The Dragon and the Stars
Derwin Mak and Eric Choi, editors
DAW
Fiction, Anthology/Fantasy/Sci-Fi
***+ (Okay/Good)
DESCRIPTION: In an alternate America, a group of friends heads to exotic Anglotown for a celebratory dinner... the Man in the Moon comes to Earth in search of his future bride... an artist crafting clay sculptures for the emperor's tomb finds an unexpected love and more unexpected talent... a dying North Canadian town's future hinges on a methane-powered orbital craft... These and other stories appear in this anthology of Chinese-themed speculative fiction tales.
REVIEW: For many years, science fiction and fantasy have generally been dominated by white, often male voices, despite the great wealth of material and history to be explored around the world. More recently, the balance has been shifting, with a welcome spread of diverse settings, characters, and authors appearing on the shelves. This anthology turns to China and (generally) Chinese authors for its stories. Like many anthologies, I found the contents a mixed bag. A few lacked cultural context and left me a little lost. Some (and I find this in several anthologies) never quite came to a point, or felt either too long or too short. I didn't consider any outright terrible, though "Going Down to Anglotown" had an ugly darkness about it - which I suspect was quite deliberate, if rather heavy-handed, considering the stereotypes endured by Asian Americans. If you're looking to expand your cultural horizons and explore new authors, this is a decent choice.(The title and cover, though, have little to do with any of the stories presented - a minor enough irritant, but there it is. Plus, it's a "Western" dragon.)
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Magical Roads (Kia Zi Shiru) - My Review
The Dragon Keeper (Carole Wilkinson) - My Review
Serpent of Time (Eugene Woodbury) - My Review
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