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The Hidden Girl and Other Stories

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Ken Liu's 'The Hidden Girl and Other Stories' is a collection of thought-provoking short stories that delve into themes such as technology, artificial intelligence, dystopian futures, and the human condition. Through a blend of science fiction and fantasy, Liu weaves together stories that explore the impact of digitized consciousness, climate change, wealth inequality, and the consequences of modern-day colonialism. The writing style is described as enchanting, balancing brilliant storytelling with elements of traditional Chinese beliefs and societal reflections.

Characters:

The characters are complex, often grappling with moral dilemmas and familial relationships, and they reflect broader societal issues.

Writing/Prose:

The writing style is engaging and thought-provoking, often merging traditional storytelling with scientific speculation.

Plot/Storyline:

The plot encompasses a series of fascinating and interconnected tales that delve into themes of climate change, societal issues, and a blend of dystopian sci-fi and fantasy.

Setting:

Settings range from dystopian futures and various planets to historical-inspired fantasy realms.

Pacing:

The pacing varies, with some stories taking time to build while others are immediate and gripping.
Ona wished she could call on a smaller version of herself to solve her problems. She imagined that nested inside her was Obedient Ona, who enjoyed diagramming Classical Computer Languages and studying...

Notes:

The Hidden Girl and Other Stories is a collection of 17 short stories by Ken Liu, featuring a mix of sci-fi and fantasy.
Many stories in the collection are interconnected but told in no particular order, allowing readers to find connections.
A dominant theme is climate change, illustrating its impact on wealth inequality and resource exploitation.
The story 'Thoughts and Prayers' explores the effects of grief and online trolling after a mass shooting.
Another story, 'Byzantine Empathy,' discusses empathy versus rationality in a tech-heavy world focused on virtual reality and cryptocurrencies.
'The Gods Will Not Be Chained' deals with digital immortality and the consequences of corporations digitizing brains for profit.
The collection features a variety of settings and emotions, with stories that can be tragic and depressing.
Ken Liu combines traditional Chinese storytelling with scientific knowledge, which has contributed to his success.
Liu's previous collection, The Paper Menagerie, is highly acclaimed and set a high standard for his later works.
Several stories interrogate what it means to be human in a post-Singularity world, focusing on themes like identity and relationships.

Sensitive Topics/Content Warnings

Content warnings include depictions of grief, mass shootings, mental health issues, and themes of existential dread.

From The Publisher:

"I know this is going to sound hyperbolic, but when I'm reading Ken Liu's stories, I feel like I'm reading a once-in-a-generation talent. I'm in awe." -Jamie Ford, New York Times bestselling author

"Captivating." -BuzzFeed

"Extraordinary." -The Washington Post

"Brilliant." -The Chicago Tribune

With the release of The Paper Menagerie and Other Stories, Ken Liu's short fiction has resonated with a generation of readers.

From stories about time-traveling assassins, to Black Mirror-esque tales of cryptocurrency and internet trolling, to heartbreaking narratives of parent-child relationships, The Hidden Girl and Other Stories is a far-reaching work that explores topical themes from the present and a visionary look at humanity's future.

This collection includes a selection of Liu's speculative fiction stories over the past five years-seventeen of his best-plus a new novelette. In addition, it also features an excerpt from The Veiled Throne, the third book in Liu's epic fantasy series The Dandelion Dynasty.

Ratings (3)

Incredible (2)
Loved It (1)

Reader Stats (8):

Read It (2)
Want To Read (6)

2 comment(s)

Incredible
5 months

Loved this collection of loosely connected short stories by Ken Liu, some of them seemed like episodes of Black Mirror, some were dangerously close to what we see these days around us and a couple made me cry.

 
Incredible
5 months

Great collection of speculative fiction stories. Singularity, consciousness upload are the main themes of many stories and they are interwoven with other historical standard SF stories. Having non west point of view in majority of stories makes it a different reading experience.

 

About the Author:

Ken Liu is an award-winning American author of speculative fiction. His collection, The Paper Menagerie and Other Stories, has been published in more than a dozen languages. Liu's other works include The Grace of Kings, The Wall of Storms, The Veiled Throne, and a second collection The Hidden Girl and Other Stories. He has been involved in multiple media adaptations of his work including the short story "Good Hunting," adapted as an episode in Netflix's animated series Love, Death + Robots; and AMC's Pantheon, adapted from an interconnected series of short stories. "The Hidden Girl," "The Message," and "The Cleaners" have also been optioned for development. Liu previously worked as a software engineer, corporate lawyer, and litigation consultant. He frequently speaks at conferences and universities on topics including futurism, cryptocurrency, the history of technology, and the value of storytelling. Liu lives with his family near Boston, Massachusetts.

 
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