The Wandering Earth (collection)

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The Wandering Earth
Author Liu Cixin
TranslatorKen Liu, Elizabeth Hanlon, Zac Haluza, Adam Lanphier, and Holger Nahm
Language English
Genre Science fiction, Hard science fiction
Publisher Head of Zeus/Tor Books
Publication date
2016/2017
Pages464
ISBN 978-1784978518

The Wandering Earth is a collection of ten science-fiction short stories by Chinese writer Liu Cixin, published by Head of Zeus in 2016 and Tor Books in 2017. [1] [2] It includes the eponymous novella The Wandering Earth, which was adapted in the movie The Wandering Earth in 2019 and expanded with the prequel The Wandering Earth 2 in 2023.

Contents

Contents

Reception

Reviews

Alexis Ong wrote in the Reactor Magazine , that "where Liu really shines at his craft is in micro-explorations of smaller, more intimate story arcs," giving "Mountain" as an example, and continuing that "whenever Liu unhitches himself from the hard sci-fi space opera wagon, the impact is immediately palpable—the passion in his writing becomes an unstoppable force. These are the stories that really leap off the page and stick with you long after you’re done." The collection's "biggest challenge is sandwiching its meatiest and most delightful stories in between lengthy screeds that more often than not, feel like thin regurgitations of thought experiments, clinically retold oral histories, and mountains of research." [3]

Jaymee Goh wrote on Strange Horizons , that the "ambitious scope of Liu Cixin’s fiction is perhaps starker in his short fiction than in his longer work: narratives unfold over lifetimes and eons in several stories, sometimes captured in small snippets of a limited observer." She criticizes, that the "expository paragraphs stretch into pages in the novels—and they are no less intense in the short fiction; their saving grace being that the short stories are themselves split into chapters, so whatever technobabble is happening doesn’t feel as endless", but still are "are particularly tedious in first contact stories such as 'Mountain,' 'Devourer,' and 'The Micro Era,' where there is barely any human drama and the protagonists are flat." Nonetheless, "in stories such as 'Sun of China' and 'With Her Eyes,' the expository paragraphs deliver hard-hitting emotional landings that are deeply moving." She especially compliments, that the "challenge faced by the translators is not just linguistic, but cultural. Given the conversations surrounding multiculturalism, diversity, and the lack thereof in publishing during the current zeitgeist, there is the added challenge of choosing stories that would translate well to the target market, in this case, Chinese science fiction stories for the 'Western' market." [4]

Liz Comesky wrote on International Examiner , that the collection is "delightful" and "all focused around the Earth, space, human nature, and both the past and future", so that "there is something for everyone held within." [5]

Gareth D Jones wrote on SF Crowsnest, that there "are lengthy sections of explanatory dialogue and background information that might normally be considered info-dumping but Cixin Liu blends these nicely into his fascinating futures in a consciously authoritative way and carries it off with conviction." In summary, it is "a wonderful collection, particularly for fans of hard SF and brings Cixin Liu’s own unique flavour to the genre." [6]

Awards

Five stories in the collection won the Galaxy Award: "With Her Eyes" in 1999, "The Wandering Earth" in 2000, "Sun of China" in 2002, "Cannonball" in 2003 and "For the Benefit of Mankind" in 2005. [7]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Liu Cixin</span> Chinese science fiction writer (born 1963)

Liu Cixin is a Chinese computer engineer and science fiction writer. He is a nine-time winner of China's Galaxy Award and has also received the 2015 Hugo Award for his novel The Three-Body Problem as well as the 2017 Locus Award for Death's End. He is also a winner of the Chinese Nebula Award. In English translations of his works, his name is given as Cixin Liu. He is a member of China Science Writers Association and the vice president of Shanxi Writers Association. He is sometimes called "Da Liu" by his fellow science fiction writers in China.

<i>The Three-Body Problem</i> (novel) 2008 science fiction novel by Liu Cixin

The Three-Body Problem is a 2008 novel by the Chinese science fiction author Liu Cixin. It is the first novel in the Remembrance of Earth's Past trilogy. The series portrays a fictional past, present, and future wherein Earth encounters an alien civilization from a nearby system of three Sun-like stars orbiting one another, a representative example of the three-body problem in orbital mechanics.

The Galaxy Award is China's most prestigious science fiction award, which was started in 1986 by the magazines Tree of Wisdom and Science Literature & Art. After Tree of Wisdom ceased publication soon afterwards, the award was organized solely by Science Literature & Art, which was renamed to Science Fiction World in 1991.

<i>The Wandering Earth</i> 2019 Chinese science fiction film directed by Frant Gwo

The Wandering Earth is a 2019 Chinese science fiction film directed by Frant Gwo, loosely based on the 2000 short story of the same name by Liu Cixin. The film stars Wu Jing, Qu Chuxiao, Li Guangjie, Ng Man-tat, Zhao Jinmai and Qu Jingjing. Set in the far future, it follows a group of astronauts and rescue workers guiding the Earth away from an expanding Sun, while attempting to prevent a collision with Jupiter. The film was theatrically released in China on 5 February 2019, by China Film Group Corporation.

The Wandering Earth is a science fiction novella by Chinese writer Cixin Liu. The novella focuses on humanity's efforts to move the Earth in order to avoid a supernova. It was first published in 2000 by Beijing Guomi and won the 2000 China Galaxy Science Fiction Award of the Year.

"Sun of China" is a science-fiction short story by Chinese writer Liu Cixin, first published in Science Fiction World in Chengdu in Sichuan Province in January 2002. The short story was included in the collection The Wandering Earth published by Head of Zeus in October 2017.

"Curse 5.0" is a science-fiction short story by Chinese writer Liu Cixin, first published in 2010. The short story was included in the collection The Wandering Earth published by Head of Zeus in October 2017.

"For the Benefit of Mankind" is a science-fiction short story by Chinese writer Liu Cixin, first published in Science Fiction World in Chengdu in Sichuan Province in November 2005. The short story was included in the collection The Wandering Earth published by Head of Zeus in October 2017.

"Mountain" is a science-fiction short story by Chinese writer Liu Cixin, first published in Science Fiction World in Chengdu in Sichuan Province in January 2006. The short story was included in the collection The Wandering Earth published by Head of Zeus in October 2017.

"Taking Care of God" is a science-fiction short story by Chinese writer Liu Cixin, first published in January 2005. The short story was included in the anthology Invisible Planets by Head of Zeus in March 2016 and the collection The Wandering Earth published by Head of Zeus in October 2017.

"The Micro-Era" is a science-fiction short story by Chinese writer Liu Cixin, first published in April 2001. The short story was included in the collection The Wandering Earth published by Head of Zeus in October 2017.

"Devourer" is a science-fiction short story by Chinese writer Liu Cixin, first published in Science Fiction World in Chengdu in Sichuan Province in November 2002. The short story was included in the collection The Wandering Earth published by Head of Zeus in October 2017.

"Cannonball" is a science-fiction short story by Chinese writer Liu Cixin, first published in Science Fiction World in Chengdu in Sichuan Province in September 2003. The short story was included in the collection The Wandering Earth published by Head of Zeus in October 2017.

"With Her Eyes" is a science-fiction short story by Chinese writer Liu Cixin, first published in October 1999. The short story was included in the collection The Wandering Earth published by Head of Zeus in October 2017.

A View from the Stars is a collection of six science-fiction short stories and thirteen essays by Chinese writer Liu Cixin, published by Head of Zeus in April 2024 and by Tor Books in May 2024.

"The Messenger" is a science-fiction short story by Chinese writer Liu Cixin, first published in 2001. The short story was included in the collection A View from the Stars published by Head of Zeus in April 2024 and by Tor Books in May 2024. It was translated by Andy Dudak.

"Destiny" is a science-fiction short story by Chinese writer Liu Cixin, first published in 2001. The short story was included in the collection A View from the Stars published by Head of Zeus in April 2024 and by Tor Books in May 2024. It was translated by Andy Dudak.

<i>Of Ants and Dinosaurs</i> 2010 novel by Liu Cixin

Of Ants and Dinosaurs, also known as The Cretaceous Past, is a science-fiction novel by Chinese writer Liu Cixin, first published in 2004 and again expanded in 2010. It was published under the former title by Head of Zeus in 2020 and under the latter title by Subterranean Press in 2021. Although it is not included in the English translation of the collection The Wandering Earth, translations in other languages include the shortened version.

"Butterfly" is a science-fiction short story by Chinese writer Liu Cixin, first published in 2002. The short story was included in the collection A View from the Stars published by Head of Zeus in April 2024 and by Tor Books in May 2024. It was translated by Elizabeth Hanlon.

Invisible Planets is a science-fiction anthology edited and translated by Ken Liu composed of thirteen short stories as well as three essays by different Chinese writers, namely Chen Qiufan, Xia Jia, Ma Boyong, Hao Jingfang, Tang Fei, Cheng Jingbo and Liu Cixin. It was published by Head of Zeus in March 2016. It contains the novelette "Folding Beijing", which won the Hugo Award for Best Novelette in 2016, which also marked the first time a Chinese woman has won the award.

References

  1. ↑ "The Wandering Earth". Tor Publishing Group. 2024-01-23. Retrieved 2024-09-11.
  2. ↑ "Summary Bibliography: Cixin Liu". isfdb.org. Retrieved 2024-09-01.
  3. ↑ Ong, Alexis (2021-11-11). "Big Ideas and Intimate Portraits in Cixin Liu's The Wandering Earth". reactormag.com. Retrieved 2024-09-01.
  4. ↑ Goh, Jaymee (2018-06-04). "The Wandering Earth by Cixin Liu". strangehorizons.com. Retrieved 2024-09-01.
  5. ↑ Comesky, Liz (2022-08-23). "Cixin Liu's new sci-fi collection spans Earth, space, human nature, the past and the future". iexaminer.org. Retrieved 2024-09-08.
  6. ↑ Jones, Gareth D. (2017-06-06). "The Wandering Earth by Cixin Liu (book review)". SFcrowsnest. Retrieved 2024-09-08.
  7. ↑ John Clute (2018-07-10). "Yinhe Award". "Science Fiction Encyclopedia", Dritte Edition. Retrieved 2023-06-30.
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