becasaur27's review against another edition
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
This book had a bit of a slow build for me, but once I got into it, I really enjoyed it. I liked the framework (I guess it is called a mosaic story?) - it was fun to visit with different characters for brief periods. A few characters made cameo appearances later in the story in someone else's POV and that was fun! The world is a future in which China has become the dominant world power and actually even taken over all or most of the US. The moon and Mars are both being settled and socialism (or communism?) is the norm. It isn't painted as great and rosy, but neither is it painted as dystopian and awful - it's just how things are. We spend time in many different settings throughout the story and each are unique and well done. I would have spent more time in the arctic and on Mars if I'd been given a choice. The story ended, but I was left still wanting to know more. How does the final endeavor end up working out for Zhang and his partners? What cool buildings do they design?
Late in the story Zhang states that he had been in love with his tutor in China and I was a bit surprised to learn this. It never seemed to me that their relationship went quite that deep. Zhang was very obviously smitten, but I didn't see enough of their relationship to have termed it love. Which it's possible that Zhang had just not lived enough life to really know love and that was as close as he'd gotten at that point.
Late in the story Zhang states that he had been in love with his tutor in China and I was a bit surprised to learn this. It never seemed to me that their relationship went quite that deep. Zhang was very obviously smitten, but I didn't see enough of their relationship to have termed it love. Which it's possible that Zhang had just not lived enough life to really know love and that was as close as he'd gotten at that point.
dwango's review against another edition
dark
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
khrystalynne's review against another edition
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
mantissabolt's review against another edition
informative
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
I have mixed feelings about this book. I kind of liked how she describes a world where China is the dominant power and the US is a 2nd world socialist state. It was interesting that this is not a dystopian nightmare nor a utopian dream, but just "it could go like this". Even though she published it in 1992, her vision of the future is still interesting, even though the US is not a socialist state,... yet.
I was bored by the main character Zhang, though he got better. I liked most of the other characters, but not Zhang. Zhang seems to be a bit of slacker, for lack of a better description. Why would anyone want to read about a slacker?
One particularly annoying part was when Zhang was describing how the th US became Socialist (which could have used a LITTLE more detail) and was comparing it to the scientific revolutions of Newton, quantum mechanics and chaos theory. Part way though the comparison, Zhang just stops. Argh.
Overall, the book was a definite meh.
I was bored by the main character Zhang, though he got better. I liked most of the other characters, but not Zhang. Zhang seems to be a bit of slacker, for lack of a better description. Why would anyone want to read about a slacker?
One particularly annoying part was when Zhang was describing how the th US became Socialist (which could have used a LITTLE more detail) and was comparing it to the scientific revolutions of Newton, quantum mechanics and chaos theory. Part way though the comparison, Zhang just stops. Argh.
Overall, the book was a definite meh.
obscuredbyclouds's review against another edition
5.0
This book made me feel so many things. It made me wanna pick up my old Chinese textbooks (how excited I got to get the slang), go deeper into Marxist theory, read more Sci-Fi, and of course continue my Maureen F. McHugh marathon (which might become difficult, because I can't seem to find the rest of her books).
I know China Mountain Zhang is her most popular and best-known novel, but despite my 5 star rating, it is not my absolute favourite. It's almost 30 years old, and while (and don't get me wrong, I mean it) this is an excellent novel, I do think her writing has gotten even more refined.
Some reviews have mentioned that the story here isn't terribly exciting; that's true. It's a novel that lives on it's world-building and it's characters, and both is done excellently. I could picture both the future USA after the Chinese marxist revolution, as well as the Mars colonies. I'm not a big Sci fi reader so suspense of believe can sometimes be difficult for me, but almost all the futurist elements worked for me. I know all the characters, but especially Zhang will stay with me.
I know China Mountain Zhang is her most popular and best-known novel, but despite my 5 star rating, it is not my absolute favourite. It's almost 30 years old, and while (and don't get me wrong, I mean it) this is an excellent novel, I do think her writing has gotten even more refined.
Some reviews have mentioned that the story here isn't terribly exciting; that's true. It's a novel that lives on it's world-building and it's characters, and both is done excellently. I could picture both the future USA after the Chinese marxist revolution, as well as the Mars colonies. I'm not a big Sci fi reader so suspense of believe can sometimes be difficult for me, but almost all the futurist elements worked for me. I know all the characters, but especially Zhang will stay with me.
oldwindways's review against another edition
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Rape
tddrdfrd's review
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
ldasoqi's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
This was the book club pick for September, and this is yet another off-my-radar pick. I found some moments in this book extremely engaging but I did not like the overall structure or the mosiac/pastiche style of storytelling. This is a book that is not constrained in any way by its choice of genre and is absolutely one of the most unique SF books I've read so far. This is also a book that lacks a plot and is more of a coming-of-age type of story.
China Mountain Zhang, Zhang or Rafael for short, is the name of the main character, and as explained in the book it's like being named "George Washington Jefferson" or "Joseph Stalin Lenin" just in a Chinese context. Zhang is a gay man working as a construction tech in New York City, he lives with an ex-boyfriend who is his only real friend. The twist is that the US has had a socialist revolution and China is the dominant world power, which means being Chinese is an advantage, and being gay will get you sent to the labor camp. We follow Zhang as he leaves his job as a construction tech to work in the Arctic Circle in hopes of earning a position in a China-based engineering college. This story takes us all over this world, from the frozen north to mainland China to Mars to Coney Island.
Can you believe this got a Hugo nod? I do, this is the book equivalent of Oscar bait. Let's run the checklist while keeping in mind this was published in 1992: This book features a non-standard narrative structure, this book features a gay main character, this book embraces multiculturalism despite the Chinese-dominated world it's set in, and the book has some keen/plausible technological extrapolation. It was so far ahead of its time, and hindsight really helps to highlight this as a predictor of the trends to come in SF.
All that said, it doesn't mean that this is a good read. Whatever virtues made it unique and fresh in 1992 have basically all been adopted in some way by modern storytellers. In 2023 it reads dated, it's like the author focused so much on making their book different from standard SF fare that they forgot to include a plot. Reading this reminded me of eating cookie dough, it's sweet and digestible but I would have preferred it fully baked. The book is extremely dreamlike, with hints and nudges concerning the larger world but never outright explaining it in full detail. This is definitely a personal journey for Zhang but it felt like he didn't really get a complete character arc. This feeling I have is probably being amplified by the change in perspective every other chapter.
I usually like it when the point of a story is a little understated, but there is a difference between burying the lede and never getting to the point. CMZ is guilty of the latter, there is never a moment in the book where Zhang confronts the world around him. The fate of his boyfriend in China and his first lecture are the closest this book ever gets to commenting on the world it has imagined for us. The problem is that those moments are also pulling double duty; They are supposed to be cathartic moments but they are also ironically the moments where the book introduces the concept it is commenting on. This book DOES make social commentary, it's just in the details and not loud enough.
TL;DR: This is Oscar bait in book form. There's a point to this book but good luck finding it.
China Mountain Zhang, Zhang or Rafael for short, is the name of the main character, and as explained in the book it's like being named "George Washington Jefferson" or "Joseph Stalin Lenin" just in a Chinese context. Zhang is a gay man working as a construction tech in New York City, he lives with an ex-boyfriend who is his only real friend. The twist is that the US has had a socialist revolution and China is the dominant world power, which means being Chinese is an advantage, and being gay will get you sent to the labor camp. We follow Zhang as he leaves his job as a construction tech to work in the Arctic Circle in hopes of earning a position in a China-based engineering college. This story takes us all over this world, from the frozen north to mainland China to Mars to Coney Island.
Can you believe this got a Hugo nod? I do, this is the book equivalent of Oscar bait. Let's run the checklist while keeping in mind this was published in 1992: This book features a non-standard narrative structure, this book features a gay main character, this book embraces multiculturalism despite the Chinese-dominated world it's set in, and the book has some keen/plausible technological extrapolation. It was so far ahead of its time, and hindsight really helps to highlight this as a predictor of the trends to come in SF.
All that said, it doesn't mean that this is a good read. Whatever virtues made it unique and fresh in 1992 have basically all been adopted in some way by modern storytellers. In 2023 it reads dated, it's like the author focused so much on making their book different from standard SF fare that they forgot to include a plot. Reading this reminded me of eating cookie dough, it's sweet and digestible but I would have preferred it fully baked. The book is extremely dreamlike, with hints and nudges concerning the larger world but never outright explaining it in full detail. This is definitely a personal journey for Zhang but it felt like he didn't really get a complete character arc. This feeling I have is probably being amplified by the change in perspective every other chapter.
I usually like it when the point of a story is a little understated, but there is a difference between burying the lede and never getting to the point. CMZ is guilty of the latter, there is never a moment in the book where Zhang confronts the world around him. The fate of his boyfriend in China and his first lecture are the closest this book ever gets to commenting on the world it has imagined for us. The problem is that those moments are also pulling double duty; They are supposed to be cathartic moments but they are also ironically the moments where the book introduces the concept it is commenting on. This book DOES make social commentary, it's just in the details and not loud enough.
TL;DR: This is Oscar bait in book form. There's a point to this book but good luck finding it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape
Minor: Homophobia
elzbethmrgn's review against another edition
challenging
dark
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
jazzypizzaz's review against another edition
5.0
A future world with technological and political upheavals that nonetheless feels very lived-in, concrete, plausible or almost, and with characters that similarly feel like real people living their normal lives trying to get by. This seems to be a recurring theme in books I've read recently, or maybe it's just what I need to be reassured about right now-- that despite tectonic shifts in social systems and physical realities, for better or worse, on an intimate close-up people are people are people living their lives in ways that feel actually pretty similar no matter what else changes.
In any of the vividly written settings the novel sweeps through, Zhang is both enough of an insider that he understands the nuances of his surroundings (and for us the world itself is similar enough to ours that we can recognize it), but also Zhang is enough of an outsider in how he doesn't quite fit in that he's able to question why things are the way they are (in a similar way that for us the future scifi setting allows us the distance to compare this to our reality, with what doesn't change and what may be fundamentally inescapable about human society). This is me attempting to connect ideas from this review and this one. I'd also like to connect the part about Daoist Engineering ("A team would not have constructed the building as a unit, but as a series of connected, but compromised and adjusted, ideas." while an organically engineered building by one person is an interconnected, exactly balanced complete system.) with Zhang's class discussion about technological/political transitions (societal progress is a complicated system that Marx/scientists/whoever attempt to understand as linear and predictable, but like any system is subject to change due to the most minute butterfly effects)... something about systems, about how with so many individual actors shaping it a perfectly balanced society will never be achievable? but like the weather, we can do our best to understand the factors at play anyway, attempt to plan accordingly... Utopia isn't possible, but humanity is? Your life won't turn out like how you expect or plan for or want, but all you can do is keep living and adapting and waiting and learning... Hmm.
I'm rambling, but what I enjoyed about this novel (other than the times it legit made me tear up) was how there were underlying political themes like a bass note to the character-driven melodies. It swept me away.
In any of the vividly written settings the novel sweeps through, Zhang is both enough of an insider that he understands the nuances of his surroundings (and for us the world itself is similar enough to ours that we can recognize it), but also Zhang is enough of an outsider in how he doesn't quite fit in that he's able to question why things are the way they are (in a similar way that for us the future scifi setting allows us the distance to compare this to our reality, with what doesn't change and what may be fundamentally inescapable about human society). This is me attempting to connect ideas from this review and this one. I'd also like to connect the part about Daoist Engineering ("A team would not have constructed the building as a unit, but as a series of connected, but compromised and adjusted, ideas." while an organically engineered building by one person is an interconnected, exactly balanced complete system.) with Zhang's class discussion about technological/political transitions (societal progress is a complicated system that Marx/scientists/whoever attempt to understand as linear and predictable, but like any system is subject to change due to the most minute butterfly effects)... something about systems, about how with so many individual actors shaping it a perfectly balanced society will never be achievable? but like the weather, we can do our best to understand the factors at play anyway, attempt to plan accordingly... Utopia isn't possible, but humanity is? Your life won't turn out like how you expect or plan for or want, but all you can do is keep living and adapting and waiting and learning... Hmm.
I'm rambling, but what I enjoyed about this novel (other than the times it legit made me tear up) was how there were underlying political themes like a bass note to the character-driven melodies. It swept me away.