a coworker described liu’s work as having a very small view of humans. my initial interpretation of his remarks were that liu held a dim/negative view of humans and humanity. this was largely informed based on my (incomplete) reading of the dark forest trilogy. human’s don’t behave well and are driven by base desires. i was wrong.b
this collection of shorts corrects my understanding of things. liu really gets the smallness of humanity in the universe overall. the stories explore gene therapies, interactions with alien civilizations, humans as livestock for more advanced civilizations, war on human scales with the manipulation of solar forces. the universe as synaptic interaction.
highly recommended reading.
– to hold up the sky (cixin liu)
meta
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