The Wandering Earth, Cixin Liu (2021)
Rounding out (for now, anyway) my expedition into Chinese SFF is this fascinating collection. Liu is one of the most prominently-exposed, to English-speaking audiences at least, contemporary Chinese SF authors. This collection includes several stories which won Galaxy Awards, and the quality level is naturally very high.
The Wandering Earth, the titular story, concerns the travails of the Earth population after scientists calculate that the sun is about go nova. The planet is equipped with myriad enormous engines to push it out of danger, and bunker-cities are dug for the population. The result transforms the planet dramatically, but does less to temper human nature. The story ends on a sad, wistful note that balances the main narrator’s sense of loss against their hope for a better future.
Mountain is the story of a sea-going geologist. Haunted by a mountaineering accident in his past, he winds up ascending a very different mountain and making contact with a visiting alien intelligence. Among the more optimistic stories, this ends with the protagonist’s determination to explore “a universe of mountains” restored.
Sun of China traces the life of Shui Wah a penniless migrant to the big city from the Chinese interior who ascends–in more ways than one–to ever-greater heights. His final accomplishment will set mankind’s feet on the road to the stars, propelled by an unshakable faith that sets aside the doubts and dangers he–and we–will face.
For the Benefit of Mankind is the story of an elite assassin who gets an extremely unusual commission at a moment when mankind is on the cusp of an enormous change.
Curse 5.0 hilariously traces the dark, increasingly deadly evolution of a computer virus. Strikingly, it contains a series of cameo appearances by Liu and fellow SF writer Pan Dajiao, which lend a dry wit that contrasts with the increasingly grim effects of the virus.
The Micro Era tells the story of the last full-sized human, returning to an Earth which has been roasted by the Sun. He finds that humanity has survived, but in a peculiarly downsized state.
Devourer is a first contact story which foreshadows humanity’s demise and the rise of a replacement species.
Taking Care of God explores human gratitude and generosity–and their limits. This is a clever premise, with an odd and in some ways deeply pessimistic ending.
With Her Eyes explores a burnt-out office worker’s trip to the country, carrying a set of “eyes” which convey the outside world to a pioneer stuck in a place where “going out” is never going to be an option.
Cannonball is a dark and dystopian story of a ruined and unhappy Earth whose people have gained technology they can’t safely and responsibly use. Vengeance appears ready to fall on the shoulders of the father of the man blamed for much of the ruin, but Liu pulls out a happy(ish) ending.
“The Devourer’s propulsion technology is based on the principle of recoil and the conservation of momentum; it is not some sort of strange, space-time bending nonsense.”
If there is a theme here, it’s the fate or future of the Earth and of humanity. This isn’t as obvious as it might seem, since not all SF goes quite that deep. But Liu does go deep, and comes up with a variety of future scenarios that range from cautiously optimistic (Sun of China and, maybe, Mountain) to dark and deeply pessimistic (Taking Care of God and Devourer, although in very different ways.) The duo of With Her Eyes/Cannonball manages to span both extremes.
This continues a tendency I noticed in reading Sinopticon: no one is entitled to a happy ending. This isn’t to suggest the collection is dominated by the rending of garments and gnashing of teeth, although there is a bit of that in some places. It’s more SF as realism: Liu seems to feel that the chips should fall where they may in terms of his storylines.
This is largely a good thing but can be jarring at moments. In Mountain, for example, the protagonist’s new-found desire to climb a universe full of new and every-higher mountains comes about only after, and because of, his earlier involvement in a tragedy while climbing. Liu’s not having it with forced optimism or deployment of a deus ex machina ensuring happy endings. Quite the opposite: it seemed like any deus making an ex machina appearance here probably was on the way to destroy the Earth, Sun, or humanity.
The writing is strong. Devourer was one of the few stories that didn’t resonate with me–it started strongly, but descended into a bizarre pastiche of cuteness and doom that was jarring and seemed underbaked. But aside from that, I felt Liu had infused the other stories with a gravitational force that made me want to keep turning pages even when I really wasn’t sure where he was going with things. Credit here also goes to the translators who handled the stories. In the end, though, it’s fundamentally the author’s burden to create readable works. Liu’s ability to spin stories and perspectives from the diverse and divergent perspectives here is a credit to his versatility and skill.
“King of Science Fiction had grasped the essence of what it meant to be a sci-fi magazine. The soul of this literary vehicle was wonder and alienation, but high-tech fantasies had lost the ability to evoke those feelings.”
Smirk factor: All clear: 2 pts (Zero smirking; minimal use of footnotes or other editorial interventions.)
Immersion factor: Chest-high: 1.5 pts
Writing quality: Above-average: 1.5 pts
Character/plot development: Above above-average: 1.75 pts
Innovative/interesting: High: 2pts
Total: 8.75/10 (4.375 stars)