A wonderful collection of short stories and essays from the desk of Cixin Liu. The essays cover a wide range of subjects from the rise of science fiction writing in China to drawing parallels between sci fi writers and futurists. The short stories for me were reminiscent of some of Asimov’s earlier works but clearly written in Liu’s unique style. I urge every fan to take a break from their space operas and give this a read.
Thanks to @netgalley for an advance copy!

Because I loved The Three Body Problem and I wanted to understand Liu Cixin’s thought more deeply, I plunged into this mix of essays & short stories with a lot of curiosity and an open mind. I didn’t find the combination to work so well, jumping from essay to story again and again, and I can safely say this is a collection for fans, not for new readers. However, it seems I AM a fan and I did enjoy it, including reading about his predictions for the future, his thoughts on Chinese science-fiction, and random stuff I didn’t care about or didn’t agree with.

For example, “Whale song” is fun and sort of peculiar, because it shows an interest in ecological matters that doesn’t appear often in his bigger work (in the Three Body Problem’s universe, climate stuff is in the background because there are ‘bigger’ issues at play). I also found his idea that “If we already live in an environment full of danger, then science fiction won’t interest us” interesting (from the 2010 essay on finishing Death’s End). It’s completely opposed to what I am used to thinking about sci-fi and why I consider it useful, drawing from Le Guin, Butler and maree brown. But that’s because for Cixin, sci-fi is about man vs. the universe. Not so much for queer-feminists, not necessarily. Still, this divergence is exactly why I was interested in reading him - because he is this sort of classical hard sci-fi writer who pays too little attention to interhuman relationships, and YET I was not bored. His concepts of a micro-civilization (through shrinkage) was also fascinating, and so was the story “Destiny”, a sort of unexpected, amusing re-telling of evolution. All in all, time well spent.

Thanks to NetGalley & Head of Zeus for the e-arc!

Very unique and interesting short stories. My favourite one was Whale Song. I like the shock factor/twists at the end.

If you have never read anything from Cixin Liu, please do read “The Three Body Problem” first.
This collection of short stories and interviews is a must have for fans of his work, but definitely not something to get a first exposure to Cixin Liu’s work, nor Chinese Sci-Fi.
It is a compendium and not necessarily something to be consumed standalone with no further context.
Said this, if you fulfill the above criteria and you’re in for the ride this little book is a must have. It gives insights not only in Cixin Liu’s mind but also his evolution as a writer; do add this book to your collection immediately.

Cixin Liu is a global phenomenon, a science fiction writer who has broken through to the genuine mass market. I knew this when I saw a copy of the Three Body Problem in the back of my brother’s car. In the wake of this there’s interest in his other works, and this slim volume collects stories and essays originally published in Chinese magazine Science Fiction World. There’s autobiographical pieces that trace his development as a writer and his involvement with the boom-and-bust of the Chinese scifi scene. He is in several essays at pains to distinguish sci-fi from fantasy - outlining how sci-fi would wipe the floor with fantasy in any conflict. The short stories cover ideas such as animal communication, chaos theory, interstellar travel, and the religious aspect of the ‘big idea’ that SF storytelling should explore. In one of the best he asks if physicists would trade the rest of the life for knowing the actual true structure of the universe.

There’s often a sly humour at work, and his work can at times appear curiously old-fashioned. His characters are often engineers, explorers or public servants. In his endless curiosity about the complexities of the universe, and in his relatively uncomplicated humans who are sent out to decode its mysteries, he resembles a modern version of a sci-fi great much quoted in this work, Arthur C. Clarke. Liu has published fiction in China for over twenty-five years. Reading between the lines in this collection you can start to piece together what he’s said, and not said, to continue to do so. It’s absolutely not the place to start. This collection will make little sense without reading the 3 Body Trilogy or The Wandering Earth first. But for those wondering just where this sci-fi superstar has come from, this is valuable context. For those who are signed up to Liu this is four stars, for the casual reader it has to be a star less.

I would like to thank the publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to read and honestly review an advanced reader’s copy of this book.

If you want something fast, something sci-fi that doesn’t require a lot of commitment, this is an okay read.
When it comes to sci-fi, I really prefer the ones with strong characters, and none of these stories really did this for me. It seemed more on the philosophical side of it, more interested in ideas than actual plot.

So if you prefer that type of sci-fi, this will be right up your alley. The prose itself is strong, and while it didn’t fully capture my own imagination, I think there are people out there that will absolutely love this!

3⭐️

3 stars

Many, many thanks to Netgalley for allowing me to access an advanced copy of this book in exchange for review!

Certainly this is a great read for current and new fans of Liu's work -- however, for people like me who are only just getting into the sci-fi genre, it reads as quite self-congratulating when what I would hope for in a book like this is more of a glimpse into the origins of Liu's bibliography. We do get <i>some</i> of his early works, short stories published in literary magazines as far back as 25 years ago, but most of the book is taken up with essays Liu wrote about either his works or his ideas surrounding sci-fi. It works at a glance, but as a reading experience, it isn't quite as satisfying as it could be. Liu seems to want to appeal to himself as opposed to his wider audience, which is understandable and even commendable for such a writer with his broad of an experience.

What it does do successfully, however, is make me want to read more science fiction novels. Liu points to many writers of significance within the genre and offers up a handful of recommendations to his readers, either intentionally urging us to continue our sci-fi journey through these recommendations, or simply noting why/how these works relate to his arguments and perspecitives. Nevertheless, I'll certainly be seeking these novels out now so that I can enrich my own experience with the exciting and, echoing Liu's own sentiments, essential genre.

I think that it’s safe to say that I enjoyed my time reading ‘A View From the Stars’. Massive thanks to NetGalley for providing me an arc of this book. Despite me giving it 3.75 stars (which isn’t a bad rating but I haven’t really rated many books lower that 4 stars this year) I did enjoy every second reading this. I’ve been meaning to read a book by Cixin Liu for the longest time and I thought that I would have started with ‘The Three Body Problem’, which is probably his most famous work, but the arc of this is where I started. I would say not to start with this book if you’re looking to get into his work, probably start with The Three Body Problem (although I haven’t read it). I flew through the first 60% and it took me longer to get through the last 40% but that was just a time issue. I thought that the book was very thought provoking, and as an avid science fiction fan and someone who thinks a lot about physics, some of the essays in here really helped bring new light to some little arguments and conversations I have with myself about the things brought up. I also enjoyed learning a little more about the science fiction scene in china versus the United States. It really show how diverse they are from each other. Overall, I gave this 3.75 stars!

An intriguing collection of short fiction and personal essays offers insight into Cixin Liu's thoughts, opinions, and imagination. As a fan of Liu's Remembrance of Earth's Past trilogy, I eagerly delved into this compilation to gain a deeper understanding of his work.

The pieces mostly originate from the early 2000s, covering topics such as fantasy versus fiction, the world fifty years from now, and the trajectory of Chinese science fiction. The short fiction pieces, particularly "Destiny" and "Heard it in the Morning," stand out as thought-provoking and captivating.

Despite the mixed and disjointed structure of the book, which jumps between texts and themes, it effectively showcases Liu's imaginative and intelligent mind, providing background and context to his thinking.

Overall I give 'A View from the Stars' 3 Stars.

In the introduction to A View from the Stars - a collection of short stories, essays and an interview with the author - Cixin Liu acknowledges how much of a debt is owed to the masters of classic science-fiction, but in such works as The Three-Body Problem series, Liu has also demonstrated the fresh perspective that he and other Chinese writers can bring to the genre with their own particular history and background. Like a lot of SF writers, much of that writing experience and confidence was gained through publication of short stories in specialist SF magazines and online publications, a few of which are collected here along with introductions and essays where the author expands on his ideas for technology, the future and the place of humanity in the universe.

When we think of science-fiction, it's usually about advances in technology that make improvements to our lives, allow us to communicate quicker and faster, expand the range of human knowledge, see new worlds, imagine new ways of living. A significant - perhaps larger - proportion of SF however is devoted to the misuse of technology and how it can all go badly wrong. One such example is the short story Whale Song, where a drug smuggler seeks to evade the technology that makes drops into the lucrative trade in America extremely difficult. He turns to creative new technologies, but in the end is defeated by old ones!

Another story, The Messenger, takes another look at similar familiar themes found in The Three-Body Problem. A respected former professor playing music on violin ponders the problems that humanity has failed to grasp, the knowledge they have failed to put to good use and despairs of it having a future, until a stranger comes to bring an important message. There's an interesting spin on human intervention with science to influence political events in Butterfly, where a Serbian scientist has developed a system that can identify “sensitivity points” around the world where he can figuratively flap butterfly wings to cause disturbances and disrupt war zones, all to save his sick daughter. Destiny takes another spin on the butterfly theory from the classic time-travel perspective of inadvertently meddling with the past. The longest story, Heard it in the Morning, is the most ambitious, considering the search for a grand unified theory of the universe and what it might mean to finally discover the ultimate secrets of the universe.

Among these stories are scattered essays and an interview - again all very accessible - dealing with the nature of science and science-fiction writing, all revealing interesting insights into Liu's personal views on the subjects. He holds a view that it's not sci-fi’s job “to represent reality or human nature”, but that sci-fi is strongest “when it depicts the relationship between people and the universe”, citing Arthur C. Clarke's 2001: A Space Odyssey as the finest example of that. His views on how civilisation can only survive and propagate out into the universe through miniaturisation and macrocivilisations, as well as speculation on what can be achieved through fusion technology and molecular biology, is typically thinking beyond current limited views of science, not just science-fiction. Some of the 'predictions' are a little naive in places, failing to really grasp human nature, but always fun and adventurous.

In this way, the ideas in the essays and the short stories complement and feed into each other well, giving a good overview of where Liu is and what he - and China - has to contribute to the always progressive body of science-fiction. There is evidently nothing here on the scale of his major works, but it does present an extension (and some repetition) of those theories and the kind of ideas and accessible writing and consideration of serious theories, that make Liu one of the most interesting current SF writers around at the moment.

Thank you NetGalley and Head of Zeus for the advance reader copy.

Sometimes an author writes an amazing piece of work and other times, like this collection of essays unfortunately, was not that.

I think the authors classic style of writing is still somewhat there within the essays but there’s not a lot to draw you in and keep you there.

i read this because i liked the three body problem trilogy by the same author, which will probably be the reason most people are reading this. it's a collection of essays and short stories most of the essays are about how sci-fi should be grounded in actual science, and that nobody in china likes sci-fi. none of these essays were very good; liu really doesn't have anything interesting to say, unfortunately. the short stories are not much better. they all try and come off as very serious, but are all ridiculous.none of these are very memorable either. it's a relatively short collection, so nothing lost, but it would be hard to recommend this to someone who isn't a giant cixin liu fanatic.

This was fine but I wouldn't say it was amazing. I think it was pretty surface level, which is always the risk with short story collections.

A collection of short stories, essays, and interviews given by the author. The best way to describe what it is about, in my view, is "meta-sci-fi". The collection, as a whole, provides a glimpse into the mind of the author's thinking, and, especially, his thinking about his craft. What emerges would sound familiar to those who read his books - he is a fan of meta-ideas which propel his narratives, either in short or long-form. The omnipresent flaws in his work are apparent in these short stories as well - there is no character development, no discussion of the impact of technology or progress on human psychology or sociology. Instead, what emerges is an almost barren wasteland of great ideas that tickle the imagination, but leave the reader emotionally unmoved. I'm a huge fan of the author's imaginative prowess - but I'm also a critic of his inability to depict (and perhaps perceive?) emotion and sensitivity.

I liked being given the opportunity to learn more about the author and his process. I also liked the fact that I understood more about Chinese sci-fi, and how integral growing and living in China is to literature created in that country, leading to very different outcomes vs the West (broadly defined - including Russia).

Beyond the non-fiction aspects of the book, I found the stories underwhelming. They just failed to pull me in. Perhaps because for me, sci-fi, is a platform to explore the impact of hypothetical scientific and technological advancement on human life, psychology, sociology, and evolution. All of this is lacking in its entirety from the works presented in this short collection. Unlike the Three Body Problem, where the ideas were so enormous in nature that they overcame these flaws, there was nothing of the magnitude happening in this book.

I highly recommend to huge fans of the author. I also highly recommend to fans of the Three Body Problem interested in understanding more about the underpinnings of those books.

My thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an early copy of this book in return for an honest review.

I love science!!! And this was such a fascinating collection and great for dipping your toe into Cixin’s work to see what he’s all about. He discusses a lot of concepts in here which make it into the Three-Body Problem trilogy and they are just as great. I definitely preferred the non-fiction parts of this book and found his essays about the science fiction community, as well as some science fiction ideas themselves absolutely amazing.

Thank you to Head of Zeus and NetGalley for this eARC.

This is a lovely collection, Cixin Liu has done it again! This collection is so interesting, so descriptive and I was engaged the whole time.

Although this deals with some more complex subjects, it is really accessible which I do appreciate.

This is a pleasing mix of short stories and a range of Cixin Liu's articles. What resonates throughout is his love of the Science Fiction medium, which is clearly evident every time he waxes lyrical about its importance, relevant and poetic beauty. Every chapter - whether short story or article - has something interesting to say and helps to explain his great love for the genre and where this love comes from. The autobiographical parts give an engaging insight into the cultural differences between Liu's own upbringing and my own and I found that I'd liked to have read more about this. In the articles he explores the differences between sci-fi and fantasy, on finishing the Remembrance of Earth's Past trilogy, the poetic beauty of Sci-Fi and then in his stories he features a honeymoon gone wrong, a key historic scientist and more. His speculative article 'The World in 50 Years' is a high point, even moreso when you consider it was written in 2005.

My main criticism is that I really would have enjoyed a weightier tome. It's not slim pickings but is almost over before it's begun.

A great collection of stories from the master that felt incredible to read. Although these are short stories, there is a lot to take in. Cixin Liu has such destructive description.