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Exploring Dark Short Fiction #5: A Primer to Han Song
Considered one of the three most important voices in contemporary Chinese science fiction (along with Liu Cixin and Wang Jinkang), Han Song is a multiple recipient of the Chinese Galaxy Award (China's highest profile sci-fi prize), as well as the Chinese Nebula Award and Asian-Pacific Sci-fi Gravity Award. Song bridges new developments in science and subjects of cultural and social dynamics with stories of dystopia, governmental conspiracy, and subversive horror, while also reigniting a science fiction renaissance.
Including original English translations by Nathaniel Isaacson, PhD, Dark Moon Books and editor Eric J. Guignard bring you this introduction to Han Song’s work, the fifth in a series of primers exploring modern masters of literary dark short fiction. Herein is a chance to discover—or learn more of—the enigmatic voice of Han Song, as beautifully illustrated by artist Michelle Prebich.
Included within these pages are:
• Six short stories, three translated exclusively for this book
• Author interview
• Complete bibliography
• Academic commentary by Michael Arnzen, PhD (former humanities chair and professor of the year, Seton Hill University)
• … and more!
Enter this doorway to the vast and fantastic: Get to know Han Song.
Including original English translations by Nathaniel Isaacson, PhD, Dark Moon Books and editor Eric J. Guignard bring you this introduction to Han Song’s work, the fifth in a series of primers exploring modern masters of literary dark short fiction. Herein is a chance to discover—or learn more of—the enigmatic voice of Han Song, as beautifully illustrated by artist Michelle Prebich.
Included within these pages are:
• Six short stories, three translated exclusively for this book
• Author interview
• Complete bibliography
• Academic commentary by Michael Arnzen, PhD (former humanities chair and professor of the year, Seton Hill University)
• … and more!
Enter this doorway to the vast and fantastic: Get to know Han Song.
- GenresScience Fiction
222 pages, Paperback
Published September 28, 2020
6 people are currently reading
32 people want to read
About the author
Eric J. Guignard
183 books526 followersERIC J. GUIGNARD is a writer and editor of dark and speculative fiction, operating from the shadowy outskirts of Los Angeles, where he also runs the small press, Dark Moon Books. He’s twice won the Bram Stoker Award (the highest literary award of horror fiction), won the Shirley Jackson Award, and been a finalist for the World Fantasy Award and International Thriller Writers Award for his works of dark and speculative fiction.
He has over one hundred stories and non-fiction author credits appearing in publications around the world. As editor, Eric’s published multiple fiction anthologies, including his most recent, Pop the Clutch: Thrilling Tales of Rockabilly, Monsters, and Hot Rod Horror , and A World of Horror , a showcase of international horror short fiction.
He currently publishes the acclaimed series of author primers created to champion modern masters of the dark and macabre, Exploring Dark Short Fiction ( Vol. I: Steve Rasnic Tem ; Vol. II: Kaaron Warren ; Vol. III: Nisi Shawl ; Vol. IV: Jeffrey Ford ; Vol. V: Han Song ; Vol. VI: Ramsey Campbell).
He is also publisher and acquisitions editor for the renowned +Horror Library+ anthology series. Additionally he curates the series, The Horror Writers Association Presents: Haunted Library of Horror Classics through SourceBooks with co-editor Leslie S. Klinger.
His latest books are Last Case at a Baggage Auction ; Doorways to the Deadeye ; and short story collection That Which Grows Wild (Cemetery Dance).
Outside the glamorous and jet-setting world of indie fiction, Eric’s a technical writer and college professor, and he stumbles home each day to a wife, children, dogs, and a terrarium filled with mischievous beetles. Visit Eric at: www.ericjguignard.com, his blog: ericjguignard.blogspot.com, or Twitter: @ericjguignard.
He has over one hundred stories and non-fiction author credits appearing in publications around the world. As editor, Eric’s published multiple fiction anthologies, including his most recent, Pop the Clutch: Thrilling Tales of Rockabilly, Monsters, and Hot Rod Horror , and A World of Horror , a showcase of international horror short fiction.
He currently publishes the acclaimed series of author primers created to champion modern masters of the dark and macabre, Exploring Dark Short Fiction ( Vol. I: Steve Rasnic Tem ; Vol. II: Kaaron Warren ; Vol. III: Nisi Shawl ; Vol. IV: Jeffrey Ford ; Vol. V: Han Song ; Vol. VI: Ramsey Campbell).
He is also publisher and acquisitions editor for the renowned +Horror Library+ anthology series. Additionally he curates the series, The Horror Writers Association Presents: Haunted Library of Horror Classics through SourceBooks with co-editor Leslie S. Klinger.
His latest books are Last Case at a Baggage Auction ; Doorways to the Deadeye ; and short story collection That Which Grows Wild (Cemetery Dance).
Outside the glamorous and jet-setting world of indie fiction, Eric’s a technical writer and college professor, and he stumbles home each day to a wife, children, dogs, and a terrarium filled with mischievous beetles. Visit Eric at: www.ericjguignard.com, his blog: ericjguignard.blogspot.com, or Twitter: @ericjguignard.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
November 11, 2020
There are very few things that are consistently awesome. No band is without a bad record, no director without a stinker. So far Eric and his Dark Moon imprint are a perfect five for five with this series of collection Exploring Dark fiction. That said this is my favorite so far for lots of reasons I will explain.
In the previous editions I had read at least one thing by the author and was familar to a degree with their work of reputation. I have read quite a bit of Chinese science fiction and genre, as that line is blurred much more in China. That said this is my first experience with Han Song who did not appear in Invisible Planets the first of Ken Liu's anthology of Chinese Translations. He appeared in Broken Stars the second of that series which is still on my list to read.
This series always comes with pretty illustrations and commentary on each story by Professor Michael Arnzen. All are excellent non-fictional commentaries. The author interview provides insight but Han Song's own essay Sending Chinese Science Fiction overseas is a highlight. He talks about several novels and works of scholarship I wish were translated.
So who is Han Song? He is an award-winning Chinese science fiction author and considered to be one of the three most important voices. He is a journlist who has had his fiction censored by the Chinese goverment for being too dark as in the case with his early story Gravestone of the Universe that was published in 1991 in a Taiwanese magazine. In China he has published nine novels and almost as many short story collections.
I can't speak to his novels, as I am judging his work by six short stories, I know I am more willingly to experiment with short fiction. The vibe I am getting reminds me of Brian Evenson's short fiction. That is no small piece of praise as Evenson's last collection just won the world fantasy award and I consider him to be the best author of dark short fiction since Clive Barker.
Han Song's style has the same surreal feel and zero fucks given for convention or expectation. These stories don't have to access reality as we know it. Given that Song was censored early in his career you can see he embraces the genre's ability to subvert conformity and repression. It is not a shock that this author struggled with censorship. I wondered as I read this if the translators were able restore any of this lost material?
All six stories were good, but the two that stood out for me were Transformation Subway and Fear of Seeing. Both were dark surreal stories. Transformation Subway was a haunting tale about a subway train that keeps going endlessly through a dark tunnel never stopping or even seeing a station in passing. Once Zhou the main charater tries to escape by climbing to the other cars he discovers something more horrible. This surreal tale plays with time, cosmic dread, and is metaphoric nightmare. The situation reflects a dark mirror on human behavior and is probably a commentary on Chinese culture that I am not able to gleam.
The Fear of Seeing is the story of parents whose child is born with eight eyes. It is the most traditional horror tale, but it is still a surreal trip. The parents who I don't remember ever being given a name try to love and relate to this freakish child of theirs. It is important that written in 3rd person, if it was in first we would be to connected. A little space gives us room to digest at distance how painful and weird this would be for the parents. I got the sense the idea is how weird and isolating it would feel to have wide open eyes and be able to see more than the people around you. A negative of being a creative free thinker in a stifling society. I don't maybe I reading too much into it.
The fiction in this entire series is great but this is my favorite yet. Han Song is incredible and the essay is something Sci-fi adademics are dying for. In the movement for more international voices in genre this book is a must read.
In the previous editions I had read at least one thing by the author and was familar to a degree with their work of reputation. I have read quite a bit of Chinese science fiction and genre, as that line is blurred much more in China. That said this is my first experience with Han Song who did not appear in Invisible Planets the first of Ken Liu's anthology of Chinese Translations. He appeared in Broken Stars the second of that series which is still on my list to read.
This series always comes with pretty illustrations and commentary on each story by Professor Michael Arnzen. All are excellent non-fictional commentaries. The author interview provides insight but Han Song's own essay Sending Chinese Science Fiction overseas is a highlight. He talks about several novels and works of scholarship I wish were translated.
So who is Han Song? He is an award-winning Chinese science fiction author and considered to be one of the three most important voices. He is a journlist who has had his fiction censored by the Chinese goverment for being too dark as in the case with his early story Gravestone of the Universe that was published in 1991 in a Taiwanese magazine. In China he has published nine novels and almost as many short story collections.
I can't speak to his novels, as I am judging his work by six short stories, I know I am more willingly to experiment with short fiction. The vibe I am getting reminds me of Brian Evenson's short fiction. That is no small piece of praise as Evenson's last collection just won the world fantasy award and I consider him to be the best author of dark short fiction since Clive Barker.
Han Song's style has the same surreal feel and zero fucks given for convention or expectation. These stories don't have to access reality as we know it. Given that Song was censored early in his career you can see he embraces the genre's ability to subvert conformity and repression. It is not a shock that this author struggled with censorship. I wondered as I read this if the translators were able restore any of this lost material?
All six stories were good, but the two that stood out for me were Transformation Subway and Fear of Seeing. Both were dark surreal stories. Transformation Subway was a haunting tale about a subway train that keeps going endlessly through a dark tunnel never stopping or even seeing a station in passing. Once Zhou the main charater tries to escape by climbing to the other cars he discovers something more horrible. This surreal tale plays with time, cosmic dread, and is metaphoric nightmare. The situation reflects a dark mirror on human behavior and is probably a commentary on Chinese culture that I am not able to gleam.
The Fear of Seeing is the story of parents whose child is born with eight eyes. It is the most traditional horror tale, but it is still a surreal trip. The parents who I don't remember ever being given a name try to love and relate to this freakish child of theirs. It is important that written in 3rd person, if it was in first we would be to connected. A little space gives us room to digest at distance how painful and weird this would be for the parents. I got the sense the idea is how weird and isolating it would feel to have wide open eyes and be able to see more than the people around you. A negative of being a creative free thinker in a stifling society. I don't maybe I reading too much into it.
The fiction in this entire series is great but this is my favorite yet. Han Song is incredible and the essay is something Sci-fi adademics are dying for. In the movement for more international voices in genre this book is a must read.
November 1, 2020
I received a paperback copy of Exploring Dark Short Fiction #5: A Primer To Han Song, edited by Eric J. Guignard and translated by Nathaniel Isaacson, PhD ( except for Two Small Birds, which was translated by John Chu ), commentary by Michael Arnzen, PhD, and illustrated by Michelle Prebich, from the editor in return for my honest review. This follows below, I thank him for this opportunity.
I rated this primer 5 stars.
This is my first exposure to the Exploring Dark Short Fiction Modern Masters series but it will not be my last. I started on #5, the next will be Ramsey Campbell in 2021, a favourite of mine, and there are 4 previous I need to collect now that I’ve seen how ingenious and well put together these are in person.
We are given an introduction by the editor, Eric J. Guignard, a little backstory to how this all came to be for this particular volume. Next is a biography of the highlighted author, in this case Han Song, which I found interesting since I had zero knowledge going in; perfect amount in my opinion, helpful without feeling like a wiki entry, on and on. Then the stories, translated of course, and after each is commentary from someone who knows more about the multifaceted stories than I ever could, helping to give a little more information to the mindset of the author and the intention of the work. We are also treated to the script of Eric’s interview with Han Song! I thought this was especially magical, we have stories translated for the first time into English for this primer, but then we get to hear straight from the author’s own mouth about his career, awesome sauce. There is an essay by Han Song, and then a complete bibliography of both Chinese and English fiction for him. Finally you will see other works by Dark Moon Books at the very back, as well as information pages for everyone that helped make this primer come together. I think it made sense, was orderly, and I loved the artwork.
Below are the stories and my thought on them, spoiler free, hopefully.
EARTH IS FLAT:
I found this story bubbling to the surface of my mind again and again, for a story described as ironic in the commentary, this got under my skin for some inexplicable reason.
TRANSFORMATION SUBWAY:
I could think of few things worse than being stuck on a moving tube, squished against other people, until the author found a way to make that situation even more panic inducing. Too easily did I find myself creating imagery to follow along with his words, claustrophobia and enochlophobia cranked up to 11.
THE WHEEL OF SAMSARA:
An example of one I enjoyed reading but felt most of the cleverness went over my head.
TWO SMALL BIRDS:
A beautiful story to read, it kept me in a feeling of free fall, jarring but perfect.
FEAR OF SEEING:
As a parent I of course compared myself to the parents in this story, trying to see how I would measure up, an impossible and laughable task for things like this; imagine asking your husband if he would still love you if in the morning you had dog ears? Other aspects in the story were heavier, a strange balance.
MY COUNTRY DOES NOT DREAM:
When I saw this listed in the TOC, I knew this one had to have made some people angry on the home front. I respect having the bravery to write what is important to you, knowing you will be censored. I also hope this story can never become a reality.
I think this primer gave me a good introduction to Han Song’s work, I am interested in reading more by him, which I can handily look up in the bibliography. It’s a great, hands on guide to an author I didn’t know, yet.
I rated this primer 5 stars.
This is my first exposure to the Exploring Dark Short Fiction Modern Masters series but it will not be my last. I started on #5, the next will be Ramsey Campbell in 2021, a favourite of mine, and there are 4 previous I need to collect now that I’ve seen how ingenious and well put together these are in person.
We are given an introduction by the editor, Eric J. Guignard, a little backstory to how this all came to be for this particular volume. Next is a biography of the highlighted author, in this case Han Song, which I found interesting since I had zero knowledge going in; perfect amount in my opinion, helpful without feeling like a wiki entry, on and on. Then the stories, translated of course, and after each is commentary from someone who knows more about the multifaceted stories than I ever could, helping to give a little more information to the mindset of the author and the intention of the work. We are also treated to the script of Eric’s interview with Han Song! I thought this was especially magical, we have stories translated for the first time into English for this primer, but then we get to hear straight from the author’s own mouth about his career, awesome sauce. There is an essay by Han Song, and then a complete bibliography of both Chinese and English fiction for him. Finally you will see other works by Dark Moon Books at the very back, as well as information pages for everyone that helped make this primer come together. I think it made sense, was orderly, and I loved the artwork.
Below are the stories and my thought on them, spoiler free, hopefully.
EARTH IS FLAT:
I found this story bubbling to the surface of my mind again and again, for a story described as ironic in the commentary, this got under my skin for some inexplicable reason.
TRANSFORMATION SUBWAY:
I could think of few things worse than being stuck on a moving tube, squished against other people, until the author found a way to make that situation even more panic inducing. Too easily did I find myself creating imagery to follow along with his words, claustrophobia and enochlophobia cranked up to 11.
THE WHEEL OF SAMSARA:
An example of one I enjoyed reading but felt most of the cleverness went over my head.
TWO SMALL BIRDS:
A beautiful story to read, it kept me in a feeling of free fall, jarring but perfect.
FEAR OF SEEING:
As a parent I of course compared myself to the parents in this story, trying to see how I would measure up, an impossible and laughable task for things like this; imagine asking your husband if he would still love you if in the morning you had dog ears? Other aspects in the story were heavier, a strange balance.
MY COUNTRY DOES NOT DREAM:
When I saw this listed in the TOC, I knew this one had to have made some people angry on the home front. I respect having the bravery to write what is important to you, knowing you will be censored. I also hope this story can never become a reality.
I think this primer gave me a good introduction to Han Song’s work, I am interested in reading more by him, which I can handily look up in the bibliography. It’s a great, hands on guide to an author I didn’t know, yet.
November 2, 2020
I love this Primer series. Every volume is carefully put together, just a labor of love to showcase long-standing dark fiction authors of the genre. Steve Rasnic Tem, Kaaron Warren, Nisi Shawl, Jeffrey Ford, and lastly Han Song. looking forward to more!
October 24, 2020
The exploring dark short fiction is a series that Eric has put together in order to celebrate modern masters of literary short fiction and give readers a glimpse into the authors work.
Being a huge fan of short fiction, I was so pumped when Eric reached out to ask if I had any interest in reading this latest addition to the series! I was especially excited because I hadn’t yet heard of Han Song.
Full disclosure: I was given a free copy of this book from the editor in exchange for an honest review. This did not affect my rating in any way.
In the introduction, the author mentioned having little experience with fiction from Asia but wanted to rectify that. That passage really hit home for me. I’ve just recently started watching Asian horror movies but I have yet to read much from the region. I definitely have to change that as well!
Next, we were on to a biography of Han Song which was short but very sweet. I couldn’t wait to dive into his work after this!
Next up, a slew of stories from Han Song! In between each story, there were wonderfully spooky illustrations created by Michelle Prebich.
Per usual, here are my quick notes on each one-
Earth Is Flat - Translated by Nathaniel Isaacson PhD - 3/5
Interesting! I have never seen a tale centering around Christopher Columbus like this. This was certainly a bizarre tale and I definitely couldn’t have guesses where it was going to go!
Transformation Subway - Translated by Nathaniel Isaacson PhD - 3/5
Oh my good lord. This was truly a nightmare! I’m petrified of subway trains and such things to begin with because they’re in tunnels. Add onto that a crowded train, let alone one as packed as this one... but a train that goes on and on for ages not stopping and seeming to go through darkness?! No thank you! This story just kept getting more and more bizarre as it went on.
The Wheel of Samsara - 4/5
Oh man, if only we could just leave other cultures alone and not feel the need to go in to dissect and change them at our every whim. The idea behind this one was really interesting and I liked that there was quite a bit of mystery.
Two Small Birds - Translated by John Chu - 2/5
I’m personally not a huge fan of magical realism to begin with, so this one was a little confusing for me. Reading the note afterward was super helpful! But this one overall was a bit over my head.
Fear of Seeing - Translated by Nathaniel Isaacson PhD - 4/5
Oh goodness, this was unnerving! What would you do if your baby was born with too many eyes?! This one just got more and more out of hand as the story continued.
My Country Does Not Dream - Translated by Nathaniel Isaacson PhD - 4/5
As someone who has had issues with sleepwalking in the past, this one really freaked me out!
Next up we have an article titled Why Han Song Matters by Michael Arnzen, PHD & In Conversation with Han Song. I loved these two sections! They added more insight into the stories we had just read and then helped the reader get to know the author a bit more.
Lastly, there is an essay by Han Song titled Sending Chinese Science Fiction Overseas: A New Dialogue, translated by Nathaniel Isaacson PhD and then a bibliography of Han Songs works!
My Final Thoughts:
This was a great introduction to a new-to-me author! While I enjoyed the read and I LOVE the idea behind this series, these stories we're super up my alley as I struggle with sci-fi. Even so, I had a great time reading them!
I highly recommend checking this out if you're into sci-fi, magical realism, and when both of those things are mixed with horror!
Being a huge fan of short fiction, I was so pumped when Eric reached out to ask if I had any interest in reading this latest addition to the series! I was especially excited because I hadn’t yet heard of Han Song.
Full disclosure: I was given a free copy of this book from the editor in exchange for an honest review. This did not affect my rating in any way.
In the introduction, the author mentioned having little experience with fiction from Asia but wanted to rectify that. That passage really hit home for me. I’ve just recently started watching Asian horror movies but I have yet to read much from the region. I definitely have to change that as well!
Next, we were on to a biography of Han Song which was short but very sweet. I couldn’t wait to dive into his work after this!
Next up, a slew of stories from Han Song! In between each story, there were wonderfully spooky illustrations created by Michelle Prebich.
Per usual, here are my quick notes on each one-
Earth Is Flat - Translated by Nathaniel Isaacson PhD - 3/5
Interesting! I have never seen a tale centering around Christopher Columbus like this. This was certainly a bizarre tale and I definitely couldn’t have guesses where it was going to go!
Transformation Subway - Translated by Nathaniel Isaacson PhD - 3/5
Oh my good lord. This was truly a nightmare! I’m petrified of subway trains and such things to begin with because they’re in tunnels. Add onto that a crowded train, let alone one as packed as this one... but a train that goes on and on for ages not stopping and seeming to go through darkness?! No thank you! This story just kept getting more and more bizarre as it went on.
The Wheel of Samsara - 4/5
Oh man, if only we could just leave other cultures alone and not feel the need to go in to dissect and change them at our every whim. The idea behind this one was really interesting and I liked that there was quite a bit of mystery.
Two Small Birds - Translated by John Chu - 2/5
I’m personally not a huge fan of magical realism to begin with, so this one was a little confusing for me. Reading the note afterward was super helpful! But this one overall was a bit over my head.
Fear of Seeing - Translated by Nathaniel Isaacson PhD - 4/5
Oh goodness, this was unnerving! What would you do if your baby was born with too many eyes?! This one just got more and more out of hand as the story continued.
My Country Does Not Dream - Translated by Nathaniel Isaacson PhD - 4/5
As someone who has had issues with sleepwalking in the past, this one really freaked me out!
Next up we have an article titled Why Han Song Matters by Michael Arnzen, PHD & In Conversation with Han Song. I loved these two sections! They added more insight into the stories we had just read and then helped the reader get to know the author a bit more.
Lastly, there is an essay by Han Song titled Sending Chinese Science Fiction Overseas: A New Dialogue, translated by Nathaniel Isaacson PhD and then a bibliography of Han Songs works!
My Final Thoughts:
This was a great introduction to a new-to-me author! While I enjoyed the read and I LOVE the idea behind this series, these stories we're super up my alley as I struggle with sci-fi. Even so, I had a great time reading them!
I highly recommend checking this out if you're into sci-fi, magical realism, and when both of those things are mixed with horror!
October 29, 2020
This great series continues to impress. The combination of storytelling, artwork, and critique has been excellent in all of the volumes in this series.
As for the stories in this volume they are all well crafted, particularly the excellent "The Wheel of Samsara," which that story alone would justify the price of the book.
As for the stories in this volume they are all well crafted, particularly the excellent "The Wheel of Samsara," which that story alone would justify the price of the book.
June 22, 2021
Volume after volume, every one in this series is so good. Beautiful layout, great stories, all around depth and introduction to leading authors in the dark fiction genre! I'd never heard of Han Song before, but not I'm a huge fan after reading this!
July 19, 2021
This was my first exposure to science fiction author HAN SONG, and wow, was I knocked out! The author is from China, and his work was translated into English for this book, so definite kudos to the work of translation. This book and this series is something special, with fiction short stories, and commentary, artwork, essay, interview, and other sections. Excellent introduction to Han Song’s work! “The Wheel of Samsara” was a gorgeous story of destruction and beginning. “My Country Does Not Dream” was a bleak view of government conspiracy. Really, all the stories and work in this book was top quality.
November 12, 2020
I would recommend this book for fans of mystical, surreal bizarre, and over the top writing. Some of the stories are complex, but give them time, and an open mind, and I'm sure you will become a fan of Han Song. I give it 4 out of 5 stars. I was provided a copy of this book for an honest review! Please read my full review here: https://www.scaretissue.com/a-primer-...
June 11, 2024
This was an interesting collection of Han Song's more horror-driven works. I am mostly familiar with his sci-fi, but this was a different take on his work. I found these tales grotesque and off-putting more than once. However, I am sure that was the point. There was a lot to be unpacked in these stories and I'm sure I will revisit one or two of them in the future.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews