"Other words also hold magic and power, but they require reflection and thought"

I am doing a deep dive into Sci-Fi and fantasy; falling in love with the creative exploration of real world events in world building. Ken Liu has been a recommended Author for me to read (I also received the complete Dandelion Dynasty for Christmas!!!) and I was keen to dive into his award winning short stories series.

"...wisdom of the past is always with them, still thinking, still guiding, still exploring"
Human communication is central to my profession, and I found myself deeply reflecting on "the bookmaking habits of select species"; how language is created to store moments in time.

Some standout stories
- the perfect match: what do we agree to, when we use technology. How curated does our lives become when we allow ourselves to filter, self-segregate.
- Good Hunting: a fantastic blend of the mystical fox mistress, machine learning and colonialism
- The Literomancer: just brilliant.
- The Paper menagerie: made me cry and wanted to call my mum at 5am.
-The waves: "Never let your past pick your life for you"

The searing critique of politics, choices of our ancestors and successive government are cleverly intertwined with commentary on culture, society and media. I really loved this collection of short stories, and would be thinking about gifting this collection to some friends this coming year.