February 24, 2023

best books for people who like Ken Liu according to goodreads

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The Dandelion Dynasty

The Dandelion Dynasty

It seems that The Dandelion Dynasty by Ken Liu is a great option for people who like his work. It is described as "George R. R. Martin’s *A Song of Ice and Fire*, but Asian" [1] , with lush and vibrant worldbuilding woven into the plot [1] , and characters with modern novel sensibilities [1] . It is heavily inspired by Chinese history [3] , with a narrative style reminiscent of a particularly gripping history textbook [1] . Some readers have found that The Grace of Kings is bloated at times, and some things make little sense [3] , but overall it has been praised for its creativity, fantastic worldbuilding, exciting plot, and unique narrative approaches [3] .
The Grace of Kings

The Grace of Kings

The Grace of Kings by Ken Liu seems to be a great choice if you’re looking for books by Ken Liu according to Goodreads. It is the first book in the Dandelion Dynasty series and has an average rating of 3.75 out of 5 stars [9] . The book reimagines the birth of China's Han Dynasty and features characters based on Liu Bang and Xiang Yu [8] . It also has minimal fantasy elements such as airships, meddling gods, and a creature named Cruben [3] . Furthermore, the second half of the novel has many pivotal female characters in a role that decides the outcome of a war [8] [6] . This is in contrast to other books such as Mistborn trilogy which only feature about four major female characters [10] , making The Grace of Kings stand out even more.
The Wall of Storms

The Wall of Storms

The Wall of Storms by Ken Liu seems to be the second book in a fantasy trilogy. People say that it is sprawling and languidly paced [6] , with characters that are more staid than in his other works [2] and unique narrative approaches [6] . It was apparently in need of more editing to tighten it up and construct it better [6] , but did a great job conveying the sense of how the society as a whole exercised agency in the story [6] .
The Paper Menagerie

The Paper Menagerie

"The Paper Menagerie by Ken Liu seems to be a popular choice for readers who like his work. It's a collection of short stories that are varied and thought-provoking. People say that it treats a large panel of themes [4] and has an impressive range of emotion [7] , with some stories even being adapted into an animated series [4] . The Paper Menagerie is rated highly on Goodreads with an average rating of 4.37 out of 5 stars [9] , making it one of his most highly rated works according to the platform. It is also one of the most published works, having been published in 36 editions since 2016 [9] ."

The Hidden Girl

The Hidden Girl and Other Stories by Ken Liu seems to be a great choice for those who are looking for books written by Ken Liu. It contains a variety of stories with thoughtful and exciting plots that deal with themes around history, memory, and responsibility [7] . People say that it's even better than The Paper Menagerie [3] , which is one of Liu's most acclaimed works. According to Goodreads, The Hidden Girl and Other Stories has an average rating of 3.93 out of 5 stars [9] , showing that it's well-received amongst readers. It is definitely worth considering if you're looking for books written by Ken Liu!
All answers

All answers

  • The Dandelion Dynasty
  • The Grace of Kings
  • The Wall of Storms
  • The Paper Menagerie
  • The Hidden Girl
  • The Veiled Throne
  • Good Hunting
  • Three-Body Problem
  • Ursula K. Le Guin
  • Stanislaw Lem
  • Peter Watts
  • Arthur C. Clarke
  • Octavia E. Butler
  • Ray Nayler
  • Hiroshi Yamamoto

    • Genre

    When it comes to the genre of Ken Liu's works, you can expect grand and sweeping narratives reminiscent of a particularly gripping history textbook [1] , science fantasy with universal science [1] , and a plot heavily inspired by Chinese history [1] .

    Content

    Ken Liu explores themes around history, memory and responsibility in his works [5] , literalizing some aspect of reality [7] , such as parental love as an animating force [7] . His stories can also be violent or graphic and emotionally devastating [5] .

    Narrative Style

    Ken Liu's narrative style is often grand and sweeping, characterized by understandable and sympathetic characters' motivations [1] and a neat, tidy world with few inconvenient details [1] . His stories are also replete with modern novel sensibilities for characters [1] .

    Writing Style

    Ken Liu is known for his award-winning short stories such as Good Hunting which was adapted for Netflix’s Love Death + Robots [2] , The Paper Menagerie which was also adapted into an audio version on Escape Pod [2] , and The Hidden Girl which was even better than The Paper Menagerie according to some readers [3] . His writing style might not be for everyone as it can sometimes be bloated at times and some things just don't make sense [3] .

    Worldbuilding

    Ken Liu has created an incredibly vast worldbuilding in his works, filled with gods playing a big role bickering amongst themselves on who to support when and how [4] , kite-fighters, Asian inspired combat techniques [4] , airships [4] and silkmotic machines [7] . He also has a hundred different ways to write books [7] so readers will get completely different stories out of the text.

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    Research

    Source: "The Grace of Kings (The Dandelion Dynasty, #1) ..." (from web, www.goodreads.com)

    • The Grace of Kings (The Dandelion Dynasty, #1)
      • This debut is super underrated and reimagines the birth of China’s Han Dynasty
      • Features characters based on Liu Bang and Xiang Yu, trying their best to do what’s right according to their ideals
      • Features minimal fantastical elements, such as the existence of airships, the meddling gods, and the creature Cruben
      • The second half of the novel features many pivotal female characters in a role that decides the outcome of a war
    • Mistborn trilogy
      • Features only about four major female characters throughout the entire trilogy
      • One of them is Vin, the main character

    Source: "Ken Liu (Author of The Paper Menagerie and Othe..." (from web, www.goodreads.com)

    • The Paper Menagerie and Other Stories
      • avg rating of 4.37 out of 5 stars
      • published in 2016 with 36 editions
    • The Grace of Kings (The Dandelion Dynasty, #1)
      • avg rating of 3.75 out of 5 stars
      • published in 2015 with 49 editions
    • The Wall of Storms (The Dandelion Dynasty, #2)
      • avg rating of 4.32 out of 5 stars
      • published in 2016 with 29 editions
    • The Hidden Girl and Other Stories
      • avg rating of 3.93 out of 5 stars
      • published in 2020 with 26 editions
    • Invisible Planets: Contemporary Chinese Science Fiction in Translation
      • avg rating of 4.05 out of 5 stars
      • published in 2016 with 22 editions
    • The Cleaners
      • avg rating of 3.49 out of 5 stars
      • published in 2020 with 4 editions
    • The Paper Menagerie
      • avg rating of 4.58 out of 5 stars
      • published in 2011 with 7 editions
    • Star Wars: The Legends of Luke Skywalker
      • avg rating of 3.44 out of 5 stars
      • published in 2017 with 21 editions
    • Broken Stars: Contemporary Chinese Science Fiction in Translation
      • avg rating of 3.85 out of 5 stars
      • published in 2019 with 20 editions
    • The Veiled Throne (The Dandelion Dynasty, #3)
      • avg rating of 4.16 out of 5 stars
      • published in 2021 with 13 editions

    Source: "Release date updates to Ken Liu's The Veiled Th..." (from reddit, r/Fantasy)

    • The Grace of Kings
      • Ken Liu’s longest, most substantive piece of fiction
      • Published on November 2, 2021
      • Has its (magnificent!) cover revealed last month
      • Described as incredibly creative with fantastic worldbuilding and a exciting, propulsive plot
      • Bloated at times and some things made little sense
    • The Wall of Storms
      • Published April 2022
      • Sprawling, languidly paced
      • Really needed more editing to tighten it up and construct it better
      • Unique narrative approaches
      • Did a great job conveying the sense of how the society as a whole exercised agency in the story
    • The Paper Menagerie
      • Described as slightly better than The Grace of Kings

    Source: "I’m Ken Liu, author of "The Paper Menagerie" an..." (from reddit, r/books)

    • The Grace of Kings
      • Author of “The Paper Menagerie” and The Grace of Kings
      • Epic fantasy series, The Dandelion Dynasty
      • Novel, The Hidden Girl and Other Stories
      • Animated series based on stories in the collection
    • Good Hunting
      • Love Death and Robots adapted Good Hunting
      • Came to author’s agents to acquire the rights
      • Author wasn’t involved in creative process
    • The Paper Menagerie
      • Literalizing some aspect of reality
      • Parental love as animating force
      • Personal narratives by women usually described as “mail-order brides”
    • The Dandelion Dynasty series
      • Had in mind the very last scene of the very last book before writing a single word
      • Multiple characters died along the way
      • 4 characters who didn’t exist emerged to take over the fate of Dara
    • Asian-inspired works
      • Tochi Onyebuchi — Riot Baby
      • Peter Tieryas — United States of Japan
      • Sarah Pinsker — A Song for a New Day
      • S.L. Huang — Zero Sum Game
      • Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone — This Is How You Lose the Time War
      • Cat Valente’s upcoming “The Past Is Red”
      • Rebecca Roanhorse’s Black Sun
    • Translation of Three Body Problem
      • More “literary”
      • Accurate to story the author was trying to tell
      • Fascinating to see how readers will get completely different stories out of the text

    Source: "I’m Ken Liu, author of the Dandelion Dynasty, a..." (from reddit, r/books)

    • The Dandelion Dynasty
      • Epic fantasy series reimagining of the legends around the rise of the Han Dynasty
      • Uses the pacing and structure of the Iliad
      • Flying, fire-breathing, oversized hippos, sentient, scaled, magical narwhals
      • Engineers craft “silkmotic” machines
      • War between restaurants fit for reality TV
      • Hundred and one different ways to write and make books
      • Discussions about taxes and litigation
      • Last book, Speaking Bones, just came out on June 21, 2022
    • The Paper Menagerie and Other Stories
      • Collection of short stories
      • Some being turned into a TV show
    • The Hidden Girl and Other Stories
      • Collection of short stories
    • Other literary influences
      • Beowulf, Paradise Lost, the Aeneid, Shiji (Records of the Grand Historian), Herodotus’s Histories, the poems of Emily Dickinson, Zhuangzi, Catullus
      • Old court opinions
    • No plans for other collections yet
    • Published short fiction in various venues

    💭  Looking into

    What other books by authors similar to Ken Liu would be suitable for people who like The Dandelion Dynasty according to Goodreads?

    💭  Looking into

    What other books by Ken Liu would be suitable for people who like The Dandelion Dynasty according to Goodreads?

    💭  Looking into

    What are the reviews of The Paper Menagerie by Ken Liu on Goodreads?

    💭  Looking into

    What are the reviews of Good Hunting by Ken Liu on Goodreads?

    💭  Looking into

    What are the reviews of The Dandelion Dynasty by Ken Liu on Goodreads?

    Source: "Authors like Ted Chiang, Greg Egan, Ken Liu?" (from reddit, r/printSF)

    • Ursula K. Le Guin:
      • The Shobie’s Story
      • Dancing to Ganam
      • A Fisherman of the Inland Sea
    • Stanislaw Lem:
      • Eden
      • Fiasco
      • Solaris
      • His Master’s Voice
      • Cyberiad
    • Peter Watts:
      • The Island
      • The Things
    • Arthur C. Clarke:
      • Crystal Spheres
    • Octavia E. Butler:
      • Children of Time series
    • Ray Nayler:
      • The Mountain in the Seas
    • Hiroshi Yamamoto:
      • The Stories of Ibis
    • David Brin:
      • Short story collections
    • Mike Resnick:
      • Will the Last Person to Leave the Planet Please Shut off the Sun?
    • QNTM:
      • Valuable Humans in Transit
      • There Is No Antimemetics Division
      • Fine Structure
    • Adrian Tchaikovsky:
      • Children of Time series

    Source: "Book Review - The Grace of Kings by Ken Liu" (from reddit, r/Fantasy)

    • The Grace of Kings by Ken Liu
      • Written in 2015, Ken Liu has given epic fantasy a much-needed breath of fresh air and a novel that will expand the genre for years to come
      • Follows several POV characters but primarily the story lines of Kuni Garu and Mata Zyndu
      • World-building is very vast and epic
      • Gods play a big role in this world, bickering amongst themselves on who to support, when, and how
      • Introducing kite-fighters, Asian inspired combat techniques, and even airships
      • Book 3 The Veiled Throne set to be released next year
    • Wall of Storms by Ken Liu
      • Proselytize about this book as much as possible
      • Writing is fine, but proceeds in a much more languid pace
      • Character work is far more staid
      • Still quite creative, but a lot of things just unfold in a way thats just not as believable in the world Liu’s created

    Source: "Review: The Dandelion Dynasty by Ken Liu" (from reddit, r/printSF)

    • The Dandelion Dynasty by Ken Liu
      • A common description of The Dandelion Dynasty is that it is George R. R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire, but Asian
      • Narrative style is grand and sweeping, reminiscent of a particularly gripping history textbook
      • Characters’ motivations are understandable and sympathetic
      • Worldbuilding is lush and vibrant, woven into the plot
      • True Science Fantasy, with science being universal
      • Writing style might not be for everyone
      • World is neat and tidy, with few inconvenient details
      • Characters have modern novel sensibilities
      • Plot is heavily inspired by Chinese history
    • Good Hunting by Ken Liu
      • Award-winning short story seen in Netflix’s Love Death + Robots
    • The Paper Menagerie by Ken Liu
      • Award-winning short story
    • Three-Body Problem by Liu Cixin
      • Translated by Ken Liu

    Source: "The Veiled Throne : Liu, Ken: Amazon.com.au: Books" (from web, www.amazon.com.au)

    None

    Source: "Just finished The Paper Menagerie by Ken Liu" (from reddit, r/printSF)

    • The Paper Menagerie by Ken Liu
      • Variety in the different short stories
      • Treats a large panel of themes
      • Thoughtful and exciting stories
      • Emotional stories
      • Impressed over how much Ken Liu could tell in some really short stories
    • Ted Chiang
      • Perfect mix of wonder and sentimentality
      • 70:30 in favor of sentimentality
      • Imaginativeness and craftmanship
    • The Hidden Girl by Ken Liu
      • Even better than The Paper Menagerie
      • Explores themes around history, memory, and responsibility
      • Content can be violent/graphic and emotionally devastating
    • Escape Pod audio of The Paper Menagerie
      • Great audio of the short story collection

    💭  Looking into

    What are the best books by Ken Liu according to Goodreads?