I just finished 'The Wandering Earth', a collection of short SF stories
by Chinese author Cixin Liu. The author blurb says "Cixin Liu is the leading science fiction writer in the People's Republic of China. He
has won the China Galaxy Science Fiction Awards nine times and the
Nebula (Xingyun) award twice. 'The Three-Body Problem' was the first
work of translated fiction to win a Hugo Award. Before becoming a
writer, he was a computer engineer in a power plant in Yangquin."
Reading these stories I feel like I've read something written by a
member of a hive mind. In a hard to describe way they were disturbing
to read. There's a strange mix of optimism and pessimism in them. Mega-engineering projects are central to most of the stories and the
tone of the writing is supportive of them despite the massive damage
they cause. The People In Charge are always right regardless of the
number of disasters, deaths and uprisings their work causes. The Heroes
are stoic, even fatalistic but moved by the grandeur of what has been accomplished or they are doing. When there is opposition it is
portrayed as by the emotional, mindless elements of society. The protagonists have a tendency towards self-sacrifice for "the benefit of
the future". For example, one story ends with the last free humans all voluntarily laying down to die on a nearly completely destroyed Earth so their bodies can be a food source for a last colony of ants in the expectation that they will evolve into the Earth's next great
civilization. This is written as a laudable act that even moves the
alien invaders that destroyed the Earth as they leave the solar system
with the rest of the human species onboard their ship being breed as a
food animal. I'm sure I'm not doing a good job of conveying what about
the writing bothers me but there is a mindset behind it that I do find
deeply disturbing. I also suspect that it explains the number of
Chinese writing awards the author has received.
That aspect aside the ideas are Grand SF ideas and the writing is good.
For me it was worth reading for the thought provocation and the
glimpse into a socially alien mindset. I just find that mindset in
other humans to be disturbing in its implications in the real world.
On 2/6/2021 12:39 PM, Dimensional Traveler wrote:
I just finished 'The Wandering Earth', a collection of short SF
stories by Chinese author Cixin Liu. The author blurb says "Cixin Liu
is the leading science fiction writer in the People's Republic of
China. He has won the China Galaxy Science Fiction Awards nine times
and the Nebula (Xingyun) award twice. 'The Three-Body Problem' was
the first work of translated fiction to win a Hugo Award. Before
becoming a writer, he was a computer engineer in a power plant in
Yangquin."
Reading these stories I feel like I've read something written by a
member of a hive mind. In a hard to describe way they were disturbing
to read. There's a strange mix of optimism and pessimism in them.
Mega-engineering projects are central to most of the stories and the
tone of the writing is supportive of them despite the massive damage
they cause. The People In Charge are always right regardless of the
number of disasters, deaths and uprisings their work causes. The
Heroes are stoic, even fatalistic but moved by the grandeur of what
has been accomplished or they are doing. When there is opposition it
is portrayed as by the emotional, mindless elements of society. The
protagonists have a tendency towards self-sacrifice for "the benefit
of the future". For example, one story ends with the last free humans
all voluntarily laying down to die on a nearly completely destroyed
Earth so their bodies can be a food source for a last colony of ants
in the expectation that they will evolve into the Earth's next great
civilization. This is written as a laudable act that even moves the
alien invaders that destroyed the Earth as they leave the solar system
with the rest of the human species onboard their ship being breed as a
food animal. I'm sure I'm not doing a good job of conveying what
about the writing bothers me but there is a mindset behind it that I
do find deeply disturbing. I also suspect that it explains the number
of Chinese writing awards the author has received.
That aspect aside the ideas are Grand SF ideas and the writing is
good. For me it was worth reading for the thought provocation and
the glimpse into a socially alien mindset. I just find that mindset
in other humans to be disturbing in its implications in the real world.
I take it this is not related to the Chinese "The Wandering Earth" movie
on Netflix. 3.5 out of 5 stars. Nope, it is related. Moving the Earth from Sol to Alpha Centauri.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Wandering_Earth
In article <rvsbt8$9jh$1@dont-email.me>,
Lynn McGuire <lynnmcguire5@gmail.com> wrote:
I take it this is not related to the Chinese "The Wandering Earth" movie
on Netflix. 3.5 out of 5 stars. Nope, it is related. Moving the Earth >>from Sol to Alpha Centauri.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Wandering_Earth
/reads
In 2061? They've got to be kidding.
Why don't they just move the Earth to a further orbit? Take a
lot less time.
On 2/8/2021 2:50 PM, Dorothy J Heydt wrote:
In article <rvsbt8$9jh$1@dont-email.me>,I haven't seen the movie but in the short story the reason to flee is
Lynn McGuire <lynnmcguire5@gmail.com> wrote:
I take it this is not related to the Chinese "The Wandering Earth" movie >>> on Netflix. 3.5 out of 5 stars. Nope, it is related. Moving the Earth >>> from Sol to Alpha Centauri.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Wandering_Earth
/reads
In 2061? They've got to be kidding.
Why don't they just move the Earth to a further orbit? Take a
lot less time.
because of an impending "helium flash" of the Sun expected to basically incinerate anything inside the asteroid belt. So there is no place to
go to within the solar system that is both safe from the flash and
long-term habitable.
I take it this is not related to the Chinese "The Wandering Earth" movie
on Netflix. 3.5 out of 5 stars. Nope, it is related. Moving the Earth
from Sol to Alpha Centauri.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Wandering_Earth
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