highpulpoj's review
informative
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
2.5
mimirtells's review
4.0
4/5 Stars (%78/100)
God, I forgot how tiring reading e-books can get (especially when it's hard sci-fi like Liu Cixin's stories). However, I liked most of the stories in the collection (some more than others). Overall, it is good and this could also be a good starting point before you dive deep into The Three-Body Problem trilogy. I'll briefly talk about the stories in the collection without spoiling too much.
1-The Village Teacher:A touching story about a village teacher and it emphasizes the importance of knowledge and sharing it. As a teacher, I was able to relate to the teacher to a certain point and it moved me. However, the whole alien thing felt a bit forced in my opinion. 3/5.
2-The Time Migration:People are put to sleep to wake up 120 years into the future. When the ambassador wakes up, the world is not as they hope. So, this continues for a while. A good representation of humanity's greed and their fight against nature. Pretty good. 3.5/5.
3-2018.04.01:The discrepancy between rich and poor, longing for eternal life, and so on. Overall, it was fine. 2.5/5.
4-Fire in the Earth:Another man versus nature story. A man's father dies working in a coal mine so he tries to "tame" the fire. You know how all man vs nature stories end right? 2/5.
5-Contraction:Very ambitious and interesting. The universe is expanding constantly but what if it contracted? The ending was brilliant. 4/5.
6-Mirror:Quite long but interesting nonetheless. String computers and creating universe models...This one reminded me of that building a computer from people scene in The Three-Body Problem. 3/5.
7-Ode to Joy:Pretty good. An alternate story about Sophon (you know the one from well, you guessed it, The Three Body Problem trilogy). The idea of music is woven beautifully and reminded me of Tolkien's The Music of Ainu from The Silmarillion. 3.5/5.
8-Full-Spectrum Barrage Jamming:Probably my least favorite story because it is mostly a military sci-fi. Still, it is a good ode to Russian writers (as the author is heavily inspired by them). 1.5/5.
9-Sea of Dreams:A very artsy sci-fi if I may say so. Climate sci-fi we might call it since it also deals with the loss of oceans. The ending was really good. 3/5.
10-Cloud of Poems:Similar to the story above. Deals with art but more specifically poetry. The loss of poetry=the loss of human soul. Once again, the ending was pretty good. 3/5.
11-The Thinker:It reminded me of the story of characters (I can't remember their names) from the last? book of The Three-Body Problem trilogy. You know the guy who gifts a literal start to the woman he loves. This is a story about fate, love, and stars. Very touching. 4/5.
God, I forgot how tiring reading e-books can get (especially when it's hard sci-fi like Liu Cixin's stories). However, I liked most of the stories in the collection (some more than others). Overall, it is good and this could also be a good starting point before you dive deep into The Three-Body Problem trilogy. I'll briefly talk about the stories in the collection without spoiling too much.
1-The Village Teacher:A touching story about a village teacher and it emphasizes the importance of knowledge and sharing it. As a teacher, I was able to relate to the teacher to a certain point and it moved me. However, the whole alien thing felt a bit forced in my opinion. 3/5.
2-The Time Migration:People are put to sleep to wake up 120 years into the future. When the ambassador wakes up, the world is not as they hope. So, this continues for a while. A good representation of humanity's greed and their fight against nature. Pretty good. 3.5/5.
3-2018.04.01:The discrepancy between rich and poor, longing for eternal life, and so on. Overall, it was fine. 2.5/5.
4-Fire in the Earth:Another man versus nature story. A man's father dies working in a coal mine so he tries to "tame" the fire. You know how all man vs nature stories end right? 2/5.
5-Contraction:Very ambitious and interesting. The universe is expanding constantly but what if it contracted? The ending was brilliant. 4/5.
6-Mirror:Quite long but interesting nonetheless. String computers and creating universe models...This one reminded me of that building a computer from people scene in The Three-Body Problem. 3/5.
7-Ode to Joy:Pretty good. An alternate story about Sophon (you know the one from well, you guessed it, The Three Body Problem trilogy). The idea of music is woven beautifully and reminded me of Tolkien's The Music of Ainu from The Silmarillion. 3.5/5.
8-Full-Spectrum Barrage Jamming:Probably my least favorite story because it is mostly a military sci-fi. Still, it is a good ode to Russian writers (as the author is heavily inspired by them). 1.5/5.
9-Sea of Dreams:A very artsy sci-fi if I may say so. Climate sci-fi we might call it since it also deals with the loss of oceans. The ending was really good. 3/5.
10-Cloud of Poems:Similar to the story above. Deals with art but more specifically poetry. The loss of poetry=the loss of human soul. Once again, the ending was pretty good. 3/5.
11-The Thinker:It reminded me of the story of characters (I can't remember their names) from the last? book of The Three-Body Problem trilogy. You know the guy who gifts a literal start to the woman he loves. This is a story about fate, love, and stars. Very touching. 4/5.
amycakes's review against another edition
medium-paced
4.75
each short story is in its own compelling and charming but i found the first one to be my favouite of them all
nicolabastianello's review
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
atlasthefirst's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
2.5
dk2710's review against another edition
5.0
Ranking (ordered):
Time Migration
Mirror
Contraction
The Thinker
Cloud of Poems
The Village Teacher
Sea of Dreams
Ode to Joy
2018-04-01
Full Spectrum Barrage Jamming
Fire in the Earth
Time Migration
Mirror
Contraction
The Thinker
Cloud of Poems
The Village Teacher
Sea of Dreams
Ode to Joy
2018-04-01
Full Spectrum Barrage Jamming
Fire in the Earth
cloramagone's review
challenging
dark
informative
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
3.0
in comparison to wandering earth, this is liu cixin's collection of lesser known and worse short stories. maybe i'm being too harsh, some of these stories are ok. mostly my expectations were very high after reading the entirety of 3 body, along with the wandering earth collection.
good:
-the village teacher (shoutout to the underpaid public education vessels known as teachers)
-the time migration
-contraction
-mirror (inception)
-the thinker (nice superposition of the china brain problem)
meh:
-2018-04-01
-fire in the earth
-full spectrum barrage jamming
-sea of dreams
-cloud of poems (this is just jorge luis borges' library of babel, once again)
good:
-the village teacher (shoutout to the underpaid public education vessels known as teachers)
-the time migration
-contraction
-mirror (inception)
-the thinker (nice superposition of the china brain problem)
meh:
-2018-04-01
-fire in the earth
-full spectrum barrage jamming
-sea of dreams
-cloud of poems (this is just jorge luis borges' library of babel, once again)
juliwi's review against another edition
4.0
Science Fiction is one of my favourite genres because I grew up entirely on Star Wars. Just as with my Fantasy reading I have been trying to expand what I read and specifically from where I read. Cixin Liu has been on my To-Read list for ages so when I saw an audiobook for Hold Up the Sky I decided to go for it!
Science Fiction is a genre that is often, I believe, difficult to pin down. Is it about the Science or the Fiction part? And what is this science? Is it robot armies, light sabers, or space colonization? Is it about humans or about all the other potential species out there. To return to Ursula K. LeGuin's definition, 'Science fiction is not predictive; it is descriptive.' And this truly couldn't apply any better to Liu's fiction. Almost all the stories in Hold Up the Sky describe current issues, climate change, political conflict, oppression, and poverty, even while dealing with scientific topics. It may take place in space, but Liu's stories are fully human. While I was occasionally lost in the science talk, I never lost the thread of humanity running through each of the stories. It's in the awe with which his characters stare at the sky, the ingenuity that saves, or the love that lives on.
Hold Up the Sky starts of amazingly. Both 'The Village Teacher' and 'Time Migration' are beautiful. In the former the story of a teacher in a poor village is intertwined with an intergalactic war, all while the story ponders on the beauty of knowledge. The latter sees a group of refugees travel through time looking for a safe space, making you wonder what makes for a good world. Since I absolutely adored these stories some of those that followed didn't hit in quite the same way, such as 'Mirror'. 'Contraction' was a beautiful Other stand-outs for me were 'Full Spectrum Barrage Jamming', an ode to Russian literature and the Russian people. It has one of the most tragic of endings. 'Fire in the Earth' also asks fascinating questions about technical progress and whether the end justifies the means. Two of the latter stories, 'Sea of Dreams' and 'Cloud of Poems', share a similar question, namely the worth of art in the face of ever-advancing technology. These stories will definitely resonate with any art or poetry lover. 'The Thinker' is a lovely end to the collection, a quiet reminiscence on kinship, love, consciousness, and the stars.
Cixin Liu writes beautifully, offering the readers real moments of human feeling amidst the stars. His human characters are truly human in their desires and hopes, their ways of thinking, and the scientific or more abstract elements of his stories serve those feelings, rather than vice versa. It is not about the flashy modern contraptions, the flying cars, or the super computer. These are there to serve the story and the ideas and themes Liu is trying to advance. How much of the science is "correct" I do not know. I have asked my father, a theoretical physicist with an interest in fiction, to give the stories a go, so perhaps I will hear from him. But how "true" it is does not affect how the stories work. I will most definitely be reading more works by Liu, with The Wandering Earth next on my list. Bruno Roubicek does a great job at the narrating, even though sometimes I could have used a slower pace or more voice modulation in the more involved, scientific moments. The stories are all translated by different writers, so I have chosen to list them all below:
John Chu: '2018-04-01', 'Contraction', 'Sea of Dreams', and 'The Thinker'
Adam Lanphier: 'The Village Teacher'
Joel Martinsen: 'The Time Migration', 'Fire in the Earth', and 'Ode to Joy'
Carmen Yiling Yan: 'Mirror', 'Full-Spectrum Barrage Jamming', and 'Cloud of Poems'
Hold Up the Sky is a stunning collection of short stories that are deeply descriptive of the human condition. Who knew that we would find ourselves amongst the stars.
URL: https://universeinwords.blogspot.com/2022/02/audiobook-review-hold-up-sky-by-cixin.html
Science Fiction is a genre that is often, I believe, difficult to pin down. Is it about the Science or the Fiction part? And what is this science? Is it robot armies, light sabers, or space colonization? Is it about humans or about all the other potential species out there. To return to Ursula K. LeGuin's definition, 'Science fiction is not predictive; it is descriptive.' And this truly couldn't apply any better to Liu's fiction. Almost all the stories in Hold Up the Sky describe current issues, climate change, political conflict, oppression, and poverty, even while dealing with scientific topics. It may take place in space, but Liu's stories are fully human. While I was occasionally lost in the science talk, I never lost the thread of humanity running through each of the stories. It's in the awe with which his characters stare at the sky, the ingenuity that saves, or the love that lives on.
Hold Up the Sky starts of amazingly. Both 'The Village Teacher' and 'Time Migration' are beautiful. In the former the story of a teacher in a poor village is intertwined with an intergalactic war, all while the story ponders on the beauty of knowledge. The latter sees a group of refugees travel through time looking for a safe space, making you wonder what makes for a good world. Since I absolutely adored these stories some of those that followed didn't hit in quite the same way, such as 'Mirror'. 'Contraction' was a beautiful Other stand-outs for me were 'Full Spectrum Barrage Jamming', an ode to Russian literature and the Russian people. It has one of the most tragic of endings. 'Fire in the Earth' also asks fascinating questions about technical progress and whether the end justifies the means. Two of the latter stories, 'Sea of Dreams' and 'Cloud of Poems', share a similar question, namely the worth of art in the face of ever-advancing technology. These stories will definitely resonate with any art or poetry lover. 'The Thinker' is a lovely end to the collection, a quiet reminiscence on kinship, love, consciousness, and the stars.
Cixin Liu writes beautifully, offering the readers real moments of human feeling amidst the stars. His human characters are truly human in their desires and hopes, their ways of thinking, and the scientific or more abstract elements of his stories serve those feelings, rather than vice versa. It is not about the flashy modern contraptions, the flying cars, or the super computer. These are there to serve the story and the ideas and themes Liu is trying to advance. How much of the science is "correct" I do not know. I have asked my father, a theoretical physicist with an interest in fiction, to give the stories a go, so perhaps I will hear from him. But how "true" it is does not affect how the stories work. I will most definitely be reading more works by Liu, with The Wandering Earth next on my list. Bruno Roubicek does a great job at the narrating, even though sometimes I could have used a slower pace or more voice modulation in the more involved, scientific moments. The stories are all translated by different writers, so I have chosen to list them all below:
John Chu: '2018-04-01', 'Contraction', 'Sea of Dreams', and 'The Thinker'
Adam Lanphier: 'The Village Teacher'
Joel Martinsen: 'The Time Migration', 'Fire in the Earth', and 'Ode to Joy'
Carmen Yiling Yan: 'Mirror', 'Full-Spectrum Barrage Jamming', and 'Cloud of Poems'
Hold Up the Sky is a stunning collection of short stories that are deeply descriptive of the human condition. Who knew that we would find ourselves amongst the stars.
URL: https://universeinwords.blogspot.com/2022/02/audiobook-review-hold-up-sky-by-cixin.html
beaupedia's review against another edition
2.0
This really didn't do it for me and I kept hoping every story was the last. Muddy, meandering plots and a lot of filler. One or two of the stories entertained me, hence the two stars.
melgonvyn's review
4.0
Exploring the mind of a science-fiction writer
Although I have heard about Cixin Liu’s novels, I haven’t read any of them before this one. This book is a collection of short sci-fi stories that explore various subjects.
Each story does a great job at quickly presenting the characters and the new setting. The ideas presented are fun and inspire to think about the future of humans on earth. Some stories were better than others, but they all convey a very different message so nothing felt repetitive. My favorite story was “The Time Migration” because of the way it presents humankind through time from an engaging perspective!
The only thing I disliked about these short-stories was that they are short. Almost every story deserves an entire book to explore the plots in more depth. However, it was a lot of fun reading a variety of different themes about technology, space or the future of humans through the eyes of Cixin Liu. This collection inspired me to add some other novels by the author to my reading list for the future!
Although I have heard about Cixin Liu’s novels, I haven’t read any of them before this one. This book is a collection of short sci-fi stories that explore various subjects.
Each story does a great job at quickly presenting the characters and the new setting. The ideas presented are fun and inspire to think about the future of humans on earth. Some stories were better than others, but they all convey a very different message so nothing felt repetitive. My favorite story was “The Time Migration” because of the way it presents humankind through time from an engaging perspective!
The only thing I disliked about these short-stories was that they are short. Almost every story deserves an entire book to explore the plots in more depth. However, it was a lot of fun reading a variety of different themes about technology, space or the future of humans through the eyes of Cixin Liu. This collection inspired me to add some other novels by the author to my reading list for the future!