The second Dandelion Dynasty book is now available as a trade paperback. For North American readers, more info at the Simon & Schuster site. For readers in the UK and elsewhere, see Head of Zeus’s site.
scifi
More on The Legends of Luke Skywalker
Want to know more about the Journey to Star Wars: The Last Jedi books by Delilah S. Dawson, Claudia Gray, and me? EW has you covered:
“For kids coming out of that movie, for casual fans coming out of that movie, you hear about Luke Skywalker for that whole film, but you only see him for two seconds at the end. He doesn’t even say anything,” Siglain says. “This book is a book that goes into some of those stories that were told, some of those legends of Luke Skywalker. Are they true? Well, maybe. Maybe not.”
Did Luke Skywalker actually take down 20 AT-ATs in the Battle of Hoth? Was he just a charlatan who made up the story of his Death Star run? Is it possible he was at the Battle of Jakku chronicled in Chuck Wendig’s Aftermath novels?
“What are those stories that Rey has been hearing, that the rest of the galaxy has been hearing, and what has Luke been doing since then?” Siglain says. “The framing device for this is there are a bunch of kids on a cargo ship that’s traveling to the casino world of Canto Bight. Someone says something about Luke Skywalker, and they say, ‘Oh, he was just a myth. That’s just a legend.’ And others say, ‘No, no, no. I know a story about him.’”
Click here for the whole story.
I’m Writing a Star Wars Book
So, the news is out: I’m writing a Star Wars book as part of the Journey to Star Wars: The Last Jedi project. Working with the team at Lucasfilm Publishing has been such a pleasure — they’re the best.
I can’t tell you much about the book yet, except that it’s called The Legends of Luke Skywalker, it’s going to go on sale on 10/31/2017, it’s got illustrations by J. G. Jones, and it’s going to be awesome.
(Cover image below not final)
Permit me to indulge in a bit of geeky self-reflection. Star Wars, especially Star Wars books, holds a special place in my heart. When I was a kid in China (maybe third-grade?), the novelization of The Empire Strikes Back by Donald F. Glut (in Chinese translation) was the very first SF book I ever read.
It was during a free-reading period, when the teacher brought out a box of books for us to each pick one. I had a choice between a biography of Confucius and Empire, and I picked the latter because the cover looked amazing.
My teacher grumbled, disappointed that I was apparently more attracted to laser swords and pew pew pew than the wisdom of the Great Sage.
Mind you, I had never seen any of the Star Wars films at that point, nor had I read any full-length SF novels (I had read Chinese translations of an abridged version of PKD’s Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep and Lester del Rey’s “Helen O’Loy”). Empire literally blew my mind. I had never seen a world like this: where magic and technology were both vital; where ancient archetypes, some of which I recognized from Chinese myths and legends, pulsed with a futuristic sheen; where hope was not easy, but was always the right choice.
The Star Wars universe was where I wanted to live. It was home.
Louis Menand wrote: “Texts are always packed, by the reader’s prior knowledge and expectations, before they are unpacked.” I love that quote. And it guides me when I write.
I think a writer’s job is to build a strong, welcoming house. Readers then move in and fill the rooms with their individual experience and understanding of the world. And only then, after they’ve settled in and begun to explore, do they discover its little nooks and crannies, its hidden passages and secret staircases, and following these, they find breathtaking vistas of other planets, rogues who prize friendship more than treasure, mystical sages full of wisdom, princesses leading grand armies, and farm boys dreaming of walking among the stars …
The Star Wars universe is grand and beautiful, and it is ever expanding. To be able to build a house in this universe after my fashion, to welcome fellow fans and readers into this house, and to see them get comfortable and discover its secrets … I don’t have the words for my joy.
I’m home; I’m where I belong.
I can’t wait until you come in.
Bridging Infinity
Update: You can enter a drawing for a free copy of the anthology on Tor.com.
Jonathan Strahan has been editing the Infinity Project series of anthologies for some time now, which focus on hard scifi tales by a variety of voices in genre fiction.
The latest entry is Bridging Infinity, described thus:
Sense of wonder is the lifeblood of science fiction. When we encounter something on a truly staggering scale – metal spheres wrapped around stars, planets rebuilt and repurposed, landscapes transformed, starships bigger than worlds – we react viscerally. Fear, reverence, admiration – how else are we to react to something so grand?
The anthology features stories from Alastair Reynolds, Pat Cadigan, Stephen Baxter, Charlie Jane Anders, Tobias S. Buckell & Karen Lord, Karin Lowachee, Kristine Kathryn Rusch, Gregory Benford & Larry Niven, Robert Reed, Pamela Sargent, Allen M. Steele, Pat Murphy & Paul Doherty, An Owomoyela, Thoraiya Dyer, and yours truly.
My story, “Seven Birthdays,” has been reprinted at Tor.com so that you can get a sense of what the anthology is like. Personally, I think it’s the best story I wrote this year. And if you like it, do check out the anthology, please.
Invisible Planets Launch
Today is launch day for Invisible Planets, an anthology of contemporary Chinese SF edited and translated by me. (“Contemporary” in this context means written in this century.) I’ll be gathering reviews and other publicity material here so you can judge if the book is of interest.
If you’ve read the book, please leave a review on Amazon, Goodreads, B&N, or wherever else you like to review books. Reviews help readers discover books they want to read and are the lifeblood of authors. Thank you!
Essays and Interviews
- “Meet the Man Bringing Chinese Science Fiction to the West”: Boyd Tonkin profiles me for Newsweek
- Amy Brady interviewed me for the Chicago Review of Books.
- I discuss the interpretive frameworks at play in this anthology for Tor.com.
- I talk about the role of the translator for the Tor/Forge Blog.
- James Kidd profiles me for the South China Morning Post. I don’t usually like media profiles of me, but I thought this one turned out quite good (mainly because the emphasis is on the writers I translate and their work, as it should be).
- My friend Regina Kanyu Wang wrote “A Brief Introduction to Chinese Science Fiction”, a very helpful primer on the subject. This is a great resource if you’re interested in learning more about Chinese SF and Chinese fandom.
Reviews
- Publishers Weekly gives a starred review: “This stellar anthology of 13 stories selected and translated by Liu (the Dandelion Dynasty series) brings the best of Chinese science fiction to anglophones.
- Adam for Edge of Infinity: “…a one-stop resource for quality speculative fiction and provides plenty of insight into Chinese sci-fi. With moving stories and powerfully written prose, this anthology is outstanding. 5/5”
- Amy Brady for the Village Voice: “… a vital collection for readers of both sci-fi and literature-in-translation.”
- “The invaluable Invisible Planets introduces the world of Chinese sci-fi”: Ignatiy Vishnevetsky reviews for the A.V. Club. “It tackles its problem with intelligence, and in its diverse and often inspired selections, it makes the implicit point that the rapid growth of Chinese sci-fi in recent decades have made it both difficult to define and a microcosm of the various things that speculative fiction can be.”
- Amy Brady includes Invisible Planets in a Lit Hub roundup of “16 Books You Should Read This November”: “…each story brimming with imaginative landscapes and thought-provoking futures that pull from both Western and Chinese literary canons.”
- Starred review by Kirkus Reviews: “A phenomenal anthology of short speculative fiction.”
- Marissa Lingen’s review: “An anthology where I didn’t skim half the stories! What a treat.”
- Jonathan Crowe’s review: “There’s a there there — and it’s worth paying attention to.”
- Charlie Hopkins for Fantasy Faction: “There is plenty of impressive science fiction and fantasy but so many other genres are also touched upon that readers are bound to be swept away and will assuredly find a new author to follow.” (10 out of 10 stars)
- Ardi Alspach reviews for the Barnes & Noble SFF blog: “… a well-balanced, thoughtfully assembled collection, essential for any reader who wants to expand their understanding of the genre on a global scale.”
- Taryn at The Overly Attached Reader: “Expertly curated anthology of short speculative fiction by Chinese writers.”
- Isha Karki for Mithila Review: “a journey across time and space, traversing multiple imaginations and worlds. The stories bring you face to face with your own limitations and fears. They challenge, move and inspire.”
- Stephanie Chan at Strange Horizons: “by attempting to set aside our expectations and preconceptions—or at the very least, picking them up from time to time and examining them closely—the experience of reading Invisible Planets can offer a rich glimpse of a worldview that is only slightly asymptotic to our own.”
- Rachel Cordasco at Tor.com: “So what exactly makes these stories remarkable? I hear you asking. It’s their originality, their striking landscapes and unexpected plot twists, their lyricism and pathos.”
Fall Book Releases (and European Travels)
I have a busy fall coming up:
“Folding Beijing” wins a Hugo
“Folding Beijing,” written by Hao Jingfang and translated by me, has won a Hugo! Big congrats to Jingfang and the other winners. (And a special congrats to Uncanny magazine, which published the story and won a Hugo as well!)
I knew I wanted to translate “Folding Beijing” as soon as I read it. To understand something about Hao Jingfang’s thinking behind the story, be sure to read this essay she wrote.
The Wall of Storms: October 4 (and a Goodreads giveaway)
The Wall of Storms, the first sequel to The Grace of Kings, is coming from Saga Press on October 4, 2016.
I’m so excited that this book, over which I’ve labored for more than a year, is finally going out to readers. It’s bigger, better, and funner in every way than TGOK.
Saga is holding a Goodreads giveaway of ARCs of the book (limited to US addresses). Please enter and help spread the word! (And if you win, please leave an honest review wherever you like).
Death’s End: September 20 (and ARC giveaway)
My English translation of the final volume of Liu Cixin’s hard SF “Three-Body” trilogy, Death’s End, is coming from Tor Books on September 20, 2016.
This is my favorite volume of the trilogy (and also the favorite of my editor, Liz Gorinsky, and fellow translator John Chu). Liu Cixin said that this book is closer to his ideal style than the other books in the trilogy, and I agree.
If you enjoyed the other books in the series, you’ll really love this one.
Invisible Planets: November 1
My collection of translations of contemporary Chinese SF is coming from Tor Books on November 1, 2016.
This vibrant collection of short stories runs the gamut from hard fantasy to ethereal science fiction. Besides stories like the Hugo award-winning ‘Folding Beijing,’ these are tales rich with lush language, inventive premises, and heart-breaking story-telling.
— Mary Robinette Kowal, Hugo-winning author of Ghost Talkers
Not only does this collection contain stories by China’s two Hugo winners (Liu Cixin and Hao Jingfang), but it also features a brand new story by Xia Jia, as well as works from Chen Qiufan, Tang Fei, Cheng Jingbo, and Ma Boyong.
I’ll have more news about this title as we get closer to the release date.
Upcoming Appearances
I’ll be doing a lot of traveling in September and October as I jet around Europe and the US to attend literary festivals and other events. (The linked page will have more details about appearances when I get them.) If you’re in the UK, France, Spain, or near the Dallas/Fort Worth area, the next few months will give us a chance to meet and chat!
- Visit to the UK, 9/3-9/6, London, the UK.
- Festival America, 9/8-9/11, Vincennes, France.
- Niebla Festival, 9/30-10/2, Salamanca, Spain.
- Fort Worth Library, 10/21, Fort Worth, TX.