Edited by ERIC J. GUIGNARD (Dark Moon Books; 2020)
A particularly fine entry in the Eric J. Guignard edited EXPLORING DARK FICTION anthology series (previous entries of which focused on authors like Steve Rasnic Tem). The author on display here is one with which most of us are probably unfamiliar: Han Song, a major name in the Chinese science fiction scene whose appearances in English have been scant-to-nonexistent. This primer contains six stories and a nonfiction piece by Song, with commentary for each by Michael Arnzen, as well as an essay entitled “Why Han Song Matters” by Arnzen and a Guignard conducted interview with Song.
What’s most striking about the stories displayed here—presented in excellent translations by Nathanial Isaacson—is their range. We’re informed that “Science Fiction” in China encompasses the fantastic in virtually every form, which explains the varied nature of Song’s fiction, including “Earth is Flat,” a quirky historical speculation; “The Wheel of Samsara,” which explores the quantum-verse; and “Two Small Birds,” a potent example of magic realism. The real standouts, however, are the novella-length tales “Transformation Subway,” “Fear of Seeing” and “My Country Does Not Dream.”
“Transformation Subway” takes a fairly simple (and not unfamiliar) premise, of several unwitting commuters trapped in a subway car, and runs wild with it, layering in satire, surrealism and Cronenbergian grotesquerie. “Fear of Seeing” is an altogether bizarre account of an infant born with multiple sets of eyes on his forehead, leading to a succession of bizarre twists I promise you won’t be able to predict. “My Country Does Not Dream” is a futuristic conspiracy thriller pivoting on the revelation that the people of China are literally sleepwalking through their daily lives and professions—a potent metaphor for these times, both in and outside China.
In the interview section of the book Song comes off as a rational and intelligent fellow, naming Joseph Heller and Kurt Vonnegut as his key inspirations, revealing that he was once part of the China UFO Research Association, and claiming his future is “Unknown yet.” Of Song’s nonfiction piece “Sending Science Fiction Overseas,” he proclaims science fiction “a western transplant, previously nonexistent in China,” but to which the Chinese have adopted quite well, to the point that they’re now using it to “strike back at the west.”
The book concludes with a detailed bibliography of Song’s publications, which is quite extensive. If the contents of this primer are truly an indication of the quality of those publications, it’s clear we westerners have missed out on a great deal.