gardner ☆’s Reviews > Broken Stars: Contemporary Chinese Science Fiction in Translation > Status Update
gardner ☆
is on page 135 of 480
Salinger and the Koreans - Han Song
A silly little story, though I question whether I'd really call it science fiction. It's more like a historical rewrite that had little relevance to anything.
— Aug 13, 2026 04:16PM
A silly little story, though I question whether I'd really call it science fiction. It's more like a historical rewrite that had little relevance to anything.
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gardner ☆’s Previous Updates
gardner ☆
is on page 230 of 480
The New Year Train - Hao Jingfang
Finally some physics!
— 38 minutes ago
Finally some physics!
gardner ☆
is on page 225 of 480
What Has Passed Shall in Kinder Light Appear - Baoshu
This story was long & refreshing after a landslide of shorter stories in this collection. It was neat to see history played out in reverse order. China has such a rich political history, so I really enjoyed the focus on revolution. It had a very stream of consciousness style that made the story feel very nostalgic. Minus points for being alternate history again.
— 44 minutes ago
This story was long & refreshing after a landslide of shorter stories in this collection. It was neat to see history played out in reverse order. China has such a rich political history, so I really enjoyed the focus on revolution. It had a very stream of consciousness style that made the story feel very nostalgic. Minus points for being alternate history again.
gardner ☆
is on page 150 of 480
Under a Dangling Sky - Cheng Jingbo
You can tell from this story alone that the author writes children's books. It felt like a fairytale I've never heard before with beautiful imagery. The writing throws you right into the story with little explanation, and it works wonderfully!
— Aug 13, 2026 04:50PM
You can tell from this story alone that the author writes children's books. It felt like a fairytale I've never heard before with beautiful imagery. The writing throws you right into the story with little explanation, and it works wonderfully!
gardner ☆
is on page 125 of 480
Submarines - Han Song
A short and beautiful story told from the perspective of a young boy who doesn't understand the mysterious group of impoverished people or the discrimination they face in his community. It's painfully realistic that the adults try to keep things hush hush while the children's fascination grows. So far, my favourite in this collection!
— Aug 13, 2026 04:03PM
A short and beautiful story told from the perspective of a young boy who doesn't understand the mysterious group of impoverished people or the discrimination they face in his community. It's painfully realistic that the adults try to keep things hush hush while the children's fascination grows. So far, my favourite in this collection!
gardner ☆
is on page 110 of 480
Broken Stars - Tang Fei
I just don't see the point. The "twist" is an overused concept that's been executed better in more interesting stories. I don't really think it needed the sci-fi elements to tell the story because they had almost no bearing on the plot, aside from a "where are they now" section at the end. It's a shame this is the story the collection is named after.
— Aug 13, 2026 03:35PM
I just don't see the point. The "twist" is an overused concept that's been executed better in more interesting stories. I don't really think it needed the sci-fi elements to tell the story because they had almost no bearing on the plot, aside from a "where are they now" section at the end. It's a shame this is the story the collection is named after.
gardner ☆
is on page 80 of 480
Moonlight - Liu Cixin
Unfortunately, Liu Cixin is one of those writers who has good execution of poor concepts. As much of his work as I've read, I've found him to consistently be a voice in the background. The Three Body Problem is one of his few works that breaks out of the constraints he has in science fiction.
— Aug 13, 2026 07:23AM
Unfortunately, Liu Cixin is one of those writers who has good execution of poor concepts. As much of his work as I've read, I've found him to consistently be a voice in the background. The Three Body Problem is one of his few works that breaks out of the constraints he has in science fiction.
gardner ☆
is on page 60 of 480
Goodnight, Melancholy - Xia Jia
I couldn't get into it at first, but when I did, I felt very rewarded. It reads more like poetic philosophy than a science fiction story (something I find a lot of translated Chinese sci-fi has in common). Very relevant in regards to AI today, & I especially loved the fictional history the author manufactured & tested the believability of by sharing it with friends pre-publication.
— Aug 12, 2026 03:37PM
I couldn't get into it at first, but when I did, I felt very rewarded. It reads more like poetic philosophy than a science fiction story (something I find a lot of translated Chinese sci-fi has in common). Very relevant in regards to AI today, & I especially loved the fictional history the author manufactured & tested the believability of by sharing it with friends pre-publication.