Another great collection of stories from this author. I love peeking into this writer's mind. The stories are all excellent, hard to pick a favorite. If you like weird, strange, surreal, this is for you.

cursed bunny is strange and fascinating and unpredictable. this, by the same author, led me to expect a bizarre good time, but all of these stories — while striving for weird on the surface — were one-note and easy to anticipate. some of them were in space, some were in the future, some were...well actually most of them were in one or the other, but all of them were about technology and society, and they had simple things to say. after two story collections from chung i'd be interested in a novel — the ideas in this collection didn't seem like they had much else to go on.

Bora Chung's last release, Cursed Bunny, took the world by storm when it came out in 2021. I still think about some of the more shocking stories from that collection, like the toilet one (iykyk). Compared to those stories, Your Utopia is a bit tamer of a collection, but still with Chung's signature blend of speculative fiction and horror.

Overall, it was a pleasure diving back into Chung's storytelling. She is a master of telling a short story, drawing the reader quickly into the world she has created. Each one of the stories in these collections has some sort of "twist" partway through, transforming the initial premise into something more complex (and at times more sinister). For me, this worked better in some stories than in others.

One of my favorite stories included the title story, which I affectionately called "a darker, sadder Wall-E" in my notes. If you like personified robots, this will definitely be a story for you. I also really enjoyed "The End of the Voyage", which, like Your Utopia, has a definite science fiction vibe. "Maria, Gratia Plena" was another standout. With this story, Chung gives us a world where it is possible to read the minds of others and questions the ethics of that ability.

While there were a few of the stories that fell flat for me, including the last one in the collection, I was mostly engrossed in reading these stories. Personally, I liked Cursed Bunny better but I think there is a lot to like about Your Utopia as well!

Thank you to NetGalley and Algonquin Books for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Your Utopia releases today!

I really loved Cursed Bunny by Bora Chung, but this collection is quite different. It's less outright weird, with more futuristic dystopian storylines and more direct social commentary. It's way more speculative fiction / lite sci-fi instead of horror. I love futuristic fiction of all kinds so I still enjoyed this, but it didn't wow me quite as much. Cursed Bunny had me wondering how someone could come up with such weird shit, whereas Your Utopia felt like more familiar literary sci-fi. (Though I think if your favorite story of Cursed Bunny was “Goodbye, My Love,” then you might like this collection even better.)

I will say that the author's note at the end definitely adds a whole other layer to this collection as Chung explains her real-world inspiration for a few of the stories, with some of them directly referencing things that happened in South Korea that I'm assuming most Westerners hadn't heard of, because I sure didn't. I probably would have had a lower rating if it weren't for that note, but the context really grounded a few of the stories and made their purpose and themes more obvious to someone as ignorant as me.

My favorite story was "A Song for Sleep", which actually made me tear up a bit even though it was one of the shortest stories in the collection. I'm a sucker for stories about AIs reflecting on humanity. My next two favorite stories were "The Center for Immortality Research", which was one of the few blatantly satirical stories to actually make me laugh, and "A Very Ordinary Marriage", which was like a speculative fiction version of the horror in Cursed Bunny. My least favorite was "The End of the Voyage", but mostly because it was too long and predictable.

But regardless, I didn't rate any story below 3 stars, with most being 4 or above, and just a few at 3.5. So overall this was a pretty solid collection, even if it was a lot different than I expected. I still look forward to reading more from Bora Chung (and Anton Hur). :)

I am a huge fan of Cursed Bunny, and this new book by Bora Chung and translated by Anton Hur didn't disappoint! I loved how these stories showed perspectives via an AI lens and how that is and can be intertwined with and/or affect humanity. I loved all the stories in the book equally! I can't wait for the next book by the dynamic duo of Bora Chung and Anton Hur!

Thanks to NetGalley and Algonquin Books for providing me an eARC!

Comfort zone sci-fi with fast-paced and accessible conversations around protecting the vulnerable and surviving loss. Your Utopia is silly and introspective, the hinged to Cursed Bunny's unhinged. The fascinating, heartbreaking author’s note was my favorite part and adds a lot of color to Bora Chung’s thought process.

Thank you so much to the publishers and NetGalley for this ARC! I was first introduced to Bora Chung through her renowned short story collection, Cursed Bunny — an electrifying compilation that was later shortlisted for the 2022 International Booker Prize.

When I heard that Chung would be releasing a new collection seven years following the release of Cursed Bunny, I was more than excited to say the least. One thing I can truly attest about Chung's writing is that it is never boring, never trivial. Your Utopia continues with the eerie agony and thrill that Cursed Bunny infamously presented, but with a bit more social commentary on humanity as a whole in relation to capitalism and technology. (That's all to say if you love Black Mirror, this is perfect for you.)

Your Utopia is an adventure from start to finish — from a space voyage to escape a sweeping cannibalistic disease to a haunting marriage between a human and an alien (which if you enjoy the series Invincible, you will love the latter story). A few of the other stories touch on robots that develop connections to either a certain person or another robot, which felt very reminiscent of Spike Jonze's beautiful movie Her (2013). I feel that those stories were the most jarring because of their crucial sentiment. While Chung has mastered the ability to package the truth within a gut punch, she never fails to remind us of one singular thing: despite the horrors of this world and all that feels impending, there is somehow, somewhere, always a semblance of hope.

When I think about Chung, I envision her with a knife, not a pen; I think of her sharpness and delicacy in composing her (sometimes) nameless characters, her (always) harrowing endings. Most of all, I think of her capacity to write something so sermonic with such impermanence. She writes stories the way surgeons cut open bodies.

My favorite stories (+ some outstanding excerpts from each) were:
1. The End of the Voyage
"Maybe hope exists just because we think it to existence, and meaning is something you create on your own. But that's just an individual's subjective experience of faith. There's no guarantee that such subjective faith will be supported by the objective situation. Why should the myriad ways of the universe conspire to realize the will of a mere individual?"

2. A Song for Sleep
In a conversation between two robots, one attempts to determine the cure for death. When the all-knowing robot says there is none, the other responds: "Why? Why must humans continue to age and die? Why cannot humans be machines?"

3. Seed
This was such a stunning story about the negligence of corporations and capitalism and the carnage it leaves of nature in its wake. Even more, this felt like a reflection of indigeneity, the significance of connection with land. She speaks of seeds as weapons, hope as a leading catalyst. Chung writes, "'We put down roots here and we die. After we die, we become fertilizer for the next generation. That is our way.'"

Bora Chung, you will never cease to amaze me. 5/5 stars for Your Utopia — truly one of the best things I've ever read.

Thank you Algonquin Books for the ARC. Sometimes I'm in the mood for a quirky set of short stories that make me activate more than 2 brain cells. This fit the bill.

Bora Chung does it again!! I really loved Cursed Bunny, so I jumped at the chance to read Your Utopia.

This runs a wide gamut of science fiction in the eight included stories. Bora Chung’s writing is always wild and this didn’t disappoint. I was expecting more of the horror type stories, not aware this would be more set in sci-if, but it hit so hard. AI is something that totally freaks me out, so this was incredibly enjoyable for me.

This provides some really thought provoking and terrifying ideas and I enjoyed every moment! Each story was easily digestible, even with the sometimes horrific subject matter.

I highly recommend this one but I always do a terrible job reviewing anthology collections…

Thank you to NetGalley and Algonquin Books for this ARC.

I found Bora’s stories to be unique and filled with sci-fi elements that I enjoyed!
Some of my favorites were The end of the voyage, A very ordinary marriage, Your utopia and A song for sleep.

This was my first read by this author, but I have Cursed Bunny on my TBR!

This review was made possible by an ARC from NetGalley

Bora Chung’s Your Utopia is a collection of sci-fi stories that range from a virus causing people to leave Earth to commentary on capitalism to a sentiment car AI.

My two favorites were Seed and The End of the Voyage. Seed opens with five people landing on a planet, the inhabitants excited until the humans turn out to work for a corporation and are trying to find multiple ways to get the inhabitants in trouble with the courts, from water supply to soil. It’s a strong statement on capitalism and business vs. nature and how nature will find a way to prevail.

The End of the Voyage takes place in a near-distant future were a cannibalistic virus has taken over and a handful of selected humans have been chosen to head into space until the virus has been sorted out. This one takes on a layer of horror and I really liked how Chung handled the typical zombie virus story and made the infected polite and articulate.

I would recommend this anthology to fans of sci-fi short stories and readers looking for strong social critiques.

Weird, futuristic, techno-horror stories about what it means to be human. Some stellar stories in this collection!

This was a fantastic short story collection by Bora Chung. Having read Cursed Bunny, I was really excited to see what this author would do next. This collection did not disappoint and I think I liked this one a bit more. I loved the horror/scifi elements that were mixed into the stories. I think Bora Chung has a unique style and I can't wait to read more from them.

Bora Chung is one of the most creative and innovative writers I have read in a long time, and she delivers on this again in "Your Utopia." I love how she incorporates dark humor and horror into stories such as "A Very Ordinary Marriage," which is a funny and poignant story about aliens among us.

Incorporating themes such as AI, climate change and virus-scanning, this is also a very timely collection of stories.

I particularly enjoyed “The Center for Immortality Research,” a funny story about an employee at a firm that works towards eternal life.

The story of the old lady in "To Meet Her" was touching, especially with the real life connections shared in the afterword.

Excellent translation by Anton Hur.

Thanks to Netgalley and Algonquin Books for the eARC.

Your Utopia is a beautifully romantic interpretation of how humanity is interwoven with science and technology.

Each story allows readers to evaluate very real and timely developments in everyday life with the essence of what it means to feel alive, unique, and complex. The pain of being alive and the terror of the non-living blend in a natural and devastating series of accounts.

Bora Chung's masterful creation of each story demonstrates the brevity and anguish we are all victim to in life. Anton Hur's translation of Your Utopia presents readers with a flowing, surreal representation of beauty in an awful existence.

The most horrifying aspect of this collection is the normalcy. Little is more terrifying than the world we live in presently. It is the mundane and speculative that combine in these stories to leave readers second-guessing their routine because the future is not that far away.

On a personal note, I really appreciated the tiny references to biblical anecdotes: Noah's Ark, Adam and Eve, Hail Mary. These seemingly tiny allusions add significant commentary on human rationale.

Highly recommend.

What a fascinating set of stories. I'm always mildly apprehensive about short story collections because I'm usually of the belief that if the story is written well, I'm left wanting more, and if it isn't done well, I don't really get the point. However, Bora Chung managed to articulate her points clearly AND make the pacing of each story feel satisfying. I have a feeling I will be thinking about this collection for a while.

In some respects, the more absurd of these stories remind me a little of Raphael Bob-Waksberg's Someone Who Will Love You in All Your Damaged Glory, while the more introspective, human-centered pieces feel akin to Ling Ma's Bliss Montage. I think short story fans in general will get a lot out of Your Utopia, but I'm hoping to convert a few people who don't typically gravitate to this genre/format, too.

Thank you to Algonquin for giving me the opportunity to read and review!

Parts of this I really loved, and other parts I didn’t, which is, I suppose, to be expected for a short story anthology. I nevertheless can’t help but recommend this as it was just an enjoyable book full of stories with interesting ideas, some of which made me cry. That being said, I’m not sure I will not be reading more Anton Hur translated works in the future, as it feels as though he removes the emotionality from the original works. This may just be coincidence, but his translation style feels almost obnoxiously blunt.

I SCRUMPT when I got this baby in the mail. I am beyond thankful to Algonquin Books, Bora Chung, and Netgalley for granting me advanced digital and physical access to this dystopian favorite before it hits shelves on January 30, 2024.

Bora Chung has done it again with her short stories that pull you in and keep you intrigued from start to finish. Your Utopia takes a dystopian left turn, depicting tales about the Center for Immortality Research, alien wives gone oh-so wrong, sentiently emotional elevators catching maternal feelings for its riders, and so many more science fiction narratives.

I couldn't put this one down and now I must go and consume every other Bora Chung piece of ART.

The stories in Your Utopia were fine but they didn't hit me the way the stories in Cursed Bunny did. It's possible that if I'd read this first, then I would have loved it more.

This short story collection will certainly make you think. There’s a wide variety of topics included, so if you don’t care for one story, just keep reading. Chung doesn’t really stick to one genre, but a common theme is artificial intelligence vs. humans. My favorite story is about The Disease, where the only way you could tell if someone had been infected was if they casually tried to munch on the person closest to them at that moment. Disturbing? Yes. Absurdly hilarious? Also yes.

As always, I champion works in translation, and “Your Utopia” is well worth your time. Where else can you be introduced to the word “pollened”? (Answer: Absolutely nowhere. I even highlighted it in red before I read further and realized my mistake. It’s such a clever made-up word!)

Thank you to NetGalley and Algonquin Books for an eARC in exchange for my honest opinions.