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The Waste Tide
12 hrs 15 mins
Mimi is a 'waste girl', a member of the lowest caste on Silicon Isle.
Located off China's southeastern coast, Silicon Isle is the global capital for electronic waste recycling, where thousands like Mimi toil day and night, hoping one day they too will enjoy the wealth they’ve created for their employers, the three clans who have ruled the isle for generations.
Luo Jincheng is the head of one of these clans, a role passed down from his father and grandfather before him. As the government enforces tighter restrictions, Luo in turn tightens the reins on the waste workers in his employ. Ruthlessness is his means of survival.
Scott Brandle has come to Silicon Isle representing TerraGreen Recycling, an American corporation that stands to earn ungodly sums if they can reach a deal to modernize the island’s recycling process.
Chen Kaizong, a Chinese American, travels to Silicon Isle as Scott’s interpreter. There, Kaizong is hoping to find his heritage, but finds more questions instead. The home he longs for may not exist.
As these forces collide, a dark futuristic virus is unleashed on the island, and war erupts between the rich and the poor; between Chinese tradition and American ambition; between humanity’s past and its future.
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Mimi is a 'waste girl', a member of the lowest caste on Silicon Isle.
Located off China's southeastern coast, Silicon Isle is the global capital for electronic waste recycling, where thousands like Mimi toil day and night, hoping one day they too will enjoy the wealth they’ve created for their employers, the three clans who have ruled the isle for generations.
Luo Jincheng is the head of one of these clans, a role passed down from his father and grandfather before him. As the government enforces tighter restrictions, Luo in turn tightens the reins on the waste workers in his employ. Ruthlessness is his means of survival.
Scott Brandle has come to Silicon Isle representing TerraGreen Recycling, an American corporation that stands to earn ungodly sums if they can reach a deal to modernize the island’s recycling process.
Chen Kaizong, a Chinese American, travels to Silicon Isle as Scott’s interpreter. There, Kaizong is hoping to find his heritage, but finds more questions instead. The home he longs for may not exist.
As these forces collide, a dark futuristic virus is unleashed on the island, and war erupts between the rich and the poor; between Chinese tradition and American ambition; between humanity’s past and its future.
Rights Catalog Text
0
0
340 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2013
398 people are currently reading
8319 people want to read
About the author
Chen Qiufan
81 books238 followersChen Qiufan was born in 1981, in Shantou, China. (In accordance with Chinese custom, Mr. Chen's surname is written first. He sometimes uses the English name Stanley Chan.)
He is a graduate of Peking University and published his first short story in 1997 in Science Fiction World, China's largest science fiction magazine. Since 2004, he has published over 30 stories in Science Fiction World, Esquire, Chutzpah and other magazines. His first novel, The Abyss of Vision, came out in 2006. He won Taiwan's Dragon Fantasy Award in 2006 with "A Record of the Cave of Ning Mountain," a work written in Classical Chinese. His story, "The Tomb," was translated into English and Italian and can be found in The Apex Book of World SF II and Alias 6.
He now lives in Beijing and works for Google China.
He is a graduate of Peking University and published his first short story in 1997 in Science Fiction World, China's largest science fiction magazine. Since 2004, he has published over 30 stories in Science Fiction World, Esquire, Chutzpah and other magazines. His first novel, The Abyss of Vision, came out in 2006. He won Taiwan's Dragon Fantasy Award in 2006 with "A Record of the Cave of Ning Mountain," a work written in Classical Chinese. His story, "The Tomb," was translated into English and Italian and can be found in The Apex Book of World SF II and Alias 6.
He now lives in Beijing and works for Google China.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 506 reviews
May 14, 2021
This was a really tough reading. The idea is awesome and the worldbuilding very complex, but the storytelling is disjointed and convoluted. It's a highly dense, mixed bag of cyberpunk, chinese myths, traditions and superstitions, all wrapped up in an eco-thriller, with strong horror accents.
To see where the idea came from, following fragment from Wiki is most comprehensive:
The story takes place in the imaginary ''Silicon Isle''. The Chinese word ''硅屿'' for Silicon Isle shares a similar pronunciation with Guiyu (Chinese: 贵屿) in Mandarin. In the real world, Guiyu is a town in the Shantou prefecture of Guangdong province in China. And it is Shantou where Chen Qiufan was born and grew up before he entered Peking University.
Situated on the South China Sea coast, Guiyu got famous in the global environmentalist community for its reception of E-waste. The town held the record for being the largest E-waste site up to 2013. Though some residents got rich by electronic recycling, pollution became serious in the town.
Most of the eco-books deal with climate change and/or animals extinction; this is the first dealing with electronic waste, which made me pursue the subject further. The numbers are astronomic, to say the least.* I'm not one to change my electronics every time a new model is out, but if I had been, I think this book would have made think trice before buying another.
I have only read a few short stories by Chen Quifan prior to this book, and I liked them a lot. Even if this one was so hard to read, it's his first novel and I'll definitely try whatever else he comes up with. He has ideas, which is the most important thing, just needs to be polished a bit.
*https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elect...
To see where the idea came from, following fragment from Wiki is most comprehensive:
The story takes place in the imaginary ''Silicon Isle''. The Chinese word ''硅屿'' for Silicon Isle shares a similar pronunciation with Guiyu (Chinese: 贵屿) in Mandarin. In the real world, Guiyu is a town in the Shantou prefecture of Guangdong province in China. And it is Shantou where Chen Qiufan was born and grew up before he entered Peking University.
Situated on the South China Sea coast, Guiyu got famous in the global environmentalist community for its reception of E-waste. The town held the record for being the largest E-waste site up to 2013. Though some residents got rich by electronic recycling, pollution became serious in the town.
Most of the eco-books deal with climate change and/or animals extinction; this is the first dealing with electronic waste, which made me pursue the subject further. The numbers are astronomic, to say the least.* I'm not one to change my electronics every time a new model is out, but if I had been, I think this book would have made think trice before buying another.
I have only read a few short stories by Chen Quifan prior to this book, and I liked them a lot. Even if this one was so hard to read, it's his first novel and I'll definitely try whatever else he comes up with. He has ideas, which is the most important thing, just needs to be polished a bit.
*https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elect...
January 1, 2021
Fast paced, filmic near future thriller that has elements of Ghost in the Shell, Alita Battle Angel, Lucy and Transcendence in it. More Dan Brown than Margaret Atwood or David Mitchell, except for the ambiguous ending
People always think of themselves as playing with the tides, but in the end, they find out that the tides play with them.
Waste Tide was an entertaining read, but I recognise I don't read many thrillers and that my hopes were a little to high based on the recommendation on the cover from David Mitchell. It turns out that this book is quite a lot like the Luisa Rey thriller pastiche in Cloud Atlas, which is not necessarily a recommendation.
The first chapter has a hell of a lot of metaphors, while later on semi deep quotes are included like:
All history is contemporary history or History is the process through which events are bleached of their emotional color.
The setting of the story is highly original, a backward island/peninsula for the coast of China where e-waste is being recycled. The circumstances for both people and environment are very challenging because of three rivalling clans who control the processing and the local government. Corruption and violence come to the foreground when an US based company is trying to bring the recycling to another level (and earn a high profit). One of the interpreters (the topolect of the region is markedly different from standard Mandarin) falls in love and some experiments with AI and mind control mix in a plot full of action.
The book reads like a Hollywood movie, in terms of action, ease of getting in the story but also lack of ambiguity. We have self aware reflections which feel kind of generic for both Chinese and Americans:
He understood that he was no different from most Chinese: it wasn’t so much that he had faith in the Buddha; rather, he worshipped pragmatism. Putting his heart at ease was the greatest ever practical benefit of his faith. &
Of course, considering that he came from a country only founded about 250 years ago, it was understandable that his own culinary culture had progressed but a few steps beyond tossing the meat over an open fire after skinning the kill.
Or the following "deep" statement:
Wanting more money doesn’t make it okay to kill.
Still the importance of family ties and clan structures is an interesting addition to this thriller, as is the thought that speaks from this book that the concern for the environment is just a cynical veil for the West to extend its powers over the developing world:
I don’t categorize people the way you do. All men and women are created equal.
I’m sure that’s what the Americans had in mind when they treated the rest of the world as their mother private landfill.
There is a recognition of bureaucracy and corruption in at least local Chinese governments, who turn a blind eye to the exploitation of workers to counterbalance this.
Leaving the place one is born and the longing this brings with is finally a theme that must also stem from the large scale migrations underway from the inward regions to richer coastal areas in China.
It is the brutal world of Oryx and Crake from Margaret Atwood, even though the style with which the world is conjured is not literary. A quick and exciting read with an ending that is thankfully not too sweet and a believable world. Enjoy it and be glad you don't work in a recycling center for e-waste.
People always think of themselves as playing with the tides, but in the end, they find out that the tides play with them.
Waste Tide was an entertaining read, but I recognise I don't read many thrillers and that my hopes were a little to high based on the recommendation on the cover from David Mitchell. It turns out that this book is quite a lot like the Luisa Rey thriller pastiche in Cloud Atlas, which is not necessarily a recommendation.
The first chapter has a hell of a lot of metaphors, while later on semi deep quotes are included like:
All history is contemporary history or History is the process through which events are bleached of their emotional color.
The setting of the story is highly original, a backward island/peninsula for the coast of China where e-waste is being recycled. The circumstances for both people and environment are very challenging because of three rivalling clans who control the processing and the local government. Corruption and violence come to the foreground when an US based company is trying to bring the recycling to another level (and earn a high profit). One of the interpreters (the topolect of the region is markedly different from standard Mandarin) falls in love and some experiments with AI and mind control mix in a plot full of action.
The book reads like a Hollywood movie, in terms of action, ease of getting in the story but also lack of ambiguity. We have self aware reflections which feel kind of generic for both Chinese and Americans:
He understood that he was no different from most Chinese: it wasn’t so much that he had faith in the Buddha; rather, he worshipped pragmatism. Putting his heart at ease was the greatest ever practical benefit of his faith. &
Of course, considering that he came from a country only founded about 250 years ago, it was understandable that his own culinary culture had progressed but a few steps beyond tossing the meat over an open fire after skinning the kill.
Or the following "deep" statement:
Wanting more money doesn’t make it okay to kill.
Still the importance of family ties and clan structures is an interesting addition to this thriller, as is the thought that speaks from this book that the concern for the environment is just a cynical veil for the West to extend its powers over the developing world:
I don’t categorize people the way you do. All men and women are created equal.
I’m sure that’s what the Americans had in mind when they treated the rest of the world as their mother private landfill.
There is a recognition of bureaucracy and corruption in at least local Chinese governments, who turn a blind eye to the exploitation of workers to counterbalance this.
Leaving the place one is born and the longing this brings with is finally a theme that must also stem from the large scale migrations underway from the inward regions to richer coastal areas in China.
It is the brutal world of Oryx and Crake from Margaret Atwood, even though the style with which the world is conjured is not literary. A quick and exciting read with an ending that is thankfully not too sweet and a believable world. Enjoy it and be glad you don't work in a recycling center for e-waste.
May 6, 2019
An interesting book about class oppression and the progression of human use and integration of technology. The environmental aspect was of course a significant part of the story, but the damage caused by recycling of e-waste came across so matter of factly that it simultaneously became both more and less horrific.
The style was interesting, using a bit of overlapping time sequencing, and had an almost literary quality to it. In some parts it seemed to take on an almost magical realism feel blending culturally traditional beliefs with technology to explain or provide solutions to certain events.
The characters were well developed and all so different. I really felt the distinctions between the cultures, classes, and backgrounds of each one. Similarly, the microcosm of Silicone Ilse was very well described, and felt rich and authentic.
Overall, this was a unique and slightly mind-bending read.
The style was interesting, using a bit of overlapping time sequencing, and had an almost literary quality to it. In some parts it seemed to take on an almost magical realism feel blending culturally traditional beliefs with technology to explain or provide solutions to certain events.
The characters were well developed and all so different. I really felt the distinctions between the cultures, classes, and backgrounds of each one. Similarly, the microcosm of Silicone Ilse was very well described, and felt rich and authentic.
Overall, this was a unique and slightly mind-bending read.
July 5, 2021
“Rica en el contenido, pobre en la forma: solo para amantes del ecologismo.”
Marea tóxica (2018), del escritor chino Chen Qiufan (1981-) es una novela de corte distópico (al menos en el entorno donde se desarrolla), de ambiente ciberpunk y con un claro tema ecológico: la crítica al exceso de residuos tóxicos producidos por la humanidad. Enmarcado en este contexto se desarrollan varias críticas secundarias: diferencias de clase que provoca que algunos seres humanos vivan en condiciones de semiexclavitud, excesivo poder de las multinacionales, experimentación abusiva con animales, consumismo excesivo, etc.
Aparte de las buenas intenciones de estos temas, el argumento me ha parecido manido: chica de la clase más baja que logra ciertas habilidades y subleva a los de su clase contra los opresores. Tampoco falta, por supuesto, su historia de amor, más a o menos convencional. Aunque esto, a priori, no tiene por qué ser un problema, el caso es que a mí, Marea tóxica no consiguió interesarme demasiado.
La razón principal fue la falta de ritmo y una trama lenta que le costaba avanzar y que no animaba a seguir leyendo. Puedo añadir que tampoco he encontrado un buen suspense en la obra, que su desarrollo es simple y que el final me ha resultado confuso.
Desde luego Chen Qiufan no es Liu Cixin, al menos en esta novela. No puedo recomendar su lectura.
Marea tóxica (2018), del escritor chino Chen Qiufan (1981-) es una novela de corte distópico (al menos en el entorno donde se desarrolla), de ambiente ciberpunk y con un claro tema ecológico: la crítica al exceso de residuos tóxicos producidos por la humanidad. Enmarcado en este contexto se desarrollan varias críticas secundarias: diferencias de clase que provoca que algunos seres humanos vivan en condiciones de semiexclavitud, excesivo poder de las multinacionales, experimentación abusiva con animales, consumismo excesivo, etc.
Aparte de las buenas intenciones de estos temas, el argumento me ha parecido manido: chica de la clase más baja que logra ciertas habilidades y subleva a los de su clase contra los opresores. Tampoco falta, por supuesto, su historia de amor, más a o menos convencional. Aunque esto, a priori, no tiene por qué ser un problema, el caso es que a mí, Marea tóxica no consiguió interesarme demasiado.
La razón principal fue la falta de ritmo y una trama lenta que le costaba avanzar y que no animaba a seguir leyendo. Puedo añadir que tampoco he encontrado un buen suspense en la obra, que su desarrollo es simple y que el final me ha resultado confuso.
Desde luego Chen Qiufan no es Liu Cixin, al menos en esta novela. No puedo recomendar su lectura.
May 17, 2019
This grim story addressed a number of things: the environment, class oppression, technology use and its disposal, body modifications, exploitation of workers, corporate shenanigans, the Western use of Asia as a dumping ground for its garbage and recycling, differences between cultures, and more. I found the story to be dense with ideas, complicated, and difficult to read at times because of all the uncomfortable questions it was posing. For example, the bulk of the story concerned e-waste and where it's located in the story (Silicon Isle), who processes it (the waste people) and who controls the processing (a few powerful families on Silicon Isle).
The author has us follow three main characters from different economic and cultural backgrounds, and told their stories through different critical time periods in their lives.
Though I had a little difficulty keeping track of all the characters, at first, I liked how the interwoven perspectives were handled. The main male characters are complex, though I did have some issues with how Mimi, the waste girl that everyone is after through the story, was written. I wished that she had been more of an active participant in her own story, rather than being the one to whom terrible things happened. Also, I was dissatisfied with how her story concluded.
Despite this grievance, I was glad I read this book. Its world is dirty and dangerous, and gave us a different perspective on technology, and its downside, than we usually get in speculative fiction.
The author has us follow three main characters from different economic and cultural backgrounds, and told their stories through different critical time periods in their lives.
Though I had a little difficulty keeping track of all the characters, at first, I liked how the interwoven perspectives were handled. The main male characters are complex, though I did have some issues with how Mimi, the waste girl that everyone is after through the story, was written. I wished that she had been more of an active participant in her own story, rather than being the one to whom terrible things happened. Also, I was dissatisfied with how her story concluded.
Despite this grievance, I was glad I read this book. Its world is dirty and dangerous, and gave us a different perspective on technology, and its downside, than we usually get in speculative fiction.
November 11, 2019
There is a refrain from certain corners of science fiction fandom that science fiction has gotten “too political,” a phrase that is usually a good indicator that you’re dealing with a reader who has never understood the genre. Science fiction has always held up a mirror to our times, and whether an individual story chooses to address and extrapolate upon the world as it is, or avoid it entirely for the sake of reassuring escapism, both are political choices on the writers’ part. With some exceptions, it seems like a lot of science fiction produced in the West as we approach the 2020s wants to offer optimism: stories that give readers a future where the universe still holds the promise of adventure, and we all have somewhere we belong. And even the crises that threaten the earth in the near term are no match for humanity’s resolve and willingness to adapt.
Waste Tide (released in the West in 2019) is not that kind of novel. But it’s not a ruthlessly grimdark dystopia either. It examines the present-day geopolitical landscape directly, and then builds a taut and gripping near-future tech-thriller out of it that examines class struggle and the economic exploitation of the desperately poor. In its portrayal of a culture borne of literal trash, and the way in which its plot centers on a physically-enhanced heroine who is swept up in events through no desire of her own, the book bears a strong resemblance to Paolo Bacigalupi’s Hugo-and-Nebula winner The Windup Girl. But while both books are often grisly and brutal, Waste Tide is less oppressive and much more accessible than The Windup Girl. It’s easy to visualize it as a sleek big-budget Hong Kong movie. It’s also more true-to-life in its inspiration, and better tuned to the current pulse of world events.
Chen Qiufan has based his story on his own experiences living near Guiyu, a town on the coast of the South China Sea that was for many years the world’s largest electronics waste dump. (cont'd)
Waste Tide (released in the West in 2019) is not that kind of novel. But it’s not a ruthlessly grimdark dystopia either. It examines the present-day geopolitical landscape directly, and then builds a taut and gripping near-future tech-thriller out of it that examines class struggle and the economic exploitation of the desperately poor. In its portrayal of a culture borne of literal trash, and the way in which its plot centers on a physically-enhanced heroine who is swept up in events through no desire of her own, the book bears a strong resemblance to Paolo Bacigalupi’s Hugo-and-Nebula winner The Windup Girl. But while both books are often grisly and brutal, Waste Tide is less oppressive and much more accessible than The Windup Girl. It’s easy to visualize it as a sleek big-budget Hong Kong movie. It’s also more true-to-life in its inspiration, and better tuned to the current pulse of world events.
Chen Qiufan has based his story on his own experiences living near Guiyu, a town on the coast of the South China Sea that was for many years the world’s largest electronics waste dump. (cont'd)
April 30, 2019
Disclaimer: I’m writing this post, voluntarily, as an ordinary reader and it has nothing to do with the fact that I know the writer personally! I have read the book in its original Chinese years ago, and have liked it a lot since.
TW about the book: violence, abuse, torture, death
If you’re craving hardcore-classic-William-Gibson-Style-Cyberpunk, read “Waste Tide”.
If you’re a fan of environmental literature, folk culture and religion, social class in China and international powers deciding the future of our planet, read “Waste Tide”.
If you are simply looking for science fiction densely packed with fascinating ideas, vivid details and thrilling plot that will keep you awake at 4:00am, read “Waste Tide”.
Global superpowers using Silicon Isle in Southern China as a battlefield of ideals and technology. Social class. The oldest of folk traditions, exorcism, soothsaying and more, side-by-side with the newest of technology. Endless rain, roaring tide, cybernetics, geometric metal pieces scattered on the beach alongside fluorescent jellyfish, virtual drugs. Politics between local family clans and major International corporations. Body modification. Neuroscience. Cognitive linguistics. Complex and somewhat morally grey characters driven by both personal interest and a concern for the world’s future. An era where humans are torn between stubborn traditions and sweeping modern technology, conservative ideals and mind-shattering revelations about the world, logic and emotion. A dark time when old faith dies and, in a state of despair, people create new Gods out of metal and electrodes. The harm and discrimination experienced by low SES workers. The terrifying impact of consumerism on our natural environment. Finding one’s identity in the rapid wave of modernization and globalization.
And finally, teenage girl rising from the deadland of trash and leading her people into a full-out rebellion.
If any of the above hits a sweet spot, read “Waste Tide”.
As Stan’s first and currently only long form story, “Waste Tide” isn’t without flaws — the timeline and the alternating character perspectives are a little too chopped up and scattered; characterization and some of the emotional development could be carried out better, instead of in a rush (directly told instead of shown), which unfortunately has sacrificed some of the nuances that could be further explored and made some parts a little stereotyped.
But the beautiful, sharp and witty writing (and translation of course), the wildly imaginative worldbuilding filled with almost overwhelming details and the mind-blowing concepts totally make up for it.
I particularly enjoy the way that the writer has woven such an intricate web of characters from different social classes, representing their respective backstory as well as the many ways they interact with one another. I also appreciate the complexity of the characters, and the down-to-earth way that the writer has portrayed them: as real, complex, selfish-and-selfless people constantly going through inner conflict, swimming through moral grey zones, haunted by the past and yet simultaneously fighting for a brighter future.
The cyberpunk worldbuilding is also stunning — and uncanny. I loved reading about the details regarding the lives of the Silicon Isle people, where technology (that has become such an essential part of everyday life) clashes with old folk traditions, where the supernatural comes face to face (and blends!) with science. And I need to specifically point out how visually powerful this book is. Almost every single key scene could stand on its own as a piece of magnificent art, and I am so glad that this book is going to have a TV adaptation in the future.
Overall, “Waste Tide” is a colorful whirlpool of complexity, packed with imageries and ideas. When I was reading the book, there were many times when I had to put it down temporarily and take a break just to digest. This book is the exact opposite of the kind of novel that you can power through 500 pages in a few hours because 80% of it is just language to fill in the void — it’s so dense with ideas that I almost feel like each sentence deserves its own close reading.
And the translation of the book. It’s a Ken Liu translation. Enough to guarantee the quality. Seeing how much Ken appreciates and understands Stan’s works as well as thoughts over their decade long incredible friendship - I am certain that the English translation will do justice to the book.
Finally, a few words about Stanley as a writer. His works have been widely translated into English, so I’m sure that people interested in Chinese science fiction have at least stumbled across one of his works. Here I’ll just offer another perspective of someone who has read most of his stories in the original Chinese and who has also translated a few of his stories.
I have worked with several writers in my (rathe brief and inexperienced) career as a translator, but Stan has stood out from the very beginning. When I translate, I always need to immerse myself in the writer’s work and truly feel them before I can render their words in a different language. Some writers sound amiable, with an almost chatty, colloquial style; some writers are elegant, ornate and create poetry with each line they put down.
But Stan’s different from all of them. He’s clean, articulate, precise, as beautiful as a cutting arrow. He can point to the heart of complex ideas using just a few simple words, yet at the same time assemble a mass of imageries and details with grace. He’s acute, observant, witty, rich with metaphors, always able to wield multiple major themes at once and unpack each of them deftly. He walks that delicate line between hard, bold philosophical ideas and poetic language. In science fiction we always speak about the future — speak about writing about the future — but his writing is the future itself.
Read this book. Read this author. You won’t be disappointed.
TW about the book: violence, abuse, torture, death
If you’re craving hardcore-classic-William-Gibson-Style-Cyberpunk, read “Waste Tide”.
If you’re a fan of environmental literature, folk culture and religion, social class in China and international powers deciding the future of our planet, read “Waste Tide”.
If you are simply looking for science fiction densely packed with fascinating ideas, vivid details and thrilling plot that will keep you awake at 4:00am, read “Waste Tide”.
Global superpowers using Silicon Isle in Southern China as a battlefield of ideals and technology. Social class. The oldest of folk traditions, exorcism, soothsaying and more, side-by-side with the newest of technology. Endless rain, roaring tide, cybernetics, geometric metal pieces scattered on the beach alongside fluorescent jellyfish, virtual drugs. Politics between local family clans and major International corporations. Body modification. Neuroscience. Cognitive linguistics. Complex and somewhat morally grey characters driven by both personal interest and a concern for the world’s future. An era where humans are torn between stubborn traditions and sweeping modern technology, conservative ideals and mind-shattering revelations about the world, logic and emotion. A dark time when old faith dies and, in a state of despair, people create new Gods out of metal and electrodes. The harm and discrimination experienced by low SES workers. The terrifying impact of consumerism on our natural environment. Finding one’s identity in the rapid wave of modernization and globalization.
And finally, teenage girl rising from the deadland of trash and leading her people into a full-out rebellion.
If any of the above hits a sweet spot, read “Waste Tide”.
As Stan’s first and currently only long form story, “Waste Tide” isn’t without flaws — the timeline and the alternating character perspectives are a little too chopped up and scattered; characterization and some of the emotional development could be carried out better, instead of in a rush (directly told instead of shown), which unfortunately has sacrificed some of the nuances that could be further explored and made some parts a little stereotyped.
But the beautiful, sharp and witty writing (and translation of course), the wildly imaginative worldbuilding filled with almost overwhelming details and the mind-blowing concepts totally make up for it.
I particularly enjoy the way that the writer has woven such an intricate web of characters from different social classes, representing their respective backstory as well as the many ways they interact with one another. I also appreciate the complexity of the characters, and the down-to-earth way that the writer has portrayed them: as real, complex, selfish-and-selfless people constantly going through inner conflict, swimming through moral grey zones, haunted by the past and yet simultaneously fighting for a brighter future.
The cyberpunk worldbuilding is also stunning — and uncanny. I loved reading about the details regarding the lives of the Silicon Isle people, where technology (that has become such an essential part of everyday life) clashes with old folk traditions, where the supernatural comes face to face (and blends!) with science. And I need to specifically point out how visually powerful this book is. Almost every single key scene could stand on its own as a piece of magnificent art, and I am so glad that this book is going to have a TV adaptation in the future.
Overall, “Waste Tide” is a colorful whirlpool of complexity, packed with imageries and ideas. When I was reading the book, there were many times when I had to put it down temporarily and take a break just to digest. This book is the exact opposite of the kind of novel that you can power through 500 pages in a few hours because 80% of it is just language to fill in the void — it’s so dense with ideas that I almost feel like each sentence deserves its own close reading.
And the translation of the book. It’s a Ken Liu translation. Enough to guarantee the quality. Seeing how much Ken appreciates and understands Stan’s works as well as thoughts over their decade long incredible friendship - I am certain that the English translation will do justice to the book.
Finally, a few words about Stanley as a writer. His works have been widely translated into English, so I’m sure that people interested in Chinese science fiction have at least stumbled across one of his works. Here I’ll just offer another perspective of someone who has read most of his stories in the original Chinese and who has also translated a few of his stories.
I have worked with several writers in my (rathe brief and inexperienced) career as a translator, but Stan has stood out from the very beginning. When I translate, I always need to immerse myself in the writer’s work and truly feel them before I can render their words in a different language. Some writers sound amiable, with an almost chatty, colloquial style; some writers are elegant, ornate and create poetry with each line they put down.
But Stan’s different from all of them. He’s clean, articulate, precise, as beautiful as a cutting arrow. He can point to the heart of complex ideas using just a few simple words, yet at the same time assemble a mass of imageries and details with grace. He’s acute, observant, witty, rich with metaphors, always able to wield multiple major themes at once and unpack each of them deftly. He walks that delicate line between hard, bold philosophical ideas and poetic language. In science fiction we always speak about the future — speak about writing about the future — but his writing is the future itself.
Read this book. Read this author. You won’t be disappointed.
June 24, 2019
La idea y la portada son lo mejor del libro.
No brilla.
No brilla.
November 13, 2022
DNF at 30%
In the notes, the author says he had no experience with longer fiction when he wrote this.
It shows.
Wobbly narrative with serious structural problems that is mostly "tell" with very few "show" sequences that aren't flashbacks. (Character is reminded of an event, their eyes go glassy...cue flashback action sequence...then we rejoin the boring all-tell present)
The few action sequences are okay, but read like superficial copies of Western disposable thrillers that are meant to be chucked in the bin when finished.
Startling is also that this novel was written by a native of China about China. Most of the "local colour" reads as if it was copied straight off of a tourism site by someone who has never set foot in the country in their life.
What's worse, the characters are little more than stereotypes and are very hard to get to know or sympathise with. We have the good little school boy, the abused waif, the evil Western capitalist, the scheming local clan lords, the environmentalists ready to give their lives for the cause. Mix that with the most obvious of empathy-inducing tactics and you've entered eye-rolling country.
The best thing about this novel are the sci-fi elements and the info about electronics recycling. Beyond that I found little to hold my attention. Which is a shame. I was really looking forward to reading some good Chinese fiction.
Don't fall for the cover hype. This one needs to go back in the oven and bake for longer.
In the notes, the author says he had no experience with longer fiction when he wrote this.
It shows.
Wobbly narrative with serious structural problems that is mostly "tell" with very few "show" sequences that aren't flashbacks. (Character is reminded of an event, their eyes go glassy...cue flashback action sequence...then we rejoin the boring all-tell present)
The few action sequences are okay, but read like superficial copies of Western disposable thrillers that are meant to be chucked in the bin when finished.
Startling is also that this novel was written by a native of China about China. Most of the "local colour" reads as if it was copied straight off of a tourism site by someone who has never set foot in the country in their life.
What's worse, the characters are little more than stereotypes and are very hard to get to know or sympathise with. We have the good little school boy, the abused waif, the evil Western capitalist, the scheming local clan lords, the environmentalists ready to give their lives for the cause. Mix that with the most obvious of empathy-inducing tactics and you've entered eye-rolling country.
The best thing about this novel are the sci-fi elements and the info about electronics recycling. Beyond that I found little to hold my attention. Which is a shame. I was really looking forward to reading some good Chinese fiction.
Don't fall for the cover hype. This one needs to go back in the oven and bake for longer.
January 26, 2020
This is a near future SF novel from a Chinese author. Previously I’ve re read The Three-Body Problem by Liu Cixin and decided to try another author from China. My interest in not only in non-Western SF but also on trying to see what Chinese censorship allows these days (as a person that grew in the USSR I clearly understand that a non-dissident author cooperates with regime if s/he wants to be published at all).
This is a story of Silicon Isle. Its original name was different but now it is a destination for electronic waste of all kinds, including prosthetics, from the developed world. It is located off mainland China's southeastern coast. The indigenous population is well off right now for the recycling pays off. However, most of the real work (and it is a dangerous and unhealthy work) is done by the ‘waste people’, migrant workers from the mainland. The Isle is ruled by the three local clans, which can break down strikes and even kill waste people with little consequence. Moreover, after some incident the data-line to the rest of the world is extremely limited, which among other things prevents sending video about working conditions.
To the Isle come Americans, represented by Scott Brandle. He formally represents TerraGreen Recycling, a firm that wants to renovate and upscale the recycling. But he is more than just a clerk, which can be seen from his combat training. Here I must note that a western spy trope, who hides his ugly self behind a veneer of a mild man was widely used in the soviet SF and mysteries, so for original Chinese readers his true self wouldn’t be a surprise.
Scott is accompanied by Chen Kaizong, a local from the Isle, who studied history in the USA and now returns as an interpreter. Among his mementoes was a photo of a waste girl, Mimi, who is the third main character.
The American proposes the deal, Chen seeks and finds Mimi and sees the injustice of his people to the waste people. Mimi catches some weird disease from a strange VR helm, which transforms her.
The story is interesting but extremely poorly structured, with important infodumps too close to the finish. For example, the fact that prosthetics are now better than natural organs and people in developed world amputate healthy limbs or gouge own eyes out to install prosthetics while not exactly new (cyberpunk 80s cyborgs and even earlier), I guess it should have been revealed earlier.
There is some anti-US rhetoric, which is expected and the sins of the West can actually be a disguise for actual critique of China’s deals in Africa and other developing nations. I also guess the author has read Confessions of an Economic Hit Man or a similar book, which blames the West for ROW problems.
Technical descriptions remind slightly of Kim Stanley Robinson books, but poorly written (maybe hard to translate).
This is a story of Silicon Isle. Its original name was different but now it is a destination for electronic waste of all kinds, including prosthetics, from the developed world. It is located off mainland China's southeastern coast. The indigenous population is well off right now for the recycling pays off. However, most of the real work (and it is a dangerous and unhealthy work) is done by the ‘waste people’, migrant workers from the mainland. The Isle is ruled by the three local clans, which can break down strikes and even kill waste people with little consequence. Moreover, after some incident the data-line to the rest of the world is extremely limited, which among other things prevents sending video about working conditions.
To the Isle come Americans, represented by Scott Brandle. He formally represents TerraGreen Recycling, a firm that wants to renovate and upscale the recycling. But he is more than just a clerk, which can be seen from his combat training. Here I must note that a western spy trope, who hides his ugly self behind a veneer of a mild man was widely used in the soviet SF and mysteries, so for original Chinese readers his true self wouldn’t be a surprise.
Scott is accompanied by Chen Kaizong, a local from the Isle, who studied history in the USA and now returns as an interpreter. Among his mementoes was a photo of a waste girl, Mimi, who is the third main character.
The American proposes the deal, Chen seeks and finds Mimi and sees the injustice of his people to the waste people. Mimi catches some weird disease from a strange VR helm, which transforms her.
The story is interesting but extremely poorly structured, with important infodumps too close to the finish. For example, the fact that prosthetics are now better than natural organs and people in developed world amputate healthy limbs or gouge own eyes out to install prosthetics while not exactly new (cyberpunk 80s cyborgs and even earlier), I guess it should have been revealed earlier.
There is some anti-US rhetoric, which is expected and the sins of the West can actually be a disguise for actual critique of China’s deals in Africa and other developing nations. I also guess the author has read Confessions of an Economic Hit Man or a similar book, which blames the West for ROW problems.
Technical descriptions remind slightly of Kim Stanley Robinson books, but poorly written (maybe hard to translate).
December 10, 2019
I picked this book up when on holiday because the cover drew me in and the concept of a future where e-waste dominates a polluted world and cyborgs are common-place appealed. I'm not mad I bought it and read it, but I am a little sad it didn't quite capture my attention as I had wanted it to.
In this book we're following Mimi, a young waste girl who becomes embroiled in a plot which is far beyond her understanding. This has futuristic viruses, crazy technology, and gang-like warfare. There's hatred, greed, misogyny and rape so I warn you now this is by no means a 'nice' read, purely an interesting one.
I found that the tone of voice for more of the characters (the males and Mimi) wasn't really appealing to me and I didn't enjoy their plots very much. I think maybe it's the fact that the book is translated, but the characters all feel quite aloof to me and as though they really didn't 'care' as much as they should have when things went wrong.
By the end there's a lot more feelings being thrust around, but at first things felt sterile and brutish and I found it hard to really get into this book for a lot of it.
Overall 2*s. It was an okay read for me but probably would appeal more to readers that enjoy a character who's mysterious and distant and where the plot meanders and travels rather than being straightforward.
In this book we're following Mimi, a young waste girl who becomes embroiled in a plot which is far beyond her understanding. This has futuristic viruses, crazy technology, and gang-like warfare. There's hatred, greed, misogyny and rape so I warn you now this is by no means a 'nice' read, purely an interesting one.
I found that the tone of voice for more of the characters (the males and Mimi) wasn't really appealing to me and I didn't enjoy their plots very much. I think maybe it's the fact that the book is translated, but the characters all feel quite aloof to me and as though they really didn't 'care' as much as they should have when things went wrong.
By the end there's a lot more feelings being thrust around, but at first things felt sterile and brutish and I found it hard to really get into this book for a lot of it.
Overall 2*s. It was an okay read for me but probably would appeal more to readers that enjoy a character who's mysterious and distant and where the plot meanders and travels rather than being straightforward.
March 22, 2021
I didn't care about anyone or anything in this. Maybe it's the translation. Maybe it's me. Maybe it's just a bit undercooked.
Wouldn't recommend.
Wouldn't recommend.
February 20, 2020
"There would be no winners in this game."
Waste Tide is the debut novel by Chen Qiufan, which was published in China back in 2013 and translated into English by Ken Liu a handful of years later.
Taking place on a grimy coastal island called Silicon Isle, off the southern coast of China, known to the world as the recycling center for discarded electronic waste. The island is ruled by three merciless clans who profit by enforcing strenuous jobs, long hours and hazardous conditions for the thousands of impoverished migrant workers who risk it all because they were promised a better life and are too poor to leave.
As you can imagine, the conditions aren't exactly the most environmentally safe. Silicon Isle is heavily polluted and infested with dangerous toxic chemicals. The "waste people" sort and recycle everything from smartphones, computers, prosthetics and mechanical sex toys - without much, if any, protective gear. The rich consider the vulnerable workers from less economically developed regions as less than the human beings that they are, treating them with contempt and violence.
Scott Brandle, a mysterious American, arrives under the guise of being a representative of TerraGreen Recycling who hopes to take over the recycling process by employing automation. Along for the trip is his translator, Chen Kaizong, a local who moved to America as a kid.
Then there's Mimi, a "waste girl" who dreams of earning enough money for her family to leave the hellhole that she currently finds herself in. She ends up contracting a virus, which transforms her into something.. different.
"He suddenly understood what he needed: speed. The careless sensation of hurtling along like a lightning bolt, even if it meant placing a man’s fragile flesh and bones on the edge of a knife. A powerful desire, almost suffocating in its urgency, drove him, and he yearned to press his skin and flesh against this cold metal monster, as it trembled, growled, and bolted away, never to stop."
Waste Tide is an examination between the rich and poor; capitalism and consumerism; morality and ethics.
This ambitious story had many ingredients I love, but ultimately the execution fell short. The imagery is vivid and haunting (think Isle of Dogs), but the strange info dumps mar the pacing, as well as the writers depiction of the multiple characters that inhabit the story that impacts what could have been.
It was disheartening to see the usage of female characters in this. For one, there is a lack of meaningful characterizations. For another, the females that are in the book are mostly used to further the male storylines.
The treatment of Mimi, the only main female character, was especially brutal. Rather than stand as a complex individual in her own right, she suffers again and again for the sake of the men in the story, as well as for the books overall message.
I will never be okay with that.
Waste Tide is the debut novel by Chen Qiufan, which was published in China back in 2013 and translated into English by Ken Liu a handful of years later.
Taking place on a grimy coastal island called Silicon Isle, off the southern coast of China, known to the world as the recycling center for discarded electronic waste. The island is ruled by three merciless clans who profit by enforcing strenuous jobs, long hours and hazardous conditions for the thousands of impoverished migrant workers who risk it all because they were promised a better life and are too poor to leave.
As you can imagine, the conditions aren't exactly the most environmentally safe. Silicon Isle is heavily polluted and infested with dangerous toxic chemicals. The "waste people" sort and recycle everything from smartphones, computers, prosthetics and mechanical sex toys - without much, if any, protective gear. The rich consider the vulnerable workers from less economically developed regions as less than the human beings that they are, treating them with contempt and violence.
Scott Brandle, a mysterious American, arrives under the guise of being a representative of TerraGreen Recycling who hopes to take over the recycling process by employing automation. Along for the trip is his translator, Chen Kaizong, a local who moved to America as a kid.
Then there's Mimi, a "waste girl" who dreams of earning enough money for her family to leave the hellhole that she currently finds herself in. She ends up contracting a virus, which transforms her into something.. different.
"He suddenly understood what he needed: speed. The careless sensation of hurtling along like a lightning bolt, even if it meant placing a man’s fragile flesh and bones on the edge of a knife. A powerful desire, almost suffocating in its urgency, drove him, and he yearned to press his skin and flesh against this cold metal monster, as it trembled, growled, and bolted away, never to stop."
Waste Tide is an examination between the rich and poor; capitalism and consumerism; morality and ethics.
This ambitious story had many ingredients I love, but ultimately the execution fell short. The imagery is vivid and haunting (think Isle of Dogs), but the strange info dumps mar the pacing, as well as the writers depiction of the multiple characters that inhabit the story that impacts what could have been.
It was disheartening to see the usage of female characters in this. For one, there is a lack of meaningful characterizations. For another, the females that are in the book are mostly used to further the male storylines.
The treatment of Mimi, the only main female character, was especially brutal. Rather than stand as a complex individual in her own right, she suffers again and again for the sake of the men in the story, as well as for the books overall message.
I will never be okay with that.
February 26, 2021
I don’t know what that was. Honest to God, I have no idea what I’ve just read. It was confusing, strange, incoherent at times and boring, so boring that at some point I unconsciously started skimming. I was simply not compelled to keep reading, it was a struggle to get through for such short a book. On top of that, it was nothing like advertised: I was expecting some environmental, post-apocalyptic dystopia - I mean, the title is literally “Waste Tide” and the context is pretty much that of a world filled with waste, trash and plastic, however, the main “plot” doesn’t focus on that (I’m not even sure what the plot focuses on, but surely not that). It completely flew over my head, all of it. I got nothing left and I will forget about it as soon as I post this. God, I’m baffled and confused. Interesting concept, but bad execution for me.
October 13, 2019
This will be a SPOILER FREE review of Chen Qiufan's 'Waste Tide'.
Thank you to Ken Liu for the superb translation, and to Head Of Zeus for the free review copy.
I wasn't quite sure what to expect going into this novel. I don't have much experience reading Chinese sci-fi or, sadly, Eastern fiction in general, so the setting of the story was already somewhat foriegn to me, even before the divide of futurism.
I thoroughly enjoy "cyberpunk" as a genre, but this novel is something different. It strikes me as somewhat anti (or at least counter) cyberpunk in content. It paints the picture of a hypothetical dark underside to our glamourized tech-based society.
I don't know if everyone will agree with me on this but I felt as though the book started quite slowly.
Initially I found the characters through which we see this world hard to separate from each other and (deliberately in SOME cases) I didn't understand their motivations.
Neither of these points are inherently negative; it was just in this case they made the first few chapters feel longer than they were.
Once we got into the nitty and gritty stuff however, my view of it changed.
The characters became multi-faceted, shades of grey, with distinct backgrounds and histories that I wished we had been given glimpses of slightly earlier on in the book.
I was at once both confused by AND adoring the strange relationship Silicon Isle has with religion, tradition, environmental issues and spirituality, as well as the steady stream of incoming second-hand technologies and the body modifications and enhancements that have woven themselves into the society and its people.
Also; the politics between the three clans, the "waste people", the government, the American companies looking to make some money... All of it fed into this very "everybody for themselves" mentality that is so realistic and believable that it really drew me in.
Social class is the predominant theme of this book. It pervades almost every scene and it reminds you how big the divide is with each change of perspective.
I don't want to go into too much detail to avoid spoiling anything, but quickly; there are some very graphic scenes of torture, which on the surface isn't anything new to the dark sci-fi/cyberpunk genre, but these scenes had my skin crawling. They were written in such a jarring way, being inside the heads of those subjected to these treatments. Truly horrible, but brilliantly captured by the written word.
As I said before, the early chapters are quite light on action and technology, but it certainly gets there.
Overall I really enjoyed this book. It's a fresh perspective, written and translated beautifully. The characters, however plain they seemed at the start, turned into well developed, very layered and believable people.
The world is harsh, but not the perpetual night over the permanently rain-soaked, neon-lit metropolis we see so often. It has its daylight hours explored, its history shines through and it honestly feels very rich and textured.
Thank you again to HoZ for the review copy.
This English translation of Waste Tide will be available for purchase on the 30th April 2019.
Feel free to follow me for more early/pre-release reviews of the newest Science Fiction and Fantasy books.
Thank you to Ken Liu for the superb translation, and to Head Of Zeus for the free review copy.
I wasn't quite sure what to expect going into this novel. I don't have much experience reading Chinese sci-fi or, sadly, Eastern fiction in general, so the setting of the story was already somewhat foriegn to me, even before the divide of futurism.
I thoroughly enjoy "cyberpunk" as a genre, but this novel is something different. It strikes me as somewhat anti (or at least counter) cyberpunk in content. It paints the picture of a hypothetical dark underside to our glamourized tech-based society.
I don't know if everyone will agree with me on this but I felt as though the book started quite slowly.
Initially I found the characters through which we see this world hard to separate from each other and (deliberately in SOME cases) I didn't understand their motivations.
Neither of these points are inherently negative; it was just in this case they made the first few chapters feel longer than they were.
Once we got into the nitty and gritty stuff however, my view of it changed.
The characters became multi-faceted, shades of grey, with distinct backgrounds and histories that I wished we had been given glimpses of slightly earlier on in the book.
I was at once both confused by AND adoring the strange relationship Silicon Isle has with religion, tradition, environmental issues and spirituality, as well as the steady stream of incoming second-hand technologies and the body modifications and enhancements that have woven themselves into the society and its people.
Also; the politics between the three clans, the "waste people", the government, the American companies looking to make some money... All of it fed into this very "everybody for themselves" mentality that is so realistic and believable that it really drew me in.
Social class is the predominant theme of this book. It pervades almost every scene and it reminds you how big the divide is with each change of perspective.
I don't want to go into too much detail to avoid spoiling anything, but quickly; there are some very graphic scenes of torture, which on the surface isn't anything new to the dark sci-fi/cyberpunk genre, but these scenes had my skin crawling. They were written in such a jarring way, being inside the heads of those subjected to these treatments. Truly horrible, but brilliantly captured by the written word.
As I said before, the early chapters are quite light on action and technology, but it certainly gets there.
Overall I really enjoyed this book. It's a fresh perspective, written and translated beautifully. The characters, however plain they seemed at the start, turned into well developed, very layered and believable people.
The world is harsh, but not the perpetual night over the permanently rain-soaked, neon-lit metropolis we see so often. It has its daylight hours explored, its history shines through and it honestly feels very rich and textured.
Thank you again to HoZ for the review copy.
This English translation of Waste Tide will be available for purchase on the 30th April 2019.
Feel free to follow me for more early/pre-release reviews of the newest Science Fiction and Fantasy books.
July 27, 2023
1.5 en realidad. La nota más baja que he dado desde que estoy aquí 🤦🏻♀️
"La gente siempre se cree capaz de controlar las mareas, pero termina por descubrir que en realidad está a merced de ellas".
Líder del Clan Chen.
🦾🌊🌊🌊🌊☣️☢️🌊🌊🌊🌊🦿
☣️ Mimi, ha emigrado desde su pueblo para conseguir una vida mejor para sus padres. Por otro lado, Kaizong, es un personaje con el que es muy fácil identificarse porque en este punto de la película, todos somos un poco como él: no tenemos muy clara qué posición debemos tomar a la hora de actuar en una situación como la que sucede en Isla de Silicio, extrapolable a muchas de la vida real. ¿Una sola persona puede cambiar el rumbo de los acontecimientos o debe dejarse llevar por la marea?
☢️ Es una novela pesimista, desasosegante, densa, con vistas a un futuro apocalíptico. Donde se remarca el poder absoluto de las grandes corporaciones multinacionales. Y que te lleva a pensar en el camino que lleva nuestro planeta.
☣️ No se romantiza ninguna relación, no hay romance a penas, ni se victimiza ninguna desgracia. "MAREA TÓXICA" es dura como lo es la vida de muchos trabajadores chinos que a día de hoy acuden a su puesto sin cumplir con un mínimo de seguridad. La historia no es tan ciencia ficción como parece. Lo que sí es, es la evolución, el poder modificar nuestro propio cuerpo humano con prótesis mejoradas. La adicción y la dependencia a estrenarlas continuamente.
☢️ Ahora, particularmente no sé si es debido a que no es un género del que lea mucho (la ciencia ficción), o que realmente no fue para mí, este. El caso es que se me hizo algo tedioso y muchas veces tuve que releer páginas enteras para enterarme y aún así, me queda la sensación de haberme perdido mucho de historia. Pueda que más adelante le vuelva a dar otra oportunidad.
☣️ Cosa que no me gustó, por ejemplo, es que va lenta pero suceden muchas cosas aunque a penas hay descripciones, sobre todo de los personajes, y ni me gusta ni me lo explico.
☢️ Sin duda lo mejor de esta lectura fue compartirla a medias con una chica, la cual se rajó y la entiendo perfectamente, y otro chico. Me quedo con eso, y con volver a leer algo los tres juntos. También en un futuro volver a releerlo a ver qué pasa 😿🤷🏻♀️
"La gente siempre se cree capaz de controlar las mareas, pero termina por descubrir que en realidad está a merced de ellas".
Líder del Clan Chen.
🦾🌊🌊🌊🌊☣️☢️🌊🌊🌊🌊🦿
☣️ Mimi, ha emigrado desde su pueblo para conseguir una vida mejor para sus padres. Por otro lado, Kaizong, es un personaje con el que es muy fácil identificarse porque en este punto de la película, todos somos un poco como él: no tenemos muy clara qué posición debemos tomar a la hora de actuar en una situación como la que sucede en Isla de Silicio, extrapolable a muchas de la vida real. ¿Una sola persona puede cambiar el rumbo de los acontecimientos o debe dejarse llevar por la marea?
☢️ Es una novela pesimista, desasosegante, densa, con vistas a un futuro apocalíptico. Donde se remarca el poder absoluto de las grandes corporaciones multinacionales. Y que te lleva a pensar en el camino que lleva nuestro planeta.
☣️ No se romantiza ninguna relación, no hay romance a penas, ni se victimiza ninguna desgracia. "MAREA TÓXICA" es dura como lo es la vida de muchos trabajadores chinos que a día de hoy acuden a su puesto sin cumplir con un mínimo de seguridad. La historia no es tan ciencia ficción como parece. Lo que sí es, es la evolución, el poder modificar nuestro propio cuerpo humano con prótesis mejoradas. La adicción y la dependencia a estrenarlas continuamente.
☢️ Ahora, particularmente no sé si es debido a que no es un género del que lea mucho (la ciencia ficción), o que realmente no fue para mí, este. El caso es que se me hizo algo tedioso y muchas veces tuve que releer páginas enteras para enterarme y aún así, me queda la sensación de haberme perdido mucho de historia. Pueda que más adelante le vuelva a dar otra oportunidad.
☣️ Cosa que no me gustó, por ejemplo, es que va lenta pero suceden muchas cosas aunque a penas hay descripciones, sobre todo de los personajes, y ni me gusta ni me lo explico.
☢️ Sin duda lo mejor de esta lectura fue compartirla a medias con una chica, la cual se rajó y la entiendo perfectamente, y otro chico. Me quedo con eso, y con volver a leer algo los tres juntos. También en un futuro volver a releerlo a ver qué pasa 😿🤷🏻♀️
August 10, 2019
La idea muy buena, pero a ratos se hace muy pesada. Me ha recordado a esas novelas de Robin Cook de espionaje y thrillers con poca chicha. Kaizong creo que tiene puntos al personaje peor desarrollado que he leído en este año, acaba de conocer a Mimi y se pasa el libro entero sufriendo por ella con todos los problemas que tienen alrededor? Bueno, me ha dejado bastante fría, por lo menos se lee bastante rápido (aunque hay partes de infodump que dan ganas de pasar en diagonal).
Reseña en breve en el blog.
Reseña en breve en el blog.
January 14, 2026
‘The colour—from baby blue to a dark green that was almost black. The canyon extended into infinity, and shifting luminescent patterns swept by her as though she were in some high-speed tunnel. The farther she walked, the more surprised she became—The two Mimis stared at each other, their expressions stiff, as though both were trying to anticipate the other’s next move. Finally, one of them grinned slyly. “Must we continue to play this silly imitation game?” she said. “I guess we’ve proven that our mirror neurons haven’t been completely suppressed.” Mimi finally could be sure that the girl she faced was Mimi 1, and she herself, of course, was Mimi 0.’
Parts of this do remind me of Anton Hur's Toward Eternity , make of that what you will. But fuller rtc later . And anyway, Chen's sequel to 'Waste Tide' was recently published (but the English translation is still pending, I think) .
March 15, 2020
Ho iniziato a leggere questo romanzo pensando che si inserisse nel filone del cosiddetto “ecoterrorismo” e mi incuriosiva vedere l’approccio di uno scrittore cinese, quindi per una volta al di fuori della classica matrice anglosassone/occidentale.
In realtà l’autore sembra aver costruito la storia traendo spunto dallo stesso tema trattato: come il luogo in cui si svolge MAREA TOSSICA è una grande isola cinese trasformata (nel futuro) in un’immensa discarica di rifiuti elettronici, dove rifiuti indesiderati, spesso nocivi, talora infettati da virus batteriologici, si accumulano in una massa confusa, così il romanzo risulta un assemblaggio di idee e spunti di ogni genere (l’inquinamento, appunto; lo sfruttamento del mondo occidentale a danno del terzo mondo; l’indifferenza dei ricchi ai danni dei poveri; l’incapacità della stessa civiltà orientale a trarre insegnamento dal passato e a disperdere tradizioni in nome dell’accaparramento di risorse), molti già ampiamente visti e anche in maniera più incisiva, a mio avviso.
Però come la discarica di Silicon Isle tutto rimane parecchio confuso, disordinato, oserei dire trattato in modo molto superficiale (dando l’idea di dover accontentare tutti, per non accontentare abbastanza nessuno).
I tre personaggi principali – Scott, Kaizong, Mimi – dovrebbero impersonare i vari messaggi che l’autore vuole esprimere, ma non si riescono mai a stagliarsi e risultare nitidi. Sono pallide controfigure, a cui non ti affezioni, che non comprendi, e di cui soprattutto io non ho capito la rilevanza.
Se il messaggio consisteva nel mettere in guardia dai pericoli dell’inquinamento, dalla rapida distruzione di massa a cui stiamo portando il pianeta, ammorbando l’umanità con virus generati dagli stessi rifiuti, io non sono riuscita a ricollegarlo con Mimi, che da povera raccoglitrice di rifiuti diventa… cosa? Una guerriera vendicatrice? L’incarnazione di un personaggio del passato? Una fusione tra due dimensioni?
In certi punti sembra un ritorno alla letteratura cyberpunk di Gibson o Morgan (specie con l’idea dell’umanità dipendente dalle protesi, schiava dei funghi digitali, totalmente immersa in una rete di dati) e il lettore si entusiasma; ma poi il ritmo è troppo frustrante, un attimo lento, didascalico nei dettagli sino ad essere pedante, l’attimo dopo talmente veloce che non riesci a capire chi stia facendo cosa e soprattutto perché.
Immaginate uno studioso di ecosistemi, pacifismo, nonché un nerd amante dei mondi digitali, che parte con l’idea di scrivere un manuale divulgativo e poi s’inventa un romanzo, rimanendo studioso e nerd, e tutto insieme.
Insomma, per me è un mezzo sì.
Come detto, nessun personaggio è positivo perché alla fine ciascuno ha un tornaconto (che sia l’amore o la vendetta), il messaggio finale non mi è pervenuto (potrebbe essere: anche la gente dei rifiuti ha un cuore?), ho fatto fatica a digerire tutto.
Salvo, come detto, le parti immaginifiche su un futuro fatto di chirurgia potenziata e para-militare, e quelle sulla paliromanzia praticata dagli abitanti dell’isola e che resta un aspetto estremamente affascinante.
****
IL TEMA DELLA GUERRA NEL LIBRO
Uno dei temi affrontati da Chen Qiufan è la guerra, che viene affrontata da vari punti di vista, tutti interessanti:
1) La guerra tra la stessa madrepatria e l’isola; la Cina vuole rendere il territorio mansueto, vuole sfruttarlo senza avere al contempo proteste o rigurgiti di coscienza; quindi Silicon Isle viene isolata, non solo fisicamente controllata, ma anche sottoposta a un regime a bitrate limitato. Il flusso di dati è discontinuo, la navigazione digitale lenta. Così si tagliano le informazioni e si addomestica un popolo, senza far sapere al mondo cosa accade.
2) La guerra tra classi sociali, ricchi e poveri, nativi sfruttatori e lavoratori migranti, spinti dalla disperazione a un’esistenza tra i rifiuti e a una conseguente morte per virus, cancri o incidenti.
3) La guerra tra mondo occidentale evoluto (anche nel futuro) con uomini potenziati e dalla vita allungata, e il mondo inferiore, che sopravvive ma che viene anche necessariamente sconvolto, annichilito e rovinato dalle scorie produttive e dagli effetti del progresso,
In realtà l’autore sembra aver costruito la storia traendo spunto dallo stesso tema trattato: come il luogo in cui si svolge MAREA TOSSICA è una grande isola cinese trasformata (nel futuro) in un’immensa discarica di rifiuti elettronici, dove rifiuti indesiderati, spesso nocivi, talora infettati da virus batteriologici, si accumulano in una massa confusa, così il romanzo risulta un assemblaggio di idee e spunti di ogni genere (l’inquinamento, appunto; lo sfruttamento del mondo occidentale a danno del terzo mondo; l’indifferenza dei ricchi ai danni dei poveri; l’incapacità della stessa civiltà orientale a trarre insegnamento dal passato e a disperdere tradizioni in nome dell’accaparramento di risorse), molti già ampiamente visti e anche in maniera più incisiva, a mio avviso.
Però come la discarica di Silicon Isle tutto rimane parecchio confuso, disordinato, oserei dire trattato in modo molto superficiale (dando l’idea di dover accontentare tutti, per non accontentare abbastanza nessuno).
I tre personaggi principali – Scott, Kaizong, Mimi – dovrebbero impersonare i vari messaggi che l’autore vuole esprimere, ma non si riescono mai a stagliarsi e risultare nitidi. Sono pallide controfigure, a cui non ti affezioni, che non comprendi, e di cui soprattutto io non ho capito la rilevanza.
Se il messaggio consisteva nel mettere in guardia dai pericoli dell’inquinamento, dalla rapida distruzione di massa a cui stiamo portando il pianeta, ammorbando l’umanità con virus generati dagli stessi rifiuti, io non sono riuscita a ricollegarlo con Mimi, che da povera raccoglitrice di rifiuti diventa… cosa? Una guerriera vendicatrice? L’incarnazione di un personaggio del passato? Una fusione tra due dimensioni?
In certi punti sembra un ritorno alla letteratura cyberpunk di Gibson o Morgan (specie con l’idea dell’umanità dipendente dalle protesi, schiava dei funghi digitali, totalmente immersa in una rete di dati) e il lettore si entusiasma; ma poi il ritmo è troppo frustrante, un attimo lento, didascalico nei dettagli sino ad essere pedante, l’attimo dopo talmente veloce che non riesci a capire chi stia facendo cosa e soprattutto perché.
Immaginate uno studioso di ecosistemi, pacifismo, nonché un nerd amante dei mondi digitali, che parte con l’idea di scrivere un manuale divulgativo e poi s’inventa un romanzo, rimanendo studioso e nerd, e tutto insieme.
Insomma, per me è un mezzo sì.
Come detto, nessun personaggio è positivo perché alla fine ciascuno ha un tornaconto (che sia l’amore o la vendetta), il messaggio finale non mi è pervenuto (potrebbe essere: anche la gente dei rifiuti ha un cuore?), ho fatto fatica a digerire tutto.
Salvo, come detto, le parti immaginifiche su un futuro fatto di chirurgia potenziata e para-militare, e quelle sulla paliromanzia praticata dagli abitanti dell’isola e che resta un aspetto estremamente affascinante.
****
IL TEMA DELLA GUERRA NEL LIBRO
Uno dei temi affrontati da Chen Qiufan è la guerra, che viene affrontata da vari punti di vista, tutti interessanti:
1) La guerra tra la stessa madrepatria e l’isola; la Cina vuole rendere il territorio mansueto, vuole sfruttarlo senza avere al contempo proteste o rigurgiti di coscienza; quindi Silicon Isle viene isolata, non solo fisicamente controllata, ma anche sottoposta a un regime a bitrate limitato. Il flusso di dati è discontinuo, la navigazione digitale lenta. Così si tagliano le informazioni e si addomestica un popolo, senza far sapere al mondo cosa accade.
2) La guerra tra classi sociali, ricchi e poveri, nativi sfruttatori e lavoratori migranti, spinti dalla disperazione a un’esistenza tra i rifiuti e a una conseguente morte per virus, cancri o incidenti.
3) La guerra tra mondo occidentale evoluto (anche nel futuro) con uomini potenziati e dalla vita allungata, e il mondo inferiore, che sopravvive ma che viene anche necessariamente sconvolto, annichilito e rovinato dalle scorie produttive e dagli effetti del progresso,
September 18, 2019
I am a glutton for all the goodness coming out of chinese sff so this book was a welcome for me. Chen Quifan was one of the authors from Invisible Planets: Contemporary Chinese Science Fiction in Translation that i was looking forward to reading more of so..yeah i was here for this book.
The setting (and people) the events took place in was familiar yet alien at once. it in-cooperated the traditional and existing culture of the people/area with one of a plausible and possible future. The ideas put forth were interesting and so relevant to current times too.
Where it fell through for me was the disjointedness that happened in the latter parts of it, that made the story kind of falter, lose it's spark and earlier momentum. Also, because people are a vital part of my story enjoyment, the huge disservice done to the main female character, in most aspects, the further on we got into the story soured the experience for me.
All in all, good read. I hope more authors from the Invisible Planets: Contemporary Chinese Science Fiction in Translation anthology release stuff for me to dig into!
The setting (and people) the events took place in was familiar yet alien at once. it in-cooperated the traditional and existing culture of the people/area with one of a plausible and possible future. The ideas put forth were interesting and so relevant to current times too.
Where it fell through for me was the disjointedness that happened in the latter parts of it, that made the story kind of falter, lose it's spark and earlier momentum. Also, because people are a vital part of my story enjoyment, the huge disservice done to the main female character, in most aspects, the further on we got into the story soured the experience for me.
All in all, good read. I hope more authors from the Invisible Planets: Contemporary Chinese Science Fiction in Translation anthology release stuff for me to dig into!
February 28, 2020
This one should've been a home run with me—dystopian future, pollution, weird violence and secret unethical medical programs? Uh... Come on!! This is like Leo 101.
But the prose was so cold and I couldn't connect to any of the characters, so I didn't really care what happened to them. Mimi the "waste girl"—she's supposed to be special and the book kept hinting that they'd reveal why, but then it's half the book in and I still don't know why I'm supposed to care about her. (Beyond that horrible things were happening to her—which is the CHEAPEST of all empathy-engaging tactics. I mean it's all A Little Life did and for that, that book is an enormous piece of shit—because it ends up doing the opposite of its intention: desensitising the reader to horrific acts by making them occur endlessly to flat characters.) I also think a lot of the story choices were needlessly depressing—so kinda lucky that they didn't affect me then!
Ken Liu isn't to blame for this in the slightest I'm sure. I love his work and I love his translations of Liu Cixin's stories—which are so clever and fucking wild. Good fun and ridiculously imaginative, the work of both of them. And I have come to appreciate a clear and simple prose style above any other, now that I've seen how many clever things you can convey in words when you stop playing with the words themselves.
Hope Chen Quifan comes up with something better in future. Until then for my Chinese sci-fi fix I still have Liu Cixin's Remembrance of Earth's Past to get to, and then Hao Jingfang's Vagabonds comes out in April! What delights :D
But the prose was so cold and I couldn't connect to any of the characters, so I didn't really care what happened to them. Mimi the "waste girl"—she's supposed to be special and the book kept hinting that they'd reveal why, but then it's half the book in and I still don't know why I'm supposed to care about her. (Beyond that horrible things were happening to her—which is the CHEAPEST of all empathy-engaging tactics. I mean it's all A Little Life did and for that, that book is an enormous piece of shit—because it ends up doing the opposite of its intention: desensitising the reader to horrific acts by making them occur endlessly to flat characters.) I also think a lot of the story choices were needlessly depressing—so kinda lucky that they didn't affect me then!
Ken Liu isn't to blame for this in the slightest I'm sure. I love his work and I love his translations of Liu Cixin's stories—which are so clever and fucking wild. Good fun and ridiculously imaginative, the work of both of them. And I have come to appreciate a clear and simple prose style above any other, now that I've seen how many clever things you can convey in words when you stop playing with the words themselves.
Hope Chen Quifan comes up with something better in future. Until then for my Chinese sci-fi fix I still have Liu Cixin's Remembrance of Earth's Past to get to, and then Hao Jingfang's Vagabonds comes out in April! What delights :D
June 11, 2020
I had high hopes for this one as it was translated by Ken Liu and since I had read a few short stories from Chen Quifan in various Chinese sci-fi collections. Unfortunately, I found the story wanting and the writing is a bit off. OK, so there is a heavy environmentalist message here which I can get behind, but I never quite got attached to any of the characters and the tech was just ok. It sort of recycled ideas from Philip K Dick's books in a pseudo-novel, but hardly exciting way. Not my cuppa, I suppose.
February 14, 2020
Interesting themes and world building but I honestly had to force myself to finish it. First 40% was a drag and it didn't really pick up too much after that.
July 5, 2019
The premise, setting and timely concepts of Waste Tide had me looking forward to reading it, but the execution didn't hold up. The writing (or maybe the translation) made the characters seem remote - it was hard to care about them. The book seemed extremely plot-driven, as in (spoiler alert) hmmm, if the little boy takes Mimi's picture when they briefly meet, if he wins a photo contest with the picture and displays it on his desk (even though it was made abundantly obvious to him by 'Brother Wen' that even taking a snapshot of a worker is a big no-no), then the witch-doctor can see it. She can then announce in her trance state that this girl (Mimi) is the cause of the boy's affliction, and set in motion the 'hunting down of Mimi'. So much of the plot seemed equally contrived.
I found the idea that an American company could sweep in to China and teach them how to recycle fairly imperialistic/patronizing, given that China accepted so much of our waste until recently, and that Americans have a poor idea of what is recyclable. Also, what boat captain would motor into the side of a container ship because he hadn't been told to steer away from the obvious impending doom?
I found the idea that an American company could sweep in to China and teach them how to recycle fairly imperialistic/patronizing, given that China accepted so much of our waste until recently, and that Americans have a poor idea of what is recyclable. Also, what boat captain would motor into the side of a container ship because he hadn't been told to steer away from the obvious impending doom?
February 4, 2025
Me ha gustado bastante, pero se me ha hecho largo o lento de leer. Supongo que han sido un poco mis circunstancias personales. El libro está muy bien, tienen ideas potentes estilo "ciberpunk" muy bien desarrolladas con una coherencias científica que echaba en falta. La ambientación del entorno de la "gran bahía" me ha encantado así como la parte de cultura china y cantonesa que hay de fondo. Los personajes van evolucionando con la historia y se ve real el cambio de perspectiva que tienen los sucesos en ellos mismos. Muy recomendable y le doy 4 estrellas ****, aunque entiendo que para mucha gente puedan ser como 3.
July 14, 2019
Algunas de sus ideas me han gustado y tiene momentos brillantes, pero falla mucho el ritmo.
July 15, 2020
I have long been a fan of Chinese story-telling, it started with Kungfu movies as kids, I still have a shelf of Wuxia (kungfu high fantasy) movie DVDs. I followed that passion to the hard to find translations of those classic novels. In research for my Wuxia Vampire novel Hunting the Moon Tribe I read the classics of Chinese fantasy like the bizarro collection Tales From a Chinese Studio and the Romance of the Three Kingdoms. So more than most Sci-fi nerds I have been dying for these translations for a long time. I know many Science Fiction readers and critics have read The Three-Body Problem trilogy, which benefited from Barack Obama putting on a reading list.
I can't thank Ken Liu enough and hope that Waste Tide signals a fresh wave of Chinese Science Fiction translations. A few years back I read his first translation anthology Invisible Planets. That is an incredible book and a must-read for anyone who wants to get a flavor of science fiction coming from China. The book is kicked off by a totally bonkers story by Chen Quifan that was as much of a horror tale as it was cyberpunk. Year of the Rat was the story of soldiers in a battle with genetically enhanced neo-rats. That was not the only story from the author in that collection but there was also a very PKD influenced neo-noir The Flower of Shazui that I talked about in the Dick Like suggestions on Dickheads at some point.
Chen Quifan was on my radar at this point so Waste Tide has been on my list for some time. There are plenty of reasons it should be on your radar too. Science Fiction is a bit of a universal language while some international writers like Stanislaw Lem have been regularly translated for decades the translations coming how of Asia have taken longer to surface.
Thanks to Kurodahan Press, a company formed by ex-pats living in Japan we have seen several Japanese translations including anthologies and novels. Without the translations Ken Liu has brought us I am not sure in America we would ever be exposed to the fantastic fiction coming out of China. Waste Tide is a prime example of the importance of their work.
So to get focused on this novel. Chen Quifan clearly has a dark and rich imagination. This being my third story of his it is clear that the work is dripping with weird inventiveness. WT is science fiction reaching its greatest potential. Social-political message carefully woven into well thought out speculation that holds a mirror on the relationship between America and the country that produces the majority of the electronics it uses. This story not only benefits from a Chinese voice, but it depends on it.
Quifan has much to say in this novel about class divisions, environmentalism, corporate exploitation, technology addiction, and integration. I know it sounds like a lot of elements but the novel perfectly uses the setting and characters to explore multiple points of view.
Set on Silicon Isle a landmass that is partially artificial off the coast of China near Hong Kong. The majority of the isle is made up of discarded electronics and cyborg body parts that had become trendy with transhumanists. When we are first introduced to the district it is through the eyes of radical environmentalists trying to stop the shipment of electronic waste that has come across multiple oceans from New Jersey to this new hotbed recycling.
The reality on the ground is a giant waste dump that is inhabited by people called Waste People and the land is controlled by three constantly warring crime clans. We are also introduced to several native characters including gangsters but the most interesting character is not surprisingly is one of the Waste People. That is Mimi whose story becomes woven into the Mecha and transhumanist elements.
.
Much of the story is told through the point of view of an American corporate lackey Scott Brundle who is a veteran of several of these international operations with a company called TerraGreen. Their model for business is at the heart of the novel and Scott Brundle's conflict over his role in it is interesting.
"The pollution generated by the process far exceeded EPA standards"... "It wasn't worth it."
This appears to be inspired by the author's real-life experience of living near an electronics dumping ground. I have seen some commentary that suspects the author is placing all the blame on capitalism and outside forces for the mess at Silicon Isle but that is not the case.
"TerraGreen would transfer waste and pollution overseas, to the vast lands of developing nations. TerraGreen recycling would help them construct industrial parks and production lines..."
Waste Tide is not unfairly depicting capitalism here and the local governments play a huge role. While it is easy for American readers and critics to question Chen Quifan, he has written a savage piece of speculative protest. At the same time, the novel is fun and action-filled.
This is a very politically sharp novel and it doesn't exactly paint the most pretty outcome for China's future as the main electronics manufacturing hub for the world. I found myself thinking this is a bold and daring story for an American Science Fiction author but it seems even bolder coming from a writer who lives in a country that controls information like China.
The best reason to read international science fiction is the different cultural perspectives. It is disappointing to look at reviews of this book that seem to want the same science fiction they are reading from western writers. Chen Quifan clearly holds a mirror to China throughout. This moment however stood out to me.
“The offices in the skyscrapers were lit bright as day. The giant eye zoomed in and observed a hundred thousand faces staring at computer monitors through closed-circuit cameras; their tension, anxiety, anticipation, confusion, satisfaction, suspicion, jealousy, anger refreshed rapidly while their glasses reflected the data jumping across their screens. Their looks were empty but deep, without thought of the relationship between their lives and values, yearning for change but also afraid of it. They gazed at their screens the way they gazed at each other, and they hated their screens the way they hated each other. They all possessed the same bored, apathetic face.”
Once the cyberpunk and mecha elements kick in during the second half of the novel, the directly political elements could get lost. Thankfully this is not a problem. While I hesitate to talk about Mimi's arc explores transhuman issues and ideas. While early in the novel the props of discarded cyborg limbs are tactile how we exist as data becomes central to the themes.
“Welcome to Anarchy.Cloud. We provide information storage and remote computing services from low orbit server stations. Our operating entity belongs to no nation, political party, or corporation. As far as practicable, we endeavor to help you circumvent laws like the American PATRIOT Act and the supplements to the European Union’s Article 29 of the Data Protection Directive, which are designed to invade data privacy in the name of antiterrorism.”
and...
"What are you?" She squeezed out the question that had been plaguing her all this time.
"A nuclear explosion that has been slowed down a million times; a by-product of billions of years of convergent evolution; your second personality and life insurance; the free will that emerges from quantum decoherence. I'm accidental; I'm inevitable."
Waste Tide is right up my alley in many ways. Is it perfect? No, but the faults are minor. To me the characters and setting are interesting enough to carry the book. The excellent cultural and political commentary are like icing on the cake. This is an important read for Science Fiction readers and academics. Its place in the cultural opening of Chinese Science Fiction is important but outside of that it is just perfect speculative fiction. I am willing to go 5/5 on stars and I don't take that lightly.
What is happening to your waste? What is happening to your species? This Sci-fi masterpiece asks and answers even questions to be worth your attention buy it, read it.
I can't thank Ken Liu enough and hope that Waste Tide signals a fresh wave of Chinese Science Fiction translations. A few years back I read his first translation anthology Invisible Planets. That is an incredible book and a must-read for anyone who wants to get a flavor of science fiction coming from China. The book is kicked off by a totally bonkers story by Chen Quifan that was as much of a horror tale as it was cyberpunk. Year of the Rat was the story of soldiers in a battle with genetically enhanced neo-rats. That was not the only story from the author in that collection but there was also a very PKD influenced neo-noir The Flower of Shazui that I talked about in the Dick Like suggestions on Dickheads at some point.
Chen Quifan was on my radar at this point so Waste Tide has been on my list for some time. There are plenty of reasons it should be on your radar too. Science Fiction is a bit of a universal language while some international writers like Stanislaw Lem have been regularly translated for decades the translations coming how of Asia have taken longer to surface.
Thanks to Kurodahan Press, a company formed by ex-pats living in Japan we have seen several Japanese translations including anthologies and novels. Without the translations Ken Liu has brought us I am not sure in America we would ever be exposed to the fantastic fiction coming out of China. Waste Tide is a prime example of the importance of their work.
So to get focused on this novel. Chen Quifan clearly has a dark and rich imagination. This being my third story of his it is clear that the work is dripping with weird inventiveness. WT is science fiction reaching its greatest potential. Social-political message carefully woven into well thought out speculation that holds a mirror on the relationship between America and the country that produces the majority of the electronics it uses. This story not only benefits from a Chinese voice, but it depends on it.
Quifan has much to say in this novel about class divisions, environmentalism, corporate exploitation, technology addiction, and integration. I know it sounds like a lot of elements but the novel perfectly uses the setting and characters to explore multiple points of view.
Set on Silicon Isle a landmass that is partially artificial off the coast of China near Hong Kong. The majority of the isle is made up of discarded electronics and cyborg body parts that had become trendy with transhumanists. When we are first introduced to the district it is through the eyes of radical environmentalists trying to stop the shipment of electronic waste that has come across multiple oceans from New Jersey to this new hotbed recycling.
The reality on the ground is a giant waste dump that is inhabited by people called Waste People and the land is controlled by three constantly warring crime clans. We are also introduced to several native characters including gangsters but the most interesting character is not surprisingly is one of the Waste People. That is Mimi whose story becomes woven into the Mecha and transhumanist elements.
.
Much of the story is told through the point of view of an American corporate lackey Scott Brundle who is a veteran of several of these international operations with a company called TerraGreen. Their model for business is at the heart of the novel and Scott Brundle's conflict over his role in it is interesting.
"The pollution generated by the process far exceeded EPA standards"... "It wasn't worth it."
This appears to be inspired by the author's real-life experience of living near an electronics dumping ground. I have seen some commentary that suspects the author is placing all the blame on capitalism and outside forces for the mess at Silicon Isle but that is not the case.
"TerraGreen would transfer waste and pollution overseas, to the vast lands of developing nations. TerraGreen recycling would help them construct industrial parks and production lines..."
Waste Tide is not unfairly depicting capitalism here and the local governments play a huge role. While it is easy for American readers and critics to question Chen Quifan, he has written a savage piece of speculative protest. At the same time, the novel is fun and action-filled.
This is a very politically sharp novel and it doesn't exactly paint the most pretty outcome for China's future as the main electronics manufacturing hub for the world. I found myself thinking this is a bold and daring story for an American Science Fiction author but it seems even bolder coming from a writer who lives in a country that controls information like China.
The best reason to read international science fiction is the different cultural perspectives. It is disappointing to look at reviews of this book that seem to want the same science fiction they are reading from western writers. Chen Quifan clearly holds a mirror to China throughout. This moment however stood out to me.
“The offices in the skyscrapers were lit bright as day. The giant eye zoomed in and observed a hundred thousand faces staring at computer monitors through closed-circuit cameras; their tension, anxiety, anticipation, confusion, satisfaction, suspicion, jealousy, anger refreshed rapidly while their glasses reflected the data jumping across their screens. Their looks were empty but deep, without thought of the relationship between their lives and values, yearning for change but also afraid of it. They gazed at their screens the way they gazed at each other, and they hated their screens the way they hated each other. They all possessed the same bored, apathetic face.”
Once the cyberpunk and mecha elements kick in during the second half of the novel, the directly political elements could get lost. Thankfully this is not a problem. While I hesitate to talk about Mimi's arc explores transhuman issues and ideas. While early in the novel the props of discarded cyborg limbs are tactile how we exist as data becomes central to the themes.
“Welcome to Anarchy.Cloud. We provide information storage and remote computing services from low orbit server stations. Our operating entity belongs to no nation, political party, or corporation. As far as practicable, we endeavor to help you circumvent laws like the American PATRIOT Act and the supplements to the European Union’s Article 29 of the Data Protection Directive, which are designed to invade data privacy in the name of antiterrorism.”
and...
"What are you?" She squeezed out the question that had been plaguing her all this time.
"A nuclear explosion that has been slowed down a million times; a by-product of billions of years of convergent evolution; your second personality and life insurance; the free will that emerges from quantum decoherence. I'm accidental; I'm inevitable."
Waste Tide is right up my alley in many ways. Is it perfect? No, but the faults are minor. To me the characters and setting are interesting enough to carry the book. The excellent cultural and political commentary are like icing on the cake. This is an important read for Science Fiction readers and academics. Its place in the cultural opening of Chinese Science Fiction is important but outside of that it is just perfect speculative fiction. I am willing to go 5/5 on stars and I don't take that lightly.
What is happening to your waste? What is happening to your species? This Sci-fi masterpiece asks and answers even questions to be worth your attention buy it, read it.
April 12, 2020
"Sus caras y cuerpos estaban contaminados con manchas oscuras debido al polvo tóxico y los vapores resultantes de quemar plásticos y limpiar el metal con ácido. Sacrificaban su salud y sus vidas a cambio de sobras insignificantes con las que llenarse la tripa y de sueños inalcanzables, ayudaban a desarrollar la extravagante prosperidad de la Isla de Silicio, pero a pesar de todo no eran más que esclavos, sabandijas, basura desechable. Los obligaban a vivir entumecidos. Habían pasado mucho tiempo así. Sus miradas frías habían empezado a derretirse a la luz del sol para dar paso a unas llamas abrasadoras."
Una lectura para mi con muchos altibajos, cuya excelente ambientación e idea principal contrastan con una trama que a veces se me hacía un poco lenta y pesada, y con unos personajes con los que me costaba conectar.
Lo bueno, ese marco en el que se desarrolla la historia. Isla de Silicio, una isla dirigida por distintos clanes, donde hay una gran diferencia social entre la casta acomodada y la más baja, formada por los llamados "residuales". Nos muestra un futuro muy poco optimista, dominado por el capitalismo más extremo, en el que unos pocos privilegiados se nutren del trabajo incansable y lleno de riesgos de los más desfavorecidos, que prácticamente viven entre la basura y los desperdicios de ese gran gigante tecnológico en el que se ha convertido la sociedad.
Lo malo es que, aunque esa ambientación y los datos que se nos dan de ese mundo son geniales, la trama a veces no consigue absorber, no sabes muy bien hacia donde va, y a mi al menos ha habido momentos en los que me llegaba a costar concentrarme en la lectura. Si es cierto que el último 30% mejora bastante y tiene un final bastante adecuado e interesante... Pero no logra compensar del todo otros momentos de la historia.
En general sí que considero que es una buena lectura, la impresión general es bastante buena. Y aunque tiene esos momentos en los que flojea un poco, creo que esa buena ambientación le salva bastante y lo convierte en una buena historia.
Una lectura para mi con muchos altibajos, cuya excelente ambientación e idea principal contrastan con una trama que a veces se me hacía un poco lenta y pesada, y con unos personajes con los que me costaba conectar.
Lo bueno, ese marco en el que se desarrolla la historia. Isla de Silicio, una isla dirigida por distintos clanes, donde hay una gran diferencia social entre la casta acomodada y la más baja, formada por los llamados "residuales". Nos muestra un futuro muy poco optimista, dominado por el capitalismo más extremo, en el que unos pocos privilegiados se nutren del trabajo incansable y lleno de riesgos de los más desfavorecidos, que prácticamente viven entre la basura y los desperdicios de ese gran gigante tecnológico en el que se ha convertido la sociedad.
Lo malo es que, aunque esa ambientación y los datos que se nos dan de ese mundo son geniales, la trama a veces no consigue absorber, no sabes muy bien hacia donde va, y a mi al menos ha habido momentos en los que me llegaba a costar concentrarme en la lectura. Si es cierto que el último 30% mejora bastante y tiene un final bastante adecuado e interesante... Pero no logra compensar del todo otros momentos de la historia.
En general sí que considero que es una buena lectura, la impresión general es bastante buena. Y aunque tiene esos momentos en los que flojea un poco, creo que esa buena ambientación le salva bastante y lo convierte en una buena historia.
June 30, 2019
La civilización tecnológica y de consumo desechable tiene —tenemos— un grave problema de residuos electrónicos. Aparatos, artefactos y hardware de todo tipo que quedan desfasados, obsoletos en tiempo récord y son desechados aún cuando en su interior siguen conteniendo elementos de valor, como metales raros o tecnología reutilizable. Pero reciclarlos resulta caro y molesto, añadiendo un componente de contaminación si no se hace con las debidas garantías. Es un problema al que Occidente mira de reojo, casi como una molestia a esconder debajo de la alfombra a la espera de que alguien se lo quite de enmedio. Los países subdesarrollados o las regiones menos pujantes de las economías emergentes suelen ser el destino de estos residuos que nadie quiere. O que no se quieren hasta que demuestran tener valor de mercado, momento en que el capitalismo vuelve a poner el ojo sobre ellos, buscando el menor coste para el mayor beneficio. Así que las zonas de reciclado industrial se instalan allí donde la mano de obra resulta más barata, las leyes más laxas y las medidas de seguridad menos restrictivas o inexistentes. Para la novela que nos ocupa tal sitio resulta ser Isla de Silicio, en la costa de China, donde la basura tecnológica del planeta encuentra su destino final. La novela de debut de Chen Quifan, quien ya subyugara, por ejemplo, con sus cuentos incluidos en la antología "Planetas invisibles", es una obra de intriga internacional desarrollada en un escenario local. Un thriller de ciencia ficción de futuro cercano, en que la tecnología ha avanzado mucho en campos como la biónica, la sustitución de miembros por prótesis biomecánicas o la implantación de películas corporales que reaccionan ante estímulos internos y externos, y en la creación de mechas industriales o de combate, mientras sigue estancada en el cuidado medioambiental, y las redes y la realidad virtual o aumentada, y su velocidad —restringida en toda Isla de Silicio—, siguen siendo un campo de batalla y una adicción irresistible convertidas en auténticas drogas. El autor presenta así un mundo donde la descarnada tecnología convive con las más persistentes supersticiones y las tradiciones milenarias.
Reseña completa en Sagacomic:
https://sagacomic.blogspot.com/2019/0...
Reseña completa en Sagacomic:
https://sagacomic.blogspot.com/2019/0...
March 25, 2023
Muutamia erittäin toimivia kohtia, kokonaisuus melko sekava ja kaikki hahmot täysin yksiulotteisia. Lisäksi tässä kohtaa elämääni alan antaa jo automaattisia miinuspisteitä "pakollisesta" seksuaalisesta väkivallasta ja siitä kuviosta, jossa naista pidetään vankina jossain kellarissa ihan vain siksi, että voidaan tarjoilla lukijalle runkkumatskua avuttomasta, kahleissaan kiemurtelevasta ja alistuvasta naisrukasta. Jos voisin antaa kollektiivisesti kaikille kirjoittajille yhden neuvon, sanoisin että uskokaa tai älkää, raiskauksen uhriksi joutuminen ei ole kenenkään naisen voimaantumiskeinojen listalla. Edes spekulatiivisessa fiktiossa.
Yllä mainittu ei ehkä ollut juonessa keskeisin asia, mutta miksi heittäisin hukkaan mahdollisuuden valittaa aiheesta? Olen lukenut todella paljon misogyynisempääkin scifiä, suurin osa siitä on julkaistu viime vuosituhannella. Tässä ajassa ei riitä ylipäätään jaksamista kirjoittajille, jotka kierrättää scifin vanhoja trooppeja ja luulee keksineensä jotain omaperäistä yhdistämällä kolmen klassikkoteoksen kiinnostavimmat palat. Ihan hyvä yritys ja ihan kivaa viihdettä, mutta olisiko voinut ajatella omalla aivolla vähän pidemmälle? (Pidin tän teoksen myytteihin/uskontoihin/henkimaailman asioihin viittaavista paloista, harmi ettei niistä muodostunut mitään eheämpää. Potentiaalia oli.)
Säästin näköjään parhaat loppuun: suuri kiitos Rauno Sainiolle, jonka käännöstä oli taas kerran erittäin miellyttävää lukea. Arvostan suunnattomasti sitä, että Kiinasta (ja mistä tahansa muualtakin) tuodaan Suomeen kirjallisuutta, ja kyse on vielä ns. genrekirjallisuudesta, millä lienee vähemmän kysyntää. On hieno juttu, että pääsen lukemaan keskinkertaista kiinalaista scifiäkin omalla äidinkielelläni.
Yllä mainittu ei ehkä ollut juonessa keskeisin asia, mutta miksi heittäisin hukkaan mahdollisuuden valittaa aiheesta? Olen lukenut todella paljon misogyynisempääkin scifiä, suurin osa siitä on julkaistu viime vuosituhannella. Tässä ajassa ei riitä ylipäätään jaksamista kirjoittajille, jotka kierrättää scifin vanhoja trooppeja ja luulee keksineensä jotain omaperäistä yhdistämällä kolmen klassikkoteoksen kiinnostavimmat palat. Ihan hyvä yritys ja ihan kivaa viihdettä, mutta olisiko voinut ajatella omalla aivolla vähän pidemmälle? (Pidin tän teoksen myytteihin/uskontoihin/henkimaailman asioihin viittaavista paloista, harmi ettei niistä muodostunut mitään eheämpää. Potentiaalia oli.)
Säästin näköjään parhaat loppuun: suuri kiitos Rauno Sainiolle, jonka käännöstä oli taas kerran erittäin miellyttävää lukea. Arvostan suunnattomasti sitä, että Kiinasta (ja mistä tahansa muualtakin) tuodaan Suomeen kirjallisuutta, ja kyse on vielä ns. genrekirjallisuudesta, millä lienee vähemmän kysyntää. On hieno juttu, että pääsen lukemaan keskinkertaista kiinalaista scifiäkin omalla äidinkielelläni.
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