Remembrance of Earth’s Past
Remembrance of Earth’s Past explores surreal science fiction concepts and the nature of humanity in a way that I haven’t encountered before.
The series was originally written in Chinese, and the tone and structure of the language feels distinct from western literature. This, in my opinion, makes for an interesting read.
The impact of alien contact on societal consciousness, inter-generational divides felt by time skippers, a conversation with a fourth dimensional building, the end (and rebirth) of the universe, and more mind bending topics are covered in this series.
I wouldn’t recommend a Remembrance of Earth’s Past for the plot or for the characters, but if science fiction is your jam this will be a solid read.
Cixin Liu, the author, and Ken Liu, the translator, have put together a piece of science fiction that will probably go down as a classic. More than that, they’ve offered western audiences a glimpse into Chinese literature’s unique cadence.