Ms. Hen reviews The Hidden Girl and Other Stories

 

The Hidden Girl and Other Stories

Ken Liu

Head of Zeus, Ltd.

2020

Ms. Hen decided to read this collection of short stories because she has read other books by the same author and loved them. She was inspired to read another collection of his when she read the book EXHALATION by Ted Chiang.

Ms. Hen thinks that each of these short stories encompasses an entire world, that on their own they are like novels. The author's other collection, THE PAPER MENAGERIE AND OTHER SHORT STORIES was like this as well.

One of Ms. Hen's favorite stories is "The Reborn," which is about a time when aliens take over Earth. These aliens don't believe in memories or history; they have lived for thousands of years, but do not remember their entire lives. They don't understand why human punish people for making mistakes, for example, if a person is a murderer, only a part of that person is a murderer, the other parts could be a father, or a husband, or a friend. This story is about a Boston police officer who is married to an alien, their relationship, and the problems they face.

Another story Ms. Hen liked is "Dispatches from the Cradle: The Hermit - Forty-eight Hours in the Sea of Massachusetts." This is about a time when the earth is covered by water because of global warming. Refugees live on the planet in boats which can convert to underwater vehicles, while the elite live in space. Tourists come to Earth to visit old landmarks that are underwater, such as Harvard Yard. This story is about a woman who was an executive, but chooses to live in a craft amongst the refugees on the oceans of Earth.

A lot of these stories are about human consciousness continuing on through the ether of cyberspace, such as in "The Gods Will Not Be Chained," and "Memories of My Mother." Ms. Hen thinks it's interesting that humanity could live on this way, and she thinks it could be starting with the new AI and social media.

Some of these stories are about family relationships, but with a sci-fi twist, such as "Seven Birthdays," and "The Message." Ms. Hen thinks that even in the future, people will have issues with their families.

Ms. Hen enjoyed reading these short stories, though a lot of them are disturbing. This book proposes the idea that the world could end through global warming or computers taking over the world. Ms. Hen also thinks the end could come by nuclear war. She doesn't like to think such dark thoughts on a Monday, but sometimes she can't help it.