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A View from the Stars
"We’re mysterious aliens in the crowd. We jump like fleas from future to past and back again, and float like clouds of gas between nebulae; in a flash, we can reach the edge of the universe, or tunnel into a quark, or swim within a star-core. . . . We’re as unassuming as fireflies, yet our numbers grow like grass in spring. We sci-fi fans are people from the future."—Cixin Liu, from the essay "Sci-Fi Fans"
A VIEW FROM THE STARS features a range of short works from the past three decades of New York Times bestselling author Cixin Liu's prolific career, putting his nonfiction essays and short stories side-by-side for the first time. This collection includes essays and interviews that shed light on Liu's experiences as a reader, writer, and lover of science fiction throughout his life, as well as short fiction that gives glimpses into the evolution of his imaginative voice over the years.
A VIEW FROM THE STARS features a range of short works from the past three decades of New York Times bestselling author Cixin Liu's prolific career, putting his nonfiction essays and short stories side-by-side for the first time. This collection includes essays and interviews that shed light on Liu's experiences as a reader, writer, and lover of science fiction throughout his life, as well as short fiction that gives glimpses into the evolution of his imaginative voice over the years.
240 pages, Paperback
First published November 23, 2023
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 227 reviews
May 6, 2024
4.0 Stars
Video Review: https://youtu.be/OqKPLv-OPAc
Cixin Liu has quickly become a new favourite author. I have read most of his translated books at this point, and I will continue to read whatever I can get my hands on. This collection is quite short but it had several worthwhile stories that I hadn’t read before. One of the stories is a repeat from the Wandering Earth collection. Thankfully I like that story quite a bit so I was happy to revisit it.
My favourite aspect of this collection was actually the details shared by the author. I find short stories so much more interesting when I understand the concept behind each story just as fascinating as the story itself.
As usual with this author, he explores a lot of big stakes for humanity in these short stories. I appreciate that he doesn’t shy aware from big ideas due to the page length. You can see some of the influence of the Earth’s Past Remembrance’s trilogy in his previous work.
If you are a mega fan of this author, this is a must read. I also think this collection would be an excellent place to start this with this author.
Disclaimer I received a copy of this book from the publisher.
Video Review: https://youtu.be/OqKPLv-OPAc
Cixin Liu has quickly become a new favourite author. I have read most of his translated books at this point, and I will continue to read whatever I can get my hands on. This collection is quite short but it had several worthwhile stories that I hadn’t read before. One of the stories is a repeat from the Wandering Earth collection. Thankfully I like that story quite a bit so I was happy to revisit it.
My favourite aspect of this collection was actually the details shared by the author. I find short stories so much more interesting when I understand the concept behind each story just as fascinating as the story itself.
As usual with this author, he explores a lot of big stakes for humanity in these short stories. I appreciate that he doesn’t shy aware from big ideas due to the page length. You can see some of the influence of the Earth’s Past Remembrance’s trilogy in his previous work.
If you are a mega fan of this author, this is a must read. I also think this collection would be an excellent place to start this with this author.
Disclaimer I received a copy of this book from the publisher.
May 26, 2025
4 Stars for A View From The Stars (audiobook) by Cixin Liu read by Brian Nishii.
The author explores some big ideas in this collection of short stories. This book would be a great introduction to the author to get a feeling for his style of science fiction. Then moving on to Three Body Problem.
The author explores some big ideas in this collection of short stories. This book would be a great introduction to the author to get a feeling for his style of science fiction. Then moving on to Three Body Problem.
March 12, 2024
Is Liu Cixin intelligent? Of course. Do I find the ways he discusses most issues very interesting? Not particularly. Do I tend to agree with him? Not really.
This was a weird project, because the interplay between short stories and essays felt poorly handled and a lot of the "essay" parts were pretty short and were clearly written for other things. Maybe a first half of fiction and a second half of nonfiction would have felt smoother? Regardless, I didn't really love any of it. Some of the stories were nice, and I liked his essay about Ken Liu's short stories, as well as the one where he talks about various sci-fi ideas. But largely I found the stories not long enough to sustain interest and the essays either something I disagreed with his thoughts on or just found kinda obvious. Overall, this collection made me slightly less likely to read this author more, which is not what you hope for.
This was a weird project, because the interplay between short stories and essays felt poorly handled and a lot of the "essay" parts were pretty short and were clearly written for other things. Maybe a first half of fiction and a second half of nonfiction would have felt smoother? Regardless, I didn't really love any of it. Some of the stories were nice, and I liked his essay about Ken Liu's short stories, as well as the one where he talks about various sci-fi ideas. But largely I found the stories not long enough to sustain interest and the essays either something I disagreed with his thoughts on or just found kinda obvious. Overall, this collection made me slightly less likely to read this author more, which is not what you hope for.
August 13, 2026
So for starters, the format of this is not what I was expecting. Obviously, it is a mix of short stories and essays, but I, for no reason, assumed they would be separated. So if you are like me and assume it will be a few essays and then some short stories or vice versa, just know that's not the case. This is more like essays about sci fi writing with short stories mixed in. There is nothing wrong with this formatting choice and not the reason for the 3 stars, but I just wanted to help set expectations in case anyone is as wrong in their assumption as I was.
I am giving this 3 stars because unfortunately, I didn't find the short stories engaging. They're not bad, but I also didn't find them to be great either. His long form writing is definitely better in my opinion.
However, I actually really liked his essays. He spoke on his experience with sci fi as both a reader and a writer, what makes sci fi what it is, and how Chinese sci fi is up and coming. At times it was a tad repetitive because these were essays he had published in various publications over the years, but I still enjoyed them.
I am giving this 3 stars because unfortunately, I didn't find the short stories engaging. They're not bad, but I also didn't find them to be great either. His long form writing is definitely better in my opinion.
However, I actually really liked his essays. He spoke on his experience with sci fi as both a reader and a writer, what makes sci fi what it is, and how Chinese sci fi is up and coming. At times it was a tad repetitive because these were essays he had published in various publications over the years, but I still enjoyed them.
March 20, 2024
READING VLOG
*3.5
Major thanks to NetGalley and Tor Books for offering me an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest thoughts:
A wonderful foray into Liu’s writing and where his wonder comes from. In a mix of personal essays about the foundations of his work and the works himself, you get a nice appetizer in how his imagination works. Whimsy with dashes of humanity propel his work, and all of it is fixed in his fascination with life and the magic it brings to the realities he creates and the reality he lives in.
*3.5
Major thanks to NetGalley and Tor Books for offering me an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest thoughts:
A wonderful foray into Liu’s writing and where his wonder comes from. In a mix of personal essays about the foundations of his work and the works himself, you get a nice appetizer in how his imagination works. Whimsy with dashes of humanity propel his work, and all of it is fixed in his fascination with life and the magic it brings to the realities he creates and the reality he lives in.
June 30, 2024
3.5 to 4 depending on each story. As seems typical with Liu, his characters are mostly weak but his ideas are mind blowing. At first I didn’t like the introductions and essays but they definitely grew on me as the book continued. It was a nice peek into the world of Chinese science fiction and what it’s been through.
April 14, 2024
I love science!!! And this was such a fascinating collection and great for dipping your toe into Cixin’s work to see what he’s all about. He discusses a lot of concepts in here which make it into the Three-Body Problem trilogy and they are just as great. I definitely preferred the non-fiction parts of this book and found his essays about the science fiction community, as well as some science fiction ideas themselves absolutely amazing.
May 3, 2024
Whether we’re talking about science fiction across the globe or in China, it’s far too early to get nostalgic.
Interleaved stories and essays give a rough chronology of the life and times of the developing Cixin Liu, the Sirius of the current Milky Way of science fiction authors. Like many anthologies, View represents the sweeping left after his good stuff sold on its own merits. Some nuggets in here.
“The most obvious drawback of the horse-drawn carriage, compared to the automobile, is its speed.”
No, it’s how you feed the horses. (Not to mention dealing with fodder by-products.) Lui sees no problem with ant or bacteria-sized humans, forgetting that the human brain is unlikely to scale down so easily. He may be content to live under communist rule. Must of the world’s population may not.
The religious feeling of science fiction is a deep sense of awe at the great mysteries of the universe. you’re overcome by the realization that our civilization is but a tiny grain of sand in the desert of cosmic space-time.
By no means Liu’s best work, but worth reading. Flights of imagination interleaved with short essays from various SF publications. Liu alludes to his atheism but not his controversial views on the Chinese Communist Party. (Give him a break, he has to live there.)
The worlds described in today’s sci-fi are entirely different from those of a few decades ago, whereas today’s fantasy worlds aren’t so different from those of the Middle Ages.
Interleaved stories and essays give a rough chronology of the life and times of the developing Cixin Liu, the Sirius of the current Milky Way of science fiction authors. Like many anthologies, View represents the sweeping left after his good stuff sold on its own merits. Some nuggets in here.
“The most obvious drawback of the horse-drawn carriage, compared to the automobile, is its speed.”
No, it’s how you feed the horses. (Not to mention dealing with fodder by-products.) Lui sees no problem with ant or bacteria-sized humans, forgetting that the human brain is unlikely to scale down so easily. He may be content to live under communist rule. Must of the world’s population may not.
The religious feeling of science fiction is a deep sense of awe at the great mysteries of the universe. you’re overcome by the realization that our civilization is but a tiny grain of sand in the desert of cosmic space-time.
By no means Liu’s best work, but worth reading. Flights of imagination interleaved with short essays from various SF publications. Liu alludes to his atheism but not his controversial views on the Chinese Communist Party. (Give him a break, he has to live there.)
The worlds described in today’s sci-fi are entirely different from those of a few decades ago, whereas today’s fantasy worlds aren’t so different from those of the Middle Ages.
September 4, 2026
This was theoretically my non-fiction read for August, though as I discovered calling it such is a bit of a reach. I grabbed it from the library out of general curiosity after seeing it while picking up Broken Stars, though my only previous exposure to Liu’s work before this was basically just the first two thirds of the Three Body Problem trilogy. Which was enough grounding to appreciate this collection, which I found an easy and interesting read (though hardly revelatory and with one exception unlikely to leave much of a lasting impression).
This is, as the title implies, a fairly slim (200 pages and change) collection of short stories and essays written by Cixin Liu in the earlier stages of his career (mostly the late ‘90s and early 2000s, though with a few earlier than that) with I believe only the first essay in the book written after he really shot to prominence with The Three Body Problem. There’s clear curation and care taken with the order things are presented in, but the editors themselves are entirely silent and not a word was written by anyone specifically for this collection. The essays (broadly defined here to include saved scripts from a few talks and one magazine interview) are a mix of Liu discussing his own background and career and (probably more prominently) his thoughts on science fiction as a genre and what its purpose and particular virtues are. They are interspersed with a roughly equal number of short stories, usually with some thematic connection to the essay preceding them, each wildly dissimilar in topic from the next.
The short stories are all very idea-first, with the plot and characters clearly nothing more than vehicles to explore some concept or bit of theoretical technology that captured Liu’s interest. Which is one of many ways that they felt almost nostalgic to read – the vast majority of them reminded me of nothing so much as the Golden Age short stories (Asimov and his contemporaries, say) I grew up reading from ratty old paperbacks from the overstuffed shelf my dad kept in the basement. Most could have fit in seamlessly without changing much more than the locations and ethnicities of main characters, a couple (one about a time traveller reassuring Einstein in his last days that humanity has a future, the other about a pair of interplanetary tourists falling through a wormhole and accidentally causing intelligent dinosaurs to become Earth’s dominant species) honestly without even that. Not all of them really worked as stories, and a few were either about concepts I didn’t find anywhere near as interesting as Liu or just weren’t executed with any real flair, but on the whole they were quick and interesting enough that I was happy to start the next.
That said, the essays were – though I’m not sure if this was intentional or just a matter of what I’m more curious about – really the stars of the show. The snapshots of Liu’s life and of late 20th and early 21st century Chinese sci-fi fandom are sociologically interesting in a way that retrospective essays describing the broad sweep of their development rarely are. They also reinforce the comparison with somewhat earlier American science fiction fandom just in terms of the personalities involved and common topics of discussion. Nothing to make you feel the inherent unity of the human race like finding out that entirely different communities of people on the other side of the Pacific spent the ‘90s and ‘00s having their own tedious-yet-vicious online arguments about the dumbest possible interpretations of ‘fantasy vs sci-fi’.
Those sort of reflections aside, the main topic of the book’s essays is what ‘science fiction’ actually means as a form of literature (or, at least, it is a subject I spend too long pondering myself and so paid far more attention to than any other recurring themes). Liu has interesting and well-developed thoughts on the subject, if ones that are hardly in accord with most understandings of the term – though really that’s the fate of any rigorous definition of any genre, so far as I can tell.
Liu describes science fiction as essentially fiction that, in addition to the normal literary virtues of characterization, emotionally affecting narratives, contemplation of universal or timely themes and so on, has access to a whole second set of artistic virtues centred around detailing and exploring what he calls ‘science-fictional objects’. Technologies, scientific theories, hypothetical changes to the world – whatever it is that makes the story science fiction, basically. Which can of course be used to support more normal literary virtues, but he seems to argue that what makes something good science fiction qua science fiction is when it explores the object, on its own terms and in its own right, in intellectually interesting and aesthetically satisfying ways.
The idea that the highest purpose of science fiction is to dramatize the frontiers of scientific advancement and to imagine new futures to help inspire the present is hardly original, though largely out of fashion in English-language writing these days. Liu still takes this further than most in what’s probably his most controversial point – that good science fiction (qua science fiction) is inherently in conversation with the cutting edge of scientific theory and technological development, and so necessarily ages terribly. The classics of science fiction might or might not remain excellent literature, but if they are still worth reading decades later it is as something fundamentally different from what they were written or first read as (besides which, most of them just aren’t still worth reading, and accepting this is not any sort of judgment on their original quality).
All of which is a fascinating perspective, and one I’m not wholly opposed to – though accepting it does require coming up with new labels for the supermajority of modern science fiction which would no longer qualify as part of the genre under his definitions. The essays arguing for it being interspersed among what by now are themselves extremely dated and so presumably not-worth-reading short stories really enhanced the reading experience. Overall an interesting curiosity, though not something I’d call really worth seeking out.
This is, as the title implies, a fairly slim (200 pages and change) collection of short stories and essays written by Cixin Liu in the earlier stages of his career (mostly the late ‘90s and early 2000s, though with a few earlier than that) with I believe only the first essay in the book written after he really shot to prominence with The Three Body Problem. There’s clear curation and care taken with the order things are presented in, but the editors themselves are entirely silent and not a word was written by anyone specifically for this collection. The essays (broadly defined here to include saved scripts from a few talks and one magazine interview) are a mix of Liu discussing his own background and career and (probably more prominently) his thoughts on science fiction as a genre and what its purpose and particular virtues are. They are interspersed with a roughly equal number of short stories, usually with some thematic connection to the essay preceding them, each wildly dissimilar in topic from the next.
The short stories are all very idea-first, with the plot and characters clearly nothing more than vehicles to explore some concept or bit of theoretical technology that captured Liu’s interest. Which is one of many ways that they felt almost nostalgic to read – the vast majority of them reminded me of nothing so much as the Golden Age short stories (Asimov and his contemporaries, say) I grew up reading from ratty old paperbacks from the overstuffed shelf my dad kept in the basement. Most could have fit in seamlessly without changing much more than the locations and ethnicities of main characters, a couple (one about a time traveller reassuring Einstein in his last days that humanity has a future, the other about a pair of interplanetary tourists falling through a wormhole and accidentally causing intelligent dinosaurs to become Earth’s dominant species) honestly without even that. Not all of them really worked as stories, and a few were either about concepts I didn’t find anywhere near as interesting as Liu or just weren’t executed with any real flair, but on the whole they were quick and interesting enough that I was happy to start the next.
That said, the essays were – though I’m not sure if this was intentional or just a matter of what I’m more curious about – really the stars of the show. The snapshots of Liu’s life and of late 20th and early 21st century Chinese sci-fi fandom are sociologically interesting in a way that retrospective essays describing the broad sweep of their development rarely are. They also reinforce the comparison with somewhat earlier American science fiction fandom just in terms of the personalities involved and common topics of discussion. Nothing to make you feel the inherent unity of the human race like finding out that entirely different communities of people on the other side of the Pacific spent the ‘90s and ‘00s having their own tedious-yet-vicious online arguments about the dumbest possible interpretations of ‘fantasy vs sci-fi’.
Those sort of reflections aside, the main topic of the book’s essays is what ‘science fiction’ actually means as a form of literature (or, at least, it is a subject I spend too long pondering myself and so paid far more attention to than any other recurring themes). Liu has interesting and well-developed thoughts on the subject, if ones that are hardly in accord with most understandings of the term – though really that’s the fate of any rigorous definition of any genre, so far as I can tell.
Liu describes science fiction as essentially fiction that, in addition to the normal literary virtues of characterization, emotionally affecting narratives, contemplation of universal or timely themes and so on, has access to a whole second set of artistic virtues centred around detailing and exploring what he calls ‘science-fictional objects’. Technologies, scientific theories, hypothetical changes to the world – whatever it is that makes the story science fiction, basically. Which can of course be used to support more normal literary virtues, but he seems to argue that what makes something good science fiction qua science fiction is when it explores the object, on its own terms and in its own right, in intellectually interesting and aesthetically satisfying ways.
The idea that the highest purpose of science fiction is to dramatize the frontiers of scientific advancement and to imagine new futures to help inspire the present is hardly original, though largely out of fashion in English-language writing these days. Liu still takes this further than most in what’s probably his most controversial point – that good science fiction (qua science fiction) is inherently in conversation with the cutting edge of scientific theory and technological development, and so necessarily ages terribly. The classics of science fiction might or might not remain excellent literature, but if they are still worth reading decades later it is as something fundamentally different from what they were written or first read as (besides which, most of them just aren’t still worth reading, and accepting this is not any sort of judgment on their original quality).
All of which is a fascinating perspective, and one I’m not wholly opposed to – though accepting it does require coming up with new labels for the supermajority of modern science fiction which would no longer qualify as part of the genre under his definitions. The essays arguing for it being interspersed among what by now are themselves extremely dated and so presumably not-worth-reading short stories really enhanced the reading experience. Overall an interesting curiosity, though not something I’d call really worth seeking out.
December 18, 2025
I liked the short essays as nice food for thought that revealed some behind the scenes of the writing mind of an author I love. Not so much into the short stories selected in this collection. But! I love The Messenger hehe C:
May 8, 2024
2.5 even... Liu's style and philosophy towards sci-fi and what it needs to accomplish, and the ways in which it should do that, or the role it plays in society... idk they are not for me!
April 3, 2024
I was so excited and thankful when I received this earc from NetGalley and the publisher! Especially right about the same time as The Three Body Problem series dropped on Netflix - one of the greatest sci fi series! This collection is mostly short essays which are non fiction. Science isn’t my favorite topic by any means but I still found it fascinating to learn about various topics from this great writer!
June 10, 2024
Great to have some analysis on sci-fi from an author who excels in the genre. The essays towards the end provide some really interesting brief sociological analysis. Not convinced by some of the short stories but Liu's recent success in the Three-Body problem proves he still has plenty to share with us. Also great to have a non-western perspective in a genre that tends to be overwhelmingly American.
March 26, 2024
I was provided and audio ARC of this book via Netgalley, all opinions are my own. I did enjoy the narrator, he did a good job with the voice acting for the fictional works.
If you are a fan of the author's work, this is a nice compilation of fiction and non-fiction short stories and essays that he has written over his career from various publications. I would not recommend this as a starting point for the author's work if you are a new reader. This complication includes a mix of short stories tied to novels he has written, complete standalone short stories, and essays and interviews composed for magazines and other outlets. I have previously only read the Remembrance of Earth's Past series (Three Body Problem) and was able to follow along with his writing style, which I do enjoy.
The author has very particular opinions on sci-fi and expresses them in his essays. You also have to keep in mind that many of the works are translated, and there is often something lost in the translation of a work because the translator will put their own "spin" on things. If this is where you start with the author's writing, I can see a new reader to his work being turned off by this compilation of interviews, essays, and short fiction. This is a more thought provoking insight into his life and works and how he sees science and science fiction based on his experiences.
Overall, I very much enjoyed the fictional short stories, but the addition of the non-fiction essays felt a bit disjointed. I feel like it should have been all essays or all short stories, I thought it was all short fiction but I misread the synopsis. There was no flow between the fiction and the non-fiction, at least in the audio version. Perhaps in the print book, where you can pick the book up and put it down between stories and articles it makes more sense to compile the book in this way.
If you are a fan of the author's work, this is a nice compilation of fiction and non-fiction short stories and essays that he has written over his career from various publications. I would not recommend this as a starting point for the author's work if you are a new reader. This complication includes a mix of short stories tied to novels he has written, complete standalone short stories, and essays and interviews composed for magazines and other outlets. I have previously only read the Remembrance of Earth's Past series (Three Body Problem) and was able to follow along with his writing style, which I do enjoy.
The author has very particular opinions on sci-fi and expresses them in his essays. You also have to keep in mind that many of the works are translated, and there is often something lost in the translation of a work because the translator will put their own "spin" on things. If this is where you start with the author's writing, I can see a new reader to his work being turned off by this compilation of interviews, essays, and short fiction. This is a more thought provoking insight into his life and works and how he sees science and science fiction based on his experiences.
Overall, I very much enjoyed the fictional short stories, but the addition of the non-fiction essays felt a bit disjointed. I feel like it should have been all essays or all short stories, I thought it was all short fiction but I misread the synopsis. There was no flow between the fiction and the non-fiction, at least in the audio version. Perhaps in the print book, where you can pick the book up and put it down between stories and articles it makes more sense to compile the book in this way.
Read
February 17, 2026This is hard to rate because some essays and one story was fantastic while the rest were just okay. I don't know if I'd recommend the collection as a whole to those who are not already huge fans of Cixin Liu.
As always with sci-fi collections, I tend to like the longer stories best, when the author has time to not only set up a cool idea but to live in it and show us what it means. "Heard it in the Morning" is an incredible story: if you could learn the secrets to the universe and die ten minutes later, would? The world's top scientists say yes, which just goes to show what sort of person becomes a scientist. (Stephen Hawking makes an unintentionally hilarious cameo too. That was weird but whatever.)
"The World in Fifty Years" was my favorite essay, showing how creative and brilliant he is in many fields, putting forth wild ideas that are actually possible. Science has moved beyond the state of myth. It has power that outpaces every fantasy. Also, the world should fight wars through "War Olympics."
As always with sci-fi collections, I tend to like the longer stories best, when the author has time to not only set up a cool idea but to live in it and show us what it means. "Heard it in the Morning" is an incredible story: if you could learn the secrets to the universe and die ten minutes later, would? The world's top scientists say yes, which just goes to show what sort of person becomes a scientist. (Stephen Hawking makes an unintentionally hilarious cameo too. That was weird but whatever.)
"The World in Fifty Years" was my favorite essay, showing how creative and brilliant he is in many fields, putting forth wild ideas that are actually possible. Science has moved beyond the state of myth. It has power that outpaces every fantasy. Also, the world should fight wars through "War Olympics."
January 10, 2025
Part essays, part short stories, this was an interesting exploration of the universe and one man's mind. I know I didn't quite grasp all of it, but I enjoyed every moment.
My favorite short story was "Butterfly". I've always loved the concept of the Butterfly Effect, so to see that played with in such a compelling and heartbreaking way was interesting. I also really enjoyed the last essay that brought the whole collection together.
I do not agree with everything posited in this collection, as I am a Christian so I come at things from a different view, but it was good for me to explore other types of thought and have driven home for me how much more hope I have with a God behind science.
My favorite short story was "Butterfly". I've always loved the concept of the Butterfly Effect, so to see that played with in such a compelling and heartbreaking way was interesting. I also really enjoyed the last essay that brought the whole collection together.
I do not agree with everything posited in this collection, as I am a Christian so I come at things from a different view, but it was good for me to explore other types of thought and have driven home for me how much more hope I have with a God behind science.
November 29, 2025
Ich habe zwar gemischte Gefühle gegenüber Liu Cixins Trisolaris-Trilogie, sie hat mir aber insgesamt einen beeindruckenden Eindruck hinterlassen. In dieser Kurzgeschichtensammlung hingegen hat er für mich wenig Interessantes zu sagen. Viele Geschichten wirken absurd, manche etwas töricht. Besonders störend finde ich es, wenn angeblich brillante Wissenschaftler sich auffallend vernunftwidrig verhalten. Zudem begeht Liu in mehr als der Hälfte der Geschichten grundlegende wissenschaftliche oder logische Fehlschlüsse, was die Lektüre für mich äusserst frustriert.
Wahlgesang 1* -- Hat sich Liu nicht über die Ernährungsgewohnheiten der Blauwale informiert?
Der Bote 2* -- Langweilig, klischeehaft.
Schmetterling 2* -- Nicht bewegend, nicht überzeugend, absurdes/kein richtiges Ende/keine Pointe.
Das Ende des Mikrokosmos 1* -- Doof, unwissenschaftlich.
Schicksal 1* -- Besonders frustrierend: ein toller Twist, dann die dümmste Unlogik.
Der Einstein Aequator 1* -- Die brillantesten Wissenschaftler der Erde sind dumm.
Wahlgesang 1* -- Hat sich Liu nicht über die Ernährungsgewohnheiten der Blauwale informiert?
Der Bote 2* -- Langweilig, klischeehaft.
Schmetterling 2* -- Nicht bewegend, nicht überzeugend, absurdes/kein richtiges Ende/keine Pointe.
Das Ende des Mikrokosmos 1* -- Doof, unwissenschaftlich.
Schicksal 1* -- Besonders frustrierend: ein toller Twist, dann die dümmste Unlogik.
Der Einstein Aequator 1* -- Die brillantesten Wissenschaftler der Erde sind dumm.
May 17, 2024
A beautiful book encapsulating the beauty and grandeur of sci-fi weaved together with Cixin’s previous short stories. I love sci-fi and it was amazing to hear an author describe the allure and awe of speculating on the great mysteries of the universe.
An interest little tidbit that stuck with me was that due to the current accelerating rate of technological advancement, science can not accurately forecast anything more than twenty years off, therefore science fiction writers can be given relatively the same amount of credence when speculating about the far future.
An interest little tidbit that stuck with me was that due to the current accelerating rate of technological advancement, science can not accurately forecast anything more than twenty years off, therefore science fiction writers can be given relatively the same amount of credence when speculating about the far future.
May 13, 2024
A mixture of essays and short stories from Liu's career, where the essays complement the succeeding story. Some of the ideas are grand and some are quite intimate. It is interesting how the author tries to define the differences between science fiction and science fantasy at different phases of his career and never quite seems to find a description that fits properly.
April 25, 2024
i read this because i liked the three body problem trilogy by the same author, which will probably be the reason most people are reading this. it's a collection of essays and short stories most of the essays are about how sci-fi should be grounded in actual science, and that nobody in china likes sci-fi. none of these essays were very good; liu really doesn't have anything interesting to say, unfortunately. the short stories are not much better. they all try and come off as very serious, but are all ridiculous.none of these are very memorable either. it's a relatively short collection, so nothing lost, but it would be hard to recommend this to someone who isn't a giant cixin liu fanatic.
May 18, 2024
Great short stories from the mind of a brilliant author. “We sci-fi fans are a people from the future.”
May 24, 2024
Read for AAPI month
4 for stories
3 for interviews/essays
4 for stories
3 for interviews/essays
May 1, 2026
Una verdadera carta de amor a la ciencia ficción. Expresa con palabras cosas que solamente sentía.
April 26, 2024
Thank you NetGalley and Head of Zeus for the advance reader copy.
Sometimes an author writes an amazing piece of work and other times, like this collection of essays unfortunately, was not that.
I think the authors classic style of writing is still somewhat there within the essays but there’s not a lot to draw you in and keep you there.
Sometimes an author writes an amazing piece of work and other times, like this collection of essays unfortunately, was not that.
I think the authors classic style of writing is still somewhat there within the essays but there’s not a lot to draw you in and keep you there.
April 30, 2024
I think that it’s safe to say that I enjoyed my time reading ‘A View From the Stars’. Massive thanks to NetGalley for providing me an arc of this book. Despite me giving it 3.75 stars (which isn’t a bad rating but I haven’t really rated many books lower that 4 stars this year) I did enjoy every second reading this. I’ve been meaning to read a book by Cixin Liu for the longest time and I thought that I would have started with ‘The Three Body Problem’, which is probably his most famous work, but the arc of this is where I started. I would say not to start with this book if you’re looking to get into his work, probably start with The Three Body Problem (although I haven’t read it). I flew through the first 60% and it took me longer to get through the last 40% but that was just a time issue. I thought that the book was very thought provoking, and as an avid science fiction fan and someone who thinks a lot about physics, some of the essays in here really helped bring new light to some little arguments and conversations I have with myself about the things brought up. I also enjoyed learning a little more about the science fiction scene in china versus the United States. It really show how diverse they are from each other. Overall, I gave this 3.75 stars!
May 19, 2025
I was dying for more stories by Cixin so I picked this one up. While none of the stories surpassed my favorites from him, they were still excellent. I also enjoyed the various essays and interviews. Very interesting and a great explanation of what sci-fi is.
July 18, 2024
I was really excited to read this newly in English collection of stories and essays by one of my favorite authors. I found the stories intriguing, often somewhat dark, many interested in topics I've read before from Liu. The essays were mostly less compelling, but still fun to read as a fan.
August 1, 2024
Y'all I don't know if I'll even read Three Body after this. I read one scene in the beginning where a guy cuts another man's nose off and spends-I'm not even kidding-three pages laughing about it.
No thanks.
2 stars, and one star is for the beautiful cover.
No thanks.
2 stars, and one star is for the beautiful cover.
June 30, 2024
Deeply stupid
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