レビュー

• SPOILERS // Amazing Book for New and Seasoned SF Lovers!!

  If I had a time machine, I'd want to re-experience this book again. I don't tend to read all that often anymore, mostly because I can be quite picky with the writing styles I engage with. However, the language (albeit translated) is easy to follow and incredibly captivated. What I admire most about the book is its balance between narrative and message. With deep messages comes an impressive narrative, and I especially liked this in “On the Origin of Species.” The blurring of genders between Kay and Cecil helped me focus more on their relationship and their interactions with the rest of the world. The focus on technology becoming similar to us is a pretty pre-established trope, especially in science fiction, but I think the blending of massive themes was well explored. Monotheism, polytheism, the illusions of love and partnership, and the insane plot reveal at the end—I was enraptured by the entire story. I even skipped “Stars Shine in Earth’s Sky” to get to the second part, and backtracked to read the aforementioned story last. Personally, I would've put the “On the Origin of Species” and its sequel together, and end with “Stars Shine in Earth’s Sky,” but I think it worked out well. The other stories were great as well, and made me think about not just our relationship with our current technology, but our connection with nature and other humans as well. In “Between Zero and One,” it felt as if the presence of the time machine fell by the wayside to the connection between the mother and her daughter, and their complications as family. “Scripter” was an interestingly amazing mind twister throughout the entire story, making the reader question the character, as the character questioned themselves; great layering and depth written there, that many other authors are unable to achieve. If you like sci-fi, or fiction in general, I recommend reading this book.

• Slightly overblown hype-wise

  The title track is great, definitely memorable and fascinating. And every other story is based around a really interesting idea. But I would say the ideas are the only really stand-out part of this collection. The stories themselves are sort of middling in how they play out and the moment-to-moment of the writing (title track notwithstanding). Oddly a large number of typos and extra verbs clearly missed in the translation process or something.

• Book Review

  On the Origin of Species by Bo-young Kim is a borrowed title from On the Origin of Species by Charles Darwin, but Kim reshapes it into something that is urgent and unsettling. Instead of discussing biological evolution like Darwin, Kim explores the evolution of humanity. The question asked after reading is not how we survive, but what will we become? This story is set in a reality where the environment has collapsed and there is a huge technological transformation, where humanity has thinned out rather than vanished. Improvements in technology have become so advanced that readers will question if the “person” that characters are communicating with is truly real or not. The crisis presented is quiet but profound, showing that adaptation may require sacrificing qualities that we consider to be essential: empathy, tenderness, and morality. Through intimate character perspectives, Kim shows how survival in this setting can demand choices that are logical but devastating. What really stands out in the novel and what shows how powerful this text is, is its suggestion that evolution doesn’t necessarily equal improvement. Improvements in intelligence can harden into cold efficiency and this progress can strip away compassion and connection. Kim invites readers to question if traits like kindness and empathy are evolutionary weaknesses that ultimately won’t survive. If natural selection rewards what survives, not necessarily what is good, what will happen to humanity? This novel isn’t flashy science fiction, it is deeply philosophical. The stories that make up the novel cause readers to question our existence, human connections, and our current technology. The questions raised all feel relevant due to our current reality and because of major improvements in technology and artificial intelligence. This novel is fantastic and causes readers to question our existence and what is going to come next.

• Mind bending

  Well written, each story grabs from the first paragraph. Odd and enlightening

• As advertised.

  As advertised. Rapid delivery.

購入リンク