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Universe of Xuya
Of Wars, and Memories, and Starlight
A major first collection from a writer fast becoming one of the stars of the genre... Aliette de Bodard, multiple award winner and author of The Tea Master and the Detective, now brings readers fourteen dazzling tales that showcase the richly textured worldbuilding and beloved characters that have brought her so much acclaim.
Come discover the breadth and endless invention of her universes, ranging from a dark Gothic Paris devastated by a magical war; to the multiple award-winning Xuya, a far-future space opera inspired by Vietnamese culture where scholars administrate planets and sentient spaceships are part of families.
In the Nebula award and Locus award winning "Immersion", a young girl working in a restaurant on a colonized space station crosses paths with an older woman who has cast off her own identity. In the novelette "Children of Thorns, Children of Water", a shapeshifting dragon infiltrating a ruined mansion finds more than he's bargained for when his partner is snatched by eerie, child-like creatures. And in the award-winning "Three Cups of Grief, by Starlight", three very different people--a scholar, an engineer, and a spaceship--all must deal with the loss of a woman who was the cornerstone of their world.
This collection includes a never-before seen 20,000-word novella, "Of Birthdays, and Fungus, and Kindness", set in Bodard's alternative dark Paris.
Limited: 1250 signed numbered hardcover copies
Table of Contents:
Come discover the breadth and endless invention of her universes, ranging from a dark Gothic Paris devastated by a magical war; to the multiple award-winning Xuya, a far-future space opera inspired by Vietnamese culture where scholars administrate planets and sentient spaceships are part of families.
In the Nebula award and Locus award winning "Immersion", a young girl working in a restaurant on a colonized space station crosses paths with an older woman who has cast off her own identity. In the novelette "Children of Thorns, Children of Water", a shapeshifting dragon infiltrating a ruined mansion finds more than he's bargained for when his partner is snatched by eerie, child-like creatures. And in the award-winning "Three Cups of Grief, by Starlight", three very different people--a scholar, an engineer, and a spaceship--all must deal with the loss of a woman who was the cornerstone of their world.
This collection includes a never-before seen 20,000-word novella, "Of Birthdays, and Fungus, and Kindness", set in Bodard's alternative dark Paris.
Limited: 1250 signed numbered hardcover copies
Table of Contents:
Introduction
The Shipmaker
The Jaguar House, in Shadow
Scattered Along the River of Heaven
Immersion June
The Waiting Stars
Memorials
The Breath of War
The Days of the War, as Red as Blood, as Dark as Bile
The Dust Queen
Three Cups of Grief, by Starlight
A Salvaging of Ghosts
Pearl
Children of Thorns, Children of Water
Of Birthdays, and Fungus, and Kindness (original novella)
Story Notes
384 pages, Hardcover
First published September 1, 2010
75 people are currently reading
1461 people want to read
About the author
Aliette de Bodard
266 books2,240 followersAliette de Bodard lives and works in Paris. She has won three Nebula Awards, an Ignyte Award, a Locus Award, a British Fantasy Award and four British Science Fiction Association Awards, and was a double Hugo finalist for 2019 (Best Series and Best Novella).
Her most recent book is Fireheart Tiger (Tor.com), a sapphic romantic fantasy inspired by pre colonial Vietnam, where a diplomat princess must decide the fate of her country, and her own. She also wrote Seven of Infinities (Subterranean Press), a space opera where a sentient spaceship and an upright scholar join forces to investigate a murder, and find themselves falling for each other. Other books include Of Dragons, Feasts and Murders and its standalone sequel Of Charms, Ghosts and Grievances, (JABberwocky Literary Agency, Inc.), fantasy books of manners and murders set in an alternate 19th Century Vietnamese court. She lives in Paris.
Her most recent book is Fireheart Tiger (Tor.com), a sapphic romantic fantasy inspired by pre colonial Vietnam, where a diplomat princess must decide the fate of her country, and her own. She also wrote Seven of Infinities (Subterranean Press), a space opera where a sentient spaceship and an upright scholar join forces to investigate a murder, and find themselves falling for each other. Other books include Of Dragons, Feasts and Murders and its standalone sequel Of Charms, Ghosts and Grievances, (JABberwocky Literary Agency, Inc.), fantasy books of manners and murders set in an alternate 19th Century Vietnamese court. She lives in Paris.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 89 reviews
November 11, 2023
A collection of short stories. One will probably grab you more than the other. I don’t think short stories are always the right way to discover a new author. But in Aliette de Bodard’s case, I think her short stories are a very good way to test the waters, to see if her writing could be something for you. One thing I have to say though: these stories are not so easy to read. These are thought-provoking stories. At times they can get quite poetic, deep and philosophical. And if you’re not paying close enough attention, these stories can definitely be a bit hard to follow at times.
A select couple of stories are highlighted:
The Jaguar House, in Shadow - 3/5
The Aztec-inspired world building is just fascinating to read. It’s basically about choices and compromises. It’s about people who have grown apart over the years and find themselves having different opinions. It’s interesting, but not very entertaining.
Scattered Along the River of Heaven - 3/5
A story about the sadness and bitterness of revolutionaries, and the burden they carry.
Immersion – 4/5
It’s about a woman who hides behind her avatar. It’s about people relying so much on technology that eventually, you start to lose yourself.
A Salvaging of Ghosts - 3/5
Bit of a weird but charming short story about the salvaging of a mindship. The scavengers go into the mindship to collect gems, they are what’s left of the dead passengers. But inside the ship there’s a ghost of the ship itself.
A select couple of stories are highlighted:
The Jaguar House, in Shadow - 3/5
The Aztec-inspired world building is just fascinating to read. It’s basically about choices and compromises. It’s about people who have grown apart over the years and find themselves having different opinions. It’s interesting, but not very entertaining.
Scattered Along the River of Heaven - 3/5
A story about the sadness and bitterness of revolutionaries, and the burden they carry.
Immersion – 4/5
It’s about a woman who hides behind her avatar. It’s about people relying so much on technology that eventually, you start to lose yourself.
A Salvaging of Ghosts - 3/5
Bit of a weird but charming short story about the salvaging of a mindship. The scavengers go into the mindship to collect gems, they are what’s left of the dead passengers. But inside the ship there’s a ghost of the ship itself.
August 31, 2019
I knew I needed to read Of Wars, and Memories, and Starlight when I got to know that there was an f/f novella in it - about Emmanuelle and Selene from the Dominion of the Fallen series, and really, the main reason I love them are the scenes of them I saw in various short stories and novellas, this one included - and it didn't disappoint. I probably would have read this anyway because I always want more Xuya universe (and short stories set in space in general), but the fact that the novella wasn't the only f/f story was also a nice surprise.
As one can guess from the title, most stories in Of Wars, and Memories, and Starlight have something to do with a war. If you think this could be repetitive, it's not, because these stories about war aren't stories about battles, but about the repercussions of it. It's about how war changes people on a personal level just as much as it can change a country, and about how war and diaspora influence a culture.
What I want the most from collections (and anthologies, too), is that they feel more than the sum of their parts, and that's definitely true for this book. There's a value in this multifaceted approach to a theme that one can't get from reading all these stories individually in different moments.
So yes, this is about war, from many different angles, and yet it's all but depressing. Some parts of it are definitely dark - I think this hits the darkest points in The Days of the War, as Red as Blood, as Dark as Bile and in The Waiting Stars, though The Jaguar House, In Shadow was also almost there, since it dealt with totalitarianism - but others aren't, and the collection ends on a lighter note with the novella Of Birthdays, and Fungus, and Kindness, in which the main characters try to make a party work in the aftermath of the fall of House Silverspires. (By the way: all the scenes involving Morningstar were so funny. I'm kind of sorry for Emmanuelle, but... so funny)
Even then, not all stories deal primarily with war. The Dust Queen is about the role of pain in art, Pearl is a beautiful retelling of a Vietnamese lengend in space, and there are a few stories that are mostly about grief - Three Cups of Grief, by Starlight, which was a reread for me and my introduction to the Xuya universe, and A Salvaging of Ghosts - and some in which the main theme is colonization, my two favorite stories in here, Memorials and Immersion.
Memorials does talk about the aftermath of a war, and it's about... pain-based tourism and voyeuristic portrayals of war, but it's also a story about taking back the ways your culture is misrepresented, and about what you owe to your people. This one was so vivid that the first thing I think of when I think about this book are the food descriptions (especially the scene in which the aunts order chè ba màu).
Immersion is about globalization as a subtler form of colonization. It's one of the stories that stands better on its own and it's about how the colonizer's interpretation of a culture can be prioritized, and about how people who are used to living as a part of the dominant culture assume their own as a default (the usual "I have no culture") and so they try to reduce others to a few key points, the ones that feel the most different. About how this affects the people who are othered, and their sense of self, because being more similar to the dominant culture is seen as "progress" no matter what, and people end up hurting themselves in the attempt to assimilate. There's a lot here and it deserves all the awards it got.
Since these stories have been written from 2010 to 2019, there are a few that feel dated. While I really liked The Shipmaker for being a bittersweet f/f story, the way it talked about being queer in a far-future space society and the way it accidentally conflated having an uterus with being a woman really made the fact that it was written in 2011 stand out.
Overall, while not every story worked for me on its own - that's the way collection and anthologies go - I'm really satisfied with the collection as a whole, and I really appreciated seeing so many sides of the Xuya universe, which I previously mostly knew from the novellas. If I rated every story individually, I would have an average rating of 4.07 , but this is worth more than that for me.
The Shipmaker - 4,5
The Jaguar House, in Shadow - 4,5
Scattered Along the River of Heaven - 2,5
Immersion - 5
The Waiting Stars - 2,5
Memorials - 5
The Breath of War - 3
The Days of the War, as Red as Blood, as Dark as Bile - 3,5
The Dust Queen - 4
Three Cups of Grief, By Starlight - 4,5
A Salvaging of Ghosts - 3
Pearl - 5
Children of Thorns, Children of Water - 5
Of Birthdays, and Fungus, and Kindness - 5
As one can guess from the title, most stories in Of Wars, and Memories, and Starlight have something to do with a war. If you think this could be repetitive, it's not, because these stories about war aren't stories about battles, but about the repercussions of it. It's about how war changes people on a personal level just as much as it can change a country, and about how war and diaspora influence a culture.
What I want the most from collections (and anthologies, too), is that they feel more than the sum of their parts, and that's definitely true for this book. There's a value in this multifaceted approach to a theme that one can't get from reading all these stories individually in different moments.
So yes, this is about war, from many different angles, and yet it's all but depressing. Some parts of it are definitely dark - I think this hits the darkest points in The Days of the War, as Red as Blood, as Dark as Bile and in The Waiting Stars, though The Jaguar House, In Shadow was also almost there, since it dealt with totalitarianism - but others aren't, and the collection ends on a lighter note with the novella Of Birthdays, and Fungus, and Kindness, in which the main characters try to make a party work in the aftermath of the fall of House Silverspires. (By the way: all the scenes involving Morningstar were so funny. I'm kind of sorry for Emmanuelle, but... so funny)
Even then, not all stories deal primarily with war. The Dust Queen is about the role of pain in art, Pearl is a beautiful retelling of a Vietnamese lengend in space, and there are a few stories that are mostly about grief - Three Cups of Grief, by Starlight, which was a reread for me and my introduction to the Xuya universe, and A Salvaging of Ghosts - and some in which the main theme is colonization, my two favorite stories in here, Memorials and Immersion.
Memorials does talk about the aftermath of a war, and it's about... pain-based tourism and voyeuristic portrayals of war, but it's also a story about taking back the ways your culture is misrepresented, and about what you owe to your people. This one was so vivid that the first thing I think of when I think about this book are the food descriptions (especially the scene in which the aunts order chè ba màu).
Immersion is about globalization as a subtler form of colonization. It's one of the stories that stands better on its own and it's about how the colonizer's interpretation of a culture can be prioritized, and about how people who are used to living as a part of the dominant culture assume their own as a default (the usual "I have no culture") and so they try to reduce others to a few key points, the ones that feel the most different. About how this affects the people who are othered, and their sense of self, because being more similar to the dominant culture is seen as "progress" no matter what, and people end up hurting themselves in the attempt to assimilate. There's a lot here and it deserves all the awards it got.
Since these stories have been written from 2010 to 2019, there are a few that feel dated. While I really liked The Shipmaker for being a bittersweet f/f story, the way it talked about being queer in a far-future space society and the way it accidentally conflated having an uterus with being a woman really made the fact that it was written in 2011 stand out.
Overall, while not every story worked for me on its own - that's the way collection and anthologies go - I'm really satisfied with the collection as a whole, and I really appreciated seeing so many sides of the Xuya universe, which I previously mostly knew from the novellas. If I rated every story individually, I would have an average rating of 4.07 , but this is worth more than that for me.
The Shipmaker - 4,5
The Jaguar House, in Shadow - 4,5
Scattered Along the River of Heaven - 2,5
Immersion - 5
The Waiting Stars - 2,5
Memorials - 5
The Breath of War - 3
The Days of the War, as Red as Blood, as Dark as Bile - 3,5
The Dust Queen - 4
Three Cups of Grief, By Starlight - 4,5
A Salvaging of Ghosts - 3
Pearl - 5
Children of Thorns, Children of Water - 5
Of Birthdays, and Fungus, and Kindness - 5
March 6, 2020
One of the joys for me in reading collections that mainly consist of stories I've already read is in getting to experience them in the order the author selected, which for a well-curated collection can dramatically increase the impact of each story. Aliette de Bodard's stories are fantastic independently, and this is a beautifully organized collection that really highlights her skills over a broad cross-section of her writing. You get to see her incredible world-building across time and space in the Xuya universe, as well as her deep thoughtfulness around themes like grief, colonization, and the titular wars and memories.
September 14, 2020
Aliette de Bodard writes beautiful stories filled with gorgeous imagery, darkness and violence. Her prose has so many textures, and this collection is a good example of her work, and of her far future Xuya universe. The shorts cover events at different points in the universe’s history, and are concerned with the effects of colonialism and globalization, and more personal things such as identity, family, and tea. Because, yum, tea!
My thoughts on each piece:
Introduction: This was lovely, and reminded me of things I had felt were lacking in my own early reading of science fiction and fantasy, such as credibly-drawn, fully realized women and people of colour, who weren’t just servants or evildoers.
The Shipmaker: Mindships appears in many of the stories in this collection. These are amazing sentient ships, each one a member of a human family. This story was about a designer of mindships; she must prepare one to coincide with a birth. This story wasn’t just good, and it ended up somewhere I wasn’t expecting.
The Jaguar House, in Shadow Such lovely language to talk about choices and compromises, and how it affects those who choose each path.
Scattered Along the River of Heaven: A story heavy with sadness, and the bitter feelings of a falling out between two strong-willed co-conspirators of a successful revolution against their colonizers.
Immersion: This could be a story about today’s big tech and their relentless drive to make us all conform to their view of the world. I realize this story has its roots in a slightly different form of colonialism and globalization, but the base attitude of the Prime and their immersion tech and today’s tech culture feel very similar.
The Waiting Stars: this has two, parallel stories within it: one, a rescue of a near-death mindship back to her family, the other, about two young women raised (more like abused) in an orphanage, who are struggling mightily, trying to make lives for themselves on their conquerer’s home planet. There is much pain and horror in the planet-based story.
Memorials: I really liked the idea of the dead finding a second, online life.
A young woman cheats grieving relatives of their dead family member’s memories, and instead of safeguarding these, sells them to a set of mysterious, elderly aunts at a Memorials site.
The Breath of War: In this society, a person carves an entity from a particular type of stone; the entity becomes necessary in the safe delivery of the carver’s baby. Here, a carver, heavily pregnant, needs to return to the entity she carved, all the while surrounded by a civil war.
I could feel the exhaustion and pain of the main character as she is walking, desperately, to the site of her breath-brother.
The Days of the War, as Red as Blood, as Dark as Bile: This story was terrifying, claustrophobic, and so sad. Thien Bao has odd dreams, while war comes ever closer to her planet.
The Dust Queen: I was a little unclear on how retirement was to work, and how Quynh Ha the apothecary had to access the memories of the artist known as the Dust Queen. But the writing’s lovely, evoking the sadness and nostalgia of the imagery in the artist’s head.
Three Cups of Grief, by Starlight: An absolutely gorgeous story about a brother and sister, and the different ways they process their grief over their dead mother. The kicker is, they are very, very different, and their expectations of how grief will affect their lives was intriguing.
A Salvaging of Ghosts: Spooky, and so sad.
Pearl: There is something so fascinating about the remora being something halfway between bots and mindships. These little beings can analyze hints around them, and, in fact, assist the main character with his studies. His existing remora make him a special, unique remora, who helps him catch the Empress’ eye.
I liked the idea of transformation in this story, and the yearning the little being felt.
Children of Thorns, Children of Water: My review
Of Birthdays, and Fungus, and Kindness: Back in Silverspires! It’s Selene’s birthday and Emmanuel wants to celebrate it with a quiet, intimate dinner. Then Morningstar barges in, and the whole thing snowballs into a display of power to the other Houses. And there’s a fungus infestation to further complicate an already intolerable situation. And then in walks Asmodeus.
Emmanuelle’s the main character here, and it’s great following a rare Fallen who’s kind and sensible, and watch her struggle not to thwack Morningstar.
My thoughts on each piece:
Introduction: This was lovely, and reminded me of things I had felt were lacking in my own early reading of science fiction and fantasy, such as credibly-drawn, fully realized women and people of colour, who weren’t just servants or evildoers.
The Shipmaker: Mindships appears in many of the stories in this collection. These are amazing sentient ships, each one a member of a human family. This story was about a designer of mindships; she must prepare one to coincide with a birth. This story wasn’t just good, and it ended up somewhere I wasn’t expecting.
The Jaguar House, in Shadow Such lovely language to talk about choices and compromises, and how it affects those who choose each path.
Scattered Along the River of Heaven: A story heavy with sadness, and the bitter feelings of a falling out between two strong-willed co-conspirators of a successful revolution against their colonizers.
Immersion: This could be a story about today’s big tech and their relentless drive to make us all conform to their view of the world. I realize this story has its roots in a slightly different form of colonialism and globalization, but the base attitude of the Prime and their immersion tech and today’s tech culture feel very similar.
The Waiting Stars: this has two, parallel stories within it: one, a rescue of a near-death mindship back to her family, the other, about two young women raised (more like abused) in an orphanage, who are struggling mightily, trying to make lives for themselves on their conquerer’s home planet. There is much pain and horror in the planet-based story.
Memorials: I really liked the idea of the dead finding a second, online life.
A young woman cheats grieving relatives of their dead family member’s memories, and instead of safeguarding these, sells them to a set of mysterious, elderly aunts at a Memorials site.
The Breath of War: In this society, a person carves an entity from a particular type of stone; the entity becomes necessary in the safe delivery of the carver’s baby. Here, a carver, heavily pregnant, needs to return to the entity she carved, all the while surrounded by a civil war.
I could feel the exhaustion and pain of the main character as she is walking, desperately, to the site of her breath-brother.
The Days of the War, as Red as Blood, as Dark as Bile: This story was terrifying, claustrophobic, and so sad. Thien Bao has odd dreams, while war comes ever closer to her planet.
The Dust Queen: I was a little unclear on how retirement was to work, and how Quynh Ha the apothecary had to access the memories of the artist known as the Dust Queen. But the writing’s lovely, evoking the sadness and nostalgia of the imagery in the artist’s head.
Three Cups of Grief, by Starlight: An absolutely gorgeous story about a brother and sister, and the different ways they process their grief over their dead mother. The kicker is, they are very, very different, and their expectations of how grief will affect their lives was intriguing.
A Salvaging of Ghosts: Spooky, and so sad.
Pearl: There is something so fascinating about the remora being something halfway between bots and mindships. These little beings can analyze hints around them, and, in fact, assist the main character with his studies. His existing remora make him a special, unique remora, who helps him catch the Empress’ eye.
I liked the idea of transformation in this story, and the yearning the little being felt.
Children of Thorns, Children of Water: My review
Of Birthdays, and Fungus, and Kindness: Back in Silverspires! It’s Selene’s birthday and Emmanuel wants to celebrate it with a quiet, intimate dinner. Then Morningstar barges in, and the whole thing snowballs into a display of power to the other Houses. And there’s a fungus infestation to further complicate an already intolerable situation. And then in walks Asmodeus.
Emmanuelle’s the main character here, and it’s great following a rare Fallen who’s kind and sensible, and watch her struggle not to thwack Morningstar.
February 23, 2020
4.5 but if a book ever deserved upward rounding this is it.
De Bodard is determined to insert Vietnamese and other culture into the body of modern F/SF, and she continues to do a terrific job of it.
I don't actually even LIKE her Fallen Paris series, but here she's using it to focus on individual players doing the best they can in hard times, and facing hard decisions. That's edging into Guy Gavriel Kay territory, and from me there is no higher praise.
I do like the Xuya setting, and I particularly like most authors' takes on mindships. Now try to imagine de Bodard's agent with a new publisher: A: you know mindships? P: Sure, worked for Leckie and Reynolds and Asher. A: Good, because we're gonna use Vietnamese minds. P: Say what now? A: Yeah, and live births of cyborg minds that will go into ships, and when they die they will be surrounded with warped reality and .... . P: (pushes hidden button under desk)
But somehow it works, and we take it as a given, then de Bodard builds a situation, and tells a gripping story, and it's space opera, often with a techno-magic thing you just have to go along with, and at the end it breaks your heart and you realize what a perfectly crafted jewel that story was. (I didn't say "gem" because that's part of one of the heartbreaks ...)
If you're all Star Wars and MARVEL Avengers, this may not be for you. But if you can imagine having tea with a dragon Sherlock Holmes on a spaceship ... but wait, that's a different de Bodard book.
Someday maybe we can have tea with this author, and watch the sparks of ideas crackling out of her brain, and it's no ordinary brain.
Footnote: the cover art captures the author as well as ANY I have ever seen. It's gorgeous and elegant and totally RIGHT.
De Bodard is determined to insert Vietnamese and other culture into the body of modern F/SF, and she continues to do a terrific job of it.
I don't actually even LIKE her Fallen Paris series, but here she's using it to focus on individual players doing the best they can in hard times, and facing hard decisions. That's edging into Guy Gavriel Kay territory, and from me there is no higher praise.
I do like the Xuya setting, and I particularly like most authors' takes on mindships. Now try to imagine de Bodard's agent with a new publisher: A: you know mindships? P: Sure, worked for Leckie and Reynolds and Asher. A: Good, because we're gonna use Vietnamese minds. P: Say what now? A: Yeah, and live births of cyborg minds that will go into ships, and when they die they will be surrounded with warped reality and .... . P: (pushes hidden button under desk)
But somehow it works, and we take it as a given, then de Bodard builds a situation, and tells a gripping story, and it's space opera, often with a techno-magic thing you just have to go along with, and at the end it breaks your heart and you realize what a perfectly crafted jewel that story was. (I didn't say "gem" because that's part of one of the heartbreaks ...)
If you're all Star Wars and MARVEL Avengers, this may not be for you. But if you can imagine having tea with a dragon Sherlock Holmes on a spaceship ... but wait, that's a different de Bodard book.
Someday maybe we can have tea with this author, and watch the sparks of ideas crackling out of her brain, and it's no ordinary brain.
Footnote: the cover art captures the author as well as ANY I have ever seen. It's gorgeous and elegant and totally RIGHT.
December 28, 2023
A highly original collection of scifi short stories rooted in Vietnamese and occasionally Chinese culture too. What makes the book stand out is, in my view, the gravitas beyond each story: the solemnity of both personal and collective choices, and the inevitable futility of existence that ensues while dealing with pain, loss, and erasure of memory/identity/history. Some themes, like childbirth turned into mindshipbirth, are particularly poignant, given the fact they not simply add a flavour to the story, but create a truly female (I'd say feminist too)-centred pov, which I personally find a plus in a book. The collection in general is full of powerful women characters - leaders, queens, warladies, rebels, survivors, shipmakers - most of whom are either Vietnamese or non-white, in a galactic universe where the West is not the dominant culture (quite the opposite) but there are still many forms of oppression some of these women have to fight against in order to make sense of the past, the present and the future, as well as themselves. Though sometimes too concerned with war or war-related feuds, the book represents one of the masterpieces of contemporary scifi in short format, and one worth exploring. My personal highlights:
The Shipmaker
Scattered Along the River of Heaven
Immersion
The Dust Queen
Three Cups of Grief, by Starlight (I looove tea!)
A Salvaging of Ghosts (my favourite)
Pearl
Worth reading, but perhaps less original:
The Waiting Stars
Memorials
The Breath of War
The Shipmaker
Scattered Along the River of Heaven
Immersion
The Dust Queen
Three Cups of Grief, by Starlight (I looove tea!)
A Salvaging of Ghosts (my favourite)
Pearl
Worth reading, but perhaps less original:
The Waiting Stars
Memorials
The Breath of War
October 24, 2023
This collection was extraordinarily good and if you are looking for a place to start with Aliette de Bodard I would say this is indeed a great way to go (as was recommended to us). With the caveat that the last two stories that are from the Dominion of the Fallen universe are set after the first book in that series so it's something to bear in mind. I read it before reading the novel and it was fine but I suspect that it would be even better after. Though, those short-stories are great teasers for the series, so if you are unsure if you want to read it... then it's great.
But my main point here is. This is extraordinary collection. It's so rare to find a collection that has no duds in it, but this was that for me. I really like every single one of those stories. I liked some better than others (obviously) but even those that I didn't love had always something interesting to offer so wow, what a gem this is... The emotionality is of the charts here, the way some of the narratives of the stories are chiseled is extraordinary, the worldbuilding is fascinating and the characters always interesting, if not always loveable. I am just speechless... I can wait to keep exploring both Xuya universe and the Dominion of the Fallen universe and the rest of de Bodard's work!
🌈 The Shipmaker 5⭐
What a way to start the collection! This short-story was very close to perfection for me, concise, tight, focused... discussing themes of not-motherhood. The story is quite melancholy and sad, but not tragic. It's life... and I want more of these characters!
The Jaguar House, in Shadow 4⭐
The author really played around with the structure in this one and... I appreciate the effort, but I'm not convinced that it was always for the best. Where the first story felt very chiseled, this one felt a bit messy. Don't get me wrong, I still liked this a lot, the worldbuilding especially was amazing and the relationships described excruciating. Overall, I feel like it could have been improved.
Scattered Along the River of Heaven 5⭐
This one has to be my favourite - the narrative structure here is deliciously complicated yet not so hard to orient yourself in. It tells a story of diaspora and of moving generations and... so many other things that it's hard to convey. Just read this one! Also, the ending is gloriously punchy!
Immersion 4,8⭐
This one was extremely creepy... ending on ambiguously hopeful tone.
The Waiting Stars 5⭐
A short-story working with two separate narrative lines that take quite some time to come together, but when they do... WOW. Bodard's narrative skills are on entirely new level!
🌈 Memorials 4,5⭐
This one had a sort of thorny and uneasy feeling about it since the protagonist was a bit hard to sympathise with. Definitely a short-story with an interesting twist though!
The Breath of War 4,5⭐
Extremely interesting worldbuilding that poses more questions than it answers. This short-story also features pregnancy with complications, so... beware if that might be upsetting to you.
The Days of the War, as Red as Blood, as Dark as Bile 4⭐
Less sophisticated than some of the previous ones, but still hard hitting.
The Dust Queen 4,5 ⭐
A story about homesickness set in a not that far away future on a space station near Mars waiting for Mars to be terraformed. Focused on an interaction between old and young woman, brain magic and the nature of art. Not so hard hitting as some of the other stories, but still great.
Three Cups of Grief, by Starlight 4,7⭐
Story woven around three cups of tea and three people grieving in different way a loss of parent/mentor. I thought that the change of POV was used here in a very hard hitting way, showing a sort of futility.
A Salvaging of Ghosts 5⭐
Salvaging of Ghosts gave me existential crisis. This is a story about mother who lost her (adult) daughter and she is getting ready to retrieve her body from space which is potentially dangerous. The title of the story is also very literal because... well, you'll see. I'm just going to tell you that the worldbuilding of this one is deliciously creepy and the ending of this one is something else.
Pearl 4⭐
I hoped the story would develop in another direction. It was by no means bad as it was, but I have been interested in different aspect of the story. This one is also a retelling of a Vietnamese fairy-tale, which... we love retellings in this house!
🌈 Children of Thorns, Children of Water 4,7⭐
And we get to the Dominion of the Fallen short-stories! This story was my introduction to this world and I would say that it worked pretty well, even though if I understand it correctly both of the short-stories here are set after The House of Shattered Wings, so.. yeah, keep that in mind. But I really liked this one, even when I hoped we would focus a bit more on the bake-off part of the story... Still amazing, I can't wait to get more of the characters from this one, and if I'm not mistaken the protagonist here is bisexual.
🌈 Of Birthdays, and Fungus, and Kindness 4,8⭐
The trouble with this story is... it follows a couple that already appeared in some other shorter fiction (and presumably also in the first full book), so I would at least recommend reading Of Books, and Earth, and Courtship and possibly also In Morningstar's Shadow: Dominion of the Fallen Stories. I stopped reading this collection and hopped over those first and I didn't regret it. I still feel though as I was missing some details, because I didn't read The House of Shattered Wings first, but... you know, that felt a bit too long to squeeze into my reading schedule.
The story itself was kind of great though. I love reading court intrigue and this was kind of similar, so my cup of... fungus. But there were also a lot of other fun aspects that kept the story lighter. And even though Selene and Emmanuelle didn't spend that much time together in this story, I'm still eating them up, so... I really liked this!
BRed at WBtM: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
But my main point here is. This is extraordinary collection. It's so rare to find a collection that has no duds in it, but this was that for me. I really like every single one of those stories. I liked some better than others (obviously) but even those that I didn't love had always something interesting to offer so wow, what a gem this is... The emotionality is of the charts here, the way some of the narratives of the stories are chiseled is extraordinary, the worldbuilding is fascinating and the characters always interesting, if not always loveable. I am just speechless... I can wait to keep exploring both Xuya universe and the Dominion of the Fallen universe and the rest of de Bodard's work!
🌈 The Shipmaker 5⭐
What a way to start the collection! This short-story was very close to perfection for me, concise, tight, focused... discussing themes of not-motherhood. The story is quite melancholy and sad, but not tragic. It's life... and I want more of these characters!
The Jaguar House, in Shadow 4⭐
The author really played around with the structure in this one and... I appreciate the effort, but I'm not convinced that it was always for the best. Where the first story felt very chiseled, this one felt a bit messy. Don't get me wrong, I still liked this a lot, the worldbuilding especially was amazing and the relationships described excruciating. Overall, I feel like it could have been improved.
Scattered Along the River of Heaven 5⭐
This one has to be my favourite - the narrative structure here is deliciously complicated yet not so hard to orient yourself in. It tells a story of diaspora and of moving generations and... so many other things that it's hard to convey. Just read this one! Also, the ending is gloriously punchy!
They are not from Felicity anymore, but something else - poised halfway between the San-Tay and the culture that gave them birth; and, as the years pass, those that do not come back will drift further and further from Felicity, until they will pass each other in the street, and not feel anything but a vague sense of familiarity, like long-lost families that have become strangers to each other.
Immersion 4,8⭐
This one was extremely creepy... ending on ambiguously hopeful tone.
The Waiting Stars 5⭐
A short-story working with two separate narrative lines that take quite some time to come together, but when they do... WOW. Bodard's narrative skills are on entirely new level!
As the sensors' line of sight moved - catching ship after ship in their field of view, wreck after wreck, indistinct masses of burnt and twisted metal, of ripped-out engines, of shattered life pods and crushed shuttles - Lan Nhen felt as if an icy fist were squeezing her heart into shards. To think of the Minds within - dead or crippled, forever unable to move...
🌈 Memorials 4,5⭐
This one had a sort of thorny and uneasy feeling about it since the protagonist was a bit hard to sympathise with. Definitely a short-story with an interesting twist though!
The Breath of War 4,5⭐
Extremely interesting worldbuilding that poses more questions than it answers. This short-story also features pregnancy with complications, so... beware if that might be upsetting to you.
The Days of the War, as Red as Blood, as Dark as Bile 4⭐
Less sophisticated than some of the previous ones, but still hard hitting.
The Dust Queen 4,5 ⭐
A story about homesickness set in a not that far away future on a space station near Mars waiting for Mars to be terraformed. Focused on an interaction between old and young woman, brain magic and the nature of art. Not so hard hitting as some of the other stories, but still great.
Three Cups of Grief, by Starlight 4,7⭐
Story woven around three cups of tea and three people grieving in different way a loss of parent/mentor. I thought that the change of POV was used here in a very hard hitting way, showing a sort of futility.
A Salvaging of Ghosts 5⭐
Salvaging of Ghosts gave me existential crisis. This is a story about mother who lost her (adult) daughter and she is getting ready to retrieve her body from space which is potentially dangerous. The title of the story is also very literal because... well, you'll see. I'm just going to tell you that the worldbuilding of this one is deliciously creepy and the ending of this one is something else.
Deep spaces strip corpses, and compress them into...these. Into an impersonal, addictive drug.
Pearl 4⭐
I hoped the story would develop in another direction. It was by no means bad as it was, but I have been interested in different aspect of the story. This one is also a retelling of a Vietnamese fairy-tale, which... we love retellings in this house!
🌈 Children of Thorns, Children of Water 4,7⭐
And we get to the Dominion of the Fallen short-stories! This story was my introduction to this world and I would say that it worked pretty well, even though if I understand it correctly both of the short-stories here are set after The House of Shattered Wings, so.. yeah, keep that in mind. But I really liked this one, even when I hoped we would focus a bit more on the bake-off part of the story... Still amazing, I can't wait to get more of the characters from this one, and if I'm not mistaken the protagonist here is bisexual.
🌈 Of Birthdays, and Fungus, and Kindness 4,8⭐
The trouble with this story is... it follows a couple that already appeared in some other shorter fiction (and presumably also in the first full book), so I would at least recommend reading Of Books, and Earth, and Courtship and possibly also In Morningstar's Shadow: Dominion of the Fallen Stories. I stopped reading this collection and hopped over those first and I didn't regret it. I still feel though as I was missing some details, because I didn't read The House of Shattered Wings first, but... you know, that felt a bit too long to squeeze into my reading schedule.
The story itself was kind of great though. I love reading court intrigue and this was kind of similar, so my cup of... fungus. But there were also a lot of other fun aspects that kept the story lighter. And even though Selene and Emmanuelle didn't spend that much time together in this story, I'm still eating them up, so... I really liked this!
BRed at WBtM: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
December 31, 2023
Aliette de Bodard has not failed to impress me yet. Of Vietnamese and French background, she weaves both of these ancient cultures into her writings. Her Universe of Xuya world is a Viet-infused space opera of star-flung Houses and sentient mindships, with gorgeous, lyrical writing. Her Dominion of the Fallen world is a Parisian dark fantasy, of feuding Houses based more on European folklore. Both are equally compelling, although I currently prefer her Xuya space opera series. All of the stories in this anthology are wonderful, and some much more so than others. The stand out stories for me included the revenge story "The Days of the War, as Red as Blood, as Dark as Bile," the beautiful "The Breath of War," and "The Salvaging of Ghosts." The last two stories were from the Dominion of the Fallen universe.
Contents:
The Shipmaker
The Jaguar House, in Shadow
Scattered Along the River of Heaven
Immersion June
The Waiting Stars
Memorials
The Breath of War
The Days of the War, as Red as Blood, as Dark as Bile
The Dust Queen
Three Cups of Grief, by Starlight
A Salvaging of Ghosts
Pearl
Children of Thorns, Children of Water
Of Birthdays, and Fungus, and Kindness (original novella)
Contents:
The Shipmaker
The Jaguar House, in Shadow
Scattered Along the River of Heaven
Immersion June
The Waiting Stars
Memorials
The Breath of War
The Days of the War, as Red as Blood, as Dark as Bile
The Dust Queen
Three Cups of Grief, by Starlight
A Salvaging of Ghosts
Pearl
Children of Thorns, Children of Water
Of Birthdays, and Fungus, and Kindness (original novella)
July 25, 2025
A dense book
When I call Aliette de Bodard's Of Wars, and Memories, and Starlight "dense", what I mean is that there is a lot of stuff packed into a small space. I picked it up because de Bodard's Xuya Universe is a finalist for the 2024 Best Series Hugo, and this collection of stories seemed the easiest way to ease into Xuya. De Bodard is one of those authors who makes her readers work. The detail of the world-building recalls Tolkien, but Tolkien's Middle-Earth was built of elements familiar (to me) from European folklore. De Bodard's heritage is Vietnamese, with which I (like, I suspect, most English-speaking readers) am unfamiliar. Furthermore, it is science fiction, meaning that even Vietnamese culture will only get you so far.
I suggest having a look through de Bodard's Universe of Xuya page before reading the stories. It helped me a lot. The Story Notes at the end of the book begin with a one-paragraph introduction to Xuya, which is also helpful.
There are 14 stories here. Ten of them are Xuya stories. Two take place in de Bodard's "Alternate Paris", and two are standalone. All the stories, however, are united by a feeling of conflict. De Bodard begins her Introduction with the words, "I grew up in the wake of a war." From there she describes the experience of a Vietnamese child growing up in Paris, and how the books she found to read failed to represent her and her world.
As I have already said, it is not an easy read. Both intellectually and emotionally, these stories are tough going. I, however, am glad of this introduction to Xuya, and plan to read more.
Blog review.
When I call Aliette de Bodard's Of Wars, and Memories, and Starlight "dense", what I mean is that there is a lot of stuff packed into a small space. I picked it up because de Bodard's Xuya Universe is a finalist for the 2024 Best Series Hugo, and this collection of stories seemed the easiest way to ease into Xuya. De Bodard is one of those authors who makes her readers work. The detail of the world-building recalls Tolkien, but Tolkien's Middle-Earth was built of elements familiar (to me) from European folklore. De Bodard's heritage is Vietnamese, with which I (like, I suspect, most English-speaking readers) am unfamiliar. Furthermore, it is science fiction, meaning that even Vietnamese culture will only get you so far.
I suggest having a look through de Bodard's Universe of Xuya page before reading the stories. It helped me a lot. The Story Notes at the end of the book begin with a one-paragraph introduction to Xuya, which is also helpful.
There are 14 stories here. Ten of them are Xuya stories. Two take place in de Bodard's "Alternate Paris", and two are standalone. All the stories, however, are united by a feeling of conflict. De Bodard begins her Introduction with the words, "I grew up in the wake of a war." From there she describes the experience of a Vietnamese child growing up in Paris, and how the books she found to read failed to represent her and her world.
As I have already said, it is not an easy read. Both intellectually and emotionally, these stories are tough going. I, however, am glad of this introduction to Xuya, and plan to read more.
Blog review.
November 5, 2021
Stars: 4 out of 5
It is rare to encounter a culture and characters that are other than the usual European / Anglo-Saxon variation in science fiction or fantasy, at least the ones written in English. I treat every book written from a different perspective as a little treasure. Heck, being Russian myself, I was really excited when I discovered the Grishaverse which is (very loosely) based on Slavic mythology. And with this collection of short stories, we have a wealth of wonderful new world that are so unlike the usual scifi and fantasy fare.
Each story is unique, and all of them touch on different topics, but the main message of the collection is very dear to my heart as well. How do you reconcile an ancient culture of your parents and a usually rigid social hierarchy of your community with the modern age? As an immigrant who lives in two words by necessity, how do you decide which world you belong to the most? Can you reconcile them and belong to both at the same time or will there be often deadly conflict? Do you assimilate into the culture of your new home or try to keep to the traditions of your ancestors? What if your aspirations for your future and your happiness go against everything your family wants from you? Those are questions that a lot of immigrants have to face, especially children who grow up between two words so to say. That's probably why I found these stories so relatable, even if the culture they described was very foreign to me.
This is also one of the draws of these stories - not only are they set up in a scifi world, but the culture and the sociological structure of that world is very foreign to most readers of European and American descent. Some might find that intimidating, but I absolutely loved it. Earth is populated by numerous unique cultures, so it only stands to reason that when humanity disseminates amongst the stars, it will bring all these cultures with it, not just the Anglo-Saxon one.
I will definitely be checking this author out and trying more of her work.
PS: I received an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
It is rare to encounter a culture and characters that are other than the usual European / Anglo-Saxon variation in science fiction or fantasy, at least the ones written in English. I treat every book written from a different perspective as a little treasure. Heck, being Russian myself, I was really excited when I discovered the Grishaverse which is (very loosely) based on Slavic mythology. And with this collection of short stories, we have a wealth of wonderful new world that are so unlike the usual scifi and fantasy fare.
Each story is unique, and all of them touch on different topics, but the main message of the collection is very dear to my heart as well. How do you reconcile an ancient culture of your parents and a usually rigid social hierarchy of your community with the modern age? As an immigrant who lives in two words by necessity, how do you decide which world you belong to the most? Can you reconcile them and belong to both at the same time or will there be often deadly conflict? Do you assimilate into the culture of your new home or try to keep to the traditions of your ancestors? What if your aspirations for your future and your happiness go against everything your family wants from you? Those are questions that a lot of immigrants have to face, especially children who grow up between two words so to say. That's probably why I found these stories so relatable, even if the culture they described was very foreign to me.
This is also one of the draws of these stories - not only are they set up in a scifi world, but the culture and the sociological structure of that world is very foreign to most readers of European and American descent. Some might find that intimidating, but I absolutely loved it. Earth is populated by numerous unique cultures, so it only stands to reason that when humanity disseminates amongst the stars, it will bring all these cultures with it, not just the Anglo-Saxon one.
I will definitely be checking this author out and trying more of her work.
PS: I received an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
November 29, 2019
Beautiful. This was an intense collection that took a while to finish, because each story was so deeply moving and affecting that I wanted to sit with the fullness of those feelings for a while before moving on to the next one.
As evident from the title, war and memory are major themes throughout all the stories. But so are family, and home. I found myself thinking about the different ways I experienced these stories versus the ones in Kameron Hurley's Meet Me in the Future: Stories, despite the fact that both collections were ostensibly so centered around war. de Bodard's focus on family, culture, and ancestors are what did it for me, I think. While there are bigger points around trauma, war, colonialism, and cultural hegemony, each story is also very grounded in the experience of particular characters and familial relationships, often in a very sensory-rich way. I still remember the lines about characters drinking various kinds of tea from cracked celadon mugs, smelling dishes cooked with fish sauce... all elements that made the story accessible to me and provided entry points into the broader framework of the stories.
I don't have the same cultural background as the author or any of the characters, but this book got me so hard in the diaspora feels. There were times when I'd finish a story, close the book lovingly and just stare at the cover going oooooooof. But you know, in a good way. Because the writing went right to that place inside me and curled up there.
Of course, all the mindships and AIs and queerness also help - always favorite elements. I loved the way the collection finished off, right down to the last line of the very last story. I'm so glad I got to read it.
As evident from the title, war and memory are major themes throughout all the stories. But so are family, and home. I found myself thinking about the different ways I experienced these stories versus the ones in Kameron Hurley's Meet Me in the Future: Stories, despite the fact that both collections were ostensibly so centered around war. de Bodard's focus on family, culture, and ancestors are what did it for me, I think. While there are bigger points around trauma, war, colonialism, and cultural hegemony, each story is also very grounded in the experience of particular characters and familial relationships, often in a very sensory-rich way. I still remember the lines about characters drinking various kinds of tea from cracked celadon mugs, smelling dishes cooked with fish sauce... all elements that made the story accessible to me and provided entry points into the broader framework of the stories.
I don't have the same cultural background as the author or any of the characters, but this book got me so hard in the diaspora feels. There were times when I'd finish a story, close the book lovingly and just stare at the cover going oooooooof. But you know, in a good way. Because the writing went right to that place inside me and curled up there.
Of course, all the mindships and AIs and queerness also help - always favorite elements. I loved the way the collection finished off, right down to the last line of the very last story. I'm so glad I got to read it.
Currently reading
January 10, 2026Mini reviews will follow as I make my way through this collection.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
1) “The Shipmaker” 🚀🚀🚀🚀
Originally published in Interzone #231, November 2011, reprint in Clarkesworld 2017, 5480 words.
I read this in Clarkesworld in 2023 and liked it a lot.
“Ships were living, breathing beings. Dac Kien had known this, even before she’d reached the engineering habitat—even before she’d seen the great mass in orbit outside, being slowly assembled by the bots.”
The description of how they build the ship is so poetic! Dac Kien‘s inner conflict is painful to read. And the outcome of the story so sad, even if it was worth it.
2) “The Jaguar House, in Shadow” 🇲🇽🇲🇽🇲🇽🇲🇽
Originally published in Asimov’s Science Fiction, July 2010.
We start off with a a psychedelic mushroom with an unusual name, leading to Bodard‘s technologically advanced Aztec/Mexican setting, aka Servant of the Underworld. I haven’t read that one yet, so this is a new world for me.
At first I struggled a bit without the novel’s context. The story is told in two timelines, the present alternating with the past, going back further and further. Revolution, resistance, survival. Does the end justify the means? Nothing is as it seems. Smartly done.
3) “Scattered Along the River of Heaven” Originally published in Clarkesworld Magazine, #64, January 2012, Neil Clarke, ed.
4) “Immersion” Originally published in Clarkesworld Magazine, #69, June 2012, Neil Clarke, ed.
5) “The Waiting Stars” Originally published in The Other Half of the Sky, April 2013, Athena Andreadis, Kay Holt, eds.
6) “Memorials” Originally published in Asimov’s Science Fiction, January 2014, Sheila Wiliams, ed.
7) “The Breath of War” Originally published in Beneath Ceaseless Skies, #142, March 2014, Scott H. Andrews, ed.
8) “The Days of the War, as Red as Blood, as Dark as Bile” Originally published in Subterranean, Spring 2014, April 2014, William Schafer, ed.
9) “The Dust Queen” Originally published in Reach for Infinity, May 2014, Jonathan Strahan, ed.
10) “Three Cups of Grief, by Starlight” Originally published in Clarkesworld Magazine, #100, January 2015, Neil Clarke, ed.
11) “A Salvaging of Ghosts” Originally published in Beneath Ceaseless Skies, #195, March 2016, Scott H. Andrews, ed.
12) “Pearl” Originally publishd in The Starlit Wood: New Fairy Tales, October 2016, Dominik Parisien, Navah Wolfe, eds.
13) “Children of Thorns, Children of Water” Originally published in Uncanny Magazine, Issue 17, July 2017, Lynne M Thomas, Michael Damian Thomas, eds.
14) “Of Birthdays, and Fungus, and Kindness” Copyright © 2019 by Aliette de Bodard
TABLE OF CONTENTS
1) “The Shipmaker” 🚀🚀🚀🚀
Originally published in Interzone #231, November 2011, reprint in Clarkesworld 2017, 5480 words.
I read this in Clarkesworld in 2023 and liked it a lot.
“Ships were living, breathing beings. Dac Kien had known this, even before she’d reached the engineering habitat—even before she’d seen the great mass in orbit outside, being slowly assembled by the bots.”
The description of how they build the ship is so poetic! Dac Kien‘s inner conflict is painful to read. And the outcome of the story so sad, even if it was worth it.
2) “The Jaguar House, in Shadow” 🇲🇽🇲🇽🇲🇽🇲🇽
Originally published in Asimov’s Science Fiction, July 2010.
We start off with a a psychedelic mushroom with an unusual name, leading to Bodard‘s technologically advanced Aztec/Mexican setting, aka Servant of the Underworld. I haven’t read that one yet, so this is a new world for me.
At first I struggled a bit without the novel’s context. The story is told in two timelines, the present alternating with the past, going back further and further. Revolution, resistance, survival. Does the end justify the means? Nothing is as it seems. Smartly done.
3) “Scattered Along the River of Heaven” Originally published in Clarkesworld Magazine, #64, January 2012, Neil Clarke, ed.
4) “Immersion” Originally published in Clarkesworld Magazine, #69, June 2012, Neil Clarke, ed.
5) “The Waiting Stars” Originally published in The Other Half of the Sky, April 2013, Athena Andreadis, Kay Holt, eds.
6) “Memorials” Originally published in Asimov’s Science Fiction, January 2014, Sheila Wiliams, ed.
7) “The Breath of War” Originally published in Beneath Ceaseless Skies, #142, March 2014, Scott H. Andrews, ed.
8) “The Days of the War, as Red as Blood, as Dark as Bile” Originally published in Subterranean, Spring 2014, April 2014, William Schafer, ed.
9) “The Dust Queen” Originally published in Reach for Infinity, May 2014, Jonathan Strahan, ed.
10) “Three Cups of Grief, by Starlight” Originally published in Clarkesworld Magazine, #100, January 2015, Neil Clarke, ed.
11) “A Salvaging of Ghosts” Originally published in Beneath Ceaseless Skies, #195, March 2016, Scott H. Andrews, ed.
12) “Pearl” Originally publishd in The Starlit Wood: New Fairy Tales, October 2016, Dominik Parisien, Navah Wolfe, eds.
13) “Children of Thorns, Children of Water” Originally published in Uncanny Magazine, Issue 17, July 2017, Lynne M Thomas, Michael Damian Thomas, eds.
14) “Of Birthdays, and Fungus, and Kindness” Copyright © 2019 by Aliette de Bodard
July 31, 2023
I don't really like short stories but 1) Bingo is Bingo and 2) I was eventually going to read through all of Xuya anyway. So I might as well crossed two things off my list in one go. All considered, it was perfectly all right. Many of the stories are melancholy and most of them left me wanting more, but as always, I really liked the worldbuilding, and I very much appreciated the commentary on each of the stories in the end.
Enjoyment: 3/5
Execution: 4/5
More reviews on my blog, To Other Worlds.
Enjoyment: 3/5
Execution: 4/5
More reviews on my blog, To Other Worlds.
February 9, 2023
После The Red Scholar's Wake я волновался, что уровни мелодрамы здесь просто не мои, но зря. Набор практически безупречных рассказов с интересным использованием культур и изобретательным ворлдбилдингом. И мелодрама работает хорошо. Огромное удовольствие получил.
October 8, 2023
Great collection of stories, mostly from de Bodard's Xuya universe. The author's introduction and the story notes added a lot to the reading experience.
September 11, 2019
Most of this collection consists of stories in Aliette de Bodard’s Xuya Universe, in which China colonized North America before Europe got there, which eventually resulted in an Asia-dominated space age, and Chinese (Xuya) and Vietnamese (Đại Việt) galactic empires. Two other stories are in her Dominion of the Fallen world, set in a ruined Paris ruled by houses of fallen angels. There are also a few standalone stories.
The lightest reads are the Dominion of the Fallen ones. One of those stories serves as a short prequel to The House of Binding Thorns (book 2), while the other is a new novella set some time before The House of Sundering Flames (book 3). Yes, I know that ruined Paris may not sound like a light read, but the first story involves a cooking competition and the second involves a disastrous birthday party.
The other stories delve into deeper topics such as grief, communities in diaspora, the effects of war, colonialism, resistance, and sacrifice. I loved the beautifully poetic sensibility of them, as well as the subtlety and emotional nuance with which de Bodard unpacks complicated topics.
It’s hard to choose favorites when this whole collection is so excellent, but I particularly loved “Memorials” and “Scattered Along the River of Heaven” for their handling of groups in diaspora and cultural memory. “Three Cups of Grief, by Starlight” offers a poignant series of examples of different characters processing grief. “Immersion” demonstrates how tourists can bring their stereotypes to the cultures they visit, actually changing local cultures through their expectations and attitudes.
This is de Bodard’s first collection of stories, and it is a truly excellent one. Most of the stories in this collection have been nominated for major genre awards, and several have (deservedly) won.
The lightest reads are the Dominion of the Fallen ones. One of those stories serves as a short prequel to The House of Binding Thorns (book 2), while the other is a new novella set some time before The House of Sundering Flames (book 3). Yes, I know that ruined Paris may not sound like a light read, but the first story involves a cooking competition and the second involves a disastrous birthday party.
The other stories delve into deeper topics such as grief, communities in diaspora, the effects of war, colonialism, resistance, and sacrifice. I loved the beautifully poetic sensibility of them, as well as the subtlety and emotional nuance with which de Bodard unpacks complicated topics.
It’s hard to choose favorites when this whole collection is so excellent, but I particularly loved “Memorials” and “Scattered Along the River of Heaven” for their handling of groups in diaspora and cultural memory. “Three Cups of Grief, by Starlight” offers a poignant series of examples of different characters processing grief. “Immersion” demonstrates how tourists can bring their stereotypes to the cultures they visit, actually changing local cultures through their expectations and attitudes.
This is de Bodard’s first collection of stories, and it is a truly excellent one. Most of the stories in this collection have been nominated for major genre awards, and several have (deservedly) won.
October 21, 2019
I called my mom very excitedly and made her come running. “Qué pasa???” “There is a word in nahuatl!!!! Look!”. I honestly can’t describe how I felt when I came across Mexica culture and language in this book. This has never happened unless the context had something to do with Mexican culture and even then, it has been from a western point of view. Representation matters <3
This is the first book by Aliette de Bodard I have read. I came across the cover on Twitter and I just KNEW I had to have it. I emailed the author who put me in contact with the correct person and they mailed me a copy in exchange for an honest review. Well here it goes:
Absolutely Wonderful. Absolutely Original. Completely outside of the box. It destroyed the fucking box.
Of Wars, and Memories, and Starlight is a collection of sci-fi short stories that take place in the Xuya Universe, an alternate Universe set on Chinese and Vietnamese galactic empires. The stories deal with war, grief, and community, and colonialism. Aliette de Bodard is a genius in world building and sensibly unpacks very pertinent issues.
I was completely sucked into each world and was left wanting more. I think a whole series could come out of each story. Although I do prefer some stories to others, they are all winners.
I have my eye on a couple of her books! Specifically, The Tea Master and the Detective, and Servant of the Underworld.
October 12, 2021
This is undoubtedly one of the greatest SFF collections that have been published in recent times. The reasons, in my opinion, are~
1. It completely does away with the WASP characterisations and relies upon women, many of them belonging to LGBTQ community, to base the stories upon.
2. The cultural context of the stories are completely different from standard Western settings. For an Asian this was an unadulterated joy.
3. With rich & allegorical narrative constructed in hauntingly lyrical prose, the author has told us sharp, if not outright devastating tales of war and its consequences.
The stories are introspective and philosophical, with flashes of action and intense drama illuminating the clouds of atmosphere. Therefore, consumption is advised only in small dosage; preferably one story at a time.
Highly recommended.
1. It completely does away with the WASP characterisations and relies upon women, many of them belonging to LGBTQ community, to base the stories upon.
2. The cultural context of the stories are completely different from standard Western settings. For an Asian this was an unadulterated joy.
3. With rich & allegorical narrative constructed in hauntingly lyrical prose, the author has told us sharp, if not outright devastating tales of war and its consequences.
The stories are introspective and philosophical, with flashes of action and intense drama illuminating the clouds of atmosphere. Therefore, consumption is advised only in small dosage; preferably one story at a time.
Highly recommended.
Read
July 24, 2020Beautiful writing, and a breadth and depth of theme that's really astonishing. I also love the blend of tradition and technology that crops up, often in disturbing ways. De Bodard has such an amazing gift for for both cathartic rage and ambivalent, poignant endings.
Unfortunately, a lot of these stories have multiple timelines going on and are designed as a bit of a puzzle for the reader to put together. I find I just don't have the brainpower for it at the moment, so I'm setting aside.
Unfortunately, a lot of these stories have multiple timelines going on and are designed as a bit of a puzzle for the reader to put together. I find I just don't have the brainpower for it at the moment, so I'm setting aside.
December 7, 2019
I received a copy of Of Wars, and Memories, and Starlight through NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.
Of Wars, and Memories, and Starlight is a short story collection written by Aliette de Bodard. She’s an up and comer in the science fiction and fantasy world, and she deserves all of the attention she can get.
Aliette de Bodard writes science fiction and fantasy in such a way as to feel utterly human. And that fact becomes very notable in this collection, as it is full of women, mothers, and daughters, people of all ages and colors. It’s a beautiful variety to be found, while also showing us that all humans have a place in her fantastical settings.
There are thirteen short stories and one novella to be found within these pages. The short stories include: The Shipmaker; The Jaguar House, in Shadow; Scattered Along the River of Heaven; Immersion; The Waiting Stars; Memorials; The Breath of War; The Days of War, as Red as Blood, as Dark as Bile; The Dust Queen; Three Cups of Grief, by Starlight; Salvaging of Ghosts; Pearl; and finally, Children of Thorns, Children of Water. You can find my mini-reviews of all of these below.
Then there’s the novella, Of Birthdays, and Fungus, and Kindness. Of Birthdays, and Fungus, and Kindness is the only piece in this collection not to be found anywhere else. And thus it’s a highly notable piece – and one Aliette de Bodard’s fans are not going to want to miss out on.
“Most books had silent women, or women who used their looks as a weapon. There were no female friendships. There were no mothers, no families. People drank coffee and spoke English, and most of them were blond and pale-skinned.”
The Shipmaker
As you might have guessed from the title of this short story, The Shipmaker is about well…a shipmaker. But the tale is so much more complex than that. This is the story of how one civilization creates its ships. And how love and loss affect us all – and why one should always take the risk, regardless.
The Shipmaker was a beautiful and ethereal story. And it is the perfect short story for setting the tone in this collection. There’s this ephemeral sense to this story, and the way it ties love and loss, risks and rewards, so tightly to one another.
The Jaguar House, in Shadow
The Jaguar House, in Shadow blends several themes together in a remarkably short amount of time. The political setting enhances what is at its core a story about how far one is willing to go in order to get back those we love. And how far one can fall when given in towards temptation.
I’ll confess that I found The Jaguar House, in Shadow to be an interesting follow up to The Shipmaker. At first, the two don’t seem at all alike. But upon a closer look, I can see how they’re tied together.
The Jaguar House, in Shadow was a dark and interesting read. It was foreboding in many ways. And yet it was also oddly uplifting, thanks to the determination of our main character.
Scattered Along the River of Heaven
Scattered Along the River of Heaven is the tale of Xu Anshi, a poet ahead of her generation. And it is also the tale of Xu Wen, the grand-daughter of a poet who shaped the politics for years to come. The two stories are one and the same, but told from different perspectives, allowing us to see the full breadth of what truly happened here.
Scattered Along the River of Heaven is another beautifully tragic tale in this collection. I loved the comparisons created between Xu Anshi and Xu Wen. There was something so profound about it, and yet so human at the very same time.
Immersion
Immersion is a fascinating story about what technology can do to and for our appearances. Or more accurately, what it can do for our outside facing avatars. It’s easy to see how a society could come to expect them. And likewise, to see how some people would become hopelessly addicted to them, as well as the virtual world they’re granted access to.
This was a thrilling yet depressing short story. On the one hand, the setting and writing are absolutely splendid. On the other hand, it’s not afraid to dive into theories about what could happen to people more vulnerable to this sort of addiction, and how lost they might become.
The Waiting Stars
Memories, deception, and kindness. Those are all dominant themes in The Waiting Stars. Catherine was one of several girls rescued and placed in an orphanage together. They were told that they were gifted wit this – while always being looked down upon. And yet something never felt right to Catherine. Then one day, it all became crystal clear in her mind.
The Waiting Stars was an intensely interesting and captivating story. It has a lot of similar concepts and elements as seen in other short stories in this collection, and thus doesn’t need quite as much of an introduction. And yet it’s one of my favorites. It’s a heartbreaking story at points, but it’s also deeply moving and marvelously written.
Memorials
Memorials is a fascinating short story, in which Aliette de Bodard explores concepts of the self, life after death, and so much more. This is the story of what we leave behind – and how some people in a society will always find a way to take advantage of even that.
Wow. This story was something else. It’s a compelling read, and I loved reading every minute of it. For a short story, it had a shocking amount of twists and turns, all of which perfectly supported this thought-provoking tale.
The Breath of War
The Breath of War introduces us to a world in which every person has a natural counter. There’s the human, and then there’s the stoneman/woman. Without this partnership, no child would ever survive past their birth. And that is why Rechan is desperately seeking out her counterpart, before it’s too late.
This short story was nothing like what I expected, thanks to the name. And yet it was so incredibly fascinating. This is one of those stories that feels like there’s so much more to it. In fact, I’m going to make a point of checking and seeing if Aliette de Bodard has written anything else in this world, because I want to read it.
The Days of War, as Red as Blood, as Dark as Bile
The Days of War, as Red as Blood, as Dark as Bile is an accurate title for this short story. And it’s likely at least partially the inspiration for this collection name as well. This short dives into war and the societal cost paid on something so harrowing.
This was another fascinating read. It was uplifting at times, and somber at others. It made for the right balance, all things considered. And it left me wanting more, which is always an excellent sign in a short story.
The Dust Queen
The Dust Queen is another short story that focuses on loss and memories. What would you give, in order to be free of your memories and pain? Would it be worth the price? This entire piece is set in an intricate world full of lore and history. And it feels all the more real for it.
The Dust Queen is another favorite of mine from this collection. It’s easy to read this piece and find yourself in the position of either the protagonist or the Dust Queen herself. And that is slightly unnerving. But it serves to make a powerful point.
Three Cups of Grief, by Starlight
In a universe in which family politics have gotten infinitely more complicated, how does one handle the loss of a loved one? And what if you were kept away from your family’s greatest treasure; the collected memories of your past generations? That and more is explored within Three Cups of Grief, by Starlight.
Three Cups of Grief, by Starlight is an emotional gut-punch if ever I’ve read one. But I also think it’s vital to read, especially for anybody going through this process themselves (trust me on this one). It’s affecting and influential all in one.
Salvaging of Ghosts
Set in the depth of space, Salvaging of Ghosts is all about a scavenging crew. They’re the ones who go about collecting scraps from crashed or abandoned spaceships. And they do so despite the risks. And those risks are made very clear from the recent loss that Thuy – the protagonist of this story – is dealing with.
Salvaging of Ghosts is perhaps one of my favorites from this collection. Thuy’s journey is powerful, being both emotional and full of so much determination and acceptance. I’m not going to say more than that though, because I don’t want to spoil it.
Pearl
Pearl is a brilliant and endearing story about a young man and his faithful little drone. Both were overlooked until one day they proved just how useful they were – as long as they worked together. But will it be enough to stop what’s coming? It’s also worth noting, this is the sole retelling to be found in this collection.
Pearl was a fascinating read. In some ways, it had the most endearing elements in it. In others, it was fun trying to puzzle together what was really happening. I enjoyed reading the story itself, while also trying to pick up on all of the subtexts.
Children of Thorns, Children of Water
Children of Thorns, Children of Water combines science fiction and fantasy into one. It is the story of something other taking over a body (which seems to be the opposite of many of the themes in this collection). And all the changes that can bring with it.
This short story probably took me the most effort to get into, perhaps because in many ways it felt the most different of the lot. I’m not entirely sure. I did end up enjoying it in the end though, for which I’m grateful for.
Of Birthdays, and Fungus, and Kindness
Of Birthdays, and Fungus, and Kindness is the exclusive novella included in Of War, and Memories, and Starlight. And it’s honestly both the perfect addition and conclusion to this collection. Set in Aliette de Bodard’s dark alternative version of Paris, this is one that is sure to give thrills and chills. I haven’t read any of her other works set in this world, so I’m having a bit of trouble summing up its connection. Or knowing how much to say without spoiling everything.
So instead, I’m just going to say that I loved Of Birthdays, and Fungus, and Kindness, and that I now really want to read the rest of her take on this dark Paris. Adding it to my list!
For more reviews check out Quirky Cat's Fat Stacks
Of Wars, and Memories, and Starlight is a short story collection written by Aliette de Bodard. She’s an up and comer in the science fiction and fantasy world, and she deserves all of the attention she can get.
Aliette de Bodard writes science fiction and fantasy in such a way as to feel utterly human. And that fact becomes very notable in this collection, as it is full of women, mothers, and daughters, people of all ages and colors. It’s a beautiful variety to be found, while also showing us that all humans have a place in her fantastical settings.
There are thirteen short stories and one novella to be found within these pages. The short stories include: The Shipmaker; The Jaguar House, in Shadow; Scattered Along the River of Heaven; Immersion; The Waiting Stars; Memorials; The Breath of War; The Days of War, as Red as Blood, as Dark as Bile; The Dust Queen; Three Cups of Grief, by Starlight; Salvaging of Ghosts; Pearl; and finally, Children of Thorns, Children of Water. You can find my mini-reviews of all of these below.
Then there’s the novella, Of Birthdays, and Fungus, and Kindness. Of Birthdays, and Fungus, and Kindness is the only piece in this collection not to be found anywhere else. And thus it’s a highly notable piece – and one Aliette de Bodard’s fans are not going to want to miss out on.
“Most books had silent women, or women who used their looks as a weapon. There were no female friendships. There were no mothers, no families. People drank coffee and spoke English, and most of them were blond and pale-skinned.”
The Shipmaker
As you might have guessed from the title of this short story, The Shipmaker is about well…a shipmaker. But the tale is so much more complex than that. This is the story of how one civilization creates its ships. And how love and loss affect us all – and why one should always take the risk, regardless.
The Shipmaker was a beautiful and ethereal story. And it is the perfect short story for setting the tone in this collection. There’s this ephemeral sense to this story, and the way it ties love and loss, risks and rewards, so tightly to one another.
The Jaguar House, in Shadow
The Jaguar House, in Shadow blends several themes together in a remarkably short amount of time. The political setting enhances what is at its core a story about how far one is willing to go in order to get back those we love. And how far one can fall when given in towards temptation.
I’ll confess that I found The Jaguar House, in Shadow to be an interesting follow up to The Shipmaker. At first, the two don’t seem at all alike. But upon a closer look, I can see how they’re tied together.
The Jaguar House, in Shadow was a dark and interesting read. It was foreboding in many ways. And yet it was also oddly uplifting, thanks to the determination of our main character.
Scattered Along the River of Heaven
Scattered Along the River of Heaven is the tale of Xu Anshi, a poet ahead of her generation. And it is also the tale of Xu Wen, the grand-daughter of a poet who shaped the politics for years to come. The two stories are one and the same, but told from different perspectives, allowing us to see the full breadth of what truly happened here.
Scattered Along the River of Heaven is another beautifully tragic tale in this collection. I loved the comparisons created between Xu Anshi and Xu Wen. There was something so profound about it, and yet so human at the very same time.
Immersion
Immersion is a fascinating story about what technology can do to and for our appearances. Or more accurately, what it can do for our outside facing avatars. It’s easy to see how a society could come to expect them. And likewise, to see how some people would become hopelessly addicted to them, as well as the virtual world they’re granted access to.
This was a thrilling yet depressing short story. On the one hand, the setting and writing are absolutely splendid. On the other hand, it’s not afraid to dive into theories about what could happen to people more vulnerable to this sort of addiction, and how lost they might become.
The Waiting Stars
Memories, deception, and kindness. Those are all dominant themes in The Waiting Stars. Catherine was one of several girls rescued and placed in an orphanage together. They were told that they were gifted wit this – while always being looked down upon. And yet something never felt right to Catherine. Then one day, it all became crystal clear in her mind.
The Waiting Stars was an intensely interesting and captivating story. It has a lot of similar concepts and elements as seen in other short stories in this collection, and thus doesn’t need quite as much of an introduction. And yet it’s one of my favorites. It’s a heartbreaking story at points, but it’s also deeply moving and marvelously written.
Memorials
Memorials is a fascinating short story, in which Aliette de Bodard explores concepts of the self, life after death, and so much more. This is the story of what we leave behind – and how some people in a society will always find a way to take advantage of even that.
Wow. This story was something else. It’s a compelling read, and I loved reading every minute of it. For a short story, it had a shocking amount of twists and turns, all of which perfectly supported this thought-provoking tale.
The Breath of War
The Breath of War introduces us to a world in which every person has a natural counter. There’s the human, and then there’s the stoneman/woman. Without this partnership, no child would ever survive past their birth. And that is why Rechan is desperately seeking out her counterpart, before it’s too late.
This short story was nothing like what I expected, thanks to the name. And yet it was so incredibly fascinating. This is one of those stories that feels like there’s so much more to it. In fact, I’m going to make a point of checking and seeing if Aliette de Bodard has written anything else in this world, because I want to read it.
The Days of War, as Red as Blood, as Dark as Bile
The Days of War, as Red as Blood, as Dark as Bile is an accurate title for this short story. And it’s likely at least partially the inspiration for this collection name as well. This short dives into war and the societal cost paid on something so harrowing.
This was another fascinating read. It was uplifting at times, and somber at others. It made for the right balance, all things considered. And it left me wanting more, which is always an excellent sign in a short story.
The Dust Queen
The Dust Queen is another short story that focuses on loss and memories. What would you give, in order to be free of your memories and pain? Would it be worth the price? This entire piece is set in an intricate world full of lore and history. And it feels all the more real for it.
The Dust Queen is another favorite of mine from this collection. It’s easy to read this piece and find yourself in the position of either the protagonist or the Dust Queen herself. And that is slightly unnerving. But it serves to make a powerful point.
Three Cups of Grief, by Starlight
In a universe in which family politics have gotten infinitely more complicated, how does one handle the loss of a loved one? And what if you were kept away from your family’s greatest treasure; the collected memories of your past generations? That and more is explored within Three Cups of Grief, by Starlight.
Three Cups of Grief, by Starlight is an emotional gut-punch if ever I’ve read one. But I also think it’s vital to read, especially for anybody going through this process themselves (trust me on this one). It’s affecting and influential all in one.
Salvaging of Ghosts
Set in the depth of space, Salvaging of Ghosts is all about a scavenging crew. They’re the ones who go about collecting scraps from crashed or abandoned spaceships. And they do so despite the risks. And those risks are made very clear from the recent loss that Thuy – the protagonist of this story – is dealing with.
Salvaging of Ghosts is perhaps one of my favorites from this collection. Thuy’s journey is powerful, being both emotional and full of so much determination and acceptance. I’m not going to say more than that though, because I don’t want to spoil it.
Pearl
Pearl is a brilliant and endearing story about a young man and his faithful little drone. Both were overlooked until one day they proved just how useful they were – as long as they worked together. But will it be enough to stop what’s coming? It’s also worth noting, this is the sole retelling to be found in this collection.
Pearl was a fascinating read. In some ways, it had the most endearing elements in it. In others, it was fun trying to puzzle together what was really happening. I enjoyed reading the story itself, while also trying to pick up on all of the subtexts.
Children of Thorns, Children of Water
Children of Thorns, Children of Water combines science fiction and fantasy into one. It is the story of something other taking over a body (which seems to be the opposite of many of the themes in this collection). And all the changes that can bring with it.
This short story probably took me the most effort to get into, perhaps because in many ways it felt the most different of the lot. I’m not entirely sure. I did end up enjoying it in the end though, for which I’m grateful for.
Of Birthdays, and Fungus, and Kindness
Of Birthdays, and Fungus, and Kindness is the exclusive novella included in Of War, and Memories, and Starlight. And it’s honestly both the perfect addition and conclusion to this collection. Set in Aliette de Bodard’s dark alternative version of Paris, this is one that is sure to give thrills and chills. I haven’t read any of her other works set in this world, so I’m having a bit of trouble summing up its connection. Or knowing how much to say without spoiling everything.
So instead, I’m just going to say that I loved Of Birthdays, and Fungus, and Kindness, and that I now really want to read the rest of her take on this dark Paris. Adding it to my list!
For more reviews check out Quirky Cat's Fat Stacks
December 14, 2019
Ships were living, breathing beings. (The Shipmaker)
I'm a huge fan of Aliette de Bodard since I read Immersion online, and so happy to see this collection. She tells stories of births and deaths; shipminds are born as well as humans, as family members. What she means by a "family" is not the same with what most Americans mean. In America (and perhaps in much of Europe), a family usually means the parent(s) and children; for her, who remembers the old Asian way, a family is a community, bound by their ancestors and the practice of ancestor worship, and it often shares destiny--therefore, a personal sacrifice for the community is praised. I'm not taking sides; I'm an Asian American who have rather knowingly left the old way. Still, I find her world fascinating.
I won't go into too much details about deaths in this collection; a mother, a daughter, a shipmind . . . and sometimes, a condition that might be worse than death happens to a Mind.
Cross-cultural issues are a major theme. Immersion can be seen as a story about augmented reality (even though the term is not used); the AR is so powerful that it can affect one's own identity as well. And you know how people of color have been taught to look and behave like the white people; sometimes the PoC themselves believe it's the correct thing to do. What does that do to their sense of self? Agnes (implied to be of Vietnamese descent) intended to do good. Her husband (white) loves her but is powerless of her change.
I also highly recommend her The Tea Master and the Detective
I'm a huge fan of Aliette de Bodard since I read Immersion online, and so happy to see this collection. She tells stories of births and deaths; shipminds are born as well as humans, as family members. What she means by a "family" is not the same with what most Americans mean. In America (and perhaps in much of Europe), a family usually means the parent(s) and children; for her, who remembers the old Asian way, a family is a community, bound by their ancestors and the practice of ancestor worship, and it often shares destiny--therefore, a personal sacrifice for the community is praised. I'm not taking sides; I'm an Asian American who have rather knowingly left the old way. Still, I find her world fascinating.
I won't go into too much details about deaths in this collection; a mother, a daughter, a shipmind . . . and sometimes, a condition that might be worse than death happens to a Mind.
Cross-cultural issues are a major theme. Immersion can be seen as a story about augmented reality (even though the term is not used); the AR is so powerful that it can affect one's own identity as well. And you know how people of color have been taught to look and behave like the white people; sometimes the PoC themselves believe it's the correct thing to do. What does that do to their sense of self? Agnes (implied to be of Vietnamese descent) intended to do good. Her husband (white) loves her but is powerless of her change.
I also highly recommend her The Tea Master and the Detective
lemmed
June 20, 2020DNF. Awesome ideas in a unique story universe--imperial Dai Viet interstellar civilization with neat tech, memplants and mindships in conflict with others; many themes but that of personal memories and how they can be maintained from one generation to the next looms large--but too much interior monologue and vague metaphorical phrasing instead of physical action, dialogue, and decisions slow the pacing down to a standstill.
May 13, 2020
I enjoyed this anthology and I encourage you to read it, but I thought it fell a little way short of the five star rating that everyone else has been giving it.
The majority of the stories are set in de Bodard's Xuya universe, plus there is a short story and lastly a novella in her Dominion universe. Let's discuss the two Dominion stories first. I have read the first Dominion novel and I enjoyed it for its world building, but apart from the world building it's just houses scheming against each other in a Renaissance Italy style. The problem I had with the two Dominion stories was that we don't get any more world building, just the scheming, and a little of that goes a long way. I found myself skipping paragraphs towards the end of the novella.
The Xuya stories are a different matter. The author says in the introduction that she is interested in exploring her Viet heritage, and this shows strongly in her stories. I am English and to me they felt wonderfully exotic and were fascinating reading. My only criticism, and it's a very minor one, was that they felt a little monotone. The emphasis on the culture was so strong that by the last story it was getting a little repetitive. However this distracted only lightly, if at all, from the stories and I enjoyed them immensely.
I think I would have preferred it if the two Dominion stories hadn't been included. To me they unbalanced the anthology. They felt like an awkward coda that I didn't enjoy nearly as much as the Xuya stories and it gave the anthology a rather flat ending. Hence the four stars.
The majority of the stories are set in de Bodard's Xuya universe, plus there is a short story and lastly a novella in her Dominion universe. Let's discuss the two Dominion stories first. I have read the first Dominion novel and I enjoyed it for its world building, but apart from the world building it's just houses scheming against each other in a Renaissance Italy style. The problem I had with the two Dominion stories was that we don't get any more world building, just the scheming, and a little of that goes a long way. I found myself skipping paragraphs towards the end of the novella.
The Xuya stories are a different matter. The author says in the introduction that she is interested in exploring her Viet heritage, and this shows strongly in her stories. I am English and to me they felt wonderfully exotic and were fascinating reading. My only criticism, and it's a very minor one, was that they felt a little monotone. The emphasis on the culture was so strong that by the last story it was getting a little repetitive. However this distracted only lightly, if at all, from the stories and I enjoyed them immensely.
I think I would have preferred it if the two Dominion stories hadn't been included. To me they unbalanced the anthology. They felt like an awkward coda that I didn't enjoy nearly as much as the Xuya stories and it gave the anthology a rather flat ending. Hence the four stars.
March 20, 2021
This collection have taken a long time to read but but is fantastic in the vaiarity and the themes used in the stories who are on displayed. I like the Asian setting giving a depth to the stories and a fresh wiev for me who mainly are used to Western influenced stories in books and they are one reason why I so much like Aliette's works.
A few stories really stands out to me, the jaguar house one is one, but most of the stories left some kind of mark or sparked a emotion.
Most are sad, or have dark themes, and show that there are no utopia without issues and I like that.
I also find it refreshing that religion are such a no rquestioned part of the stories as most science fiction try to take it away making the book miss a important feature giving depth do the world. The religious wievs inside I find are not comparable with my own faith but still refreshing and happy that the elements are there.
A few stories really stands out to me, the jaguar house one is one, but most of the stories left some kind of mark or sparked a emotion.
Most are sad, or have dark themes, and show that there are no utopia without issues and I like that.
I also find it refreshing that religion are such a no rquestioned part of the stories as most science fiction try to take it away making the book miss a important feature giving depth do the world. The religious wievs inside I find are not comparable with my own faith but still refreshing and happy that the elements are there.
March 15, 2020
Great stories! My first time reading this author and I enjoyed her very unique world of Xuya. I havent read scifi with such heavy emphasis on Vietnamese culture and religion. The stories contain elements common to many scifi worlds, but they looked at through the lense of the colonized rather than colonizers. The relationships with ancestors generate some of the most interesting stories, as well as depictions of childbirth and labor (focused on mindships). Some of ther must-read stories are: Shipmaker, Jaguar House, Immersion, Salvaging of Ghosts, Memorials, and The Waiting Stars.
I'll definitely read her other works!
I'll definitely read her other works!
June 16, 2025
Honestly, just loving everything that this author is writing! The worlds are interesting, the characters have depth, and the pacing is great, slow enough to allow you to get to know the world and characters, but quick enough that you are never bored. Additionally, this book was the epitome of "the whole is bigger than it's parts"! All the stories are on war (or rather on the affects of it), but the entire book creates so much depth to it, it is a book I highly recommend!
November 26, 2019
A decent short story collection with an Asian/Vietnamese influence. The odd ghost stories are strange and scary and the collection as a whole is pretty dark. A fairly intense read.
February 9, 2021
Edit: decided to put my rating up to 5 stars. 'Memorials' has (ironically) been stuck in my head for months and so much of this collection has drifted through my thoughts like smoke.
I will confess, last few stories lost me a little. They are still very solid but I don't think her Paris stories work without prior knowledge of the trilogy they originate from in the same way as the Xuya universe ones.
But the stories that did click were unlike any sci-fi I've ever read. Gorgeous, personal, atmospheric with rich prose, intriguing characters and such effective worldbuilding. It blends sci-fi concept with Vietnamese tradition and history to talk about colonisation, loss of identity and cultural memory, family bonds, motherhood and queerness. I found it incredibly moving and I'm itching to read more from this universe.
I will confess, last few stories lost me a little. They are still very solid but I don't think her Paris stories work without prior knowledge of the trilogy they originate from in the same way as the Xuya universe ones.
But the stories that did click were unlike any sci-fi I've ever read. Gorgeous, personal, atmospheric with rich prose, intriguing characters and such effective worldbuilding. It blends sci-fi concept with Vietnamese tradition and history to talk about colonisation, loss of identity and cultural memory, family bonds, motherhood and queerness. I found it incredibly moving and I'm itching to read more from this universe.
September 2, 2019
This is the first of Aliette de Bodard's works that I have read, drawn in by the beautiful cover. Each story is poignant and heart-rending, In general I do not care for stories that make me feel sad but these stories draw me in and I find myself wishing for more.
I received a copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an unbiased review
I received a copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an unbiased review
August 14, 2019
Marvelous collection of 14 tantalizing stories ... either Award Winners or nominees. This is de Bodard's first collection ... a tour de-force sampling of her oeuvre. She proves to be a savant who has mastered the usage of the science fiction platform to express her meaningful commentary on society and culture. Many of these stories are set in the Xuya Universe ... a Chinese colony on the West Coast which later as part of the Galactic empire seeds off into space. In her universe the Chinese have discovered the Americas before the West and Europeans .. which has lead to a space age dominated by the Asian powers. Her richly textured stories are infused with her own Vietnamese culture ... as well as drawing from stories of Ancient India and Ancient China. The marjority of these stories are 5 Star outings with an occasional 4 Star. ... none will disappoint . Woman and family take center stage in her world building. We are treated to one original novella, "Of Birthdays, and Fungus, and Kindness",
to complement the other highly acclaimed stories.
The following passage illustrates her skills... through the eyes of her female charater, Quy: " a sickeningly familiar ballet Quy had been seeing most of her life, a unison of foreigners descending on the station like a plague of centipedes or leeches ... " And, multiple stories center on sentient spaceships - Mindships ... in which the ship is controlled by a being of womb birth ... and we are exposed to the ramifications of this unique condition.
Thanks to NetGalley and Subterranean Press (#SubPress) for providing an Uncorrected Proof of this gem in exchange for an honest review. This volume will prove to be an excellent primer for those unfortunate enough to have never experienced the joy of reading Aliette de Bodard.
to complement the other highly acclaimed stories.
The following passage illustrates her skills... through the eyes of her female charater, Quy: " a sickeningly familiar ballet Quy had been seeing most of her life, a unison of foreigners descending on the station like a plague of centipedes or leeches ... " And, multiple stories center on sentient spaceships - Mindships ... in which the ship is controlled by a being of womb birth ... and we are exposed to the ramifications of this unique condition.
Thanks to NetGalley and Subterranean Press (#SubPress) for providing an Uncorrected Proof of this gem in exchange for an honest review. This volume will prove to be an excellent primer for those unfortunate enough to have never experienced the joy of reading Aliette de Bodard.
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