Ken Liu believes that all fiction is about prizing the logic of metaphors over reality. This really is the underlying theme of this book, and therefore, figuring out the metaphors in some of the stories is what I considered the most exciting part of reading this book. It is speculative fiction at its best and cuts across sub genres – science fiction, fantasy, steampunk, historical fiction and so on. Excels in imagination and narration, and is highly recommended!
The idea of “what if”, especially in historical contexts, have always fascinated me. What if Hitler had been assassinated before the World War started? What if the Americans had lost their war of independence, and India won theirs? What if Islam were the major religion in Europe instead of Christianity? The book is a massive collection of such “what ifs”, and you are bound to like at least a few of the stories.
Sharp, hilarious, poignant. If a book manages to balance all these adjectives, it has to be special. It took me from smile to laugh to moist eyes in a span of 30 pages, and that’s no mean feat. In addition to this, characters written very well, and a deftly delivered commentary on the changing nature of society and its value systems made this book a favourite.
A literally ‘crappy’ beginning is actually a great indication of the author’s ability to make the mundane interesting! There are eleven intertwined stories which bring out a variety of subjects – the Parsi way of life, the clash of old and new mindsets, identity, the idea of home – all dealt with great skill by a sensitive chronicler.
This is the second Ishiguro work I am reading, and much like “The Remains of the Day”, it left me with a feeling of sadness. There are a couple of other parallels in both books too. But this is set in a dystopian future where humans are cloned for organ harvesting, and the clones are not considered to have feelings or emotions, though they actually do. I felt that there was an allegory I was missing, but I could be wrong. A wonderful read nevertheless.