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paperpaladin's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
The Hidden Girls and Other Stories is a great short story collection by Ken Liu. There is so much to say about these stories but I will try to keep it short. The stories in this collection fall into two groups: those that deal with the singularity and those that don't. About a third of the stories focus on the idea of humans being uploaded into the digital world and the changes that stem from that. These are good, poignant, and make you think. Some of the lines and ideas are etched in my head and will be with me for a long long time. The other stories are unconnected to everything else. They talk a lot about technology but there is a surprising amount of breathe in the topics that he touches on such as bullying, art, free speech, poverty, and more. There are a few stories that I didn't enjoy as much but I don't think any of the stories were bad or not worth the read.
I think my favorite story from the lot was "The cutting" which is better if you read it. I listened to the audiobook but did seek out a print copy at my library to reread this one and the page layout adds a level of depth to the story.
My rating system
1 - Did not enjoy
2 - Not irredeemable but has too many flaws to say I enjoyed
3 - Enjoyed it
4 - Great book but didn't love it
5 - Amazing book
I think my favorite story from the lot was "The cutting" which is better if you read it. I listened to the audiobook but did seek out a print copy at my library to reread this one and the page layout adds a level of depth to the story.
My rating system
1 - Did not enjoy
2 - Not irredeemable but has too many flaws to say I enjoyed
3 - Enjoyed it
4 - Great book but didn't love it
5 - Amazing book
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Gore, and Violence
Moderate: Bullying, Child death, and Death
smithreads's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Bullying, Child death, Death, Grief, and Death of parent
Moderate: Death and Genocide
Minor: Gun violence, Racism, Sexual content, Sexual violence, and Pregnancy