'The Wandering Earth' by Liu Cixin is a collection of science fiction short stories that explore a variety of future scenarios, ranging from cautiously optimistic to dark and deeply pessimistic. The stories delve into themes of the fate and future of Earth and humanity, presenting jaw-dropping ideas and imaginative concepts. The writing style is reminiscent of classic science fiction authors like Asimov and Clarke, focusing on big ideas and exploration of speculative scenarios, sometimes at the expense of character development.

Characters:

The characters tend to be underdeveloped and serve mainly to express the scientific themes, lacking significant emotional depth.

Writing/Prose:

The prose is heavily expository, akin to classic hard sci-fi, emphasizing scientific ideas at the expense of character depth.

Plot/Storyline:

The plot revolves around humanity's drastic measure to move Earth away from an impending solar catastrophe, detailing societal changes and individual perspectives over a long time.

Setting:

The settings are diverse, encompassing futuristic Earth, alien worlds, and imaginative scenarios that probe human existence.

Pacing:

Pacing across the stories fluctuates, often feeling slow due to extensive exposition but can quicken in certain narratives.

The Reining lasted for 42 years, three years longer than the Unity Government had projected. My mother once told me about the time our family witnessed the last sunset. The Sun had ever so slowly crep...

Notes:

The Wandering Earth is a collection of short stories by Cixin Liu, a Hugo and Nebula Award-winning author.

The titular story, 'The Wandering Earth', imagines a future where Earth is pushed away from the dying sun to survive.

Scientists predict the sun will expand into a red giant and humanity must move Earth to a new home.

The stories explore deep themes such as survival, society's evolution, and human sacrifice.

In 'Sun of China', a young man becomes a window washer in space as part of a solar energy project.

The collection includes themes of transhumanism, sociopolitical commentary, and environmental issues.

Some stories reflect on historical context, like dinosaurs and ants living in symbiosis before an extinction event.

Several stories won the China Galaxy Science Fiction Award and delve into speculative technologies and their societal impacts.

The narrative style is often compared to classic science fiction authors like Asimov and Clarke, focusing on big ideas over character development.

The stories vary in tone, from hopeful to deeply pessimistic, reflecting Liu's broad range of storytelling.

Sensitive Topics/Content Warnings

Content warnings include thematic elements of existential dread, societal collapse, and environmental destruction, which may be distressing to some readers.

From The Publisher:

From New York Times bestselling author Cixin Liu, The Wandering Earth is a science fiction short story collection featuring the title tale-the basis for the blockbuster international film, now streaming on Netflix.

These ten stories, including five Chinese Galaxy Award-winners, are a blazingly original ode to planet Earth, its pasts, and its futures. Liu's fiction takes the reader to the edge of the universe and the end of time, to meet stranger fates than we could have ever imagined.

With a melancholic and keen understanding of human nature, Liu's stories show humanity's attempts to reason, navigate, and above all, survive in a desolate cosmos.

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The Wandering Earth

Liu Cixin