Liu’s tales are inhabited by a dazzling array of alien and supernatural life, and the stories joyously explore the shared personhood that joins us to even the most radically different life forms. The stories are also characterised by their fascination with life and the various forms it may take.

Liu is not afraid to have his characters do horrible things, however he always takes the time to make sure that the reader understands his characters’ motivations and feelings. Liu manages to skilfully handle these weighty subjects thanks to both his well-researched understanding of an impressive array of world history and the depth and empathy with which he draws his characters. They also show native cultures eroded by industrialism and military Imperialism. The stories in this book show mixed race children discovering their cultural heritage, people in unusual circumstances drawing strength from their culture, and Chinese immigrants to America in the 1800s enriching the frontier towns. Ken Liu is fascinated by what happens when different cultures mix. The end result is an essential summation of the first phase of the career of one of the genre’s finest writers.īy their nature, a collection of short stories by a single writer will throw into relief the author’s obsessions and major themes, their stylistic quirks and strengths. Liu covers everything from whimsical fantasy to re-imaginings of Chinese myths to hard SF and alternate history, all handled with a deft intelligence, generous characterisation and a real ear for prose.

Together they display a staggering breadth of imagination. The Paper Menagerie and Other Stories collects the best of his short fiction, dating back to 2004 through to the present. His moving and inventive short fiction has won him a devoted fanbase and also many awards, including the Hugo, Nebula and World Fantasy Award, along with being nominated for many more. A memory is a re-creation, precious because it is both more and less than the original.”īefore moving to novel-length fiction with last year’s excellent The Grace of Kings, Ken Liu concentrated his writing on short stories. “Time’s arrow is the loss of fidelity in compression.

The paper menagerie