The Hidden Girl and Other Stories
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4.1 • 17 Ratings
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- $14.99
Publisher Description
Includes stories featured in Pantheon—now an animated series on AMC+
“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
A “brilliant” (The Chicago Tribune), “extraordinary” (The Washington Post), and “captivating” (BuzzFeed) short story anthology from Ken Liu, the author of The Paper Menagerie and Other Stories.
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 visionary looks 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.
Stories include:
Ghost Days; Maxwell’s Demon; The Reborn; Thoughts and Prayers; Byzantine Empathy; The Gods Will Not Be Chained; Staying Behind; Real Artists; The Gods Will Not Be Slain; Altogether Elsewhere, Vast Herds of Reindeer; The Gods Have Not Died in Vain; Memories of My Mother; Dispatches from the Cradle: The Hermit—Forty-Eight Hours in the Sea of Massachusetts; Grey Rabbit, Crimson Mare, Coal Leopard; A Chase Beyond the Storms (an excerpt from The Veiled Throne, Book 3 of the Dandelion Dynasty); The Hidden Girl; Seven Birthdays; The Message; Cutting
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Cycles of violence, unquiet ghosts, and troubled parent-child relationships pervade Hugo Award winner Liu's inconsistent second collection. Though Liu's dexterous prose is on display throughout, static story structures and sketchy characters plague these 19 idea-driven tales. At their best, these stories inject high-minded scientific concepts with deeper themes: "Maxwell's Demon" uses Maxwell's equations to explore cycles of violence and the loyalty oaths forced on Japanese Americans during WWII, "The Gods Will Not Be Chained" transcends the ghost-in-the-machine subgenre with its familial tenderness, and the title story resonates with a stubborn, determined protagonist. Weaker offerings violate Liu's assertion in the preface that "a good story cannot function like a legal brief," forgoing narrative momentum in favor of overexplaining their conceits. The worst offenders are "Byzantine Empathy" and "Real Artists," which read as infomercials for fictional technologies. Readers will also be disappointed in how the female protagonists frequently descend into clich . Though some readers will struggle to find a way in to these emotionally flat stories, Liu's strong sentences and intelligent what-ifs will appeal to fans of Asimov-ian science fiction.
Customer Reviews
Another Great Collection by Ken Liu!
Ken Liu made a big impression with his first anthology “The Paper Menagerie and Other Stories.” This second collection of short works is equally impressive.
This is clearly modern fiction, that deals with current issues. Some, but not all, of the stories are interconnected. Many deal with issues of post-humanism, the singularity, and climate change. However, even when dealing with these weighty issues, the stories have an abiding human focus. They have warm and relatable characters, even if those characters are quite different from the people around you today.
Then, there are some stories that are clearly fantasy, or somewhere between fantasy and science fiction. One of these is an excerpt from one of Mr. Liu’s silk-punk Dandelion Dynasty novels. These are refreshing diversions from the themes of the other stories.
Ken Liu again proves he has many interesting stories to tell, and he is skillful in presenting his ideas to the reader. This has proven to be another excellent collection of his short stories.