Intelligent literary sci-fi, thought-provoking but lacking in some key areas.
Vagabonds is a Chinese sci-fi novel by Hao Jingfang and translated by Ken Liu. At 640 pages, this is one of the longer books I’ve read and quite a time sink. I can readily recommend this title to fans of more literary sci-fi and serious, sophisticated prose that has the characters examining the world around them in introspective ways. A lot of effort is put toward world-building right down to the nitty-gritty details of technology, political systems, and the culture of not only Earth in 2096 but also a highly developed Mars. The two are at odds, with a history of war and existing tensions.
The story follows multiple young people who have traveled between the planets and can be considered vagabonds- adrift between two worlds, experiencing complex feelings for both and belonging to neither. Just wandering in a strange space between. During its most shining moments of prose, Vagabonds does well in capturing that sort of journey.
The main character of focus is Luo Ying, a young dancer whose grandfather presides over Mars. Her parents died under mysterious circumstances. Across the span of her journey she seeks to find out more about them and also process her thoughts on Mars versus Earth. Is Mars really headed in an ideal direction, or are the differing ideals she observed on Earth more likely to lead to justice and freedom? Black and white thinking is not abound in Vagabonds, both worlds are gradually revealed and treated with a nuance view. I was impressed by the combination of imaginative technologies and allegorical modern issues which could convincingly persist so many years in the future.
But there were many rambling chapters with intensive world building that was more demanding and info-dumpy than immersive. This is a quiet, elegantly-written book that consistently ponders instead of taking action. The plot moves slowly and while most questions are answered by the end, it did seem like little was accomplished after such a massive page count.
I also found the characters lacking in appeal, flavor, or well-rounded development. This could have to do with the future being so sleek and controlled, but very few of the individuals portrayed here left much of a mark. They all sound a bit similar in voice and style, reminiscent of my issues with the characters of Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro. As a side note, if you read and greatly enjoyed that book you may want to give Vagabonds a try as it has some tonal similarities.
A note about the translation. I’ve read many translations, ones that seemed good and ones that seemed bad. This translation strikes me as noteworthy in its depth and clarity. Word choices seem carefully handled and well-fitting to the literary weight of this work.
In closing, Vagabonds is worth checking out if you enjoy more mature and thought-provoking sci-fi with an emphasis on world building. The political and social tensions conveyed make an interesting contrast to present-day realities.
But a thrilling timeline, eventful plotting, and deep character development take a backseat by comparison. I found this book as a whole to be too lacking in those areas.
Note : I received an ARC of this book from the publisher for review.
The story follows multiple young people who have traveled between the planets and can be considered vagabonds- adrift between two worlds, experiencing complex feelings for both and belonging to neither. Just wandering in a strange space between. During its most shining moments of prose, Vagabonds does well in capturing that sort of journey.
The main character of focus is Luo Ying, a young dancer whose grandfather presides over Mars. Her parents died under mysterious circumstances. Across the span of her journey she seeks to find out more about them and also process her thoughts on Mars versus Earth. Is Mars really headed in an ideal direction, or are the differing ideals she observed on Earth more likely to lead to justice and freedom? Black and white thinking is not abound in Vagabonds, both worlds are gradually revealed and treated with a nuance view. I was impressed by the combination of imaginative technologies and allegorical modern issues which could convincingly persist so many years in the future.
But there were many rambling chapters with intensive world building that was more demanding and info-dumpy than immersive. This is a quiet, elegantly-written book that consistently ponders instead of taking action. The plot moves slowly and while most questions are answered by the end, it did seem like little was accomplished after such a massive page count.
I also found the characters lacking in appeal, flavor, or well-rounded development. This could have to do with the future being so sleek and controlled, but very few of the individuals portrayed here left much of a mark. They all sound a bit similar in voice and style, reminiscent of my issues with the characters of Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro. As a side note, if you read and greatly enjoyed that book you may want to give Vagabonds a try as it has some tonal similarities.
A note about the translation. I’ve read many translations, ones that seemed good and ones that seemed bad. This translation strikes me as noteworthy in its depth and clarity. Word choices seem carefully handled and well-fitting to the literary weight of this work.
In closing, Vagabonds is worth checking out if you enjoy more mature and thought-provoking sci-fi with an emphasis on world building. The political and social tensions conveyed make an interesting contrast to present-day realities.
But a thrilling timeline, eventful plotting, and deep character development take a backseat by comparison. I found this book as a whole to be too lacking in those areas.
Note : I received an ARC of this book from the publisher for review.