Science Fiction

Vagabonds

Vagabonds

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  • Create Date：2021-09-21 09:52:14
  • Update Date：2025-09-13
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  • Author：Hao Jingfang
  • ISBN：1786696525
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Summary

Can the void between two worlds be bridged？
AD2201。 Just over a century ago， the Martian colonies declared their independence。 After a brief conflict， Earth and Mars cut ties， carving separate trajectories into the future， viewing each other with suspicion and even hatred。 Five years ago， a group of Martian students were sent to Earth as goodwill ambassadors from the Red Planet。 Now the young men and women are coming home， escorting a delegation of prominent Terrans to see if the two worlds can bridge the void that has opened up between them。

Almost immediately， negotiations break down and old enmities erupt。

How do you escape the gravity of the past？
Luoying， one of the returning Martians， is caught amidst the political intrigue and philosophical warfare。 Martians and Terrans， old friends and new mentors， statesmen and revolutionaries – everything and everyone challenges her， pushing her to declare her allegiance。 Torn between her native land and the world on which she came of age， Luoying must discover the truth amid a web of lies spun by both sides， she must chart a course between history and the future， or face the destruction of everything she's ever loved。

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Reviews

Ed Morland ，

This was a book I felt always kept at arms length from， and it's very much not a short book so that's a lot of time to be at arms length and it ended up feeling like a slog。 It was definitely a similar feel to The Three Body Problem， though that felt both more interesting and had a stronger plot， so I'm not sure if it's Ken Liu's translations that I'm not getting on with or just a coincidence。 What didn't help is that it felt quite didactic at times， not that it necessarily had one specific view This was a book I felt always kept at arms length from， and it's very much not a short book so that's a lot of time to be at arms length and it ended up feeling like a slog。 It was definitely a similar feel to The Three Body Problem， though that felt both more interesting and had a stronger plot， so I'm not sure if it's Ken Liu's translations that I'm not getting on with or just a coincidence。 What didn't help is that it felt quite didactic at times， not that it necessarily had one specific view it wanted to force on you but that it had issues you would do best to consider and by pushing those front and centre the characters felt like props for those issues rather than people in their own right。 。。。more

Benjamin Kahn ，

There are a lot of interesting ideas in this book， but it moved too slowly and the dialogue was a little too simplistic for me。 I got about a third of the way through it before I gave up on it。

Ben Brommell ，

An unnecessarily verbose， overlong slog that had way too many subplots that went absolutely nowhere and no clearly compelling main plot。 Luoying's arc was a mess， with her constantly flip-flopping in her positions， and Gielle was a waste of precious air as a character， existing only as a wholly-unnecessary and incredibly annoying romantic subplot crowbarred awkwardly into the story。 An unnecessarily verbose， overlong slog that had way too many subplots that went absolutely nowhere and no clearly compelling main plot。 Luoying's arc was a mess， with her constantly flip-flopping in her positions， and Gielle was a waste of precious air as a character， existing only as a wholly-unnecessary and incredibly annoying romantic subplot crowbarred awkwardly into the story。 。。。more

Marissa ，

This book had so many interesting ideas that any one of them could have made a great story on its own。 Instead it sort of touched on so many different little things that the plot was hard to follow and every time I started to get very interested in a character （Rudy， Chania， Gielle， Pierre， Anka， Hans+ the "old warriors"。。。） it moved onto someone else。 Luoying was also sort of the most boring person out of all of them？ Seems like she just gets pushed along while all these others are doing things This book had so many interesting ideas that any one of them could have made a great story on its own。 Instead it sort of touched on so many different little things that the plot was hard to follow and every time I started to get very interested in a character （Rudy， Chania， Gielle， Pierre， Anka， Hans+ the "old warriors"。。。） it moved onto someone else。 Luoying was also sort of the most boring person out of all of them？ Seems like she just gets pushed along while all these others are doing things。 I also really didn't understand the big debate at the and the disagreement over the crater city versus terraforming Mars？ I found the "plot" （and there wasn't really much plot） very difficult to understand。 I want a story about the war between Mars and Earth。 。。。more

NANA ，

4。5/5

Kate ，

4。5/5'Vagabonds' by Hao Jingfang is an engaging science fiction novel that discusses the political strife between Earth and Mars through the eyes of teenagers。 Vagabonds follows a group of Martian kids that were sent to Earth as a delegation from Mars。 Returning to Mars after five years on Earth， they begin to explore the differences between the two societies and their faults。 The story primarily focuses on Luoying， one of the kids that was sent to Earth whose grandfather holds a prominent place 4。5/5'Vagabonds' by Hao Jingfang is an engaging science fiction novel that discusses the political strife between Earth and Mars through the eyes of teenagers。 Vagabonds follows a group of Martian kids that were sent to Earth as a delegation from Mars。 Returning to Mars after five years on Earth， they begin to explore the differences between the two societies and their faults。 The story primarily focuses on Luoying， one of the kids that was sent to Earth whose grandfather holds a prominent place in the Mars government。 As Luoying learns more about her grandfather's role and her parent's deaths， she begins to unravel more about the history of both societies。 'Vagabonds' is a slow and meticulous science fiction story that I can see not being for everyone。 It doesn't have the large battles that some people seek out in science fiction but is more of a slow political and social exploration through a science fiction lens。 Jingfang does this exceptionally well by centering the group of kids that were sent to Earth as a delegation from Mars， especially with the character of Luoying。 Luoying's unique perspective based on her family's involvement in politics gives the reader a personal investment in figuring out what has happened in this world。 One of my favorite parts of this story is how it explores what art could potentially look like in the future。 Luoying is a dancer and the first section of the book also focuses on a filmmaker named Echo。 By exploring these characters， Jingfang offers ways that artistic pursuits have been impacted by technological advancements。 I do wish that Echo had a larger part throughout the rest of the story。 Though I don't think this book will be for everyone， I think that those who are interested in a character study set in space with political machinations going on in the background will really enjoy it。 Despite it's setting， the story skews slightly toward literary fiction。 Jingfang paired these in an engaging way that makes me interested to read more of her work。 。。。more

Becky ，

It’s a bit difficult to review Vagabonds by Hao Jingfang， translated from Chinese by Ken Liu， mostly because all the reviews I’ve read of this book from others have been very ‘this book wasn’t for me’， and I think that’s totally fair！ But WOAH was this book FOR ME。 So your mileage may vary， but this is an absolute book of my heart。 After a bit of a slow start， this book’s 600 pages melted away and I never wanted it to end。⁣⁣Vagabonds is a sweeping science fiction epic， set in the future when a s It’s a bit difficult to review Vagabonds by Hao Jingfang， translated from Chinese by Ken Liu， mostly because all the reviews I’ve read of this book from others have been very ‘this book wasn’t for me’， and I think that’s totally fair！ But WOAH was this book FOR ME。 So your mileage may vary， but this is an absolute book of my heart。 After a bit of a slow start， this book’s 600 pages melted away and I never wanted it to end。⁣⁣Vagabonds is a sweeping science fiction epic， set in the future when a small faction of humanity has colonized Mars。 We primarily follow a teenager named Luoying who’s just returned to her Mars home after living for several years on Earth in a first-of-its-kind cultural exchange program。 The novel explores the differences in Martian and Terran societies， and Luoying and her fellow exchange students’ feelings of displacement after experiencing both cultures and no longer feeling at home in either。 As the threat of a second Martian/Terran war looms， Luoying and the book’s many other characters puzzle over their values and attempt to uncover buried secrets from government machinations occurring behind the scenes。 Dense conversations about politics and economics thrown into space isn’t everyone’s idea of a good time， but it’s very much mine and I treasure the time I spent reading Hao’s gorgeous writing and falling in love with these characters。 This book captivated my imagination， excited my brain， and made me feel so many things。 It's basically emblematic of my exact taste in books， the kind of book that makes me question why I ever spend time reading fiction that doesn’t make me feel this way。 I want everyone to love this book like I did， but I get that it’s a bit of a tough sell， so no hard feelings if you don’t。⁣⁣Cw for descriptions of suicide and deaths。⁣ 。。。more

Leslie ，

thoroughly enjoyed this slow-paced complex saga taking place at a turning point in Martian society， after 18 Martian teens who had been sent to Earth for 5 years return and have trouble fitting back into the society of their birth。

Kay ，

This is a hard one to rate。 The story seems， at first， tobe a contrast of socialism and capitalism。 Then it morphs into a struggle between generations for power， recognition， and a place in history。 Along the way， the main female character is led by circumstances and other characters to reflect on ， conclude， and articulate whichever point the author is making。 In this respect， it reminds me of Sophie’s World。 The science fiction elements were minor parts of this book。 Overall， it is a wordy and This is a hard one to rate。 The story seems， at first， tobe a contrast of socialism and capitalism。 Then it morphs into a struggle between generations for power， recognition， and a place in history。 Along the way， the main female character is led by circumstances and other characters to reflect on ， conclude， and articulate whichever point the author is making。 In this respect， it reminds me of Sophie’s World。 The science fiction elements were minor parts of this book。 Overall， it is a wordy and disorganized investigation into human nature。 。。。more

Jacqie ，

I haven't read much Chinese science fiction so my sample size might not be big enough to make these generalizations， but what Hao Jingfang and Liu Cixin have in common， at least， is that they use science fiction very conceptually。 Their books explore philosophical ideas through their characters。 There isn't always a lot of action because the point of the books is to discuss these ideas。In Vagabonds， the question being asked is "how can societal change happen effectively？" In this book， Earth rem I haven't read much Chinese science fiction so my sample size might not be big enough to make these generalizations， but what Hao Jingfang and Liu Cixin have in common， at least， is that they use science fiction very conceptually。 Their books explore philosophical ideas through their characters。 There isn't always a lot of action because the point of the books is to discuss these ideas。In Vagabonds， the question being asked is "how can societal change happen effectively？" In this book， Earth remains a consumer-oriented capitalist society。 Everything is monetized- ideas， art， technology。 On Earth， the angle is always toward making profit。 On Mars， everything is organized toward building knowledge。 Once each person is of age， they choose an atelier and spend the rest of their lives working in this area， whether it be flight technology or fashion。 Everyone competes to produce new ideas and add to the body of knowledge that Mars is building。A group of young people have recently returned to Mars after spending five years on Earth， ostensibly having been working on their educations but in reality being hostages to keep war from breaking out between the planets。 These young people have had the chance to see more than one point of view， and this means that the scales have fallen from their eyes。The young vagabond student travelers now can see the chinks in Martian society。 While in theory Mars is about selflessly producing knowledge， in reality budgets are determined by who has the flashiest new theory or invention and ateliers are dominated by older people so that younger people must play politics in order to get a large enough share of the budget that they can produce something new， become known， and therefore become entitled to more of the budget themselves。 Its actually a lot like the current academic world， in which young idealistic graduate students work under professors， who might or might not be ethical and altruistic when it comes to giving their young subordinates credit。 These young people see flaws that they hadn't seen before， but they don't know what to do about it。 Some of them want "revolution"， although they can't say what they want the outcome of that revolution to be。 Some want to manipulate the system and gain recognition and power。 Some want the approval of their peers and will go along with whatever those peers decide， and some just want to survive doing something that they love。 One main character， Lioying， vacillates back and forth。 She knows that her parents were involved in a previous protest but doesn't know the full story。 She isn't exactly satisfied with the current system， but she can't settle on a particular way to improve things。This disenchantment with the system is cyclical， just as it is in our recent history。 Young people are repeating arguments similar to those which were also espoused fifty years ago。 In Vagabonds， it's ironic that some young people want to change things back to the way they were before the previous revolution changed things and moved things forward （in theory）。 Hao Jingfang doesn't give an answer to the question she asks， except perhaps to eschew violence as an effective way to make changes happen。 She hints that nothing is new under the sun and that systems will always fall into corruption regardless of the good intentions of those who create them。 She seems to say that the only change we can be sure of is the change that we make individually in how we live and how we treat others。 Honestly， as often as I'm overwhelmed with all that's wrong in the world and how unlikely it seems that anything can be fixed， this seems as good a philosophy as any to me， and it's one that I can follow。 。。。more

José Antonio Gutiérrez Guevara ，

De todo lo que podría decir de este libro （procuraré ser muy breve） solo puedo recalcar que esta lectura es precisa para el momento que todos estamos viviendo。 Es casi tan visionaria como 1984 o Rebelión en la granja。 No pretende dar respuesta a los planteamientos que pone sobre la mesa， pero hace que tu mismo busques la respuesta （como solo la buena ciencia ficción puede hacer）。 No vas a encontrar acción trepidante o avances tecnológicos que te dejen con la boca abierta。 Es un libro que empieza De todo lo que podría decir de este libro （procuraré ser muy breve） solo puedo recalcar que esta lectura es precisa para el momento que todos estamos viviendo。 Es casi tan visionaria como 1984 o Rebelión en la granja。 No pretende dar respuesta a los planteamientos que pone sobre la mesa， pero hace que tu mismo busques la respuesta （como solo la buena ciencia ficción puede hacer）。 No vas a encontrar acción trepidante o avances tecnológicos que te dejen con la boca abierta。 Es un libro que empieza lento， pero hará que tu mente corra， vuele y viaje muy lejos。Léanlo， es por el bien de ustedes mismos。PD: Lo leí dos veces， y estoy seguro que lo leeré de nuevo。 。。。more

Trigger Warning Database ，

Trigger & Content WarningsSuicidePlane crashDeath from a fall

L L ，

I debated whether or not to read this book。 Many Goodreads reviews complained that the book was too slow， and a book that drags at 600 pages can be tough to get through。 I decided to read a little and found myself drawn right away。 The book is slow-moving but never boring。 It's one of those books where you sit back and relax， take in the descriptions of the spaceship， the transit stations， the hotel rooms， the interior character monologues，  and accept that it may take a few weeks to read。The bo I debated whether or not to read this book。 Many Goodreads reviews complained that the book was too slow， and a book that drags at 600 pages can be tough to get through。 I decided to read a little and found myself drawn right away。 The book is slow-moving but never boring。 It's one of those books where you sit back and relax， take in the descriptions of the spaceship， the transit stations， the hotel rooms， the interior character monologues，  and accept that it may take a few weeks to read。The book reminded me of some combination of LeGuin's The Dispossessed and Asimov's Foundation series， but written from a Chinese perspective。 It's a thoughtful and ambivalent reflection on the constraints of environment on the development of society， the role of the individual in societal change， generational power transitions， and the nature of freedom。 It has a meditative and philosophical quality。 Worth reading！ The book's overall strengths overshadow some of its shortcomings。 The characters were more archetypal than three-dimensional。 The women characters were not as compelling， though perhaps that was deliberate， given that Mars is a patriarchy。 And there were some gaping holes in the societal description of Mars。 The book didn't explore sufficiently the freedom of information on Mars。 Art was presented as being constraints of commerce， but what about history？ Why were important historical developments hidden from the population， when they had implications for governance， and when the society lauded a reasonable degree of debate and discourse？ 。。。more

Charmaine ，

Vagabonds was a powerful tale。 It required certain circumstances to drive home its core messages， and the "worlds"-building to do so was executed masterfully。 Living in Hans Sloan's headspace at the end was an especially rewarding gut-punch to the mind and to the heart。The primary qualm I had with this book was its meandering nature。 There was a LOT of fat that could be trimmed; many perspectives we could have eliminated without losing the core of the story。 Luoying was not the most compelling p Vagabonds was a powerful tale。 It required certain circumstances to drive home its core messages， and the "worlds"-building to do so was executed masterfully。 Living in Hans Sloan's headspace at the end was an especially rewarding gut-punch to the mind and to the heart。The primary qualm I had with this book was its meandering nature。 There was a LOT of fat that could be trimmed; many perspectives we could have eliminated without losing the core of the story。 Luoying was not the most compelling protagonist。 The voices I appreciated the most were those of Hans， Anka， Reini， Rudy， and Pierre。 Even Reini's perspective could have been trimmed at the start; it didn't become compelling until later。 I understand the purpose of fleshing out others who live ordinary lives （from Luoying to Eko to Chania to Gielle）， but we spent SO MUCH time in their headspace without much payout。The other criticism I had stemmed from the depiction of women。 None had roles of TRUE importance here， and some narrators even expressed misogynistic views。 If this is supposed to be a form of utopia， I can only hope that the Mars of two centuries ahead would be more progressive than this depiction。 This book did get me thinking about many things though。 It subtly drew differences in ideological pedagogies and showed how they wielded the same maxims to gain support。 Everyone wants freedom， but should it be freedom from or freedom to？ I grew up in an environment where freedom to do things was upheld with the highest regard， yet seeing how COVID-19 has ravaged our "free" societies makes me envious of those that prioritize freedom from pain， suffering， disease， and so-forth at the expense of personal freedoms （if at most for a little while）。 Mars and Earth depicted in this book made such a point with finesse， and captured the warring emotions of those who lived a life in-between。 It is a sentiment that I hope will reach those who haven't led a hyphenated existence between cultures。 I also thought about a quote from discontent young adults I know。 They've lamented the state of their lives: "Go to work， go home， have a few hours of leisure， then sleep。 Live for two days of freedom each week， or a few weeks of vacation a year。 Is this all there is to life？" I've never known what to say to these sorrowful souls; the people who felt depressed and down-trodden。 But in the grand scheme of things — and this book brings us to the grandest of stages — I've come to realize that living such a comfortable life is a privilege。 So many people fight to lead the lives we do， yet get beaten down again and again from conflict and oppression。 So many people toil away all their lives to give their descendants a better life， only for their efforts to remain futile in the face of poverty， inequality， or disaster （both natural and inflicted）。 Without knowing such hardship， we are prone to take our fortunate positions for granted。 I understand how others' discontentment or malaise may arise， but I vehemently oppose such sentiments。 Sloan shows how holding power responsibly comes at a great personal cost。 I don't envy it。Other musings came about regarding: change， history， human nature， impact， and more。 I'm glad for the philosophical rumination that came from this book， even if many of those thoughts flow as freely as water。 。。。more

Sandra ，

Sad to say that this just didn't work for me， the biggest reason being the way that the story was told。 I just couldn't keep my interest up for the length of the book， too long in my opinion。 Sad to say that this just didn't work for me， the biggest reason being the way that the story was told。 I just couldn't keep my interest up for the length of the book， too long in my opinion。 。。。more

Mmonchi ，

Aunque aparece como un libro de ciencia ficción， para mí no lo es del todo。 Sí， transcurre en Marte y hay una serie de adelantos científicos que se descubren a lo largo de la historia， pero en el fondo son una excusa para el tema que quiere tratar。 Yo lo veo más como una fábula política， en la que Marte es una China con un socialismo utópico y la Tierra el mundo occidental capitalista。 La distancia entre la Tierra y Marte le permite evitar la contaminación cultural salvo por un grupo de personas Aunque aparece como un libro de ciencia ficción， para mí no lo es del todo。 Sí， transcurre en Marte y hay una serie de adelantos científicos que se descubren a lo largo de la historia， pero en el fondo son una excusa para el tema que quiere tratar。 Yo lo veo más como una fábula política， en la que Marte es una China con un socialismo utópico y la Tierra el mundo occidental capitalista。 La distancia entre la Tierra y Marte le permite evitar la contaminación cultural salvo por un grupo de personas， los protagonistas， que al conocer ambas ven lo que existe más a fondo que el resto。 El grupo de protagonistas forman una historia coral， con una trama que trata de la búsqueda y descubrimiento de su pasado， de la camaradería entre ellos y de la crítica a una sociedad aparentemente utópica que encierra problemas de crecimiento。 En ese sentido es introspectiva， prestando más atención a las personas y sus relaciones entre ellos y con las autoridades que a lo que está pasando。 La parte política es un poco ingenua， muestra una sociedad sin dinero y sin posesiones basada en una meritocracia técnica que trata de ser inmutable， un poco como nos imaginamos a China。 También nos muestra una Tierra capitalista y despiadada， supongo que como se imagina un chino que es el capitalismo salvaje。En la parte más de ciencia ficción es donde chirría。 Mueven Ceres -¡Ceres， nada menos！- casi con un chasquido de dedos y lo convierten en una luna de Marte。 Le sacan el agua para soltarla en Marte， sabe Dios cómo， y después usan Ceres para salir del sistema solar como si fuera una nave espacial。 También sorprende que Marte， casi sin población， esté mucho más avanzado científicamente que la Tierra， a la que vende sus inventos。 Todo esto es válido en un fábula política， pero no en una novela que quiere ser， en parte， científica。La escritora sabe manejar la narración， usa una figura que desconoce su historia， personal y planetaria， para que nos vayamos enterando de ambas al mismo tiempo que ella y así pueda desarrollar su tesis sobre el desarrollo del comunismo frente al capitalismo y a sí mismo。 Pero creo que equivoca el género， una fábula al estilo de Los viajes de Gulliver me habría parecido más adecuada que una novela de ciencia ficción。 。。。more

Alison ，

I have to be honest， I was bored out of my mind for most of this book。 It just， wasn’t for me。 Everything was just too convenient， how the characters found out about things was just weird… also， most of the characters were meant to be teenagers still， but they sounded so much older and had no personality。 I did enjoy the last 100 pages， but would not recommend。

Tofu Schmude ，

good book about a band of mercenary women in space shooting things

Aneta ，

My heart hurts， and I've cried buckets。 My heart hurts， and I've cried buckets。 。。。more

Brandi ，

DNF @38%This was interesting enough but moved far too slowly and is far too long。 I don’t care to continue

Sophia Ville ，

WOW， this was incredibly boring to me。 I was really excited about Vagabonds; the story seemed to have so much potential。 But nothing added up for me: The technology didn't make too much sense， the way society on Mars ist described made no sense at all， and the characters were flat and uninteresting to the extreme。 My biggest criticism is the total lack of nuance and diversity; things on Mars "are like this"， things on Earth "are like that" （and this comparison is what the book is overwhelmingly WOW， this was incredibly boring to me。 I was really excited about Vagabonds; the story seemed to have so much potential。 But nothing added up for me: The technology didn't make too much sense， the way society on Mars ist described made no sense at all， and the characters were flat and uninteresting to the extreme。 My biggest criticism is the total lack of nuance and diversity; things on Mars "are like this"， things on Earth "are like that" （and this comparison is what the book is overwhelmingly about）。 It felt like very immature writing and storytelling。 。。。more

Bbrown ，

Vagabonds is a much worse version of Ursula K。 Le Guin's The Dispossessed。 It is not as well written， substantially longer， and so， so， so much dumber。 The premise of Vagabonds is that Mars， consisting of a single city with a population of twenty million people， is now independent after defeating the military forces of Earth。 The new Martian society has rejected the materialism and profit motive that dominates Earth， while Earth sees Mars as a totalitarian state that does not allow for individua Vagabonds is a much worse version of Ursula K。 Le Guin's The Dispossessed。 It is not as well written， substantially longer， and so， so， so much dumber。 The premise of Vagabonds is that Mars， consisting of a single city with a population of twenty million people， is now independent after defeating the military forces of Earth。 The new Martian society has rejected the materialism and profit motive that dominates Earth， while Earth sees Mars as a totalitarian state that does not allow for individuality。 Now， a group of teenagers that grew up on Mars but that have spent the last five years on Earth （the titular vagabonds） are returning home， and must contend with the tension between these conflicting societies。Hao Jingfang uses this setup to introduce theoretically interesting dichotomies like prioritizing the collective versus prioritizing the individual， preserving the past versus giving the future a fresh canvas， art for an audience versus art for art's sake， freedom from control versus freedom from want， and gradual transition versus immediate revolution， but she fails to say anything about these topics other than banalities and the result is mind-numbingly boring。 There's no indication that the triteness is intentional so as to reflect the mindsets of the teenage/early twenties protagonists， as none of the adult characters present any actually thought-provoking ideas either。 When the narrative takes a break from droning on about these things it pivots to the aforementioned protagonists， which the book tells us are distinct and interesting， but which in fact are so flat that it was hard to distinguish between many of them。 These characters have reunions after years apart， get into life threatening situations， and experience the death of loved ones， and not once did Vagabonds make any of it emotionally impactful。 At least these events are an emotional goose egg; the relationship drama between the characters is so laughably forced that it actually had negative emotional resonance。After getting through the first of Vagabonds’ three parts， which entailed reading hundreds of pages into the book， I didn’t care about the story， I wasn’t rooting for any of the characters， and my curiosity about the world had almost entirely dried up。 If you get this far in and feel the same then don’t hesitate to abandon the book， it doesn’t get any better。 As I approached the ending I feared that Hao Jingfang wouldn’t actually wrap up anything， but there is indeed a conclusion where decisions are made about whether to move out of Mars’s glass city and whether or not to embark on a war of conquest。 Sure， these conflicts are not set up until well into the book， they mean that almost none of the vagabonds are important to the story， they render the beginning section concerning the trade delegation all but superfluous， and they mean that the majority of the book’s philosophizing was nothing more than navel-gazing， but at least there’s a climax of sorts instead of a sequel-bait cliffhanger。Having finished Vagabonds I’m left with questions， among them:•tWhy was there only one Martian colony before the war for independence， when multiple powerful nations on Earth still exist that would presumably want to exploit Mars？ •tIf only one nation was able to colonize Mars and disallowed any other country from doing so， then shouldn’t independent Mars be more aligned with that country， or alternatively more antagonistic toward it and more aligned with that country’s rivals？ •tHow did the rag-tag Martians win an interplanetary war？•tWhy were the Earth delegates to Mars incompetent assholes， does Earth not take the cultural exchange seriously despite the profit potential？ •tWhy does Mars allow Earth to negotiate as a block， instead of playing different countries against each other？ •tWhy does Earth agree to negotiate as a block， when the different constituent countries all have different interests and are competing with each other？ •tIf Earth is unified in portraying Mars as a tyrannical dystopia through propaganda， why did they include an independent documentary filmmaker in their delegation who could record things contrary to this narrative？ •tWhy does a Martian say that direct communication between Earth and Mars is not possible， when later two characters exchange emails between the two planets？•tIf there is almost no communication between Earth and Mars， how did Earth find out that Mars has controlled nuclear fusion technology？ •tHow is it that， in a city of twenty million people that must cover thousands of square miles given that its tallest building is only five stories， every important character knows every other important character like it’s some backwater small town？•tHow can a democratically structured government have a policy where widowers are kicked out of their homes after the death of their spouse， wouldn’t that be incredibly unpopular among everyone？ •tHow does Mars have a thriving restaurant industry and a garden in every yard when water is so scarce the planet is willing to go to war for it？ •tGiven that they are nowhere close to being post-scarcity， how does Mars ensure that all necessary jobs are filled instead of too many people choosing to make films that no one watches， or write poetry， or design dresses？•tWhy would anyone work a mindless job as a gate watchman where a screw-up could mean being sent to a mining gulag to die， when everyone is given enough by the state to live on comfortably？•tHow did the rigid social structure of Mars come to be when apparently nearly all of Mars’ most powerful people don’t like that system？In short， I found the world building of Vagabonds to be sloppy and thus the setting did not feel cohesive。 The nebulous structure of Martian society almost certainly contributed to why this book had no interesting insights into real world society。Hao Jingfang’s Folding Beijing was an interesting short story with a creative premise， but none of that creativity is on display in Vagabonds。 The Dispossessed， its closest analogue， surpasses it in every way， and there are other works that do a much better job depending on what you’re looking for: Red Mars by Kim Stanley Robinson is much better if you want to read a more realistic depiction of what establishing a civilization on Mars would look like， and if you’re more interested the interplanetary politicking element I’ve heard good things about The Expanse series。 Do not pick up Vagabonds。 Even though I think that Hao Jingfang was genuinely trying to write something epic and thought-provoking， the result is quite bad。 I give this work a 1。5/5， and round down。 。。。more

Bruce ，

The Boule Chamber of the Capitol of the Republic of Mars in located in Mars City， a huge habitat enclosed in glass with soaring glass towers and connected by tube trains。 In fact， the city is almost the entire Republic of Mars， excepting a few military outposts of the Flight System。 Ruled by the veterans of the bloody rebellion which led to the planet’s independence from Earth， the humans of Mars have constructed a technological utopia that far surpasses their indolent， wasteful and greedy cousi The Boule Chamber of the Capitol of the Republic of Mars in located in Mars City， a huge habitat enclosed in glass with soaring glass towers and connected by tube trains。 In fact， the city is almost the entire Republic of Mars， excepting a few military outposts of the Flight System。 Ruled by the veterans of the bloody rebellion which led to the planet’s independence from Earth， the humans of Mars have constructed a technological utopia that far surpasses their indolent， wasteful and greedy cousins on Earth。 They have mastered nuclear fusion technology and moved the dwarf planet Ceres into orbit around Mars to serve as their third moon。 Soon they plan to turn its icy surface into the precious water needed on their home world。 But the Martians lack expertise in hydrology and hydraulic engineering。 They need help from their watery neighboring world。 Help may be arriving soon。 The diplomatic ship， the Maearth is returning to Mars with a delegation of political and industrial leaders from Earth and a group of the Martians’ daughters and sons， the Mercury Group。 Named for the ancient Roman god， these messengers and exchange students from Mars lived for years on Earth， as good will ambassadors absorbing information about the cultures and ways of their hosts across the globe。 Among them is Luoying， a dancer， and the granddaughter of Hans Sloan， the consul of Mars， or as he’s referred to on Earth， “the great dictator。” On her return home Luoying finds herself somewhat ill at ease， and a bit alienated from her childhood home。 And she’s not the only member of the Mercury Group to feel this way。 But what are they going to do with these feelings？ There is no consensus among them， but they feel they ought to do something。 As the author states in the prologue to the first part， “This is a tale of the fall of the last utopia。”It’s also a highly literate philosophical novel bristling with ideas about politics， human nature， art， and a passion for ideals。 It filled to the brim with conflicts: between generations， individual freedom and collective unity， capitalism versus a technological socialist utopia， creativity versus commerce， highbrows versus lowbrows， and chocked full of cultural misunderstandings。 Through her characters and the results of their actions， the author presents sound arguments for both sides。 The closest she comes to hinting at her own point of view is with her ubiquitous quotes from Albert Camus。 This is a true wonder of a book， both subtle and profound。 。。。more

Rishita Sarkar ，

I can see how this book might not be for everyone - it most definitely wasn't the revolution-filled， political drama I had envisioned when I read the blurb and prologue - but as someone who has been looking for a "higher level" of reading lately， this was much， much better than what I was expecting。 While it's quite slow-moving （once again， not for someone expecting lots of action！）， I liked the way the largely introspective nature of the book makes you， the reader， also consider the issues rais I can see how this book might not be for everyone - it most definitely wasn't the revolution-filled， political drama I had envisioned when I read the blurb and prologue - but as someone who has been looking for a "higher level" of reading lately， this was much， much better than what I was expecting。 While it's quite slow-moving （once again， not for someone expecting lots of action！）， I liked the way the largely introspective nature of the book makes you， the reader， also consider the issues raised。 There's no right or wrong， no system or idea objectively better than one or the other。 They are only different， and driven by different motivations and ideals。 No one is good or bad - people just act based on what they know and the ideals （or lack thereof） they value。 The story is at best bittersweet and at worst unhappy， but its ambiguity makes it realistic。Having recently studied soft science fiction， I think this is a perfect instance of the genre， though I'd also call it a piece of "existential philosophy" （more a simple term than the actual school of thought itself）， given how explicitly it questions the nature of things such as society， choice and fate。 I really enjoyed this book （it has been so long since I actually thought when I read a book）， and if the author's other works are anything like this， I can understand why she was given the Hugo Award。 。。。more

Dan ，

I loved the ideas but found the execution kind of laborious and certainly slow-moving。 It was a struggle for me to stay involved。

Leslie ，

I read about 200 pages。 I enjoyed the premise and the characters， but there was too much pontification about consumerism and freedom and the value and purpose of art and。。 those are topics that interest me， just not today。 And not when it interrupts the narrative flow。

Raf ，

It's actually quite interesting but I'm not in the right state to read it。 The narrative is a bit heavy for me right now。 Will get back to it later。 It's actually quite interesting but I'm not in the right state to read it。 The narrative is a bit heavy for me right now。 Will get back to it later。 。。。more

Starr ❇✌❇ ，

TW: suicide， death from great height， plan crash， warmongering3After years of war， Mar and Earth are at an unsteady place。 Sending their children to study at Earth for 5 years should have brought them closer， but with the homecoming of those children， things only become more unclear。 They do not fit on Mars anymore， with more doubts and anger than they left with， and certain leaders on Mars seem determined to start another war。Following a student home from Earth， a film maker following his T TW: suicide， death from great height， plan crash， warmongering3After years of war， Mar and Earth are at an unsteady place。 Sending their children to study at Earth for 5 years should have brought them closer， but with the homecoming of those children， things only become more unclear。 They do not fit on Mars anymore， with more doubts and anger than they left with， and certain leaders on Mars seem determined to start another war。Following a student home from Earth， a film maker following his Terran mentor's foot steps in the wake of his death， and the political rift formed by the idea of a "wet Mars"， this is a deeply political novel。This is definitely a very Chinese novel， which I appreciate yet which also made it harder for me to read。 I couldn't really connect to much in this story， personally。The writing， unequivocally， however， is beautiful。 The translator did an excellent job， and I'm sure the original writing is fantastic。 It's poetic， and crisply descriptive。It's also very philosophical in a way that made it feel heavier than it was。 The philosophy and the politics mixed in a way that made it both more and less understandable。I do like the concept， and the politics were actually really interesting in concept。 The way that it's both deeply unrealistic， because it's on Mars and it's hundreds of years past us， with decisions we're no where near having to even think about （if ever）， it still feels very true。 It's written well because it feel genuine， yet just fantastic and fictional enough to be out of the question。I can appreciate this novel in a general sense， but it wasn't really the book for me。 It felt like the opposite of a "feel good" novel， ending everyone's stories with just enough negativity and hopelessness to feel exhausting， and the incredibly slow pacing made the book， which was already long & hard to wrap my head around entirely， even harder to get into。 As I didn't get invested in a certain political opinion， or any of the characters in particular， I was just never all that compelled by this story。 。。。more

Macarena Guzmán farías ，

Siendo honesta， me estaba terminando el libro por terminar ya que harto fome lo encontraba， pero el último "libro" es como la redención， en como termina todo， me hizo cuestionarme los diferentes sistemas políticos y el accionar humano， da pa pensar。 De igual forma nose si lo recomendaría， la historia está bien pero la descripción la encuentro excesiva y vuelve demasiado lenta la evolución de la historia。 Siendo honesta， me estaba terminando el libro por terminar ya que harto fome lo encontraba， pero el último "libro" es como la redención， en como termina todo， me hizo cuestionarme los diferentes sistemas políticos y el accionar humano， da pa pensar。 De igual forma nose si lo recomendaría， la historia está bien pero la descripción la encuentro excesiva y vuelve demasiado lenta la evolución de la historia。 。。。more

Clint ，

Review thoughts in a bit

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Vagabonds

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Vagabonds&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Vagabonds&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0