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The Dragon and the Stars
An all-new anthology of Chinese culture-inspired science fiction
This unique collection of science fiction tales demonstrates the diversity of the Chinese experience around the world, merging China's rich heritage with new traditions, offering North American readers an opportunity to discover these exciting writers.
This unique collection of science fiction tales demonstrates the diversity of the Chinese experience around the world, merging China's rich heritage with new traditions, offering North American readers an opportunity to discover these exciting writers.
320 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 2010
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Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
January 1, 2016
Before I start this review, I want to note something that’s more than a little important to the understanding of this book. This is an anthology written solely by ethnic Chinese writers who live outside of China proper. In her introduction Tess Gerritsen explores the fact that growing up, she was immersed in the Chinese culture–its superstitions, cultural beliefs, etc., but as she grew up she felt less “Chinese” and more “American”: “I believed in science, not superstition. As my memories of childhood receded…I forgot just how Chinese I am” (pg 1, Tess Gerritsen). Every story in the anthology (all 18, which is a lucky number in Chinese numerology) is centered around the writers’ growing up Chinese, “…an identity that none of us ever truly escapes, though we may grow up far from the shores of China” (pg. 2, Gerritsen).
I’m thrilled by this notion and was eager and excited for this collection. I have a not-so-trivial complaint, however. The cover art. It’s pretty, to be sure, but that is a Western dragon depicted on the cover, not an Eastern dragon. Doesn’t matter, a dragon is a dragon, you say? Think again. Unlike their Western counterparts, Eastern Dragons were considered to be good luck symbols, wise advisers and revered as sacred because of their ties with the Emperor. For me this is rather disruptive and irritating.
Onto the stories, however, which in theory, should have made up for the cover art’s lack.
“The Character of the Hound” by Tony Pi
I have never read nor heard of this writer before, but now I want to read more of his writings. Part cautionary tale for traitors, part murder mystery and learning when to compromise, this story was engaging from the first page. Wu Fan is an engineer for the Song Dynasty and is called upon to perform a special service for his country; he is to house a shen (spirit) to help solve a murder and theft. The story moves at an even pace, with Lu Fan and then Lu Fan/Quan Shen (Hound Spirit)’s narratives being distinct, but familiar. Its an interesting concept and one I hope the author explores in another short story or even a longer novel.
And that, my friend, ends what I enjoyed best about this anthology. The very first story in the collection is the only story I truly wanted to read again. The other seventeen stories failed to impress me, but more importantly they failed to entertain me. In William F. Wu’s “Going’ Down to Anglotown” I felt distinctly uncomfortable with the author’s depiction of what would have happened if Asia had more dominance over America than Europe. By the time I reached “Bargains” by Gabriela Lee (an author I’ve read before in the short story collection By Blood We Live) I was wondering if I had read the back cover correctly.
I have no doubt that the authors included are talented, and I’m likely to even enjoy a couple of them outside of this anthology, but I could not enjoy them this time around. I know better than to fully trust the backcover blurb on a book–they are rarely ever truly indicative of the book within–but the forward filled me with hope. I just wish the book had fulfilled that hope better.
I’m thrilled by this notion and was eager and excited for this collection. I have a not-so-trivial complaint, however. The cover art. It’s pretty, to be sure, but that is a Western dragon depicted on the cover, not an Eastern dragon. Doesn’t matter, a dragon is a dragon, you say? Think again. Unlike their Western counterparts, Eastern Dragons were considered to be good luck symbols, wise advisers and revered as sacred because of their ties with the Emperor. For me this is rather disruptive and irritating.
Onto the stories, however, which in theory, should have made up for the cover art’s lack.
“The Character of the Hound” by Tony Pi
I have never read nor heard of this writer before, but now I want to read more of his writings. Part cautionary tale for traitors, part murder mystery and learning when to compromise, this story was engaging from the first page. Wu Fan is an engineer for the Song Dynasty and is called upon to perform a special service for his country; he is to house a shen (spirit) to help solve a murder and theft. The story moves at an even pace, with Lu Fan and then Lu Fan/Quan Shen (Hound Spirit)’s narratives being distinct, but familiar. Its an interesting concept and one I hope the author explores in another short story or even a longer novel.
And that, my friend, ends what I enjoyed best about this anthology. The very first story in the collection is the only story I truly wanted to read again. The other seventeen stories failed to impress me, but more importantly they failed to entertain me. In William F. Wu’s “Going’ Down to Anglotown” I felt distinctly uncomfortable with the author’s depiction of what would have happened if Asia had more dominance over America than Europe. By the time I reached “Bargains” by Gabriela Lee (an author I’ve read before in the short story collection By Blood We Live) I was wondering if I had read the back cover correctly.
I have no doubt that the authors included are talented, and I’m likely to even enjoy a couple of them outside of this anthology, but I could not enjoy them this time around. I know better than to fully trust the backcover blurb on a book–they are rarely ever truly indicative of the book within–but the forward filled me with hope. I just wish the book had fulfilled that hope better.
November 12, 2013
The Dragon And The Stars sells itself as an anthology of "original short stories melding the rich cultural heritage of China with the imaginative realms of science and fantasy". The editors Derwin Mak and Eric Choi explain in the afterword that the anthology wants to feature Chinese characters in a non-stereotypical light. While all this sounds good to a Chinese like me, I can only look at the cover art and wonder why a Western dragon is on it. The stories inside are just as confused about the purpose of the anthology.
I do think that the need for this anthology is a bit of a sad statement of things, as the genre is still considerably a playground for white characters, but at the same time, I do like the idea of such an anthology if it is done right. This anthology actually drags out Tess Gerritsen for an introduction. Since she's not an author in the genre, so her presence here as the VIP only underlines the lack of a Chinese author in the genre worthy of introducing anything.
Tony Pi sets off on a right note with The Character Of The Hound, a fantasy envisioning of the Song army's war with the encroaching Jin army. The Song army use spirits, our our engineer hero Wu Fan discovers, and right now, there is a traitor within the army. Wu Fan is selected to root out this traitor, but letting his body be possessed by the spirit of the hound. While loyalty to one's people is one thing, what would happen if he lets a spirit take over his body? This is a fun read, with a great concept, good pacing, and all. It's short, but it reads like a great and complete story.
Charles Tan's The Fortunes Of Mrs. Yu revolves around a privileged upper-class Chinese lady with a perplexing dilemma: every fortune cookie she breaks open reveals a blank strip of paper. Mrs Yu scoffs at the very idea of fortune cookies at first, but the poor dear can't help but to wonder whether these blank strips are a sign of some ill tidings to come. There isn't anything dramatic here, but it's a short and simple story with a quaint take home message. I have to hand it to the author: he captures the character of a snooty, self-absorbed tai-tai perfectly. Mrs Yu seem like a caricature here, but she isn't. I know women like her in real life, trust me on this.
William F Wu's Goin' Down To Anglotown is what happens when you decide to switch races of stereotypical characters in urban or street fiction. Make the Chinese the white guys, the white guys the unhappy people in the ghetto, and have these Chinese guys be so dumb that they make Jersey Shore hooligans look like trained puppies. Thanks for playing, but I'll pass on this one.
Derwin Mak, who probably knows the vision for this anthology better than many other contributors as he co-edited this anthology as well as played a big role in its conception (dude, what's with the cover art?), offers The Polar Bear Carries The Mail, which is... well, it's an interesting story, but the pacing is such as the story just drags on and on after a while. This story is about some Chinese aerospace engineers from a company in China trying to get a spaceport and processing plant up and running in Churchill, Manitoba. Alas, violent white environmentalists, many of whom don't even care about the town until they have an excuse to picket and turn violent, want to spoil the party. Can the Chinese and the Aboriginals band together in a show of minority righteousness and make these white fools see the error of their ways? And why do we have to be so unnecessarily preachy here? The preachy overtones actually bring down the story, as the author just switches the race of the "good people" in a stereotypical portrayal of right versus wrong. As I've said, this could have been an interesting read, but the execution is off.
Emery Huang's Lips Of Ash is like a very special Chinese episode of Tales From The Crypt. It's a nice story, with an appropriately chilling ending, but the pacing is way, way off. The author spends so long showing how the make-up artist Zhou Liang develop lipstick from the ashes of a fox spirit and the results of its use, but not enough on the aftermath. As a result, when the ending comes, it comes out of nowhere when it should have been an organic transition from the events taking place in the last few pages.
In Crystal Gail Shangkuan Koo's The Man On The Moon, the man of the moon (heh) comes to Earth and set up an audition for some woman that he would matchmake to himself, so that she would live until the end of the world, when he comes to claim her. This story is one of the more arty-farty ones, with the author going all "Ooh, watch my pretty words come together like a literary masterpiece - it's arty because you can read the story three times and still have no idea what I'm really trying to say!" on the myth of Yue Lao. I like the original myth better, by the way, because someone gets stabbed there, at least.
Emily Mah's Across The Sea deals with our archaeologist heroine Kate Hu having to deal with all kinds of issues stemming from having to work with a guy that made his name from her aunt's opaque babbling while humiliating the poor woman in the result. I may like this story better if the heroine isn't such an emotional mess incapable of doing anything right. She just whines, complains, and cries.
Eugie Foster's Mortal Clay, Stone Heart is about a grand love between an exiled prince and a sculptor. Except, the grand love is more like a superficial attraction between two people that barely know each other, and the heroine is a petulant whiny dingbat with plenty of contemporary "seventeen-year old brat" attitude for a story supposedly set in the early days of Qin Shi Huangdi's reign.
Melissa Yuan-Innes presents Dancers With Red Shoes, in which our heroine, who is training to be a wizard, stumbles upon the dancing feet (clad in red shoes) of that poor girl in that fairytale by Hans Christian Andersen. This one has some interesting developments, but not enough to make it a memorable one. This is also one of the handful of stories that are in this anthology just because the main character is Chinese. There is no "Chinese heritage" stuff in sight. When these stories are placed beside the more preachy ones and the ones that make use of Chinese mythology, it seems like the people behind this anthology aren't really sure what it is supposed to be.
Anyway, moving on, we have Shelly Li's Intelligent Truth, which presents a staple plot of sci-fi stories wanting to preach about the awesomeness of humanity: our heroine finally discovers an android that may be more human than she thinks. Unfortunately, the heroine is whiny and stupid from the get go - at one point, her boyfriend lectures her on things that she, a PhD holder, should already know - and it is her imbecile nature that causes the happy denouement in this story. When the whole story can be boiled down to one short sentence - "Everything is the heroine's fault, and she is a colossal imbecile" - then I'd say the story has a big problem.
Gabriela Lee's Bargains is about a writer who pays a heavy price for success, only to wonder in the end whether it is worth it. I've read many cautionary tales of this nature, so this one isn't anything noteworthy. Oh, and it's here because the heroine just happens to be Chinese.
EL Chen's Threes is a story best described as "it's like those doomed love stories featuring a selkie, only we also put in an ark and a big flood, so that it's an artistic take of a story done to death already". I'm not impressed.
I have no idea what is so "fantasy" about Eric Choi's The Son Of Heaven, unless I count the creative liberties the author has taken with the life story of Tsien Hsue-shen, the father of China's space program. This story portrays Tsien in a manner that, for all the author's claims about breaking down stereotypes, is frightfully similar to the whole "Asian guys are frightfully intelligent when it comes to numbers, and so socially awkward" stereotype that Chinese people are bogged down by. Oh, and the author preaches heavily about how Canada is superior to the USA because the USA was such bastards back in those days when everyone assumed that everyone else that has a hint of foreign blood is a communist that must be treated with extreme prejudice. Well, Canada did take in all those Hong Kong folks that fled that country when China claimed back the island, after all, so Canada must be awesome. Or something like that.
Susan Ee's Shadow City is awesome. It's the tale of a fellow who has to confront his guilt in a story set in a dystopian place comparable to the Hells as portrayed in Chinese mythology. It's elegantly written, beautifully understated yet moving, and it's just right from start to finish. I love this one - it's my favorite of the whole bunch.
Okay, by this point, I'm wondering when the "dragon" in the title is going to show up. Well, here it is, in Brenda W Clough's The Water Weapon. In a steampunk version of 1851 London, our heroine Grace Stulting is recruited by the Scotland Yard for an interesting case. Due to her familiarity with the Chinese language, she is considered the best candidate to mingle with the people behind the newest attraction in the Crystal Palace: a really big life-like animated model of a Chinese dragon that has everyone going "Ooh!" There are rumors that unsavory magic is happening in that place, but the owner of the dragon - a Chinese princess - and her wizard seem like they have nothing to hide, hmm. I love this story too. It's short, but it has a marvelously simple yet intriguing premise that works. The main character is interesting too, and when the story ends, I find myself wishing that it could have gone on a little longer.
Urania Fung has an American expatriate vexed by weird happenings revolving around strange food in The Right To Eat Decent Food. It has a nice build-up, but the pay-off is pure "What? Is that it? What?" territory. This one feels like only half a story, one that is rushed to a conclusion that doesn't shed any insight on what had happened up to that point.
Wen Y Phua's Papa And Mama is about reincarnation as seen from the eyes of a very young girl. This one already has a sappy premise, and things can only go downhill when the author clumsily tries to manipulate my emotions in a very blatant and hamfisted manner. A little more subtlety may have made things better.
Ken Liu's Běidŏu tells the story of a soldier, Tan Yuansi, who manages to come up with a way to defeat Toyotomi Hideyoshi's invasion of Korea - China was allied with Korea back then - using lessons learned from a calligraphy session with the Wanli Emperor. This one isn't bad at all, but I'm conflicted about the take home message. I have no issues with the message itself, but the author offers me a choice of picking a side, only to take away that option by inserting his idea of a definitive side immediately after. I feel that letting the story end by letting me decide which side to pick would have strengthened the impact of this story, but at the same time, I also feel that most people would choose the other side, one that the author doesn't agree with, and that would have caused readers to miss the point of the story altogether. I don't know. Still, it's a pretty decent story to end the anthology.
On the whole, The Dragon And The Stars is a very uneven anthology, with a confused sense of purpose. Some stories seem to be thrown in here because the author happens to be Chinese or part-Chinese, even if the stories themselves are "white people" stories with Chinese main characters. And then there's the cover art, as well as an introduction by an author that write crime thrillers rather than fantasy or sci-fi. Is this anthology a "Chinese authors" thing, or is it a "stories with elements from Chinese mythology" thing? Still, whatever this anthology aims to be, the abundance of very average stories ultimately set it back from whatever it is that it is trying to achieve.
I do think that the need for this anthology is a bit of a sad statement of things, as the genre is still considerably a playground for white characters, but at the same time, I do like the idea of such an anthology if it is done right. This anthology actually drags out Tess Gerritsen for an introduction. Since she's not an author in the genre, so her presence here as the VIP only underlines the lack of a Chinese author in the genre worthy of introducing anything.
Tony Pi sets off on a right note with The Character Of The Hound, a fantasy envisioning of the Song army's war with the encroaching Jin army. The Song army use spirits, our our engineer hero Wu Fan discovers, and right now, there is a traitor within the army. Wu Fan is selected to root out this traitor, but letting his body be possessed by the spirit of the hound. While loyalty to one's people is one thing, what would happen if he lets a spirit take over his body? This is a fun read, with a great concept, good pacing, and all. It's short, but it reads like a great and complete story.
Charles Tan's The Fortunes Of Mrs. Yu revolves around a privileged upper-class Chinese lady with a perplexing dilemma: every fortune cookie she breaks open reveals a blank strip of paper. Mrs Yu scoffs at the very idea of fortune cookies at first, but the poor dear can't help but to wonder whether these blank strips are a sign of some ill tidings to come. There isn't anything dramatic here, but it's a short and simple story with a quaint take home message. I have to hand it to the author: he captures the character of a snooty, self-absorbed tai-tai perfectly. Mrs Yu seem like a caricature here, but she isn't. I know women like her in real life, trust me on this.
William F Wu's Goin' Down To Anglotown is what happens when you decide to switch races of stereotypical characters in urban or street fiction. Make the Chinese the white guys, the white guys the unhappy people in the ghetto, and have these Chinese guys be so dumb that they make Jersey Shore hooligans look like trained puppies. Thanks for playing, but I'll pass on this one.
Derwin Mak, who probably knows the vision for this anthology better than many other contributors as he co-edited this anthology as well as played a big role in its conception (dude, what's with the cover art?), offers The Polar Bear Carries The Mail, which is... well, it's an interesting story, but the pacing is such as the story just drags on and on after a while. This story is about some Chinese aerospace engineers from a company in China trying to get a spaceport and processing plant up and running in Churchill, Manitoba. Alas, violent white environmentalists, many of whom don't even care about the town until they have an excuse to picket and turn violent, want to spoil the party. Can the Chinese and the Aboriginals band together in a show of minority righteousness and make these white fools see the error of their ways? And why do we have to be so unnecessarily preachy here? The preachy overtones actually bring down the story, as the author just switches the race of the "good people" in a stereotypical portrayal of right versus wrong. As I've said, this could have been an interesting read, but the execution is off.
Emery Huang's Lips Of Ash is like a very special Chinese episode of Tales From The Crypt. It's a nice story, with an appropriately chilling ending, but the pacing is way, way off. The author spends so long showing how the make-up artist Zhou Liang develop lipstick from the ashes of a fox spirit and the results of its use, but not enough on the aftermath. As a result, when the ending comes, it comes out of nowhere when it should have been an organic transition from the events taking place in the last few pages.
In Crystal Gail Shangkuan Koo's The Man On The Moon, the man of the moon (heh) comes to Earth and set up an audition for some woman that he would matchmake to himself, so that she would live until the end of the world, when he comes to claim her. This story is one of the more arty-farty ones, with the author going all "Ooh, watch my pretty words come together like a literary masterpiece - it's arty because you can read the story three times and still have no idea what I'm really trying to say!" on the myth of Yue Lao. I like the original myth better, by the way, because someone gets stabbed there, at least.
Emily Mah's Across The Sea deals with our archaeologist heroine Kate Hu having to deal with all kinds of issues stemming from having to work with a guy that made his name from her aunt's opaque babbling while humiliating the poor woman in the result. I may like this story better if the heroine isn't such an emotional mess incapable of doing anything right. She just whines, complains, and cries.
Eugie Foster's Mortal Clay, Stone Heart is about a grand love between an exiled prince and a sculptor. Except, the grand love is more like a superficial attraction between two people that barely know each other, and the heroine is a petulant whiny dingbat with plenty of contemporary "seventeen-year old brat" attitude for a story supposedly set in the early days of Qin Shi Huangdi's reign.
Melissa Yuan-Innes presents Dancers With Red Shoes, in which our heroine, who is training to be a wizard, stumbles upon the dancing feet (clad in red shoes) of that poor girl in that fairytale by Hans Christian Andersen. This one has some interesting developments, but not enough to make it a memorable one. This is also one of the handful of stories that are in this anthology just because the main character is Chinese. There is no "Chinese heritage" stuff in sight. When these stories are placed beside the more preachy ones and the ones that make use of Chinese mythology, it seems like the people behind this anthology aren't really sure what it is supposed to be.
Anyway, moving on, we have Shelly Li's Intelligent Truth, which presents a staple plot of sci-fi stories wanting to preach about the awesomeness of humanity: our heroine finally discovers an android that may be more human than she thinks. Unfortunately, the heroine is whiny and stupid from the get go - at one point, her boyfriend lectures her on things that she, a PhD holder, should already know - and it is her imbecile nature that causes the happy denouement in this story. When the whole story can be boiled down to one short sentence - "Everything is the heroine's fault, and she is a colossal imbecile" - then I'd say the story has a big problem.
Gabriela Lee's Bargains is about a writer who pays a heavy price for success, only to wonder in the end whether it is worth it. I've read many cautionary tales of this nature, so this one isn't anything noteworthy. Oh, and it's here because the heroine just happens to be Chinese.
EL Chen's Threes is a story best described as "it's like those doomed love stories featuring a selkie, only we also put in an ark and a big flood, so that it's an artistic take of a story done to death already". I'm not impressed.
I have no idea what is so "fantasy" about Eric Choi's The Son Of Heaven, unless I count the creative liberties the author has taken with the life story of Tsien Hsue-shen, the father of China's space program. This story portrays Tsien in a manner that, for all the author's claims about breaking down stereotypes, is frightfully similar to the whole "Asian guys are frightfully intelligent when it comes to numbers, and so socially awkward" stereotype that Chinese people are bogged down by. Oh, and the author preaches heavily about how Canada is superior to the USA because the USA was such bastards back in those days when everyone assumed that everyone else that has a hint of foreign blood is a communist that must be treated with extreme prejudice. Well, Canada did take in all those Hong Kong folks that fled that country when China claimed back the island, after all, so Canada must be awesome. Or something like that.
Susan Ee's Shadow City is awesome. It's the tale of a fellow who has to confront his guilt in a story set in a dystopian place comparable to the Hells as portrayed in Chinese mythology. It's elegantly written, beautifully understated yet moving, and it's just right from start to finish. I love this one - it's my favorite of the whole bunch.
Okay, by this point, I'm wondering when the "dragon" in the title is going to show up. Well, here it is, in Brenda W Clough's The Water Weapon. In a steampunk version of 1851 London, our heroine Grace Stulting is recruited by the Scotland Yard for an interesting case. Due to her familiarity with the Chinese language, she is considered the best candidate to mingle with the people behind the newest attraction in the Crystal Palace: a really big life-like animated model of a Chinese dragon that has everyone going "Ooh!" There are rumors that unsavory magic is happening in that place, but the owner of the dragon - a Chinese princess - and her wizard seem like they have nothing to hide, hmm. I love this story too. It's short, but it has a marvelously simple yet intriguing premise that works. The main character is interesting too, and when the story ends, I find myself wishing that it could have gone on a little longer.
Urania Fung has an American expatriate vexed by weird happenings revolving around strange food in The Right To Eat Decent Food. It has a nice build-up, but the pay-off is pure "What? Is that it? What?" territory. This one feels like only half a story, one that is rushed to a conclusion that doesn't shed any insight on what had happened up to that point.
Wen Y Phua's Papa And Mama is about reincarnation as seen from the eyes of a very young girl. This one already has a sappy premise, and things can only go downhill when the author clumsily tries to manipulate my emotions in a very blatant and hamfisted manner. A little more subtlety may have made things better.
Ken Liu's Běidŏu tells the story of a soldier, Tan Yuansi, who manages to come up with a way to defeat Toyotomi Hideyoshi's invasion of Korea - China was allied with Korea back then - using lessons learned from a calligraphy session with the Wanli Emperor. This one isn't bad at all, but I'm conflicted about the take home message. I have no issues with the message itself, but the author offers me a choice of picking a side, only to take away that option by inserting his idea of a definitive side immediately after. I feel that letting the story end by letting me decide which side to pick would have strengthened the impact of this story, but at the same time, I also feel that most people would choose the other side, one that the author doesn't agree with, and that would have caused readers to miss the point of the story altogether. I don't know. Still, it's a pretty decent story to end the anthology.
On the whole, The Dragon And The Stars is a very uneven anthology, with a confused sense of purpose. Some stories seem to be thrown in here because the author happens to be Chinese or part-Chinese, even if the stories themselves are "white people" stories with Chinese main characters. And then there's the cover art, as well as an introduction by an author that write crime thrillers rather than fantasy or sci-fi. Is this anthology a "Chinese authors" thing, or is it a "stories with elements from Chinese mythology" thing? Still, whatever this anthology aims to be, the abundance of very average stories ultimately set it back from whatever it is that it is trying to achieve.
July 21, 2021
Interesting anthology of Asian-inspired science fiction and fantasy, though at least a couple of stories were more historical than speculative. Many of them were depressing or horrific but all were interesting. It's a good read, but one has to be in the right mood for it. I did, anyway.
Want to read
November 6, 2015Chinese stories are badass...
December 17, 2022
Like most of the other anthologies I've read, this one was mostly a bust. It had one outstanding story (the first one, of course), then two that were pretty good. The rest I either DNFed or wished I had.
I checked Amazon's reviews to refresh my memory of the good one, and this other reviewer hit it on the nose:
The anthology began with exactly what I expected and hoped for; the first story ("The Character of the Hound") is one of my favorites. The second was... not as good, but okay. I loathed the third ("Goin' Down to Anglotown") and the fourth ("The Polar Bear Carries the Mail") to the point that I very nearly set the book aside.
The Character of the Hound (by Tony Pi) was so good, I had a reaction to it I never had before: I felt honored to have been able to read it. Set mostly in the real world, it had such wonderful elements of mythology and spiritualism.
I checked Amazon's reviews to refresh my memory of the good one, and this other reviewer hit it on the nose:
The anthology began with exactly what I expected and hoped for; the first story ("The Character of the Hound") is one of my favorites. The second was... not as good, but okay. I loathed the third ("Goin' Down to Anglotown") and the fourth ("The Polar Bear Carries the Mail") to the point that I very nearly set the book aside.
The Character of the Hound (by Tony Pi) was so good, I had a reaction to it I never had before: I felt honored to have been able to read it. Set mostly in the real world, it had such wonderful elements of mythology and spiritualism.
June 11, 2020
Maybe the reader has to have Chinese heritage to fully appreciate this.
November 29, 2015
**** 1/2 - The Character of the Hound by Tony Pi - story focused mostly on events and the importance of different meanings of characters, the latter which would make little sense in an English-based culture.
** The Fortunes of Ms. Yu - Charles Tan - Sadly meh on this one since I don't believe in "fortunes" and the story was too short to establish the belief inside it.
***** Goin' Down to Anglotown - William F. Wu - I wouldn't say this was the best one, but picturing the white Americans as the second class citizens that other cultures come down to slum with was interesting.
** The Polar Bear Carries the Mail - Derwin Mak - Felt meh about this one too. The ideas were clever I just...didn't care.
***** Lips of Ash - Emery Huang - Adored this. Felt very much like a folk tale with a more modern voice and the use of the fox spirit inside politics and positioning for a place in society. Excellent.
*** The Man on the Moon - Crystal Gail Shangkuan Koo - Felt kinda predictable and didn't like the ending. I wanted to see the thieves cheated in turn.
**** Across the Sea - Emily Mah - This story wasn't fantastical at all and could have simply been true.
*** Mortal Clay, Stone Heart - Eugie Foster - Classic doomed lovers story with Eastern elements and characters.
***** Dancers with Red Shoes - Melissa Yuan-Innes - Favorite story in the book incorporates the story of the dancing red shoes, set swiftly and definitely in a slightly different world that ours.
**** Intelligent Truth - Shelly Li - I liked the android more than the main character and really, really wanted a different ending even though the one Li wrote made more sense.
*** Bargains - Gabriela Lee - Almost a horror story and have read several things a little too similar in nature to be impressed with this one.
***** Threes - E.L. Chen - Another story that felt culturally distinct. I love how so much was hinted at but not too spelled out. I wanted all the characters to find happiness on the other side with their mom/wife.
** The Son of Heaven - Eric Choi - Having taken Asian History in college, I feel a little proud I recognized the events in this book almost immediately. That said, this was more a summary of those events and ended up being rather boring for me.
***** Shadow City - Susan Ee - This was so close to being my favorite story in this book. I would love it if Ee would write more in this setting because I would devour that book. The setting was amazing and original and conveyed in so few words while the characters were still solidly developed. Amazing story.
*** The Water Weapon - Brenda W. Clough - clever, just didn't feel passionate about the characters or the plot.
*** The Right to Eat Decent Food - Urania Fung - Another fun story about trickster spirits. However, aside from the outer wrappings, I feel like this could have been told with the fae in an English setting, coyote spirits from a Native American setting, etc.
Papa and Mama - Wen Y. Phua - Loved it and definitely feel like it had to come from a more Eastern culture. The duty to ones parents alone, even when they are dead and you are just a child...
N/A Beidou - Ken Liu - I actually found this story to be boring from the offset and elected to skip it.
** The Fortunes of Ms. Yu - Charles Tan - Sadly meh on this one since I don't believe in "fortunes" and the story was too short to establish the belief inside it.
***** Goin' Down to Anglotown - William F. Wu - I wouldn't say this was the best one, but picturing the white Americans as the second class citizens that other cultures come down to slum with was interesting.
** The Polar Bear Carries the Mail - Derwin Mak - Felt meh about this one too. The ideas were clever I just...didn't care.
***** Lips of Ash - Emery Huang - Adored this. Felt very much like a folk tale with a more modern voice and the use of the fox spirit inside politics and positioning for a place in society. Excellent.
*** The Man on the Moon - Crystal Gail Shangkuan Koo - Felt kinda predictable and didn't like the ending. I wanted to see the thieves cheated in turn.
**** Across the Sea - Emily Mah - This story wasn't fantastical at all and could have simply been true.
*** Mortal Clay, Stone Heart - Eugie Foster - Classic doomed lovers story with Eastern elements and characters.
***** Dancers with Red Shoes - Melissa Yuan-Innes - Favorite story in the book incorporates the story of the dancing red shoes, set swiftly and definitely in a slightly different world that ours.
**** Intelligent Truth - Shelly Li - I liked the android more than the main character and really, really wanted a different ending even though the one Li wrote made more sense.
*** Bargains - Gabriela Lee - Almost a horror story and have read several things a little too similar in nature to be impressed with this one.
***** Threes - E.L. Chen - Another story that felt culturally distinct. I love how so much was hinted at but not too spelled out. I wanted all the characters to find happiness on the other side with their mom/wife.
** The Son of Heaven - Eric Choi - Having taken Asian History in college, I feel a little proud I recognized the events in this book almost immediately. That said, this was more a summary of those events and ended up being rather boring for me.
***** Shadow City - Susan Ee - This was so close to being my favorite story in this book. I would love it if Ee would write more in this setting because I would devour that book. The setting was amazing and original and conveyed in so few words while the characters were still solidly developed. Amazing story.
*** The Water Weapon - Brenda W. Clough - clever, just didn't feel passionate about the characters or the plot.
*** The Right to Eat Decent Food - Urania Fung - Another fun story about trickster spirits. However, aside from the outer wrappings, I feel like this could have been told with the fae in an English setting, coyote spirits from a Native American setting, etc.
Papa and Mama - Wen Y. Phua - Loved it and definitely feel like it had to come from a more Eastern culture. The duty to ones parents alone, even when they are dead and you are just a child...
N/A Beidou - Ken Liu - I actually found this story to be boring from the offset and elected to skip it.
August 12, 2016
In their afterward, editors Derwin Mak and Eric Choi explain that the genesis of The Dragon and the Stars was when Mak went to the Worldcon in Yokohama, met a number of science fiction writers from China and was asked to write an article on Canadian Chinese science fiction writers for a major Chinese science fiction magazine. Mak and Choi have assembled eighteen stories from the Chinese diaspora, primarily writers of Chinese ancestry from North America, but also including writers from Singapore, Hong Kong and the Philippines, and all the stories have Chinese characters and/or deal with Chinese themes. The writers represented are Brenda Clough, Tony Pi, Eugie Foster, Charles Tan, William F. Wu, Emery Huang, Crystal Gail Shangkuan Koo, Emily Mah, Melissa Yuan-Innes, Shelly Li, Gabriela Lee, E.L. Chen, Susan Ee, Urania Fung, Wen Y. Phua, Ken Liu, Eric Choi and Derwin Mak. There is also a nice introduction by Tess Gerritsen.
Brenda Clough contributes a steampunk story, “The Water Weapon”, involving a giant bamboo steam-powered dragon, magic charms to make the possessor bulletproof, and the Great Exhibition of 1851.
Several writers used fox spirits in their stories. I particularly enjoyed Urania Fung's "The Right to Eat Decent Food", which involved American teachers at a school in China falling under the sway of a spirit when they are quarantined at the school during the SARS outbreak and cannot stomach eating the lousy cafeteria food. A girl named Rabbit shows up bearing burgers and fries and then things start getting crazy.
In Wen Y. Phua's "Papa and Mama", a young girl tries to cope with taking care of her deceased parents who have reincarnated as a bird and a fish.
Eugie Foster contributes a bittersweet story of love and pottery, and Melissa Yuan-Innes contributes an interesting twist on Hans Christian Anderson's "The Red Shoes".
While the majority of the contributions are fantasy stories, science fiction is represented as well. Of the science fiction stories in The Dragon and the Stars, one of the standouts was Shelly Li's "Intelligent Truth", which involved testing robot AIs for sentience and the protagonist learning the "be careful what you wish for" rule the hard way.
The eighteen stories cover a wide range of themes, and while the majority of the stories fall on the fantasy side of the genre, science fiction is represented as well, including the steampunk and alternate history subgenres. In addition to the introduction and afterward, the anthology also contains biographical information about the contributors, which includes website listings and other publications, so readers wishing to read further stories by the authors in the book should not have any difficulty locating additional reading material. Given the broad mandate ofThe Dragon and the Stars and the variety of the stories, it is a solid collection that should appeal to a wide range of readers.
Brenda Clough contributes a steampunk story, “The Water Weapon”, involving a giant bamboo steam-powered dragon, magic charms to make the possessor bulletproof, and the Great Exhibition of 1851.
Several writers used fox spirits in their stories. I particularly enjoyed Urania Fung's "The Right to Eat Decent Food", which involved American teachers at a school in China falling under the sway of a spirit when they are quarantined at the school during the SARS outbreak and cannot stomach eating the lousy cafeteria food. A girl named Rabbit shows up bearing burgers and fries and then things start getting crazy.
In Wen Y. Phua's "Papa and Mama", a young girl tries to cope with taking care of her deceased parents who have reincarnated as a bird and a fish.
Eugie Foster contributes a bittersweet story of love and pottery, and Melissa Yuan-Innes contributes an interesting twist on Hans Christian Anderson's "The Red Shoes".
While the majority of the contributions are fantasy stories, science fiction is represented as well. Of the science fiction stories in The Dragon and the Stars, one of the standouts was Shelly Li's "Intelligent Truth", which involved testing robot AIs for sentience and the protagonist learning the "be careful what you wish for" rule the hard way.
The eighteen stories cover a wide range of themes, and while the majority of the stories fall on the fantasy side of the genre, science fiction is represented as well, including the steampunk and alternate history subgenres. In addition to the introduction and afterward, the anthology also contains biographical information about the contributors, which includes website listings and other publications, so readers wishing to read further stories by the authors in the book should not have any difficulty locating additional reading material. Given the broad mandate ofThe Dragon and the Stars and the variety of the stories, it is a solid collection that should appeal to a wide range of readers.
November 4, 2016
I picked up this anthology after meeting one of the editors and contributing authors, Derwin Mak, at the Ad Astra convention in Toronto earlier this year. And it was one whose premise sold itself. I mean, a collection of sci-fi/fantasy stories inspired by Chinese mythology and experiences? Yes please! I myself am Chinese American, and one of my biggest gripes is that Chinese people--Asians in general, in fact--are virtually invisible in the world of sci-fi/fantasy. Unless you're reading or watching something that came FROM Asia--anime, Bollywood, kung fu films, manga, etc--chances are, the only Asians you'll ever see in sci-fi/fantasy are token sidekicks or stereotyped cameos.
So it was really wonderful and refreshing to get 18 new SFF stories of incredible range, all by Chinese authors of varying experiences and all featuring Chinese people. From a tale inspired by old school folklore to futuristic sci-fi to alternate history... reading these stories was like popping Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans into my mouth, except all the flavors were awesome and made extra special because they were just what I was looking for.
Each story is special in its own way, and to be honest I simply don't have the time to review them each individually. But I highly, highly recommend that you pick up this wonderful collection. There wasn't a single story I didn't like, and what really wowed me was the incredible breadth the anthology covered... so many different types of stories! And it's especially refreshing since even today, six years after this anthology was published, Asians are still portrayed in the same stereotypical buckets in most mainstream SFF (always the ninja, or the sneaky gangsters, or the sexless nerd, or the mute chinadoll, or the dragon lady...). Next time I see a stereotypical Asian nerd in fiction, I want to shove this anthology in that person's face and be like IT DOESN'T HAVE TO BE THIS WAY! SEE?? SEE????
Okay, so this turned out to be more of a rant than an actual review... sorry about that! In a nutshell... This anthology features an incredible collection of excellent stories, and the sheer imagination of it all is amazing. I really, truly enjoyed reading every single one of them.
So it was really wonderful and refreshing to get 18 new SFF stories of incredible range, all by Chinese authors of varying experiences and all featuring Chinese people. From a tale inspired by old school folklore to futuristic sci-fi to alternate history... reading these stories was like popping Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans into my mouth, except all the flavors were awesome and made extra special because they were just what I was looking for.
Each story is special in its own way, and to be honest I simply don't have the time to review them each individually. But I highly, highly recommend that you pick up this wonderful collection. There wasn't a single story I didn't like, and what really wowed me was the incredible breadth the anthology covered... so many different types of stories! And it's especially refreshing since even today, six years after this anthology was published, Asians are still portrayed in the same stereotypical buckets in most mainstream SFF (always the ninja, or the sneaky gangsters, or the sexless nerd, or the mute chinadoll, or the dragon lady...). Next time I see a stereotypical Asian nerd in fiction, I want to shove this anthology in that person's face and be like IT DOESN'T HAVE TO BE THIS WAY! SEE?? SEE????
Okay, so this turned out to be more of a rant than an actual review... sorry about that! In a nutshell... This anthology features an incredible collection of excellent stories, and the sheer imagination of it all is amazing. I really, truly enjoyed reading every single one of them.
January 1, 2012
Anthologies are tricky. No matter how hard you try, different authors will have different levels of imagination and writing skills; while you hope that every story will be a gem, the odds are highly against it. I have read a few anthologies in the past few months, and am delighted that they all maintained a high hit to miss ratio.
One such book is The Dragon and the Stars, edited by Derwin Mak and Eric Choi. This volume collects 18 stories written by members of the Chinese diaspora, and is full of wondrous ideas and strong writing.
My favourite story out of the book is Crystal Gail Shangkuan Koo's "The Man on the Moon." It tells the sweetly lyrical tale of The Man on the Moon's search for love on Earth. It has a beauty that I find quite rare in fantastic literature.
Another story that I thoroughly enjoyed from beginning to end was William F. Wu's "Goin' Down to Anglotown," which posits an alternate reality in which Chinese is the dominant culture in the United States and whites are considered the exotic "other." This was a smart, funny story and, although I'm sure I didn't get all of the references to portrayals of Asians in North American film and other cultural artifacts, I got enough to be very impressed.
Of course, your mileage may vary. One of the advantages of short story anthologies is that different stories will appeal to different readers. Another is, of course, that if you don't like a story, it will be over shortly and you can get on to a different one. But I don't think most people will feel like that reading The Dragon and the Stars; I found it a completely enjoyable read all of the way through.
One such book is The Dragon and the Stars, edited by Derwin Mak and Eric Choi. This volume collects 18 stories written by members of the Chinese diaspora, and is full of wondrous ideas and strong writing.
My favourite story out of the book is Crystal Gail Shangkuan Koo's "The Man on the Moon." It tells the sweetly lyrical tale of The Man on the Moon's search for love on Earth. It has a beauty that I find quite rare in fantastic literature.
Another story that I thoroughly enjoyed from beginning to end was William F. Wu's "Goin' Down to Anglotown," which posits an alternate reality in which Chinese is the dominant culture in the United States and whites are considered the exotic "other." This was a smart, funny story and, although I'm sure I didn't get all of the references to portrayals of Asians in North American film and other cultural artifacts, I got enough to be very impressed.
Of course, your mileage may vary. One of the advantages of short story anthologies is that different stories will appeal to different readers. Another is, of course, that if you don't like a story, it will be over shortly and you can get on to a different one. But I don't think most people will feel like that reading The Dragon and the Stars; I found it a completely enjoyable read all of the way through.
August 25, 2011
Too often, Asian characters in stories written by North Americans are so stereotypical that they feel phony (think martial arts fighter, magical Buddhist monk, or the Chinese girlfriend of the hero, or various villains). It's about time two Canadians, Derwin Mak and Eric Choi, tapped the potential of Canadian and Chinese authors in creating compelling SFF stories!
Derwin wrote The Polar Bear carry the mail, a story of hope in a spaceport set- in all places -- at Churchill, Manitoba, with Inuit and Chinese characters. I enjoyed a little history with Eric’s alternate-rocket-research story with a Chinese rocket scientist, Son of Heaven.
Among the others texts, my favourite is The Character of the hound, by Toni Pi, made me revise my Chinese, and was all you can ask of an historical fantastic-adventure.
So far I also liked The fortunes of Mrs. Yu, a fine psychological tour of superstition and overcoming it. Intelligent truth was moving on the robot theme, Dancer with red shoes (kudos to Melissa). Mortal Clay, Stone heart and Lips of ashes explored the Chinese long past. The twin-timelines telling of Across the sea wound also to a satisfying end, intellectually.
Kudos to the authors and editors!
Derwin wrote The Polar Bear carry the mail, a story of hope in a spaceport set- in all places -- at Churchill, Manitoba, with Inuit and Chinese characters. I enjoyed a little history with Eric’s alternate-rocket-research story with a Chinese rocket scientist, Son of Heaven.
Among the others texts, my favourite is The Character of the hound, by Toni Pi, made me revise my Chinese, and was all you can ask of an historical fantastic-adventure.
So far I also liked The fortunes of Mrs. Yu, a fine psychological tour of superstition and overcoming it. Intelligent truth was moving on the robot theme, Dancer with red shoes (kudos to Melissa). Mortal Clay, Stone heart and Lips of ashes explored the Chinese long past. The twin-timelines telling of Across the sea wound also to a satisfying end, intellectually.
Kudos to the authors and editors!
July 8, 2010
This is one sweet story collection.
And I'm not just saying that because I'm in it. Hey, I know it's uncool to pick one of your own books. But this is a whole collection of authors, including Eugie Foster, who just won the 2010 Nebula Award for Best Novelette.
This anthology got me at hello. Tess Gerritsen--yes, the NYT-bestselling author--wrote the intro. Then Tony Pi hits it home with "The Character of the Hound," which had me twitching in my chair, I loved the combination of Chinese calligraphy and spirits and the engineer as hero.
Then "The Fortunes of Mrs. Yu"--hey, that would be weird, getting blank fortunes out of fortune cookies. At the very least, it would mean that you'd be looking at nothing in bed in your future (you know what I'm talking about, that twist of reading your fortune aloud and adding "in bed" at the end?).
And "Going Down to Anglotown" really made me think about Chinese stereotypes by throwing me into a world where three Asian guys go to Anglotown for an exotic meal and a cuite waitress in "traditional" garb.
We're talking smart, well-written stories, all written by people of Chinese descent who live outside of China.
Tres cool.
And I'm not just saying that because I'm in it. Hey, I know it's uncool to pick one of your own books. But this is a whole collection of authors, including Eugie Foster, who just won the 2010 Nebula Award for Best Novelette.
This anthology got me at hello. Tess Gerritsen--yes, the NYT-bestselling author--wrote the intro. Then Tony Pi hits it home with "The Character of the Hound," which had me twitching in my chair, I loved the combination of Chinese calligraphy and spirits and the engineer as hero.
Then "The Fortunes of Mrs. Yu"--hey, that would be weird, getting blank fortunes out of fortune cookies. At the very least, it would mean that you'd be looking at nothing in bed in your future (you know what I'm talking about, that twist of reading your fortune aloud and adding "in bed" at the end?).
And "Going Down to Anglotown" really made me think about Chinese stereotypes by throwing me into a world where three Asian guys go to Anglotown for an exotic meal and a cuite waitress in "traditional" garb.
We're talking smart, well-written stories, all written by people of Chinese descent who live outside of China.
Tres cool.
September 22, 2010
Better than average collection of short stories around a cultural theme. I can't say the whole of it was excellent--there were a few stories that left me blinking and wondering what the heck I was reading. There were a smattering of rather pedestrian stories that were decent. And there were some gems among them. "The Character of the Hound" is a great historical fantasy piece that is among the best.
Some might be thrown by the fact these aren't all stories that take place in China or are about Chinese culture, but rather explore Chinese around the world in different places and times and situations. There were a few stories I wondered at in the collection, especially "Dancers with Red Shoes".
But given that decades ago I read an anthology on Japanese SF called Black Mist that was absolutely terrible and is one of the few anthologies I've not liked a single story, this was a real find. Decent writing, interesting stories--I was actually disappointed when I reached the last.
Some might be thrown by the fact these aren't all stories that take place in China or are about Chinese culture, but rather explore Chinese around the world in different places and times and situations. There were a few stories I wondered at in the collection, especially "Dancers with Red Shoes".
But given that decades ago I read an anthology on Japanese SF called Black Mist that was absolutely terrible and is one of the few anthologies I've not liked a single story, this was a real find. Decent writing, interesting stories--I was actually disappointed when I reached the last.
January 26, 2012
Most of these stories were either original or well-written, not both. I'm the sort of reader that is willing to forgive much if the concept of a story delights me, but I really prefer the writing to be up to par. Well-written stories on familiar themes are enjoyable, but not particularly memorable.
Yet the very first tale in this anthology is exceptional. "The Character of the Hound" by Toni Pi which takes place in China during the Song Dynasty, deals with the concept that tattoos prepare the body for spirit possession. That concept really jazzes me and it was so well told. It makes the entire collection worthwhile.
Another story that stood out for me was "The Right To Eat Decent Food" by Urania Fong. It was inspired by the author's experiences as an American born Chinese teaching in China during the SARS epidemic. I found the story charming, deft and mordant. The major irony is that if these American teachers continue to think in the same way about "decent food", they are probably destined to have heart attacks at an early age.
Yet the very first tale in this anthology is exceptional. "The Character of the Hound" by Toni Pi which takes place in China during the Song Dynasty, deals with the concept that tattoos prepare the body for spirit possession. That concept really jazzes me and it was so well told. It makes the entire collection worthwhile.
Another story that stood out for me was "The Right To Eat Decent Food" by Urania Fong. It was inspired by the author's experiences as an American born Chinese teaching in China during the SARS epidemic. I found the story charming, deft and mordant. The major irony is that if these American teachers continue to think in the same way about "decent food", they are probably destined to have heart attacks at an early age.
October 17, 2010
The story concepts were wide ranging, from historical fantasy to rocketship science fiction and from folklore to steampunk. There were a few, like Lips of Ash by Huang and Mortal Clay, Stone Heart by Foster that seemed complete and fabulous in short story form. There were others, like The Character and the Hound by Pi or The Water Weapon by Clough that seemed like they might be setting up books or series that I would be very excited to read. Then there were a few that were just... not to my taste. Overall, a very mixed bag of stories, but it did introduce me to a few new-to-me authors that I'm looking forward to reading more by.
August 19, 2014
Some of the stories were really good. I liked 'The Character of the Hound', 'Lips of Ash', and 'Shadow City'. Fox spirits and body jumping ancestors, oh my. 'Goin down to Anglotown' had an interesting premise of Asians being the majority in the western US but didn't really go anywhere with it. Oh, and there's a story with a steampunk dragon thrown in for fun.
Some of the stories weren't so good, or didn't really qualify as SF or fantasy, which was the advertised theme of the anthology, aside from the Asian element. The revisionist history of the rocket scientist, for one. If you're looking for Asian inspired fiction or stories with Asian protagonists, it's not bad.
Some of the stories weren't so good, or didn't really qualify as SF or fantasy, which was the advertised theme of the anthology, aside from the Asian element. The revisionist history of the rocket scientist, for one. If you're looking for Asian inspired fiction or stories with Asian protagonists, it's not bad.
July 11, 2011
E.M. Tippetts / Emily Mah
My short story, "Across the Sea", is in this anthology, so I won't pretend to be impartial. Derwin Mak and Eric Choi sought submissions from ethnically Chinese authors of science fiction and fantasy. Nearly all of us reside in North America and this project was a beautiful exploration of so many different voices from the diaspora.
My short story, "Across the Sea", is in this anthology, so I won't pretend to be impartial. Derwin Mak and Eric Choi sought submissions from ethnically Chinese authors of science fiction and fantasy. Nearly all of us reside in North America and this project was a beautiful exploration of so many different voices from the diaspora.
June 18, 2015
I LOVE that this anthology exists.
The stories represent a wide variety of genres...so wide that I suspect there's nobody who's going to find that they all land in the sweet spot. That said, they were all good, some EXCELLENT.
I'm particularly happy to have a few new authors to keep an eye out for.
The stories represent a wide variety of genres...so wide that I suspect there's nobody who's going to find that they all land in the sweet spot. That said, they were all good, some EXCELLENT.
I'm particularly happy to have a few new authors to keep an eye out for.
Read
July 25, 2010This is a collection of science fiction and fantasy short stories from people in the Chinese diaspora. Like any collection, it has stronger and weaker entries, but if you like sci-fi/fantasy short stories it is definitely worth reading.
February 3, 2011
These stories range from good to mediocre. Some like "The Character of the Hound" and "The Water Weapon" storylines felt like they could have been expanded on (maybe even become novellas or novels in themselves).
December 10, 2015
A collection of short stories my Chinese-American authors. Interesting in that they offer a different point of view, filled with Chinese mythology. Some of the stories are better than others, which is to be expected for an anthology. Overall, an enjoyable collection.
Read
January 6, 2010My story "The Right to Eat Decent Food" is in it! How can it not be a winner?
Want to read
February 4, 2012Found this gem at Busboys & Poets. Score!
May 24, 2012
decent book. some of the stories were just not the type I prefer to read. But they were still well written
March 30, 2016
Wide range of stories with both science fiction and fantasy. Really liked that the authors and stories were from all over the world, not just North America.
April 17, 2017
There are a couple of pretty decent short stories based on Chinese fairytales. But the majority of them are quite poorly written and tend to drag on way too much on topics like racism, or foreign born Chinese who are ignorant of their ancestral roots.
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