In this mind-expanding work of speculative fiction, available in English for the first time, one of South Korea’s most treasured writers explores the driving forces of humanity—love, hope, creation, destruction, and the very meaning of existence—in two pairs of thematically interconnected stories.
Two worlds, four stories, infinite possibilities
In “I’m Waiting for You” and “On My Way,” an engaged couple coordinate their separate missions to distant corners of the galaxy to ensure—through relativity—they can arrive back on Earth simultaneously to make it down the aisle. But small incidents wreak havoc on space and time, driving their wedding date further away. As centuries on Earth pass and the land and climate change, one thing is constant: the desire of the lovers to be together. In two separate yet linked stories, Kim Bo-Young cleverly demonstrate the idea love that is timeless and hope springs eternal, despite seemingly insurmountable challenges and the deepest despair.
In “The Prophet of Corruption” and “That One Life,” humanity is viewed through the eyes of its creators: godlike beings for which everything on Earth—from the richest woman to a speck of dirt—is an extension of their will. When one of the creations questions the righteousness of this arrangement, it is deemed a perversion—a disease—that must be excised and cured. Yet the Prophet Naban, whose “child” is rebelling, isn’t sure the rebellion is bad. What if that which is considered criminal is instead the natural order—and those who condemn it corrupt? Exploring the dichotomy between the philosophical and the corporeal, Kim ponders the fate of free-will, as she considers the most basic of questions: who am I?
Product Details
ISBN-13: 9780062951472
Media Type: Paperback
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
Publication Date: 04-26-2022
Pages: 336
Product Dimensions: 5.20(w) x 7.90(h) x 1.00(d)
About the Author
Kim Bo-Young is one of South Korea’s most active and influential science fiction authors. Her first published work, The Experience of Touch, received the best novella award in the first round of the Korean Science & Technology Creative Writing Awards, and she has won the annual South Korean SF novel award twice. She has a number of works forthcoming in English translation in the United States, including three novellas and a short story. She lives in Gangwon Province, South Korea, with her family.