The Paper Menagerie and Other Stories collects 15 of Ken Liu's (The Grace of Kings) best short fiction, including "Mono No Aware," "The Waves" and "The Bookmaking Habits of Select Species." The title piece, "The Paper Menagerie," is the only story to have won the Hugo, Nebula and World Fantasy awards within the same year, and, while it is the best-known story of this collection, the others are equally enthralling. These stories represent a fascinating sample of what Liu calls his "interests, obsessions, and creative goals," a blend of science fiction and fantasy, with elements of steampunk, history and realistic personal narrative. Emotionally unpredictable, Liu's stories take off in unexpected directions and arrive at destinations both startling and satisfying.
No matter the fantastic wrapping, Liu's themes of cost and consequence, adaptation and distrust are part of a common human experience. In "Good Hunting," Liu borrows from mythology and legend to tell the story of a fox spirit in China who needs to adapt to the modern age if she is to survive after her magic is destroyed by human development. "The Literomancer" takes readers to Japan during the Cold War Era and explores how people are able to justify even the most horrific actions as necessary when distrust and suspicion guide their decisions. Each story leaves readers questioning their own lives and wondering if Liu's new worlds are so far from this one. No fan of science fiction, fantasy or exceptionally stirring stories should miss this anthology. --Justus Joseph, bookseller at Elliott Bay Book Company