Sunday, 8 December 2024

Book Review: A Thousand Blues by Cheon Seon-ran (Sci-Fi)

A Thousand Blues
Cheon Seon-ran
Doubleday
13 March 2025
208
eBook - PDF
Sci-fi
ARC via NetGalley

Let's all learn how to slow down...

2035: In the shadow of a race course, a young woman finds a robot on a scrap heap, contemplating the sky. Intrigued, she takes him under her care. Together, they decide to rescue the racehorse named Today, heading for the knackers' yard after a lifetime of overwork. To make Today happy again, they hatch a special plan to let her run another race.

But it will be no ordinary event—they will train her to run the slowest time of her life.

In the heat of the race, Coli feels Today running too fast. She is in pain and will soon injure herself.

To save his beloved horse, Coli will commit one final act of bravery ...

Radiant, urgent, and deeply moving,
A Thousand Blues is a hymn to our earth and to our humanity, giving a powerful voice to those left behind in a fast-forward world of toxic productivity and competition. Brimming with heart, hope, and rage, it shows with vivid empathy and warmth how friendship, community, and sacrifice will set us free.


A Thousand Blues was one of those tales that seemed simple on the surface but which covered many deep themes and complex ideas. It considers the constant race for success in life, the difficulties of dealing with grief and with animal and human rights. The story was told in multiple POVs, which made the timeline jump a little, but not in any way that made it hard to follow. These diverse POVs also allowed us to see aspects of the story from different perspectives, building up a full picture. This was a tale that was at times sad and at other times uplifting, and when I turned the final page, it had certainly made me ponder many things. Recommended to fans of intelligent and thought-provoking reads whether or not you are usually a sci-fi fan. I am giving it 4.5 stars.

I received this book as a free eBook ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

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