Shop Viral Beauty Essentials Now

Customers who viewed this item also viewed

  1. The Hidden Girl and Other Stories
    The Hidden Girl and Other Stories
    4.5716
    $14.99
  2. All That We See or Seem (Julia Z)
    All That We See or Seem (Julia Z)
    4.1280
    $14.99
  3. The Grace of Kings (The Dandelion Dynasty Book 1)
    The Grace of Kings (The Dandelion Dynasty Book 1)
    4.24,215
    $7.99
$13.99 with 26 percent savings
Print List Price: $18.99 Image

Promotions apply when you purchase

These promotions will be applied to this item:

Some promotions may be combined; others are not eligible to be combined with other offers. For details, please see the Terms & Conditions associated with these promotions.

Sold by Simon and Schuster Digital Sales LLC. Price set by seller.
You've subscribed to ! We will preorder your items within 24 hours of when they become available. When new books are released, we'll charge your default payment method for the lowest price available during the pre-order period.
Update your device or payment method, cancel individual pre-orders or your subscription at
Your Memberships & Subscriptions

Buy for others

Give as a gift or purchase for a team or group.
Learn more

How it works

  1. Choose your delivery method
  2. Send now or schedule for later
  3. Add your personal message
  4. Recipients can read on any device

These ebooks can only be redeemed by recipients in the US. Redemption links and eBooks cannot be resold.

Added to

Sorry, there was a problem.

There was an error retrieving your Wish Lists. Please try again.

Sorry, there was a problem.

List unavailable.
Kindle app logo image

Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.

Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.

Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.

QR code to download the Kindle App

Sponsored
  • The Paper Menagerie and Other Stories

Follow the author

Get new release updates & improved recommendations
Ken Liu
Follow
Something went wrong. Please try your request again later.

The Paper Menagerie and Other Stories Kindle Edition

by Ken Liu (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.5 out of 5 stars (2,659)
Editors' pick Best Science Fiction & Fantasy
Previous page
  1. Image
    Locus AwardWinner, 2017
Next page
Featured in the Netflix series Love, Death & Robots

Bestselling author Ken Liu selects his multiple award-winning stories for a groundbreaking collection—including a brand-new piece exclusive to this volume.

With his debut novel, The Grace of Kings, taking the literary world by storm, Ken Liu now shares his finest short fiction in The Paper Menagerie and Other Stories. This mesmerizing collection features many of Ken’s award-winning and award-finalist stories, including: “The Man Who Ended History: A Documentary” (Finalist for the Hugo, Nebula, and Theodore Sturgeon Awards), “Mono No Aware” (Hugo Award winner), “The Waves” (Nebula Award finalist), “The Bookmaking Habits of Select Species” (Nebula and Sturgeon Award finalists), “All the Flavors” (Nebula Award finalist), “The Litigation Master and the Monkey King” (Nebula Award finalist), and the most awarded story in the genre’s history, “The Paper Menagerie” (The only story to win the Hugo, Nebula, and World Fantasy awards).

Insightful and stunning stories that plumb the struggle against history and betrayal of relationships in pivotal moments, this collection showcases one of our greatest and original voices.
Read more
Previous slide of product details
  1. Print length
    464 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    S&S/Saga Press
  4. Accessibility
    Learn more
  5. Publication date
    March 8, 2016
  6. File size
    2.5 MB
  7. Page Flip
    Enabled
  8. Word Wise
    Enabled
  9. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
Next slide of product details
Sponsored

Customers also bought or read

Page 1 of 1Start over
Previous page
  2. Book cover The Hidden Girl and Other Stories
    The Hidden Girl and Other Stories
    Kindle Edition
    $14.99
  3. Book cover All That We See or Seem (Julia Z)
    All That We See or Seem (Julia Z)
    Kindle Edition
    $14.99
  10. Book cover Piranesi
    Piranesi
    Kindle Edition
    $12.99
  11. Book cover Human Acts: A Novel
    Human Acts: A Novel
    Kindle Edition
    $7.99
  12. Book cover 1Q84 (Vintage International)
    1Q84 (Vintage International)
    Kindle Edition
    $13.99
  13. Book cover The Stories of Ray Bradbury
    The Stories of Ray Bradbury
    Kindle Edition
    $2.99
  14. Book cover Exhalation: Stories
    Exhalation: Stories
    Kindle Edition
    $9.99
  16. Book cover The Memory Police: A Novel
    The Memory Police: A Novel
    Kindle Edition
    $7.99
  20. Book cover The Just City (Thessaly Book 1)
    The Just City (Thessaly Book 1)
    Kindle Edition
    $2.99
  21. Book cover Tenth of December: Stories
    Tenth of December: Stories
    Kindle Edition
    $7.99
  27. Book cover Cat's Cradle: A Novel
    Cat's Cradle: A Novel
    Kindle Edition
    $6.99
  29. Book cover The Algebraist (Culture)
    The Algebraist (Culture)
    Kindle Edition
    $9.99
Next page
Loading...

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Ken Liu is an award-winning American author of speculative fiction. His collection, The Paper Menagerie and Other Stories, has been published in more than a dozen languages. Liu’s other works include The Grace of Kings, The Wall of Storms, The Veiled Throne, a second collection The Hidden Girl and Other Stories, and the forthcoming Julia Z series. He has been involved in multiple media adaptations of his work, including the short story “Good Hunting,” adapted as an episode in Netflix’s animated series Love, Death + Robots; and AMC’s Pantheon, adapted from an interconnected series of short stories. “The Hidden Girl,” “The Message,” and “The Oracle” have also been optioned for development. Liu previously worked as a software engineer, corporate lawyer, and litigation consultant. He frequently speaks at conferences and universities on topics including futurism, machine-augmented creativity, the history of technology, and the value of storytelling. Liu lives with his family near Boston, Massachusetts.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B00TBKYK60
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ S&S/Saga Press
  • Accessibility ‏ : ‎ Learn more
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ March 8, 2016
  • Edition ‏ : ‎ Reprint
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 2.5 MB
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 464 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 9781481424363
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1481424370
  • Page Flip ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Best Sellers Rank: #55,190 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.5 out of 5 stars (2,659)

About the author

Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.
Ken Liu

Ken Liu

Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.
Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

Ken Liu (http://kenliu.name) is an American author of speculative fiction. A winner of the Nebula, Hugo, and World Fantasy awards for his fiction, he has also won top genre honors abroad in Japan, Spain, and France.

Liu’s most characteristic work is the four-volume epic fantasy series, The Dandelion Dynasty, in which engineers, not wizards, are the heroes of a silkpunk world on the verge of modernity. His debut collection of short fiction, The Paper Menagerie and Other Stories, has been published in more than a dozen languages. A second collection, The Hidden Girl and Other Stories, followed. He also penned the Star Wars novel, The Legends of Luke Skywalker.

He’s often involved in media adaptations of his work. Recent projects include “The Message,” under development by 21 Laps and FilmNation Entertainment; “Good Hunting,” adapted as an episode in season one of Netflix’s breakout adult animated series Love, Death + Robots; and AMC’s Pantheon, with Craig Silverstein as executive producer, adapted from an interconnected series of Liu’s short stories.

Prior to becoming a full-time writer, Liu worked as a software engineer, corporate lawyer, and litigation consultant. He frequently speaks at conferences and universities on a variety of topics, including futurism, machine-augmented creativity, history of technology, bookmaking, and the mathematics of origami.

Liu lives with his family near Boston, Massachusetts.

Customer reviews

4.5 out of 5 stars
2,659 global ratings
Sponsored

Customers say

Customers find this book engaging and well-written, praising its fantastic stories that blend science fiction with heart and soul. Moreover, the book packs a huge emotional wallop, with one customer noting how it reaches into the dark sides of humanity. Additionally, customers appreciate its creativity and thought-provoking nature, with one review describing it as a humanitarian masterpiece disguised as fantasy/sci-fi.
AI Generated from the text of customer reviews

Select to learn more

105 customers mention content, 101 positive, 4 negative
Customers love the content of the book, finding it engaging and wonderful to read.
Great book. Some very moving short stories, novelettes, and novellas!Read more
Brilliant! Ken Liu is a superb imaginative writer. His stories are beautiful and sometimes tragic but will stay with you for a long time....Read more
...But these were worth reading again and the stories I had not read were quite good.Read more
Excellent read, heady sci fi stories. Enjoyed!Read more
102 customers mention story quality, 94 positive, 8 negative
Customers find the stories in the book fantastic, describing them as powerful and thought-provoking, with a different variety of narratives. They particularly appreciate the sci-fi stories that are filled with heart and soul.
Great collection of short stories. Liu's stories are well written and thought compelling....Read more
I love this book. Great writing and also great stories. It's not for kids or teens though. Highly recommend this book.Read more
Short stories that are engrossing on the whole. A lot of the stories are both heart breaking and disturbing....Read more
If you like great short stories this is a gem of a collection.Read more
53 customers mention writing style, 50 positive, 3 negative
Customers praise the writing style of the book, noting its elegant prose and well-crafted stories, with one customer highlighting the author's unique ideas.
While I only liked certain stories, all are well written and interesting, I'm sure everyone can find at least one they will like in this book.Read more
Good writer. Stories vary from good to great. Nice collection and I would recommend as a good read.Read more
I love this book. Great writing and also great stories. It's not for kids or teens though. Highly recommend this book.Read more
Truly outstanding, poignant stories from Ken Liu. Beautifully written, each story is its own event, to read and let set in.Read more
31 customers mention emotional, 25 positive, 6 negative
Customers find the book emotionally powerful, with stories that pack a huge emotional wallop and are touching, with one customer noting how it reaches into the dark sides of humanity.
This book made me cry, laugh, and think deeply about life. I've actually bought a number of copies for other friends.Read more
...some better than others, but overall very thought-provoking and emotional. A really great writer!Read more
Amazing imagination and so much insight and emotionRead more
...The stories are imaginative and heartfelt. It's been a long time since I have enjoyed an author's writing this much.Read more
25 customers mention science fiction, 20 positive, 5 negative
Customers enjoy the science fiction elements of the book, describing it as divine literary fiction, with one customer noting its easily believable futuristic scenarios.
...A sly combination of history lesson, science fiction, revisionist history, and social commentary, Liu deserves every award and accolade he has...Read more
Beautiful, unique and different science fiction compilation....Read more
...Though hard sci-fi, it reads like folklore even at the moments it's the most out there within its concepts....Read more
...all of 1961, and I found at least one aspect of the story to be not very believable....Read more
23 customers mention thought-provoking, 23 positive, 0 negative
Customers find the book incredibly thought-provoking and intelligent, describing it as cerebral and inspiring, with one customer noting its realistic portrayal of artificial intelligence.
...The stories are sometimes sad, but always thought provoking.Read more
Ken Liu's Paper Menagerie and Other Stories is thought-provoking and well-written. Liu's fluid style made reading this collection a pleasure....Read more
...writing, and many of the stories are poignant, touching, and/or insightful....Read more
Incredibly thought-provoking, eloquent, and captivating. He's up there with Philip K. Dick for me (based off my limited sci-fi exposure).Read more
21 customers mention creativity, 20 positive, 1 negative
Customers praise the book's creativity, describing it as super imaginative with novel ideas, and one customer specifically mentions the great ideas in the sci-fi stories.
these were so intelligent, imaginative, lucid, challenging, and affecting that they left me stunned. Ken Liu is an astonishing writer and thinker.Read more
The writer is gifted and creative. I guarantee you won't guess the direction that these stories take.Read more
Very Creative!...Read more
...The entirety of the book is utterly astounding in creativity! A must read.Read more
13 customers mention aesthetics, 12 positive, 1 negative
Customers appreciate the book's aesthetics, describing it as lovely with a beautiful tone and an impressionable look at sci-fi.
Beautiful and imaginative writing with a lot of range: there's big, cosmic science fiction; near-future speculative stuff, magical realism, and...Read more
Absolutely beautiful work. Each story is incredible and as a collection it is indispensable....Read more
The writing can be weak at times, however, a few of these stories had lovely and fantastic plots.Read more
Truly innovative, with beautiful tone and flow.Read more
Beautiful stories, but book falling apart.
3 out of 5 stars
Beautiful stories, but book falling apart.
First of all, I have to say that the stories in the book are fantastic and my rating is not related to that aspect! The cover has a very satisfying softness to touch. Everything seemed great until I noticed an uneven page towards the center of the book. After inspecting, I realized several pages aren’t attached and slide all the way out. It’s a little bit of a bummer.
Hide
Thank you for your feedback
Sorry, there was an error
Sorry we couldn't load the review

Top reviews from the United States

  • CIMHsv
    5.0 out of 5 stars Short Stories that will stay with you for a long time.
    Reviewed in the United States on August 30, 2016
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    It took me a while to read this one because I had to pause at the end of each story, sometime for days, to think about it, mentally study it, and allow it to enter my memory stores where it wanted to reside. The stories are varied in length, are wide in range and subject, and are all unforgettable.

    When I started with "The Bookmaking Habits of Select Species", I knew this would be unlike anything I'd read lately. And it just got better from there. A sly combination of history lesson, science fiction, revisionist history, and social commentary, Liu deserves every award and accolade he has received for this compilation, which are numerous.

    I highly recommend this gem. Here are a few memorable quotes:
    •"We have always faced a precarious existence, suspended in a thin strip on the surface of this planet between the fire underneath and the icy vacuum above." Mono No Aware
    •"The desire to freeze reality is about avoiding reality." Simulacrum
    •"...a boy stands in darkness and silence. He speaks; his words float up like a bubble. It explodes, and the world is a little brighter, and a little less stiflingly silent." A Brief History of the Trans-Pacific Tunnel
    Thanks to NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.
    34 people found this helpful
    Helpful
     Report
  • deesy
    4.0 out of 5 stars • “The Perfect Match” is a story about a mega-corporation named “Centillion
    Reviewed in the United States on January 14, 2018
    Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase
    Very Creative! Written by Ken Liu, and published by Saga Press, an imprint of Simon & Schuster, Inc. in 2016, this book is a collection of fifteen short stories that are of the Science Fiction & Fantasy genre. Some of the stories contain elements of both genres, and some are much more realistic (The Literomancer). I will list each short story and add my observations about them:

    • “The Bookmaking Habits of Select Species” is a story about how different species in the universe might produce or read books. It was an interesting read with some creative thoughts. The author concludes the chapter with the words: “Everyone makes books.”

    • “State Change” is a story about a young woman named Rina who believes that her soul resides in an ice cube that she keeps frozen and keeps near her at all times. She has multiple refrigerators in her apartment, and one underneath her desk at work. She carries the ice cube in an insulated carrier. She has a girlfriend named Amy who believes that her soul resides in a pack of cigarettes. They believe that if the ice cube melts, or if the cigarette pack becomes empty, they will die. Rina meets Jimmy at the office. His soul resides in a salt shaker. Eventually, the cigarette pack is empty, and the ice cube melts.

    • “The Perfect Match” is a story about a mega-corporation named “Centillion.” It is reminiscent of Google, Apple, Amazon and Facebook, all rolled into one. Its marketing thrust is like that of Google. It has a female persona that speaks to its clients like Siri or Alexa does today. The voice is named “Tilly.” Tilly is ubiquitous. She tells people what to eat, what movies to see, who they should date, everything about their lives. Sai meets his new neighbor, Jenny, and they decide to abandon Tilly and Centillion, and to work actively to destroy the company and regain their individual freedoms. Needless to say, the plan fails. This story is spooky because it has already begun—started by the companies I just listed.

    • “Good Hunting” is a story set in Southern or Southeastern China, not too far from Hong Kong. Liang and his father are demon hunters. Father has a sword named “Swallowtail” that he uses to kill the demons, who are shape-shifters. The particular demons in question are able to change from human form into the form of foxes. Although intended to follow in his father’s footsteps, Liang befriends a demon who can transform into the shape of a white fox. Instead of killing her, he hides her from searchers and brings her food. The British arrive in Hong Kong, and they build a railroad. Soon, the demons disappear, and father and son no longer have work. Liang moves to Hong Kong and becomes an engineer with expertise in metal working and steam power. After a time, he meets his demon friend, who has also traveled to Hong Kong in order to survive. The story takes some interesting twists after this.

    • “The Literomancer” is a story that is set in Taiwan, beginning on September 18, 1961. The protagonist is a fourth-grade American girl named Lilly Dyer. She had recently moved to Taiwan from Texas with her family when her father was transferred by his employer. Lily is picked on by the other little girls at the American school where she attends classes, and she is not accepted by the Chinese children in the neighborhood. She meets an old man named “Kan,” and his adopted grandson named “Teddy.” Kan is a man who came to Taiwan from the mainland of China to escape both the Communists and the Nationalists. He was educated in America at Harvard. Teddy wants to play baseball for the Red Sox. Lilly finds parts of a classified letter written by her father, and she reads it. Later she shares one of the words in the letter with Kan, and then tells her father about it. That was a very big mistake.

    I was living in Taiwan during all of 1961, and I found at least one aspect of the story to be not very believable. The author has a political axe to grind, here, and he takes the side of the mainlanders against the native Taiwanese people. One of the stories he tells is one that I heard many times while I was in Taiwan, except that the roles of villains and innocent people was reversed. Mainlanders absolutely controlled the government, the military, the educations system, and the financial systems in 1961. I know. I was there. Also, a classified letter with the words that her father allegedly wrote, and that Lilly found and read, would never have left the confines of a secure location, nowadays called a “SCIF” (Secure Classified Information Facility). It could never have been found in somebody’s home, like Lily’s. The part of the story that referred to the origins of the Chinese written language was, however, quite good. Even though Mr. Liu did not use the conventional term “radical” to describe the roots of the more common Chinese characters (although he did in a later story in the book), his descriptions were still accurate, as were his Wade-Giles romanizations of Mandarin words. (The Chinese language has no alphabet.)

    • “Simulacrum” is a story about a man who invents, develops and uses simulacra. Paul Larimore is a technical entrepreneur who has invented several models of simulacra, including a very realistic artificial intelligence for them. He even uses them as a substitute for pornography. One day, his thirteen year-old daughter, Anna, is sent home from school early because she is ill. She walks in on her naked father and four female simulacra engaged in a simulated sex fantasy. She is disgusted, and by the time she leaves for college, she will no longer speak to her father, or have any contact with him. Eventually, Larimore makes a simulacrum of his daughter Anna that is frozen at about the age of seven. The story is mildly interesting, but I really didn’t like it much.

    • “The Regular” is an excellent story about the way a female ex-cop, and now private detective, tracks down a serial killer who preys on prostitutes. He murders them, mutilates their bodies, steals all of their valuables, and then uses films that they have made to blackmail their clients. He is called the “Watcher.” The detective is Ruth Law, and she was fired from the police department when she failed to use her firearm in a hostage situation that, ultimately, resulted in four deaths. Leave out the sci-fi element of the story, and this is just as good as the best of the police and crime genre of fiction written today. This author could easily transition from sci-fi and fantasy to police procedurals and murder mysteries if he wished. The story is excellent.

    • “The Paper Menagerie” is about a little boy named Kan, whose Chinese mother is able to make origami paper animals and then breathe life into them using magic. The paper animals then become animated and lifelike, with behaviors mimicking their real-life templates. The first animal she makes is an origami paper tiger made from leftover Christmas gift-wrapping paper, so the tiger has the stripes from the candy-cane design on the paper. Not only can the tiger move around, it can also growl. The boy loves his paper menagerie, which also includes a goat, a deer, a water buffalo, and a shark made from tin foil that chases goldfish around their bowl.

    Kan’s father is an American, and the family lives in Connecticut. His mother was selected by his father from a catalog of Chinese women that, supposedly, came from Hong Kong and spoke English. This wasn’t true, of course, but Kan’s father purchased and married his mother anyway, and they traveled back to Connecticut. Kan, also called “Jack,” was born a year later. I thought this story was very poignant. I liked it a lot.

    • “An Advanced Readers’ Picture Book of Comparative Cognition” is about various forms of intelligent life in the universe, and how they perceive, remember and think. The author describes giant single-celled beings living in a warm sea who briefly merge and exchange all knowledge, becoming two identical individuals. He also describes a race that travels in ships that accelerate forever, traveling to the end of the universe. The protagonist is a woman who grew up on a boat and now wishes to join a group of humans who have decided to journey to the focal point of the Sun’s gravitational lens, which is fourteen times the distance from Pluto to the Sun out into empty space in the hope of hearing radio signals from extraterrestrial intelligent life. I didn’t really like it much.

    • “The Waves” is a story about a group of humans who have decided to travel directly to the stars in a form of generation ship that will travel for 400 years. Their goal is a star system known as 61 Virginis. Unexpectedly, the ship receives a message from Earth that changes everything. As a background, traveler Maggie Chao is reading old Chinese fables to some of the children on the ship. When the pilgrims arrive at their destination, they learn that the system is already inhabited—by humans. Or, at least, what used to be humans. The pilgrims have been passed by in their journey by ever faster ships that have reached the planet ahead of them. It was interesting to see where the author went with this concept, because he didn’t stop there. I thought this story was pretty good.

    • “Mono No Aware” is a story set in deep space in the not-too-distant future. An asteroid has been detected heading for earth, and America has decided to build great “generation” space ships to travel to a distant star system in the hope of survival. Hiroto is a young Japanese boy whose mother has arranged for him to board the only starship life boat to survive the ensuing wars on earth. He is the very last surviving member of the Japanese people. Later, at age twenty-five, his job aboard the ship is to monitor the vast light-sail that powers it. He detects a tear in the fabric of the sail, and it is driving the ship off course. He volunteers to repair it, and takes a repair kit out to the sail. He succeeds, and becomes a hero to the others—but not without cost. His strategy is modeled after the Japanese board game, “Go.”

    • “All The Flavors” is about a group of Chinese immigrant placer miners in Idaho City, Idaho who arrive there shortly after two outlaws, Obee and Crick (who call themselves “The Missouri Boys”) burn the town after murdering a saloon proprietor. The year is 1865. Lily Seaver is a little girl who lives in the town and is fascinated by the music of the Chinese men, and by the smell of their cooking. Her father is a merchant whose store was destroyed in the fire, but who is now rebuilding. Lily likes to roam around the area outside the town, and she comes across the placer mine being operated by the “Chinamen.” She hides behind a tree and watches them and listens to their singing. She is there when Obee and Crick arrive with guns to rob the miners, and she sees their leader, Lao Guan (called Logan by the locals), get shot by the outlaws. But after Lao Guan has been shot in the shoulder, he is still able to kill one of the outlaws with a stone he has picked up and thrown. Lily tries to run, but she falls and is injured. The miners treat her wounds, and they treat and suture Logan before they all return to the miner’s house in town. They use traditional Chinese herbs and potions, along with acupuncture.

    The next scene shows Logan teaching Lily the rudiments of the game “Go,” known as “Wei Qi” by the Chinese, by scratching a board grid in the dirt with his knife, and using lotus and watermelon seeds as game pieces. He tells Lily the story of Guan Yu, the Chinese God of War. He relates how Guan Yu was taught to play Wei Qi by his father, using lotus seeds and watermelon seeds as game pieces. The story proceeds from there, and the author presents a couple of footnotes at the end. This story is much more like historical fiction than science fiction or fantasy. At 87 pages, it is a bit long for a short story. It is closer to being a novella in my view. I enjoyed reading it, however.

    • “A Brief History of the Trans-Pacific Tunnel” is alternative history fiction in that it is supposed that a two-tube tunnel has been built between Seattle, Tokyo and Shanghai. It is set in the early to mid-twentieth century. It took ten years to construct the 5,880 mile long tunnel: 1929 to 1938. Seven million men worked on the project, the majority of which were furnished by Japan and the United States. The breakthrough between the two ends of the tunnel took place in 1938.

    The protagonist is a Formosan (Taiwanese) who calls himself Charlie. Charlie was one of the diggers who dug the portion of the tunnel between Shanghai and the halfway point. There is a rest area midway through the tunnel, under the Pacific Ocean, where travelers can rest and eat on their journeys between Asia and America. It is called Midpoint City, and a number of people live there permanently, including Charlie. The trip from Shanghai to Seattle takes about two days due to the maximum speed of the monorail carriages that travel through the tunnel being only 120 mph, although it is hoped that it might soon be increased to 200 mph. Still, it is much faster than the zeppelins, aeroplanes or ships that currently carried passengers at the time. The story is a metaphorical description of the history of how the Japanese military treated the Chinese and the Manchurians from the 1920s until the end of WWII. It is well worth reading.

    • “The Litigation Master and the Monkey King” is a story that tells us how, perhaps, the massacre of the city of YangZhou came to be known, even after a brutal suppression by the Manchu emperors. Apparently, the populace of the entire city was wiped out— murdered by the Manchus on the order of Prince Dodo. The slaughter lasted ten days, and every single Chinese witness was killed, but one was able to write a book about it. The book was hidden, and later smuggled out to Japan, but the Manchus searched relentlessly for it. Later, the words of a children’s song in the form of a puzzle led scholars to track down the book and reveal the truth. This is a good story, and it tells us something of the history of China.

    • “The Man Who Ended History: A Documentary” is a story about a Chinese-American husband (Evan Wei) and his Japanese-American wife (Akemi Kirino) team who invent a method for anybody to travel back and look at a time in the past. She is a physicist. He is a historian. The only problem with their technique, which uses quantum entanglement between two previously undiscovered sub-atomic particles similar to photons, is that once the place and time has been viewed, it is lost forever and can never be viewed again. (Thus, the title of the story.) The historian husband is the lead member of the team, and he decides that, rather than allow scholars and scientists to use the technology first, it should be reserved for the families of the Chinese victims of Japanese military atrocities in Pingfang, on the outskirts of Harbin, Manchuria in the early part of WWII. This arbitrary viewing of the past leads many people to believe that history is becoming like Swiss Cheese, with many holes in it.

    This decision by Dr. Wei turns out to be quite controversial, however, and Congress holds hearings that result in the US government shutting the project down. Many people, called “deniers” do not believe that the technology is real, and Dr. Wei loses his teaching tenure. It seems that a unit of the Japanese Imperial Army, called Unit 731, engaged in terrible atrocities under the guise of medical research at the that place during the war. As the war ended, the camp was destroyed leaving little trace, the unit was disbanded, and everybody involved was sworn to secrecy. Parts of this story are historically true, and have been validated. The Japanese government, however, has never formally apologized for this particular horror of war, and the United States was complicit in the cover-up so that it could obtain the results of the bio-warfare and medical research.

    The author, like very many other Chinese, is very much focused on this horrible chapter in human history. To this day, many Chinese hold a visceral hatred for the Japanese and their government. What everybody seems to have forgotten, however, is that human history is rife with events where the innocent have been tortured and slaughtered. Has the author forgotten his own words in an earlier story: “The Litigation Master and the Monkey King”? It wasn’t the Japanese who slaughtered the people of HangZhou, China. It was the Manchus. Or how about, more recently, the persecution of the Falun Gong in modern-day China? In a report compiled by “World Organization to Investigate the Persecution of Falun Gong,” we learn that, as recently as 2004, the persecution continued. According to the report:

    “Today the persecution of Falun Gong still continues in China. As of the end of March 2004, 918 Falun Gong practitioners have been confirmed to die from persecution. More than 100,000 Falun Gong practitioners have been detained and imprisoned. Those who openly express and practice their belief are met with tortures, arbitrary arrests and detentions. Forced Labor camps, mental hospitals, state-owned media and the law have been misused as tools of severe human rights violations. Force [sic] labor and selling organs of executed prisoners are still common.”

    People should read this report, which is available on the Internet. We can see from it that atrocities are not unique to the Japanese. It’s happening now to the Rohingyans. It’s going on in Syria. Have we forgotten the Cambodian genocide: “The Cambodian genocide … was carried out by the Khmer Rouge (KR) regime led by Pol Pot between 1975 and 1979 in which an estimated 1.5 to 3 million Cambodians died or were killed by the regime.” (Wikipedia) Humans have been acting like this for thousands of years. We humans are a deeply flawed species

    The book, while meriting a four-star award, would have been complete without this final story, in my view. I don’t think it was as well-written as most of the other stories, and it was too overtly political in nature to fit with the rest of the book. I thought “The Regular” and “The Paper Menagerie” were the best of the stories—definitely worth reading. This is a four star work that will both entertain and educate. I recommend it.
    67 people found this helpful
    Helpful
     Report
  • Amazon Customer
    5.0 out of 5 stars Must read!
    Reviewed in the United States on September 22, 2025
    Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
    Such a great read! I got this as a gift, but I read it first. Very nice looking as well. Arrived promptly!
    Helpful
     Report
  • Antonio
    5.0 out of 5 stars Very creative short stories
    Reviewed in the United States on April 14, 2026
    Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
    The stories were very creative. Some were science fiction. I like their characters and metaphors. Theme was very clear. I also like the book cover art. I like the tiger.
    Helpful
     Report
  • Kindle Customer
    5.0 out of 5 stars Even if you read the magazines, collection is excellent
    Reviewed in the United States on September 27, 2016
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    I have been reading Ken Liu stories, and his fine translations, for years. Reading this fine collection I found several old favorites that grew with a second reading, and many more truly excellent stories.

    Liu handles the science so smoothly that you rarely if ever notice he is teaching you.

    He writes from within the skins, or wearing the shoes, of 3-D, well realized characters. The vivid individuals are incidentally of several different races or ethnicities, and they do powerfully illuminate their experiences for a white bread guy like me, but the grand unified field theories never intrude. Real folks confront, among other things, race hatred - vividly drawn but never clanking stereotypes for any group.

    One "for instance" is a detective living with a McGuffin (new tech device) that "regulates" your emotions, as when an armed peace officer decides whether or not to shoot a terrorist using your daughter as a human shield. The dilemma and arc of character shine - the McGuffin and some ethnicity just make the story even better.

    And often wryly funny, as you digest the action and re-read the pithy and elegant prose.
    6 people found this helpful
    Helpful
     Report

Top reviews from other countries

Translate all reviews to English
  • FeydRautha
    4.0 out of 5 stars Une bonne approche de Ken Liu à travers certains de ses textes les plus importants
    Reviewed in France on March 30, 2017
    Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
    The Paper Menagerie est un recueil de nouvelles par l’auteur sino-américain Ken Liu entre 2004 et 2016. Certaines de ces nouvelles s'inscrivent dans le genre science-fiction, d'autres plutôt dans le fantastique, mais cet aspect n'est pas une caractéristique principale, puisque Ken Liu écrit essentiellement des histoires humaines, sans déployer beaucoup d'énergie à inscrire son récit dans un genre ou un autre. Ainsi The Paper Menagerie prend la forme d'une galerie de portraits dans laquelle il conte les vies imaginaires de personnages, en très grande majorité d'origine chinoise, confrontés à la dichotomie bien/mal du monde. Les thèmes du racisme, de l'injustice sociale, du choix personnel, du combat pour la vie, de la rébellion, sont autant de thèmes autour desquels s'articulent les nouvelles qui composent ce recueil. Mais la peinture de ces portraits se fait souvent au détriment d'une histoire solide et de la construction d'univers suffisamment développés. Si l'ensemble du recueil a un ton assez mélancolique, certaines nouvelles sont glaçantes.

    Au final, l'amateur de science-fiction restera sur sa faim, en tout cas de ce point de vue, car ce recueil n'est pas du tout de la SF. Ken Liu est souvent comparé à Ted Chiang, pour l'unique raison qu'ils sont tous les deux auteurs américains tendance SF et d'origine chinoise. En réalité, ces deux auteurs n'ont strictement rien en commun qui permette une comparaison. Mais s'il faut vraiment s'adonner à ce jeu, personnellement je préfère les nouvelles de Ted Chiang dans le registre hard-SF que la mélancolie de Ken Liu.

    Une précision : le contenu de The Paper Menagerie n'est pas identique au recueil publié en France par Le Bélial sous le titre La Ménagerie de Papier (La Ménagerie pour faire court). La Ménagerie de Le Bélial contient 19 nouvelles. Certaines nouvelles sont communes aux deux éditions, d'autres non. L'édition américaine ne contient que 15 nouvelles dont notamment les deux longs textes The Regular (qui sera publié dans la collection Une Heure Lumière de Le Bélial en Juin 2017) et The Man Who Ended History (publié dans la collection Une Heure Lumière en 2016 sous le titre L'homme qui Mit Fin à L'Histoire) qui sont absents de La Ménagerie. The Paper Menagerie est donc un recueil intéressant à lire, si vous lisez l'anglais, car il regroupe les textes les plus importants de Ken Liu, et notamment ceux qui ont été primés ou nominés.

    Je donne ci-dessous un très court résumé des textes qui m'ont semblé les plus intéressants :

    - Good Hunting (23 pages). Un très joli texte sur l’évolution de la société face au progrès technologique ou comment la société traditionnelle change avec la disparition de la « magie » dans une ambiance mêlant croyances traditionnelles chinoises, et steampunk. Un des beaux textes du recueil.

    - The regular (55 pages). Il s'agit de la nouvelle que Le Bélial s'apprête à sortir traduite sous le titre "Le regard" en Juin 2017. A partir d'un thème très cliché du roman policier, le meurtre d'une prostituée chinoise, Ken Liu construit un polar cyberpunk dans un future proche. La nouvelle est courte mais efficace, même si ce n'est pas le texte le plus original de ce recueil.

    - The wave (26 pages) est le texte le plus SF et le plus optimiste du recueil. Il explore l'évolution d'une humanité amené à quitter la terre et à voyager durant des siècles à travers l'espace, subissant de nombreux changements dans sa nature même.

    - Mono No Aware (20 pages) reprend le thème de The Wave, pour présenter une version plus sombre du début de l'exile de l'humanité. Le texte est bon car il dresse le portrait d'un jeune exilé japonais confronté à un choix et explore les origines de sa décision, mais il souffre de quelques incohérences d'un point de vue SF.

    - All the Flavor (49 pages) est un récit historique sur la vie des premier émigré chinois aux Etats-Unis. Le texte est très bien écrit, passionnant et met en jeu une galerie de personnages vraiment intéressants qui vont apprendre à se comprendre et échanger leur culture. Un très beau texte du recueil.

    - The Man Who Ended History: A Documentary (59 pages). Il s'agit d'un texte majeur de Ken Liu, publié en 2016 en français par Le Bélial et qui a fait forte impression à tous ceux qui l'ont lu. Deux chercheurs, Evan Wei et Akemi Kirino, lui historien d'origine chinoise et elle physicienne d'origine japonaise, mettent au point une technologie permettant d'observer le passé. En choisissant d'explorer les crimes japonais commis par l'Unité 751, durant l'occupation japonaise de la Mandchourie, et qui a pratiqué nombres d'horreurs sur des prisonniers chinois et coréens, les deux chercheurs vont déclencher un séisme politique. Ce texte très dur est clairement le meilleur du recueil.

    Un mot pour finir sur la nouvelle qui donne son titre au recueil : The Paper Menagerie (15 pages). Il s'agit de la nouvelle qui a fait connaitre Ken Liu et a reçu les trois prix Hugo, Nebula, et World Fantasy. J'ai personnellement été très déçu par cette nouvelle. L'idée de départ est charmante, mais elle est utilisée dans une nouvelle qui cherche à être exagérément triste en déployant des artifices élimés pour finir de manière somme toute assez banale.
    Report
  • Calum Lott
    5.0 out of 5 stars Highly recommend
    Reviewed in Australia on May 8, 2024
    Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
    Excellent collection of short stories. Ken Liu is a master.
    Report
  • David J. Thirteen
    5.0 out of 5 stars Writing full of beauty and imagination
    Reviewed in Canada on September 26, 2016
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    This was my first time reading Ken Liu and the beauty and imagination of his writing really took me by surprise. Many of the stories, especially at the beginning of this collection, I found reminiscent to short stories by Umberto Eco because of their sci-fi/fairytale qualities. Some of the stories in the collection are dazzling original speculative fiction, many explores Liu’s cultural duality as a Chinese American, a few are fairly traditional cyberpunk. When they work best (which is most of the time), they are deeply moving human tales about the people in these fantastical situations more than the fantastical situation themselves. The ones that work least, in my opinion, were the ones that centered on a political concept or statement rather than the characters. Luckily these are few. Although it was a shame that the last story in the book falls into this category. It was extremely long and was written in a drab “documentary” style so unlike the rest of the collection. I wish the last story I had read was as magical as the first.

    But that aside, this is a strong anthology and well worth any reader’s time.
    Report
  • Annika
    5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing book
    Reviewed in Germany on December 12, 2022
    Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
    This book has so many breathtaking stories. It takes you to so many different places worlds and lives. And every story has an amazing Silver lining to figure out. I can only recommend this book if you are adventurous and like to read about beautifully written stories that will let your heart ache and fill up with joy.
    Report
  • Cliente de Amazon
    3.0 out of 5 stars Relatos buenísimos, condiciones del libro malas
    Reviewed in Mexico on October 18, 2019
    Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
    No le puse 5 estrellas por las malas condiciones en que llegó el libro. No vino con envoltura de plástico por lo que llegó algo maltratado de los bordes y la pasta de la portada no cubre totalmente el libro, como se puede apreciar en las fotos. También tiene manchas en la portada debido a fallos de impresión. Lo considero un descuido grave por parte de la editorial y espero que corrijan ese detalle pues el contenido de la obra es extraordinario. Lo compré en una edición en inglés para supuestamente tener un ejemplar más bonito pero no me resultó.
    Customer image
    Cliente de Amazon
    3.0 out of 5 stars
    Relatos buenísimos, condiciones del libro malas

    Reviewed in Mexico on October 18, 2019
    No le puse 5 estrellas por las malas condiciones en que llegó el libro. No vino con envoltura de plástico por lo que llegó algo maltratado de los bordes y la pasta de la portada no cubre totalmente el libro, como se puede apreciar en las fotos. También tiene manchas en la portada debido a fallos de impresión. Lo considero un descuido grave por parte de la editorial y espero que corrijan ese detalle pues el contenido de la obra es extraordinario. Lo compré en una edición en inglés para supuestamente tener un ejemplar más bonito pero no me resultó.
    Images in this review
    Customer image Customer image
    Report
See more reviews

Report an issue


Does this item contain inappropriate content?
Report
Do you believe that this item violates a copyright?
Report
Does this item contain quality or formatting issues?
Report