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“Women who dance with their eyes closed, smiling, are as near to heaven as you can get to earth, and there I was, in heaven, only in Bakersfield.”

“And since I’ve always lived in cities where a lot of people are desperate refugees from small towns determined never to go back except for funerals, I thought everyone was like that. I couldn’t imagine someone in this age remaining past twenty years old outside of New York, Los Angeles, or London. Especially in Bakersfield.”

Starting this book now, gifted to me by the lovely Galatea years ago :DD as I’m finally getting into science fiction again

The Thinker: 3/5

A strong story to end the short story collection. I do like the idea of two people with an unbreakable bond, meeting everytime they were to see a star twinkle. It feels almost like the superstring theory, but in the more simplistic version of two particles feeling and moving the same way. I do think the dialogue could have been better. Still, it’s a beautiful story!

Cloud of Poems: 4/5

“Is the soul and essence of intelligent life truly untouchable by technology?”

This one felt a bit like Cixin taking a tab before writing it and tbh I love it. Some parts were kinda hard to imagine but other than that I really enjoyed the conversations between Yi Yi, Li Bai, and the sphere. Bigtooth is such a random concept of an omnipotent dinosaur. A beautiful story on art preservation.

Sea of Dreams: 4/5

"At first, I thought I'd run into a real artist but, as it turns out, you're a mediocre, pitiful creature who chatters about the oceans dying, ecological collapse, and other inconsequential things that have nothing to do with art."

A beautiful short story about oceans being made into blocks of ice for the sake of art and how it affects humanity to lose the most basic need, for art.

Full Spectrum Barrage Jamming: 1.5/5

"And someone who truly understood the innate beauty of space and nature would never go to war."

I couldn't really enjoy this story because I just couldn't understand the things that were going on. I understand that Cixin was inspired by Russia literature but world-building in Russia in a sci fi Chinese collection kinda threw me off. Some parts with Misha were cool but eh, still.

Ode to Joy: 3.5/5

-.5 points because there’s no way presidents, especially the US president, would be smart enough to understand physics and the significance of a giant mirror facing Earth.

Mirror: 4/5

“Culture stagnates first, because human nature is now pure as water, and there is nothing left to depict and express.”

I was lowkey hating on this short story at first, but the build up to the end was actually worth it. A commentary on surveillance but I really like the take on it because it talks about the implication on humanity as a whole. The last last part of the story was quite unnerving.

Contraction: 3.5/5

Kind of one of Cixin’s gotcha moments, but the dialogue is really funny.

Fire In The Earth: 3/5

"People really were stupid in the past, and they really had a tough time."

Interesting commentary on companies who prioritize capitalism gain over the ecosystem. It was interesting too to show the side of miners who were about to lose their jobs, and then getting a first perspective 120 years later of a child taking a field trip through the mines. It was definitely kind of a terrifying story.

2018-04-01: 3.5/5

It was a funny story. Hb rlly made an elaborate April Fools prank to make dude think he was losing his stolen money. And dude was deadass ready to commit to his girl (after thoughts of dumping her for longevity of life), til she dumped him for hibernation!

Cixin really knows how to play with different sci fi themes. It’s a common theme in his stories but it still feels fresh everytime.

“If I leave her, what would be the point in living even two thousand years?”

Dudes be like Yo but that immortality doe 🤣🤣🤣

My cousin told me to read this book and to be honest, I’m mostly curious to see if this is the book of a cult leader lol. I am definitely intrigued and there are many things that I’ve already understood. I’ll keep an open mind for this author but proceed with caution.

The Time Migration: 5/5

“How could there be nothing left?”
“There’s nothing left they wanted to say.”

It took 11 thousand years for humanity to restart. I have so much thoughts on this i’ll probably make a substack article about this short story.

The Village Teacher: 4/5

“They’re called ‘teachers’.”
“Tea—cher?”
“An ancient word that was once in a currency among a few long-lost civilizations.”

Genuinely a beautiful story. I’m being reminded again of why I was awed by Cixin’s story since Three Body Problem. His ability to remember the beauty of humanity by introducing space entities is just wonderful.

“You are crying! You are afraid of me!
And yet l am not really wicked. Love me and you shall see! All I wanted was to be loved for myself. If you loved me I should be as gentle as a lamb; and you could do anything with me that you pleased."

Apollo’s Lyre was a painful chapter to get through.

"How can I hate him, Raoul? Think of Erik at my feet, in the house on the lake, under-ground. He accuses himself, he curses himself, he implores my forgiveness! He confesses his cheat.
He loves me! He lays at my feet an immense and tragic love He has carried me off for love!
He has imprisoned me with him, underground, for love! But he respects me: he crawls, he moans, he weeps!”

When u genuinely get ur bih stolen by a nameless body

"Is Christine engaged to be married?" the
wretched Raoul asked, in a choking voice.
"Why no! Why no!.. You know as well as I do that Christine couldn't marry, even if she wanted to!"
"But I don't know anything about it!... And why
can't Christine marry?"
"Because of the Angel of Music, of course!.."
"I don't follow...”
"Yes, he forbids her to.!.."

“Because I’m going to settle the account of anyone who has not seen him!” explained the manager. “As he seems to be everywhere, I can’t have people telling me that they see him nowhere. I like people to work for me when I employ them!”

“Mademoiselle,” replied the young man, kneeling on one knee and pressing a fervent kiss on the diva’s hand, “I am the little boy who went into the sea to rescue your scarf.”

“If I were an amoeba, he thought, with an infinitesimal body, I could defeat ugliness. A man isn’t tiny or giant enough to defeat anything.”

Frau Kempf scene was kinda chilling

“I’ve come here to make love, he thought, I’ve come here to take my pants off and fuck this naïve kid, this art student, this forger of Larry Rivers…”

Wild entrance from the Joker, to murder Tommy at the alley where Batman’s parents were murdered

“Tell me, tell me the dangerous things you’ve done in your life, said Padilla. The most dangerous was sleeping with you, thought Amalfitano, but he was careful not to say it.”