose was also gorgeous. The translator Chi-Young Kim did a fantastic job of maintaining a balance between vivid descriptions and simplicity. This meant that the story was easy to digest, and the main themes were introduced well. In such a small book, so many themes were touched on, from disability to animal rights.

This was a lovely story about finding your own place within the world, and I would recommend this book to anyone who would like a thought-provoking read. The sci-fi elements were reasonably light, so I am sure that this book will appeal to a wide audience. Thank you NetGalley and Random House UK, Transworld Publishers | Doubleday for providing this e-ARC for an honest review.

[Rebnelug · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hadisələr distopil dünyada keçir. Artıq xidmət işində insanlara ehtiyac görülmür. Robotlar insanlardan ucuz olduğu üçün müdirlər insan işçiləri üstün görmürlər.

Belə dünyada təbii ki, təbiət də insanlar tərəfindən məhv edilir. Əyləncə üçün heyvanlar insanları qane etmirsə, onlar yatızdırılaraq ölümə tərk edilir, onlar üstündə mərc oyunları oynayırlar.

Koli adında robot əsərdə təzadlıq göstərir. O, insanlar tərəfindən yaradılıb və onlardan fərqli olaraq təbiətə vurğundur. Hiss edə bilmir, amma yenə də “hiss”lərini səmanın rəngləri il�� ifadə edir. Həsrəti səmanın narıncıdan bənövşəyi rəngə keçməklə deyir.

Ədəbiyyat, yazıçılıq baxımdan güclü əsər deyil, amma ötürülən mesaj, yazıçının əməyi ilə götürsək orta əsərdir. Sevdim, robot mənim belə üzümü güldürdü…

[Sam Liu · Rating 5 out of 5]

A book about a robot made me cry (just a little). Move over, Klara, and take your sun with you. Bonus points for a beautiful cover.

[Emely Antonia · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautiful heartfelt story about what it means to be human, the complex relationships of a family, and going beyond to experience happiness one last time. This book is a poetic and warming tale of a future world that heavily relies on technology without losing a slight of humanity and integrity.

[Raghad El · Rating 5 out of 5]

لا داعي للجري إن كان يؤلمك، وجودك على المضمار يكفي...
ما أجملها من رواية

[Erinn · Rating 5 out of 5]

potentially one of my favorite reads this year

[Scott Walker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quaint and quirky yet profound and moving. Everyone actually does need to chill out, I fear the modern world is designed to be so fast paced that people are indeed consistently missing things.

[Filip · Rating 5 out of 5]

Watch my video review here: https://youtu.be/17nUxLyxGC0

*A Thousand Blues* is that rare social science fiction novel whose every element is pitch perfect. This three-hundred page work by the South Korean author Cheon Seon-ran has lodged itself deep into my heart. It came at a time when I was questioning the capacity each and every one of us has to connect and communicate with one another. *A Thousand Blues* was a stark reminder that no connection is unsalvageable and that joy is ever an antidote to pain.

*A Thousand Blues* is set up in the near-future year of 2035. Its science-fictional conceit shows an ever-increasing degree of robotization across every aspect of South Korean society (and beyond). The author has thought through the social and economic implications for the use of robots across various sectors. Her chief concern is the use of robots as horse jockeys; the text reasonably points out that one of the reasons horses don’t go as fast as they physically can during races is because their human jockeys, weighing certain amounts and not wanting to die, cannot drive the horses past a certain point; with jockeys, shorter, made of light material for the express purpose, horse races are reinvigorated, the animals driven to speeds unthinkable until robotization came knocking.

Coli

One of the point-of-view characters here is robot Coli, a jockey who, through an unlikely but quotidian incident, has within himself an experimental chip that allows him to grow and learn about the world – true artificial intelligence, in a nutshell. To experience the world through his eyes is to see it afresh. His childlike curiosity is endearing, his optimism and joy welcome. His story is inextricably woven first with the race horse Today, a filly who, under his guidance, breaks national records on the race tracks. Because of the brutally exploitative treatment of race horses by the industry, as soon as Today can no longer run, the clock begins ticking, with her time running out.

Later, after Coli takes a drop that shatters the lower part of his body, he meets a girl – a brilliant but lost teenager by the name of Yeonjae. Through her efforts to repair him, the robot meets the girl’s family, her mother and sister; what follows is a kind of magic, with Coli helping these disparate individuals, each of whom live at a distance from one another (and, really, from all other human beings) to find their way back together. It is not just Coli who does this, however: it is also their common effort to counteract the cruel exploitative nature of race track policy that would see Today euthanised. No longer capable of running at the speeds they used to because of overextension that leads to frailty, worn out joints, and various other conditions, these animals are deemed a drain on their owners’ resources and summarily put down. The only criticism I can think of for all the book is, why wouldn’t the owners of the racing tracks get into horse-breeding? I know that aged stallions past their prime are often used for such purposes, though I do not know how things stand with fillies. This is a minor point, perhaps the one thing that stood out to me as not being addressed in the text. It might be less the text’s fault than my own ignorance on the relationship between horse-racing and horse-breeding.

Humanity’s Social Contract with Animals

The novel makes a persuasive case about the need for humanity to do better towards animals. Humanity’s social contract with nonhumans is unjust in so many ways, and Today’s story is only one example of the adage that animals “died if [they] weren’t needed by a human” (189). Bokhui, the veterinarian who serves as one point-of-view character, speaks most strongly to this, bringing up one compelling point after another. I suspect her opinions reflect the author’s own, considering what the latter’s bio says, namely that “she often dreams of a world where humans become a minority in a world of flora and fauna”. That said, the link between character and author, if you see it, didn’t at any point draw away from the novel.

A Story about Family

Yeonjay

How about the family at the centre of the novel? Yeonjay is the robotics whiz, an outwardly indifferent teenager who, because of the life she’s had to lead, accepts things with a stoicism that bellies the depth of her feelings. She is a victim of robotization, having found herself out of a store clerk job. One day, the owner of the place decided to spare some money via the purchase of a Betsy – a store clerk robot. Yeonjay is someone incredibly comfortable to follow. Her interactions with the owner endeared her to me; the friendship she develops with fellow student Jisu was beyond satisfying. It was one of those adolescent friendships that really extend a person’s horizons. It so well recalled one of my own foundational high-school friendships that I wanted to read more of these two characters together. Yeonjay discovers Coli after the latter has been shattered via a fall from Today’s back, and it is she who masterfully rebuilds him.

Eunhye

Yeonjay plays the role of helper to her sister Eunhye, who is bound to a wheelchair due to getting polio at the age of five. Eunhye is the older of the two. Her point of view says a lot about society’s in-built ableism – as you might expect, just about none of it good. As with the animals, here too the text is persuasive about the need to do more, to do a better job for those who are disabled in some way. It’s Eunhye who is, alongside Coli, Today’s fiercest champion. Like Yeonjay, she too has many walls that separate her from her family; while those are not taken down entirely, a path opens to a world where they may eventually fall.

Bogyeong

Last but certainly not least in the family is Bogyeong. Mother to the two girls, and widow to a firefighter husband who once saved her from a terrible accident. Her life before the family, before the kids, is a journey all its own, and told so masterfully; the family life, heavy with loss and the necessities of survival, is full of things unsaid, of small regrets and racked-up debts.

They all had their feelings hurt, and before one wound could heal a new one would open up, pushing the older one further down. (154)

and

What she wished above all else was for her to have a better relationship with her daughters. Each of them was indebted to the other two, which made it all that more difficult to broach the subject. Eunhye was a bruised finger and Yeonjae was a finger with damaged nerves. Both of them had wounds so old that it was hard to remember exactly what had happened, until you glanced at them one day and realized they hadn’t healed correctly. Bogyeong couldn’t pick off their scabs and put ointment on them. She could only watch as the wounds hardened into scars. (238)

Yet, there is a way back for each member of the family to the others. With enough care, wounds are healed; with enough care, even scars disappear.

Poignancy and Humour

The novel is rich in moments of understated humour, at once poignant and an absolute laugh. My favourite has to be the following, taken from a conversation between Eunhye and Bokhui as the former tells the latter about her cousin:

‘He loves animals, too. Which might be his weakness, actually. I still remember what he told me once. He said that a species goes extinct as often as an app gets an update. Isn’t that grim? That means every time I update an app, another species is going extinct.’

“That sounds about right, unfortunately.’

“That’s why I don’t update my apps very often. It just feels wrong.”

On the Translation
I sadly cannot offer commentary on the faithfulness of the translation to the author’s original; however, Chi-Young Kim’s translation makes of this novel a joy to read in English, and I believe that they have done an admirable job bringing this special text to the English-speaking world.

Concluding Thoughts
*A Thousand Blues* is an early favourite of mine for the best release of 2025. I can’t recommend it enough – it has got heart like few novels I’ve read in recent memory.

[Sunny · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am happy to see more Korean writers attempting at Sci-fi. Looking forward to seeing (reading) how new wave of Korean sci-fi evolves.

This book includes human-like 'robot' I enjoyed reading about the unique role of the robot (jocky) and how factory-made robot learns human-like emotion (by an accident). Even though the book claims its sci-fi, I find the main story is about human emotion; bond, friendship and family. The author talks through a robot, but the basic emotion is so much like Korean (not sure how to explain this; Korean sensitivity?)
The book brought up an interesting argument about how we perceive augmented body, and how such augmentation might become another factor for discrimination (human-beings may not function without drawing 'sides' us.vs.them?).

[Olya · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great novel on the role of robots in society, human-technology and human-human relations, responsibility and friendship. Most of all, the book is a great reminder that while our society is reaching for the stars with AI and what not, people in wheelchairs still cannot seamlessly participate in daily life because this same AI-striving society disables people by stairs with no integrated ramp, elevators that keep breaking down, curbs and holes in the roads and what not. A refreshing sci-fi book, highly recommend overall and will definitely highlight this to my robotic engineering students.

[Emma · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a book! I honestly can’t remember the last time I gave a book a solid 5 out of 5, but this one?! A 100%! It’s not until you’ve reached the final pages (including the author’s notes) that the full meaning and intent of the book become clear—but when it hits, it completely floored me. I need to read everything by Seon-ran Cheon ASAP!

For me, this read felt like a — for once! — genuinely relevant self-help book. It touches on everything I struggle with in life: a self-proclaimed need for productivity, the inability to “just exist,” ableism…!

I’m completely taken.