Vagabonds

by Ken Liu, Hao Jingfang

paperback, 640 pages

Published April 14, 2020 by Gallery / Saga Press.

ISBN:: 978-1-9821-4331-2

(3 reviews)

A century after the Martian war of independence, a group of kids are sent to Earth as delegates from Mars, but when they return home, they are caught between the two worlds, unable to reconcile the beauty and culture of Mars with their experiences on Earth in this spellbinding novel from Hugo Award–winning author Hao Jingfang.

In 2096, the war of independence erupts when a colony of people living on Mars rebel against Earth’s rule. The war results in two different and mutually incompatible worlds. In 2196, one hundred years later, Earth and Mars attempt to initiate a dialogue, hoping a reconciliation is on the horizon. Representing Mars, a group of young delegates are sent to Earth to study the history and culture of the rival planet, all while teaching others about life on Mars.

Narrated from two perspectives: Luo Ying, an eighteen-year-old girl from Mars who has spent the …

Narrated from two perspectives: Luo Ying, an eighteen-year-old girl from Mars who has spent the past five years on Earth, and Ignacio, a filmmaker in his late twenties from Earth on a job to document the delegates from Mars. Both Luo and Ignacio are trapped between worlds, with critics all around, and always under suspicion, searching for where they truly belong.

6 editions

Sally Strange reviewed Vagabonds by Ken Liu

odd, dreamlike, beautiful, political

4 stars

It's a slow-moving story with a focus that shifts between characters without warning, but it paints a beautiful picture of a possible life on Mars. It is clearly an exploration of Chinese tensions between their self-perception and how they are viewed in the eyes of the world. Mars is a prosperous and egalitarian but rigid society. Earth is a dynamic but sometimes cruel society. The Vagabonds of the title are the very few who travel between these worlds and seek to reconcile them. The lack of narrative momentum is what took away a star for me, but it's definitely worth reading, especially if you're looking for something reflective.

Rev. Dr. Sir Wayne Murillo III reviewed Vagabonds by Ken Liu

Review of 'Vagabonds' on 'Goodreads'

No rating

I have read many of the sprawling, science fiction, space operas that include Mars as a setting. I am often thrilled by the hardscrabble life and pragmatic philosophy that must be practiced on the red planet. However, for me, Vagabonds by Hao Jingfang sort of fell apart for me. I listened to the English translation from Chinese and perhaps objected to the lessons implied by the plot.

After a civil war between Mars and Earth, the two powers are attempting to find peace. Mars sends a group of students including Luoying, a dancer, to Earth to build relations between the planets.

Jingfang seems to wax poetic about the youth of Earth who seem to be trust-fund gig-workers that work to fund a lifestyle against the Martians who join a working group and help to build a community.

Jingfang's glorification of capitalism against a communist, semi-authoritarian, syndicalism just left this anarchistic, …

Löhwe

rated it

Oct 2