Kim Bo-young

The two parts of the book affected me in two separate ways. The first and last stories could be put together as a novella, “I’m Waiting for You” and “On My Way.” They show a separated engaged couple trying to get to each other so they can marry but faster than light travel adds years and decades to their quest. One spends their time alone and depressed and rather self-destructive, the other is surrounded by people who hate them yet works constantly to make life better. It's kind of show more like the problem of picking the wrong line at the supermarket but on a galactic scale. I loved these stories and would have given the book 5 stars if they were the only ones presented. Unfortunately, the other two connected stories could also have made a novella, one I would gladly ignore. “The Prophet of Corruption” and “That One Life,” are Buddhist world-building contrasting the need for oneness with individuality and wondering if pain and suffering or support offer a better environment for learning. I think they won a prize of some sort, but to me, they were senseless naval gazing. So, overall, 3 stars for the whole collection. show less

I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

I'm Waiting For You and other stories, is a translated collection of four science fiction short stories that explore what it means to be human. The collection has a bookend feel with I'm Waiting For You and On My Way, two connected stories that have main characters tethered by love but separated by space and time. The middle two stories, The Prophet of show more Corruption and That One Life, blend Korean mythology, science, and science fiction. The latter half of the book gives us author, translator, and original reader's notes and a glossary. I would suggest reading the glossary before The Prophet of Corruption to familiarize yourself with the terms used in the story to get a stronger foothold in the world. However, I think the author and original reader's notes should be read after all the stories are read because of the different impact they will have and how it will make you want to go back and read two of the stories again.

I'm Waiting For You
Someone once said that space and time are actually the same thing.

The first story and my favorite, introduces us to a man traveling in the universe to get back to earth for his wedding. It's told in loose letter form, he's sending letters to his fiancée and the reader gets the essence and sometimes wording of those letters but also observations of what is happening to him. The short story gives us 15 letters but also centuries as mistakes, mishaps, and a mixture of good and bad luck keep the groom from, sometimes when and sometimes where, he needs to be. You'll feel his loneliness, frustration, and will as you'll question along with him what it means to survive.

The Prophet of Corruption and That One Life
“You'll know you're corrupt the moment you want to put clothes on.”

The middle two are the longest and shortest of the collection and probably the two that would give book clubs the most and varied discussions. The blend of mythology with theoretical framework like superstring theory, had this at times confusing and profound to me. As the reader follows along with the character of Naban, they'll question the 'corruption of man' and creation to be human.

They who were oblivious to the greatness of survival and scorned life's battles, who failed to see the sacredness of one person's individuality.

On My Way To You
They say that we're taking up food and clothing that should rightfully be theirs to enjoy. They even say that we'll endanger the lives of the women and children. A funny thing to say, really. Half of us are women and children, too.

While we started with the groom, this last story gives us the bride and her journey through her letters. She goes through the same give and take of good and bad luck. Having read the groom's story, this one has moments that hit even deeper as you'll see missed opportunities and how close and far away they were from each other.

Told through a science fiction lens, this collection was at turns bleak, hopeful, and questioning. The first story will have you thinking that hell is solitude, the middle two will have you thinking that hell is only our own creation, and the last will have you thinking hell is other people. The hopefulness comes from the author's ability to shine through the emotions of love and will. Don't skip the author and original reader's notes as they added an impactful layer to the first and second stories and like I said, will have you going back and reading them again. This is a collection that will have you debating and questioning, lingering in your thoughts, and revisiting, not to be missed even for the causal science fiction reader. show less

I loved half of this collection - the title story and it’s twin (4 stars), a charming love story in two acts that can only have gained resonance for being read after a year of life more or less on hold, and one I liked all the more for its theme of enduring hope. I persevered through the central story in the collection (The Prophet of Corruption) and found it rewarding in the end but not really to my taste - it’s more philosophical, an intellectual thought experiment that I found rather show more dry (3 stars)

3.5 stars

Full review

I received a free copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. show less

The 1st story is about relativity and how people might think about time during different experiences of space travel and return to earth - starts off light-hearted but becomes somewhat melancholy as the returns to Earth show more and more devastation.
2nd story is a philosophical exploration of the nature of existence, using the Bhuddist metaphor of the bardo - a place between death and reincarnation where one can experience enlightenment or hallucination. It's interesting but goes on too show more long.
3rd story is the voice of the potential bride from story 1. More of a traditional tale of a disparate band of shipmates who gradually turn into a heirarchical totalitarian society.
The end notes of the author, translators, and the 2 people the bride and groom stories were originally written for give valuable insights. show less