I've been very into translated Chinese science fiction lately, and when I saw that this was translated by Ken Liu, I really want to give this book a shot. Vagabonds tells the story of a civil war between two civilizations: those from Mars and those from Earth.
Though I find science fiction to be sometimes dense, this was dense in a different way. I am usually a fan of lyrical prose, but this doesn't work for me in a work of science fiction. I am usually too busy trying to understand the situation and science fiction to want to deal with less than straight forward writing. That is, however, just my preference!
What I did like was the obvious commentary on socialism and capitalism. This book is incredibly relevant, and I highly enjoy stories that are able to weave in relevant societal issues into stories that are obviously about an issue but also not so obviously about the issue. It's a good story, even if you don't care to think about anything other than the story.
Though I find science fiction to be sometimes dense, this was dense in a different way. I am usually a fan of lyrical prose, but this doesn't work for me in a work of science fiction. I am usually too busy trying to understand the situation and science fiction to want to deal with less than straight forward writing. That is, however, just my preference!
What I did like was the obvious commentary on socialism and capitalism. This book is incredibly relevant, and I highly enjoy stories that are able to weave in relevant societal issues into stories that are obviously about an issue but also not so obviously about the issue. It's a good story, even if you don't care to think about anything other than the story.