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觳� 臧滌潣 韺岆瀾
Discover the Korean runaway prizewinning bestseller for fans of Lonely Castle on the Mirror and Klara and the Sun
Let's all learn how to slow down...
2035: In the shadow of a race course, a young woman finds a robot on a scrap heap, contemplating the sky. Intrigued, she takes him under her care. Together, they decide to rescue the racehorse named Today, heading for the knackers' yard after a lifetime of overwork. To make Today happy again, they hatch a special plan to let her run another race.
But it will be no ordinary event鈥攖hey will train her to run the slowest time of her life.
In the heat of the race, Coli feels Today running too fast. She is in pain and will soon injure herself.
To save his beloved horse, Coli will commit one final act of bravery ...
Radiant, urgent, and deeply moving, A Thousand Blues is a hymn to our earth and to our humanity, giving a powerful voice to those left behind in a fast-forward world of toxic productivity and competition. Brimming with heart, hope, and rage, it shows with vivid empathy and warmth how friendship, community, and sacrifice will set us free.
鈥楢 sci-fi novel full of human warmth'
Let's all learn how to slow down...
2035: In the shadow of a race course, a young woman finds a robot on a scrap heap, contemplating the sky. Intrigued, she takes him under her care. Together, they decide to rescue the racehorse named Today, heading for the knackers' yard after a lifetime of overwork. To make Today happy again, they hatch a special plan to let her run another race.
But it will be no ordinary event鈥攖hey will train her to run the slowest time of her life.
In the heat of the race, Coli feels Today running too fast. She is in pain and will soon injure herself.
To save his beloved horse, Coli will commit one final act of bravery ...
Radiant, urgent, and deeply moving, A Thousand Blues is a hymn to our earth and to our humanity, giving a powerful voice to those left behind in a fast-forward world of toxic productivity and competition. Brimming with heart, hope, and rage, it shows with vivid empathy and warmth how friendship, community, and sacrifice will set us free.
鈥楢 sci-fi novel full of human warmth'
376 pages, Paperback
First published August 19, 2020
71 people are currently reading
2593 people want to read
About the author
Cheon Seon-ran
7听books27听followersBorn in 1993, Cheon Seon-ran is a beloved author by the 鈥楳Z Generation鈥� (Millennials and Gen Z) of South Korea. A graduate from the department of creative writing in Anyang Arts High School, she holds a master鈥檚 degree in creative writing from Dankook University. She dreams of living in a world where humans become the minority in a world of flora and fauna. She is always thinking what the end of the world will look like, and what is happening elsewhere in the universe. One day, she decides to pen her thoughts down in this novel. A Thousand Blues won the 4th Korea Sci-fi Literature Award. She is the author of several novels and short-story collections.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 114 reviews
May 13, 2025
鈥楾ime flows differently for each person even when they shared the same space, they remembered different things even when they looked at the same thing, and they did not know how others felt unless they talked about it. Sometimes they say one thing but mean another. They seemed intent on using all their energy to constantly hide their true feelings. Even so, from time to time, humans understood what others were feeling even if they didn't talk about it, and faced the same direction even as they looked at different things. Their experience of time sometimes aligned even when they were apart鈥�.鈥�
RTC at a later date.
RTC at a later date.
April 5, 2025
鞚措寑搿滊姅 欤届柎.
旖滊Μ電� 攴鸽爣瓴� 靸濌皝頄堧嫟.
攴鸽灅靹� 攴鸽偁, 甏€欷戩劃鞚� 杲� 彀� 電︗棳毽勳潣 瓴疥赴鞐愳劀 旖滊Μ電� 鞀れ姢搿� 雮欕頄堧嫟
At this rate she will die.
And that was why, during a late summer race before a crowd of thousands, C-27 purposely threw itself onto听the听ground.
A Thousand Blues is translated by Chi-Young Kim from the original 觳滉皽鞚� 韺岆瀾 by 觳涤劆霝赌 (Cheon Seon-ran).
Winner of the 2019 頃滉淡瓿柬暀氍疙暀靸� (Korean Sci-Fi Literature Award), this is a novel very much in the territory of Ishiguro's Klara and the Sun - or rather, since this was published earlier, more accurately Klara and the Sun is fishing in the territory of A Thousand Blues. That applies to the subject matter - centered around a cognitive robot - but also to the style, rather sentimental and close to a children's novel, and although part-dystopian, books which focus on the perspective of a small number of characters, with little information on the wider setting.
The novel is set in 2035. The development of robots has continued to advance and horse racing has been given a boost as a result, the racetrack in 瓿检矞 (Gwacheon) currently known as (霠涭笭霟绊寣韥�) is now thriving, and renamed:
As the racecourse park was located right by Seoul Grand Park, which housed an amusement park among other attractions, it boasted a nickname highlighting its status as an amusement park solely for grownups: The Other Land of Dreams.听 When the new robot jockeys appeared on the scene several years ago, the tired racecourse park began drawing renewed excitement. These jockeys were incredible. They didn鈥檛 get hurt or die, even when they fell off the horses, though they did get discarded once they were too damaged. But now that the jockeys were liberated from the specter of death, the horses ran faster and faster. The sheer thrill of watching the racing speeds climb, breaking records, brought people back, and as enormous amounts of digital cash infused the betting pool, more people came, searching for a huge payday.
(present-day entrance to the racecourse)
C-27 was manufactured in Daejoen, Korea, designed with the single-purpose of being a robot jockey, but during the manufacturing process was accidentally given an advanced-chip, intended for a humanoid robot, giving C-27 cognitive and learning capabilities. Partnered with a horse Today (韴嵃鞚�) the two form more of a bond than the more basic robots, leading the duo to become stars until, one day in a race, C-27 realises that Today is being pushed past her limits, and deliberately falls from the horse, being trampled by other horses.
The third-person narrative perspective switches between various characters (see below), but is wrapped by a first-person introduction and closing chapter told by C-27, which in the novel's opening pages describes a deliberate fall but, careful reading will reveal, a second, later one.
Post the initial fall, the badly mangled C-27 is marked for the scrap heap, and Today, increasingly suffering from arthritis, marked for euthanisation rather than the bucolic meadows of Jeju, but for the intervention of two sisters, Yeonjae (鞐办灛) and Eunhye (鞚€順�), whose widowed mother, a former actress, runs a restaurant that caters to weekend racegoers.
Yeonjae, socially isolated, is in to robotics, and Eunhye is in a wheelchair, cripped by polio (presciently the author presumably anticipating the toxic influence of Robert F. Kennedy Jr.) but both are drawn to the racecourse, and to the robot and horse respectively. Yeonjae persuades the stablemaster to sell her the shattered C-27, who she rebuilds and re-christens Coli (旖滊Μ), after his broccoli-like green colour, and the two girls, the sentient robot and an assorted collection of co-conspirators (their cousin, a journalist investigating race-fixing; the ethically-minded racecourse vet; and a school-mate of Yeonjae who wants to partner with her in a robotics competition to boost her college application; even a favour called in from an inveterate gambling convenience store owner who had replaced Yeonjae's part time job with a robot) embark on a plan to give Today one last chance of life.
(the 2024 stage production of the novel, using an actual robot to play Coli - from the )
3 stars for personal taste - rather like Klara and the Sun (and I think this is the stronger book) not entirely my thing, but well done (4* on its own terms). And rather more original than the wave of Healing Laundry-cum-Coffee-cum-Bookshop Korean novels in translation, while still having the same life-affirming message at heart.
Thanks to the publisher via Netgalley for an ARC.
旖滊Μ電� 攴鸽爣瓴� 靸濌皝頄堧嫟.
攴鸽灅靹� 攴鸽偁, 甏€欷戩劃鞚� 杲� 彀� 電︗棳毽勳潣 瓴疥赴鞐愳劀 旖滊Μ電� 鞀れ姢搿� 雮欕頄堧嫟
At this rate she will die.
And that was why, during a late summer race before a crowd of thousands, C-27 purposely threw itself onto听the听ground.
A Thousand Blues is translated by Chi-Young Kim from the original 觳滉皽鞚� 韺岆瀾 by 觳涤劆霝赌 (Cheon Seon-ran).
Winner of the 2019 頃滉淡瓿柬暀氍疙暀靸� (Korean Sci-Fi Literature Award), this is a novel very much in the territory of Ishiguro's Klara and the Sun - or rather, since this was published earlier, more accurately Klara and the Sun is fishing in the territory of A Thousand Blues. That applies to the subject matter - centered around a cognitive robot - but also to the style, rather sentimental and close to a children's novel, and although part-dystopian, books which focus on the perspective of a small number of characters, with little information on the wider setting.
The novel is set in 2035. The development of robots has continued to advance and horse racing has been given a boost as a result, the racetrack in 瓿检矞 (Gwacheon) currently known as (霠涭笭霟绊寣韥�) is now thriving, and renamed:
As the racecourse park was located right by Seoul Grand Park, which housed an amusement park among other attractions, it boasted a nickname highlighting its status as an amusement park solely for grownups: The Other Land of Dreams.听 When the new robot jockeys appeared on the scene several years ago, the tired racecourse park began drawing renewed excitement. These jockeys were incredible. They didn鈥檛 get hurt or die, even when they fell off the horses, though they did get discarded once they were too damaged. But now that the jockeys were liberated from the specter of death, the horses ran faster and faster. The sheer thrill of watching the racing speeds climb, breaking records, brought people back, and as enormous amounts of digital cash infused the betting pool, more people came, searching for a huge payday.
(present-day entrance to the racecourse)
C-27 was manufactured in Daejoen, Korea, designed with the single-purpose of being a robot jockey, but during the manufacturing process was accidentally given an advanced-chip, intended for a humanoid robot, giving C-27 cognitive and learning capabilities. Partnered with a horse Today (韴嵃鞚�) the two form more of a bond than the more basic robots, leading the duo to become stars until, one day in a race, C-27 realises that Today is being pushed past her limits, and deliberately falls from the horse, being trampled by other horses.
The third-person narrative perspective switches between various characters (see below), but is wrapped by a first-person introduction and closing chapter told by C-27, which in the novel's opening pages describes a deliberate fall but, careful reading will reveal, a second, later one.
Post the initial fall, the badly mangled C-27 is marked for the scrap heap, and Today, increasingly suffering from arthritis, marked for euthanisation rather than the bucolic meadows of Jeju, but for the intervention of two sisters, Yeonjae (鞐办灛) and Eunhye (鞚€順�), whose widowed mother, a former actress, runs a restaurant that caters to weekend racegoers.
Yeonjae, socially isolated, is in to robotics, and Eunhye is in a wheelchair, cripped by polio (presciently the author presumably anticipating the toxic influence of Robert F. Kennedy Jr.) but both are drawn to the racecourse, and to the robot and horse respectively. Yeonjae persuades the stablemaster to sell her the shattered C-27, who she rebuilds and re-christens Coli (旖滊Μ), after his broccoli-like green colour, and the two girls, the sentient robot and an assorted collection of co-conspirators (their cousin, a journalist investigating race-fixing; the ethically-minded racecourse vet; and a school-mate of Yeonjae who wants to partner with her in a robotics competition to boost her college application; even a favour called in from an inveterate gambling convenience store owner who had replaced Yeonjae's part time job with a robot) embark on a plan to give Today one last chance of life.
(the 2024 stage production of the novel, using an actual robot to play Coli - from the )
3 stars for personal taste - rather like Klara and the Sun (and I think this is the stronger book) not entirely my thing, but well done (4* on its own terms). And rather more original than the wave of Healing Laundry-cum-Coffee-cum-Bookshop Korean novels in translation, while still having the same life-affirming message at heart.
Thanks to the publisher via Netgalley for an ARC.
November 20, 2024
"You do not have to run if it hurts too much. You are already on track. That is more than enough."
I've been pondering how to write this review because I want it to do justice to A Thousand Blues. But alas, I'm a scatterbrain hot mess so bear with me here. The summary here is that it's a heavy book that will break your heart but also feel like a hug, sort of like .
Now, I don't want to play the comparison game here, but it's the best way I can talk about this book. deals with human connection, the brutality of being young, family issues, and bullying (amongst other heavy topics). A Thousand Blues deals with a different set of topics that are equally devastating: animal rights, grief, the people that are left behind once your work is taken over by robots/AI, disability rights, being poor, AND going through life trying to avoid bad feelings.
I know, I know. It's a lot. This book is a lot and I found it to be perfectly balanced.
A Thousand Blues is the story of Coli and Today. Coli is a sentient robot made for the sole purpose of riding a horse (Today) in horse races. Today gets hurt during a race and Coli falls down the horse, getting trampled over by all the horses that ran behind. Therefore, Coli will be destroyed and Today will be euthanized. That is until two sisters come into the scene and work together to save both Coli and Today.
The story is told in POVs: Coli's, the sisters, the mother, and Today's vet. They all go through their own different stories and struggles, which is why this book has so much going on. I found the mother's chapters to be the most devastating for me and I found myself crying more than I'd like to admit. And, as dumb as it is, everything about Today made me furious (and as dumb as this will sound, reading about Today's love for running and the ending just had me sobbing. I love running and I saw myself in there lol).
I came into this book knowing nothing of the story and I almost stopped reading: I hate AI and sentient robots, the fact that the robot is named Broccoli made my eye twitch when I first read it. But I'm so glad I gave it a chance because this is one of the best books I've read in ages.
Bits I liked:
"She wished she had run so far away that she wouldn't have been able to come back. Instead of stopping at the racetrack she should have gone all the way to the southern tip of the Korean peninsula. She had not made the most of that first chance at freedom, and after that she hadn't come across another."
---
"Are you being avoidant?
No, I'm not.
Then why are you hiding?
So I won't be so exhausted.
Are you sure you're not running away?"
---
"'Time, for me, is frozen. It froze while I was waiting for him, while he was in that burning build-ing. It froze during the span of time I believed he would-must-walk out alive.'
'Why?' asked Coli.
'I've forgotten how to make time start ticking again.'"
---
"'Time keeps passing as long as you re not dead. Even if it stops for a moment it's not a problem.
Coli didn't respond.
'In fact, maybe that's not a bad thing for time to stop for a moment. If you speed through life you miss things.'"
Thank you Doubleday for the ARC! This is an unbiased review.
I've been pondering how to write this review because I want it to do justice to A Thousand Blues. But alas, I'm a scatterbrain hot mess so bear with me here. The summary here is that it's a heavy book that will break your heart but also feel like a hug, sort of like .
Now, I don't want to play the comparison game here, but it's the best way I can talk about this book. deals with human connection, the brutality of being young, family issues, and bullying (amongst other heavy topics). A Thousand Blues deals with a different set of topics that are equally devastating: animal rights, grief, the people that are left behind once your work is taken over by robots/AI, disability rights, being poor, AND going through life trying to avoid bad feelings.
I know, I know. It's a lot. This book is a lot and I found it to be perfectly balanced.
A Thousand Blues is the story of Coli and Today. Coli is a sentient robot made for the sole purpose of riding a horse (Today) in horse races. Today gets hurt during a race and Coli falls down the horse, getting trampled over by all the horses that ran behind. Therefore, Coli will be destroyed and Today will be euthanized. That is until two sisters come into the scene and work together to save both Coli and Today.
The story is told in POVs: Coli's, the sisters, the mother, and Today's vet. They all go through their own different stories and struggles, which is why this book has so much going on. I found the mother's chapters to be the most devastating for me and I found myself crying more than I'd like to admit. And, as dumb as it is, everything about Today made me furious (and as dumb as this will sound, reading about Today's love for running and the ending just had me sobbing. I love running and I saw myself in there lol).
I came into this book knowing nothing of the story and I almost stopped reading: I hate AI and sentient robots, the fact that the robot is named Broccoli made my eye twitch when I first read it. But I'm so glad I gave it a chance because this is one of the best books I've read in ages.
Bits I liked:
"She wished she had run so far away that she wouldn't have been able to come back. Instead of stopping at the racetrack she should have gone all the way to the southern tip of the Korean peninsula. She had not made the most of that first chance at freedom, and after that she hadn't come across another."
---
"Are you being avoidant?
No, I'm not.
Then why are you hiding?
So I won't be so exhausted.
Are you sure you're not running away?"
---
"'Time, for me, is frozen. It froze while I was waiting for him, while he was in that burning build-ing. It froze during the span of time I believed he would-must-walk out alive.'
'Why?' asked Coli.
'I've forgotten how to make time start ticking again.'"
---
"'Time keeps passing as long as you re not dead. Even if it stops for a moment it's not a problem.
Coli didn't respond.
'In fact, maybe that's not a bad thing for time to stop for a moment. If you speed through life you miss things.'"
Thank you Doubleday for the ARC! This is an unbiased review.
March 14, 2025
"饾檾饾櫎饾櫔 饾櫃饾櫎 饾櫍饾櫎饾櫓 饾櫇饾櫀饾櫕饾櫄 饾櫓饾櫎 饾櫑饾櫔饾櫍 饾櫈饾櫅 饾櫈饾櫓 饾櫇饾櫔饾櫑饾櫓饾櫒 饾櫓饾櫎饾櫎 饾櫌饾櫔饾櫂饾櫇. 饾檾饾櫎饾櫔 饾櫀饾櫑饾櫄 饾櫀饾櫋饾櫑饾櫄饾櫀饾櫃饾櫘 饾櫎饾櫍 饾櫓饾櫑饾櫀饾櫂饾櫊. 饾檹饾櫇饾櫀饾櫓 饾櫈饾櫒 饾櫌饾櫎饾櫑饾櫄 饾櫓饾櫇饾櫀饾櫍 饾櫄饾櫍饾櫎饾櫔饾櫆饾櫇."
A Thousand Blues is an unexpectedly moving and endearing tale that takes place in a world where most of the labor that humans used to do has been replaced by robots. It is a heartwarming and sweet story while exploring some pretty heavy themes like grief, regret, animal rights, and disability rights. The story follows Yeonjae, a young woman who finds Coli, a robot on a scrap heap, looking up at the blue sky. Something about the robot draws her in and she decides to take him in. Together they rescue Today, a racehorse who's been overworked and is about to be sent to the knackers鈥� yard. Their plan is to train Today for one last race but it鈥檚 not just any race. Instead of trying to win, they want her to run the slowest race of her life.
Coli and Today are definitely the 'heart' of the book, and their relationship is truly special and sweet. Coli, despite being a robot has this endearing, childlike curiosity about the world. His questions about life and purpose are so simple but also profound. You can鈥檛 help but feel for him as he tries to understand what it means to be alive and its purpose. What I also love about the book is how it gives different characters the chance to share their perspective, each one adding depth to the story. Some of these perspectives are heartbreaking, especially Bogyeong, Yeonjae鈥檚 mom. She described her grief for her deceased husband as "time being frozen." It was so raw and moving. Coli鈥檚 chapters were also my favorites. The way he keeps asking questions about life and the world around him is so endearing. It made me think about how easy it is to get caught up in the chaos of life and forget to ask those simple, important questions. What鈥檚 the reason for its existence? What really matters? It was such an intriguing perspective, and Coli鈥檚 innocence feels so tender and innocent that makes his chapter so interesting to read and heartwarming.
Overall, the book does have the same vibe as Lonely Castle in the Mirror by Mizuki Tsujimura, though both tackle vastly different themes. However, both books have that same beautiful melancholic tone, where hope and sadness are handled in a delicate balance. A Thousand Blue is such a beautiful, thoughtful story about slowing down and reconnecting with the world around you. It鈥檚 a reminder that in a world that鈥檚 always moving too fast, sometimes the most important thing we can do is just stop, breathe and focus on what really matters. The emotional depth, the thought-provoking themes, and the heartfelt characters, make this a truly memorable read. Giving this 4.25 猸愶笍 Thank you @timesreads for this review copy!
A Thousand Blues is an unexpectedly moving and endearing tale that takes place in a world where most of the labor that humans used to do has been replaced by robots. It is a heartwarming and sweet story while exploring some pretty heavy themes like grief, regret, animal rights, and disability rights. The story follows Yeonjae, a young woman who finds Coli, a robot on a scrap heap, looking up at the blue sky. Something about the robot draws her in and she decides to take him in. Together they rescue Today, a racehorse who's been overworked and is about to be sent to the knackers鈥� yard. Their plan is to train Today for one last race but it鈥檚 not just any race. Instead of trying to win, they want her to run the slowest race of her life.
Coli and Today are definitely the 'heart' of the book, and their relationship is truly special and sweet. Coli, despite being a robot has this endearing, childlike curiosity about the world. His questions about life and purpose are so simple but also profound. You can鈥檛 help but feel for him as he tries to understand what it means to be alive and its purpose. What I also love about the book is how it gives different characters the chance to share their perspective, each one adding depth to the story. Some of these perspectives are heartbreaking, especially Bogyeong, Yeonjae鈥檚 mom. She described her grief for her deceased husband as "time being frozen." It was so raw and moving. Coli鈥檚 chapters were also my favorites. The way he keeps asking questions about life and the world around him is so endearing. It made me think about how easy it is to get caught up in the chaos of life and forget to ask those simple, important questions. What鈥檚 the reason for its existence? What really matters? It was such an intriguing perspective, and Coli鈥檚 innocence feels so tender and innocent that makes his chapter so interesting to read and heartwarming.
Overall, the book does have the same vibe as Lonely Castle in the Mirror by Mizuki Tsujimura, though both tackle vastly different themes. However, both books have that same beautiful melancholic tone, where hope and sadness are handled in a delicate balance. A Thousand Blue is such a beautiful, thoughtful story about slowing down and reconnecting with the world around you. It鈥檚 a reminder that in a world that鈥檚 always moving too fast, sometimes the most important thing we can do is just stop, breathe and focus on what really matters. The emotional depth, the thought-provoking themes, and the heartfelt characters, make this a truly memorable read. Giving this 4.25 猸愶笍 Thank you @timesreads for this review copy!
March 20, 2025
A charming poignant read for a scifi. Set in the near future of 2035, I followed two sisters; Yeonjae and Eunhye who shared a deep love to a retired racehorse named Today. When they discovered that Today will set to be euthanised, both decided to embark on a mission to save her. They are joined by Coli (once known as C-27), a humanoid robot jockey who had rode on Today in races but was put to dispose before Yeonjae picked and fixed it for a second life chance.
I fancied its melancholic tone and way it was told through multiple POVs from Yeonjae to Eunhye, their mom, Bogyeong as well as Coli. Their backstories were so emotionally rich and loved how the author observed that beauty of familial relationships, of love and empathy with that glimpse of impact on technology or AI in Coli鈥檚 narrative鈥� I liked how it sensed vibration like a feeling, and could distinguished Bogyeong鈥檚 family as according to the colors of a sky. It gets quite heartfelt too on the friendship part in between Jisu and Yeonjae, about Minju also how Bokhui, the vet who treated Today entered the premise with her POV and giving more dynamics to the whole execution.
It felt more or a slice of life rather than a scifi to me, probably a reason why I enjoyed the read more than I thought I would. It has that charm which absorbed me to further read esp when all teaming up to help Today. There was a slight of grief exploration in Bogyeong鈥檚 narrative that engrossed me, of companionship, one鈥檚 responsibility and what it truly means to care for both the living and non-human beings.
A compelling read overall, would recommend if you鈥檙e into futuristic arc or literary scifi fans and love a human, animal and tech connection theme. 4.2/5*
Thank you Times Reads for the gifted proof copy!
I fancied its melancholic tone and way it was told through multiple POVs from Yeonjae to Eunhye, their mom, Bogyeong as well as Coli. Their backstories were so emotionally rich and loved how the author observed that beauty of familial relationships, of love and empathy with that glimpse of impact on technology or AI in Coli鈥檚 narrative鈥� I liked how it sensed vibration like a feeling, and could distinguished Bogyeong鈥檚 family as according to the colors of a sky. It gets quite heartfelt too on the friendship part in between Jisu and Yeonjae, about Minju also how Bokhui, the vet who treated Today entered the premise with her POV and giving more dynamics to the whole execution.
It felt more or a slice of life rather than a scifi to me, probably a reason why I enjoyed the read more than I thought I would. It has that charm which absorbed me to further read esp when all teaming up to help Today. There was a slight of grief exploration in Bogyeong鈥檚 narrative that engrossed me, of companionship, one鈥檚 responsibility and what it truly means to care for both the living and non-human beings.
A compelling read overall, would recommend if you鈥檙e into futuristic arc or literary scifi fans and love a human, animal and tech connection theme. 4.2/5*
Thank you Times Reads for the gifted proof copy!
December 5, 2022
毂呾潉 鞚疥碃 鞖鸽崢 霑岅皜 鞛堨棃雮�?
旖滊Μ霃� 旖滊Μ歆€毵�,
歆€靾橃潣 毵愳澊 雮橃潣 毵堨潓鞚� 雿� 鞖鸽牳雼�.
鞏挫⿲氅� 氍挫嫭頃橂┐靹滊弰 鞙勴晿電� 攴� 毵堨潓.
瓴瓣淡 毵愴晿歆€ 鞎婌溂氅� 鞎勲霃� 氇ジ雼り碃~!
頃橃毵�, 頃橁碃鞁鹅潃 毵愳潉 毵堦惮毵堦惮 頃橂┐ 攴戈贝 瓴瓣淡 鞎堩晿電愲媹 氇豁晿瓴犾鈥�?
旖滊Μ霃� 旖滊Μ歆€毵�,
歆€靾橃潣 毵愳澊 雮橃潣 毵堨潓鞚� 雿� 鞖鸽牳雼�.
鞏挫⿲氅� 氍挫嫭頃橂┐靹滊弰 鞙勴晿電� 攴� 毵堨潓.
瓴瓣淡 毵愴晿歆€ 鞎婌溂氅� 鞎勲霃� 氇ジ雼り碃~!
頃橃毵�, 頃橁碃鞁鹅潃 毵愳潉 毵堦惮毵堦惮 頃橂┐ 攴戈贝 瓴瓣淡 鞎堩晿電愲媹 氇豁晿瓴犾鈥�?
March 22, 2025
"Because it's all too fast," he said."It's okay to be a little slower, isn't it?"
Welp, didnt expect to get this emotionally attached to a robot and boy, I cried reading that last chapter. Give me a moment to grieve for how beautifully rendered this book is 馃槶馃槶
Ser in a near future in 2035 where robots have become part of the society, human labors are slowly being replaced by robots, jockeys for racehorse are now manned by robots, technological advances are the new norms. A Thousand Blues is a deeply moving novel of a beautiful exploration on relationhsip & bond between family members, the co-existence of animals, humans and robots in this novel that brought a lot of questions on our own existence and nature. When a robot jockey was left to be scrapped after damaged from a racehorse, a girl named Yeonjae bought it to bring home to fix while C-27 or Coli dreamed of meeting its horse partner, Today again. Yeonjae's family consisted of her mother, Bogyeong a tenacious woman working as a single mom and her older sister, Eunhye, dreamed of being free while struggling as wheelchair bound due to her polio. Amidst of the unhappiness & struggle, there were strengths, perseverance shown by these three women as they worked as a family unit even if they never really shared their feelings openly
Its devastatingly mellow with tinge of sorrows as the story moved with various perspectives from each of these characters & we get to know their inner thoughts personally. I like that we also get the robot Coli or Broccoli named after its green head on its view on life, its not alive, its a machine but this robot was mistakenly inserted with a chip that gave it high emotional intelligence. Coli was as alive as a robot can be, he appreciated the colors in the world, he love looking up at the sky, he may not understand the concept of happiness but he knew Today is happy when its running, he is curious about everything, he is well conversed & he knew his human's emotions well. As I read this novel, there were many heartbreaks, joy, grief & sadness throughout, my heart ached for these characters especially Coli & his bond with Today. This was an emotional read for me as I didnt expect to cry for the final ending 馃ゲ
A Thousand Blues was a beautiful, heartwrenching story on taking it slow in a fast world. With various perspectives from a robot named Coli with its partner racehorse, Today, the humans around them in this deeply moving tale of a story with hope & loss that made me cry for them馃ズ
Thank u Times Reads for the review copy
Welp, didnt expect to get this emotionally attached to a robot and boy, I cried reading that last chapter. Give me a moment to grieve for how beautifully rendered this book is 馃槶馃槶
Ser in a near future in 2035 where robots have become part of the society, human labors are slowly being replaced by robots, jockeys for racehorse are now manned by robots, technological advances are the new norms. A Thousand Blues is a deeply moving novel of a beautiful exploration on relationhsip & bond between family members, the co-existence of animals, humans and robots in this novel that brought a lot of questions on our own existence and nature. When a robot jockey was left to be scrapped after damaged from a racehorse, a girl named Yeonjae bought it to bring home to fix while C-27 or Coli dreamed of meeting its horse partner, Today again. Yeonjae's family consisted of her mother, Bogyeong a tenacious woman working as a single mom and her older sister, Eunhye, dreamed of being free while struggling as wheelchair bound due to her polio. Amidst of the unhappiness & struggle, there were strengths, perseverance shown by these three women as they worked as a family unit even if they never really shared their feelings openly
Its devastatingly mellow with tinge of sorrows as the story moved with various perspectives from each of these characters & we get to know their inner thoughts personally. I like that we also get the robot Coli or Broccoli named after its green head on its view on life, its not alive, its a machine but this robot was mistakenly inserted with a chip that gave it high emotional intelligence. Coli was as alive as a robot can be, he appreciated the colors in the world, he love looking up at the sky, he may not understand the concept of happiness but he knew Today is happy when its running, he is curious about everything, he is well conversed & he knew his human's emotions well. As I read this novel, there were many heartbreaks, joy, grief & sadness throughout, my heart ached for these characters especially Coli & his bond with Today. This was an emotional read for me as I didnt expect to cry for the final ending 馃ゲ
A Thousand Blues was a beautiful, heartwrenching story on taking it slow in a fast world. With various perspectives from a robot named Coli with its partner racehorse, Today, the humans around them in this deeply moving tale of a story with hope & loss that made me cry for them馃ズ
Thank u Times Reads for the review copy
April 22, 2025
鈩曫潟狆潟ヰ潟欚潟氿潟燄潟� 饾暁饾暉 饾暐饾暀饾暁饾暏 饾暔饾暊饾暎饾暆饾晻 饾晼饾暕饾暁饾暏饾暐饾暏 饾暔饾暁饾暐饾暀饾暊饾暒饾暐 饾晵 饾暎饾晼饾晵饾暏饾暊饾暉.
鉅赌
Coli est un robot jockey mis au rebut apr猫s une chute. Today est une jument qui va 锚tre euthanasi茅e maintenant qu鈥檈lle ne peut plus courir. YeonJae et EunHye, deux s艙urs pas sp茅cialement proches, vont chacune s鈥檃ttacher 脿 un de ces deux 锚tres et vont tout faire pour changer leur vie.
鉅赌
饾晙饾晽 饾暏饾暊饾暈饾晼饾暊饾暉饾晼鈥欚潟� 饾晵饾暏饾暅饾暁饾暉饾晿 饾晽饾暊饾暎 饾暀饾晼饾暆饾暋, 饾暁饾暐鈥欚潟� 饾暉饾暊饾暐 饾暎饾暁饾晿饾暀饾暐 饾暐饾暊 饾暋饾暎饾晼饾暐饾晼饾暉饾晻 饾暘饾暊饾暒 饾晹饾晵饾暉鈥欚潟� 饾暀饾晼饾晵饾暎 饾暐饾暀饾晼饾暈.
鉅赌
Je ne connaissais pas du tout ce ce roman mais j鈥檃i absolument ador茅 ma lecture. On est pourtant assez loin de ce que j鈥檃ime quand j鈥檡 pense. D茅j脿, parce que sans la pr茅sence de Coli, on aurait du mal 脿 pouvoir consid茅rer ce roman comme de la SF. M锚me en l鈥櫭﹖at, on est plut么t sur du contemporain avec un robot histoire de dire que c鈥檈st quand m锚me de l鈥檌maginaire. On rajoute 脿 莽a une bonne dose de positivit茅, d鈥檈spoir et de bon sentiment et 莽a nous donne, en th茅orie, mon plus grand cauchemar鈥� Bon ben 莽a m鈥檃 quand m锚me beaucoup plu.
鉅赌
Concr猫tement il ne se passe pas grand chose dans ce roman au rythme tr猫s lent (on est vraiment sur de la tranche de vie ici) mais l鈥檃utrice nous propose des personnages vraiment attachants qui nous donnent vraiment envie de les suivre. Que l鈥檕n parle de Coli, tr猫s touchant avec sa na茂vet茅 et sa curiosit茅 tr猫s enfantines, de l鈥檋istoire des deux s艙urs et de leur m猫re, pleine de non-dits, ou bien de Today, tr猫s digne dans sa douleur et toujours heureuse lorsqu鈥檈lle court malgr茅 ses articulations en piteux 茅tat, on peut tous trouver quelque chose dans ce roman qui nous parlera.
鉅赌
L鈥檃utrice va beaucoup nous parler de famille, d鈥檃miti茅, de r茅silience. Elle va aussi aborder des sujets de soci茅t茅 comme les horreurs qu鈥檕n fait subir aux animaux pour notre propre divertissement, la condescendance et l鈥檌nfantilisation que peuvent subir beaucoup de personnes en situation de handicap, ou encore les robots (plut么t les IA pour nous en ce moment) qui volent le travail d鈥櫭猼res humains. Une belle petite le莽on de vie en quelque sorte.
鉅赌
Je ne sais pas si mon avis va tellement vous donner envie - 饾殞饾殬饾殩饾殭饾殱饾殠 饾殱饾殠饾殫饾殲 饾殟饾殠 饾殩饾殠饾殰 饾殣饾殬饾殲虃饾殱饾殰 饾殦饾殠 饾殫饾殠 饾殭饾殠饾殫饾殰饾殠 饾殭饾殜饾殰 饾殮饾殲饾殠 饾殞饾殠饾殱饾殱饾殠 饾殞饾殤饾殯饾殬饾殫饾殥饾殮饾殲饾殠 饾殩饾殠 饾殟饾殬饾殫饾殫饾殠饾殯饾殜饾殥饾殱 饾殱饾殯饾殠虁饾殰 饾殠饾殫饾殶饾殥饾殠 饾殜虁 饾殩饾殬饾殥-饾殩饾殠虃饾殩饾殠 - mais je pense que c鈥檈st un livre qui m茅rite d鈥櫭猼re d茅couvert. Il faut juste le prendre pour ce que c鈥檈st : un roman tranche de vie touchant et plein de charme qui nous interroge un peu sur notre rapport au monde et nous encourage 脿 ralentir un peu.
鉅赌
饾晭饾晼 饾晵饾暆饾暆 饾暉饾晼饾晼饾晻 饾暋饾暎饾晵饾晹饾暐饾暁饾晹饾晼 饾暏饾暆饾暊饾暔饾暁饾暉饾晿 饾晻饾暊饾暔饾暉.
鉅赌
Coli est un robot jockey mis au rebut apr猫s une chute. Today est une jument qui va 锚tre euthanasi茅e maintenant qu鈥檈lle ne peut plus courir. YeonJae et EunHye, deux s艙urs pas sp茅cialement proches, vont chacune s鈥檃ttacher 脿 un de ces deux 锚tres et vont tout faire pour changer leur vie.
鉅赌
饾晙饾晽 饾暏饾暊饾暈饾晼饾暊饾暉饾晼鈥欚潟� 饾晵饾暏饾暅饾暁饾暉饾晿 饾晽饾暊饾暎 饾暀饾晼饾暆饾暋, 饾暁饾暐鈥欚潟� 饾暉饾暊饾暐 饾暎饾暁饾晿饾暀饾暐 饾暐饾暊 饾暋饾暎饾晼饾暐饾晼饾暉饾晻 饾暘饾暊饾暒 饾晹饾晵饾暉鈥欚潟� 饾暀饾晼饾晵饾暎 饾暐饾暀饾晼饾暈.
鉅赌
Je ne connaissais pas du tout ce ce roman mais j鈥檃i absolument ador茅 ma lecture. On est pourtant assez loin de ce que j鈥檃ime quand j鈥檡 pense. D茅j脿, parce que sans la pr茅sence de Coli, on aurait du mal 脿 pouvoir consid茅rer ce roman comme de la SF. M锚me en l鈥櫭﹖at, on est plut么t sur du contemporain avec un robot histoire de dire que c鈥檈st quand m锚me de l鈥檌maginaire. On rajoute 脿 莽a une bonne dose de positivit茅, d鈥檈spoir et de bon sentiment et 莽a nous donne, en th茅orie, mon plus grand cauchemar鈥� Bon ben 莽a m鈥檃 quand m锚me beaucoup plu.
鉅赌
Concr猫tement il ne se passe pas grand chose dans ce roman au rythme tr猫s lent (on est vraiment sur de la tranche de vie ici) mais l鈥檃utrice nous propose des personnages vraiment attachants qui nous donnent vraiment envie de les suivre. Que l鈥檕n parle de Coli, tr猫s touchant avec sa na茂vet茅 et sa curiosit茅 tr猫s enfantines, de l鈥檋istoire des deux s艙urs et de leur m猫re, pleine de non-dits, ou bien de Today, tr猫s digne dans sa douleur et toujours heureuse lorsqu鈥檈lle court malgr茅 ses articulations en piteux 茅tat, on peut tous trouver quelque chose dans ce roman qui nous parlera.
鉅赌
L鈥檃utrice va beaucoup nous parler de famille, d鈥檃miti茅, de r茅silience. Elle va aussi aborder des sujets de soci茅t茅 comme les horreurs qu鈥檕n fait subir aux animaux pour notre propre divertissement, la condescendance et l鈥檌nfantilisation que peuvent subir beaucoup de personnes en situation de handicap, ou encore les robots (plut么t les IA pour nous en ce moment) qui volent le travail d鈥櫭猼res humains. Une belle petite le莽on de vie en quelque sorte.
鉅赌
Je ne sais pas si mon avis va tellement vous donner envie - 饾殞饾殬饾殩饾殭饾殱饾殠 饾殱饾殠饾殫饾殲 饾殟饾殠 饾殩饾殠饾殰 饾殣饾殬饾殲虃饾殱饾殰 饾殦饾殠 饾殫饾殠 饾殭饾殠饾殫饾殰饾殠 饾殭饾殜饾殰 饾殮饾殲饾殠 饾殞饾殠饾殱饾殱饾殠 饾殞饾殤饾殯饾殬饾殫饾殥饾殮饾殲饾殠 饾殩饾殠 饾殟饾殬饾殫饾殫饾殠饾殯饾殜饾殥饾殱 饾殱饾殯饾殠虁饾殰 饾殠饾殫饾殶饾殥饾殠 饾殜虁 饾殩饾殬饾殥-饾殩饾殠虃饾殩饾殠 - mais je pense que c鈥檈st un livre qui m茅rite d鈥櫭猼re d茅couvert. Il faut juste le prendre pour ce que c鈥檈st : un roman tranche de vie touchant et plein de charme qui nous interroge un peu sur notre rapport au monde et nous encourage 脿 ralentir un peu.
鉅赌
饾晭饾晼 饾晵饾暆饾暆 饾暉饾晼饾晼饾晻 饾暋饾暎饾晵饾晹饾暐饾暁饾晹饾晼 饾暏饾暆饾暊饾暔饾暁饾暉饾晿 饾晻饾暊饾暔饾暉.
April 14, 2025
Set in 2035, the story follows Coli, originally named C-27, a green-colored robot designed to assist with horse racing. Unlike other machines, Coli is curious, constantly asking 鈥渨hy鈥� as it seeks to understand and communicate鈥攅specially with its equine partner, Today. Their bond grows strong, and Today becomes a racing sensation worth hundreds of millions. But behind her success, she鈥檚 in pain鈥攁 truth everyone ignores except Coli. In a desperate act of loyalty, Coli sacrifices itself during a race, leading to Today鈥檚 disqualification and its own shutdown.
馃 I loved the concept behind this story. At first glance, it might seem like a classic sci-fi tale about a robot and a racehorse, but it turns out to be something much deeper鈥攁n exploration of life, human relationships, and the invisible struggles we often overlook. It also presents an intriguing perspective on our relationship with technology and the ways in which technology can impact our jobs.
馃 What I found most captivating was how the story unfolded beyond just Coli and Today鈥檚 journey. While I initially thought the book would focus solely on them, it turned out to be a beautifully woven narrative about a family鈥擝ogyeong, a grieving mother, and her two daughters, Eunhye and Yeonjae. Their lives take a profound turn after the loss of the only man in their family, and the way their relationships shift and evolve is comforting.
馃Bogyeong鈥檚 backstory was especially moving, highlighting the deep grief she experiences, which is both difficult to read and heartbreaking. Meanwhile, Eunhye and Yeonjae鈥檚 growth was inspiring鈥攖hey navigate life with wisdom beyond their years. The presence of Coli even helps to mend some of their wounds, creating a bond between them that wasn鈥檛 there before.
馃 Another highlight for me was Yeonjae鈥檚 friendship with Jisu. Their connection felt real and relatable, and it was heartwarming to see Yeonjae slowly open her heart to someone.
馃 From the moment Coli appeared in the book, I adored this little robot. Its curiosity, kindness, and unwavering loyalty made it such an endearing character. That鈥檚 why the ending left me heartbroken. I had hoped for a different fate, and that鈥檚 the only reason I couldn't give the book more than four stars.
馃 That said, despite its slow, character-driven pace, I was captivated by every perspective. The translation was smooth, and the story left a lasting impression. While labeled as science fiction, it鈥檚 really a poignant reflection on life and connection鈥攐ne I highly recommend.
Here are quotes that I liked from the book:
鉂€ 鈥淕iving up when something is too hard is a valid option, too. Though it takes a lot of effort for a living being to voluntarily give something up."
鉂€ 鈥淵ou didn't have to be understood by everyone in the whole world. You just needed to be understood by the people you wanted to understand yourself.鈥�
鉂€ 鈥淗umans had no way of knowing what someone else was feeling without talking about it; everyone just assumed they knew what others felt.鈥�
鉂€ 鈥淗appiness cures all ills. It is the only thing that is more powerful than going back to the past.鈥�
鉂€ 鈥淕rowing up meant realizing that other people's lives were different from yours, and it meant accepting and adapting to that fact. Sometimes that process was brutal.鈥�
Thank you, Times Reads, for the review copy!
馃 I loved the concept behind this story. At first glance, it might seem like a classic sci-fi tale about a robot and a racehorse, but it turns out to be something much deeper鈥攁n exploration of life, human relationships, and the invisible struggles we often overlook. It also presents an intriguing perspective on our relationship with technology and the ways in which technology can impact our jobs.
馃 What I found most captivating was how the story unfolded beyond just Coli and Today鈥檚 journey. While I initially thought the book would focus solely on them, it turned out to be a beautifully woven narrative about a family鈥擝ogyeong, a grieving mother, and her two daughters, Eunhye and Yeonjae. Their lives take a profound turn after the loss of the only man in their family, and the way their relationships shift and evolve is comforting.
馃Bogyeong鈥檚 backstory was especially moving, highlighting the deep grief she experiences, which is both difficult to read and heartbreaking. Meanwhile, Eunhye and Yeonjae鈥檚 growth was inspiring鈥攖hey navigate life with wisdom beyond their years. The presence of Coli even helps to mend some of their wounds, creating a bond between them that wasn鈥檛 there before.
馃 Another highlight for me was Yeonjae鈥檚 friendship with Jisu. Their connection felt real and relatable, and it was heartwarming to see Yeonjae slowly open her heart to someone.
馃 From the moment Coli appeared in the book, I adored this little robot. Its curiosity, kindness, and unwavering loyalty made it such an endearing character. That鈥檚 why the ending left me heartbroken. I had hoped for a different fate, and that鈥檚 the only reason I couldn't give the book more than four stars.
馃 That said, despite its slow, character-driven pace, I was captivated by every perspective. The translation was smooth, and the story left a lasting impression. While labeled as science fiction, it鈥檚 really a poignant reflection on life and connection鈥攐ne I highly recommend.
Here are quotes that I liked from the book:
鉂€ 鈥淕iving up when something is too hard is a valid option, too. Though it takes a lot of effort for a living being to voluntarily give something up."
鉂€ 鈥淵ou didn't have to be understood by everyone in the whole world. You just needed to be understood by the people you wanted to understand yourself.鈥�
鉂€ 鈥淗umans had no way of knowing what someone else was feeling without talking about it; everyone just assumed they knew what others felt.鈥�
鉂€ 鈥淗appiness cures all ills. It is the only thing that is more powerful than going back to the past.鈥�
鉂€ 鈥淕rowing up meant realizing that other people's lives were different from yours, and it meant accepting and adapting to that fact. Sometimes that process was brutal.鈥�
Thank you, Times Reads, for the review copy!
December 26, 2024
Described as Klara and the Sun meets The Lonely Castle in the Mirror, A Thousand Blues definitely has similarities to both, though it didn't quite hit the same level of either book for me sadly.
The novel, set in 2035, follows a girl who rescues and fixes up a humanoid robot who's sole purpose was to be a jockey for a horse called Today. Today is on his last legs in the horse racing world, and is about to be sent to slaughter, but together the girl and her sister come up with a plan to give the horse one last race and buy Today a little more time. The only catch is, Today must run the slowest race of his life in order to do no further damage.
The strongest parts of this book centre around Coli (short for Broccoli) the robot. It was hard not to love this character.
What I didn't love was how twee it often felt, especially with the constant life teachings and morals that never felt seamlessly interwoven within the story. I grew really bored of this side of the novel and ultimately this is what made it not quite for me. It also has a very emotional weepy ending!!
The novel, set in 2035, follows a girl who rescues and fixes up a humanoid robot who's sole purpose was to be a jockey for a horse called Today. Today is on his last legs in the horse racing world, and is about to be sent to slaughter, but together the girl and her sister come up with a plan to give the horse one last race and buy Today a little more time. The only catch is, Today must run the slowest race of his life in order to do no further damage.
The strongest parts of this book centre around Coli (short for Broccoli) the robot. It was hard not to love this character.
What I didn't love was how twee it often felt, especially with the constant life teachings and morals that never felt seamlessly interwoven within the story. I grew really bored of this side of the novel and ultimately this is what made it not quite for me. It also has a very emotional weepy ending!!
July 25, 2023
Cheon Seon-Ran erz盲hlt in ihrer Utopie von Bogyeon, die ihre Arbeit als Schauspielerin verlor und ein Restaurant betreibt, ihren T枚chtern Yeonjae (Sch眉lerin mit Interesse an Robotik) und Eunhye, die nach einer Polioerkrankung im Rollstuhl sitzt, dem Rennpferd Today und dem humanoiden Jockey-Roboter C27, genannt Koli (brokkolifarben lackiert). In Nebenrollen u. a. der junge Reporter Woo Seoyin, der 眉ber Rennsport recherchiert.
Koli, eigentlich C27, ist auf einer koreanischen Rennbahn Jockey-Roboter des Spitzenpferds Today. Weil ein Chip auf den Boden fiel und irrt眉mlich in den Beh盲lter f眉r die Roboterproduktion geworfen wurde, erhielt Koli umfangreiches Selbstlern-Material zum Thema Sprache. Das doppelte menschliche Versagen h盲tte durch den Einsatz von Maschinen verhindert werden k枚nnen. Die Geschichte spielt in der nahen Zukunft nach 2035, in der Roboter mit begrenzter Intelligenz f眉r einfache Arbeiten eingesetzt werden. Koli, der in menschlicher Gestalt konstruiert wurde, hat aus seinem irregeleiteten Chip erstaunlichen Nutzen gezogen. Er verf眉gt 眉ber einen Wortschatz von 1000 W枚rtern, denkt 眉ber die Blaut枚ne des Himmels nach, 眉ber Motive menschlichen Handelns 鈥� und kann Todays K枚rpersprache ersp眉ren. Dass Koli Puls, Atmung und Muskelspannung des Pferds wahrnimmt und mit ihm kommuniziert, macht Rennpferd und Roboter zu einem unschlagbaren Team. Als Today wegen abgenutzter Gelenke nicht mehr laufen kann, will Koli ihn mit seinen beschr盲nkten Mitteln retten. Er l盲sst sich mitten im Rennen vom Pferder眉cken gleiten und wird von den Hufen der Verfolger zerst枚rt. An diesem Punkt kreuzt sein Weg den der Sch眉lerin Woo Yeonjae, die in der N盲he der Rennbahn wohnt. An Robotik interessiert, kauft sie Kolis Trainer Minju (verbotenerweise) den Roboterschrott ab und beginnt, f眉r ihn intelligente Beinprothesen zu konstruieren. Yeonjae ist auf der Suche nach einem alltagstauglichen Projekt f眉r einen Wettbewerb; dass ihre Schwester Rollstuhlfahrerin ist, spielt sicher auch eine Rolle. W盲hrend sie auf Materialsuche ist, sinnt der zerst枚rte Koli dar眉ber nach, wie Today vor dem Abdecker gerettet werden kann.
Bogyeon und ihre T枚chter sind Au脽enseiterinnen in einer nicht so fernen Gesellschaft, denen der technische Fortschritt bisher nur Nachteile brachte. Seit Bogyeons Mann t枚dlich verungl眉ckte und sie den ganzen Tag im Restaurant schuftet, lastet ein gro脽er Teil der Hausarbeit auf Yeonjae. Die Sch眉lerin f眉hlt sich nur mit ihrem Nutzen wahrgenommen, nicht als Person. Mit Dingen kommt Yeonjae besser klar als mit Menschen. Weil Robotik f眉r ein M盲dchen aus einfachen Verh盲ltnissen als sonderbares Interesse gewertet wird, sieht sie sich allgemein gemobbt. Ihren Job im 24-Stunden-Laden hat sie gerade verloren, weil ihr Chef lieber den Dienstleistungs-Roboter Betty angeschafft hat als ihr Mindestlohn zu zahlen. Auch Eunhuye f眉hlt sich vom technischen Fortschritt 眉bergangen; denn als Rollstuhlfahrerin ist sie vom 枚ffentlichen Raum ausgeschlossen. Der Rennsport mit seiner Wettkultur k枚nnte hier das allt盲gliche Hamsterrad in der nicht so fernen Zukunft symbolisieren, die keinen Raum mehr f眉r Freundschaft und Solidarit盲t l盲sst. In Yeonjaes Welt haben bisher M盲nner Nanobots entwickelt - und Frauen kochten. Schon Yonjaes Mutter war einst in einer Pr眉fung gescheitert, weil sie von der Frage 眉berfordert war, was Technik den Menschen bringen k枚nnte. Damit Yeonjae ihre Begabung f眉r diese Gesellschaft einsetzen kann, muss die sie zun盲chst als gleichberechtigtes Mitglied akzeptieren.
Die Geschichte des irrt眉mlich mitf眉hlenden Roboters und 鈥瀞einer鈥� Helfer wird zirkul盲r erz盲hlt, teils von Koli als Icherz盲hler; sie beginnt und endet mit Kolis geplantem Sturz vom Pferd. Dass in Cheons utopischem Szenario Robotern menschliche Silhouetten angepasst werden, konnte mich zwar wenig begeistern. Davon abgesehen wirkt Cheons Utopie originell und empathisch. Die Frage, wozu Technik n眉tzt, verkn眉pft Cheon Seon-Ran mit dem Schicksal jener, denen technischer Fortschritt bisher nur Nachteile gebracht hat.
Koli, eigentlich C27, ist auf einer koreanischen Rennbahn Jockey-Roboter des Spitzenpferds Today. Weil ein Chip auf den Boden fiel und irrt眉mlich in den Beh盲lter f眉r die Roboterproduktion geworfen wurde, erhielt Koli umfangreiches Selbstlern-Material zum Thema Sprache. Das doppelte menschliche Versagen h盲tte durch den Einsatz von Maschinen verhindert werden k枚nnen. Die Geschichte spielt in der nahen Zukunft nach 2035, in der Roboter mit begrenzter Intelligenz f眉r einfache Arbeiten eingesetzt werden. Koli, der in menschlicher Gestalt konstruiert wurde, hat aus seinem irregeleiteten Chip erstaunlichen Nutzen gezogen. Er verf眉gt 眉ber einen Wortschatz von 1000 W枚rtern, denkt 眉ber die Blaut枚ne des Himmels nach, 眉ber Motive menschlichen Handelns 鈥� und kann Todays K枚rpersprache ersp眉ren. Dass Koli Puls, Atmung und Muskelspannung des Pferds wahrnimmt und mit ihm kommuniziert, macht Rennpferd und Roboter zu einem unschlagbaren Team. Als Today wegen abgenutzter Gelenke nicht mehr laufen kann, will Koli ihn mit seinen beschr盲nkten Mitteln retten. Er l盲sst sich mitten im Rennen vom Pferder眉cken gleiten und wird von den Hufen der Verfolger zerst枚rt. An diesem Punkt kreuzt sein Weg den der Sch眉lerin Woo Yeonjae, die in der N盲he der Rennbahn wohnt. An Robotik interessiert, kauft sie Kolis Trainer Minju (verbotenerweise) den Roboterschrott ab und beginnt, f眉r ihn intelligente Beinprothesen zu konstruieren. Yeonjae ist auf der Suche nach einem alltagstauglichen Projekt f眉r einen Wettbewerb; dass ihre Schwester Rollstuhlfahrerin ist, spielt sicher auch eine Rolle. W盲hrend sie auf Materialsuche ist, sinnt der zerst枚rte Koli dar眉ber nach, wie Today vor dem Abdecker gerettet werden kann.
Bogyeon und ihre T枚chter sind Au脽enseiterinnen in einer nicht so fernen Gesellschaft, denen der technische Fortschritt bisher nur Nachteile brachte. Seit Bogyeons Mann t枚dlich verungl眉ckte und sie den ganzen Tag im Restaurant schuftet, lastet ein gro脽er Teil der Hausarbeit auf Yeonjae. Die Sch眉lerin f眉hlt sich nur mit ihrem Nutzen wahrgenommen, nicht als Person. Mit Dingen kommt Yeonjae besser klar als mit Menschen. Weil Robotik f眉r ein M盲dchen aus einfachen Verh盲ltnissen als sonderbares Interesse gewertet wird, sieht sie sich allgemein gemobbt. Ihren Job im 24-Stunden-Laden hat sie gerade verloren, weil ihr Chef lieber den Dienstleistungs-Roboter Betty angeschafft hat als ihr Mindestlohn zu zahlen. Auch Eunhuye f眉hlt sich vom technischen Fortschritt 眉bergangen; denn als Rollstuhlfahrerin ist sie vom 枚ffentlichen Raum ausgeschlossen. Der Rennsport mit seiner Wettkultur k枚nnte hier das allt盲gliche Hamsterrad in der nicht so fernen Zukunft symbolisieren, die keinen Raum mehr f眉r Freundschaft und Solidarit盲t l盲sst. In Yeonjaes Welt haben bisher M盲nner Nanobots entwickelt - und Frauen kochten. Schon Yonjaes Mutter war einst in einer Pr眉fung gescheitert, weil sie von der Frage 眉berfordert war, was Technik den Menschen bringen k枚nnte. Damit Yeonjae ihre Begabung f眉r diese Gesellschaft einsetzen kann, muss die sie zun盲chst als gleichberechtigtes Mitglied akzeptieren.
Die Geschichte des irrt眉mlich mitf眉hlenden Roboters und 鈥瀞einer鈥� Helfer wird zirkul盲r erz盲hlt, teils von Koli als Icherz盲hler; sie beginnt und endet mit Kolis geplantem Sturz vom Pferd. Dass in Cheons utopischem Szenario Robotern menschliche Silhouetten angepasst werden, konnte mich zwar wenig begeistern. Davon abgesehen wirkt Cheons Utopie originell und empathisch. Die Frage, wozu Technik n眉tzt, verkn眉pft Cheon Seon-Ran mit dem Schicksal jener, denen technischer Fortschritt bisher nur Nachteile gebracht hat.
June 17, 2025
I spotted in the library as it has a very pretty cover and is a nicely proportioned hardback. (Generally I find reading paperbacks more comfortable, but would change allegiance to hardbacks were they all this size.) Obviously the fact it's a best-selling Korean sci-fi novel then convinced me to borrow it. I read the whole novel in one evening. It is gentle, sentimental tale of an intelligent robot befriending first a horse, then a family consisting of a mother & two daughters. The robot was built to be a jockey, a truly ingenious concept, but accidentally received a special chip that allows it to think and learn.
I did enjoy this concept and found the dynamics of the family sweet and deftly written. doesn't really have the ethos of sci-fi in my view; its scope is that of a single intelligent robot and a family, whose lives do not have huge importance or impact. The wider social impacts of automation do impinge upon the family at times - Yeonjae loses her job at a convenience store and is replaced by a robot. I found this vision of the near future plausible, in that robots aren't good at customer service at all but have become cheaper than employing people. Really, Cheon Seon-ran depicts enshittification, albeit from an individual emotional perspective. The book doesn't provide much insight into robot intelligence, a topic that has definitely been explored in more depth elsewhere. The familial and friendship dynamics are lovely, though. I enjoyed the kindness of the narrative and its concern with a robot, a horse, and a single-parent family struggling financially, all of them social outcasts and discards of a kind.
Finally, I must offer a fact check to page 123: horses famously cannot vomit! This can actually be a big problem for their digestive health. I don't know when or where I learned this fact, but an editor should have picked it up.
I did enjoy this concept and found the dynamics of the family sweet and deftly written. doesn't really have the ethos of sci-fi in my view; its scope is that of a single intelligent robot and a family, whose lives do not have huge importance or impact. The wider social impacts of automation do impinge upon the family at times - Yeonjae loses her job at a convenience store and is replaced by a robot. I found this vision of the near future plausible, in that robots aren't good at customer service at all but have become cheaper than employing people. Really, Cheon Seon-ran depicts enshittification, albeit from an individual emotional perspective. The book doesn't provide much insight into robot intelligence, a topic that has definitely been explored in more depth elsewhere. The familial and friendship dynamics are lovely, though. I enjoyed the kindness of the narrative and its concern with a robot, a horse, and a single-parent family struggling financially, all of them social outcasts and discards of a kind.
Finally, I must offer a fact check to page 123: horses famously cannot vomit! This can actually be a big problem for their digestive health. I don't know when or where I learned this fact, but an editor should have picked it up.
March 28, 2025
ARC review
In 2035, a purpose-built jockey robot (with a little extra than expected) falls from its horse and is destined to be scrapped and repurposed. Until a young woman decides to salvage it. A Thousand Blues is a heartfelt exploration of the highs and lows of humanity, and how we prioritise technological advancements that make the rich richer, rather than improving quality of life for all. One of the key characters is physically disabled and this book discusses in depth society鈥檚 failures to accommodate and support disabled people, which was incredibly moving and well- handled.
I need to say straight off the bat I picked up this book for the sentient robot, and immediately I was hating monk & robot duo vibes and I was chomping at the bit. Unfortunately the actual robot is scarcely present in this book, and the focus of this story is actually the girl and her family. Now, this isn鈥檛 a BAD story! I really liked the characters and the way the author explores how shared trauma effects close relationships, and it definitely had dystopian vibes regarding how technological advances have effected different classes. It鈥檚 just not the story I was wanting/expecting. I think if THAT sounds like something you鈥檙e interested in, I鈥檇 definitely recommend this book. If you are after a quirky robot with heart, I think you鈥檒l be hung out to dry a little bit. Despite being pretty short it took me a couple days to finish just because I wasn鈥檛 very immersed (I think because I was waiting for more robot scenes 馃拃)
The most important thing is the themes and messages of A Thousand Blues are incredibly important and well-delivered. There鈥檚 a lot of commentary about the racing industry and the treatment of animals in general, and this is a really interesting way to weave that in to fiction. I also really love that a book with such heavy and almost threatening themes ends with an abundance of hope and love. I would really love to read more from this author.
In 2035, a purpose-built jockey robot (with a little extra than expected) falls from its horse and is destined to be scrapped and repurposed. Until a young woman decides to salvage it. A Thousand Blues is a heartfelt exploration of the highs and lows of humanity, and how we prioritise technological advancements that make the rich richer, rather than improving quality of life for all. One of the key characters is physically disabled and this book discusses in depth society鈥檚 failures to accommodate and support disabled people, which was incredibly moving and well- handled.
I need to say straight off the bat I picked up this book for the sentient robot, and immediately I was hating monk & robot duo vibes and I was chomping at the bit. Unfortunately the actual robot is scarcely present in this book, and the focus of this story is actually the girl and her family. Now, this isn鈥檛 a BAD story! I really liked the characters and the way the author explores how shared trauma effects close relationships, and it definitely had dystopian vibes regarding how technological advances have effected different classes. It鈥檚 just not the story I was wanting/expecting. I think if THAT sounds like something you鈥檙e interested in, I鈥檇 definitely recommend this book. If you are after a quirky robot with heart, I think you鈥檒l be hung out to dry a little bit. Despite being pretty short it took me a couple days to finish just because I wasn鈥檛 very immersed (I think because I was waiting for more robot scenes 馃拃)
The most important thing is the themes and messages of A Thousand Blues are incredibly important and well-delivered. There鈥檚 a lot of commentary about the racing industry and the treatment of animals in general, and this is a really interesting way to weave that in to fiction. I also really love that a book with such heavy and almost threatening themes ends with an abundance of hope and love. I would really love to read more from this author.
February 14, 2025
A Thousand Blues is a beautiful and emotive sci-fi story that follows a cast of characters over the course of 6 months. Likened to Kazuo Ishiguro's 'Klara and the Sun' (my favourite book of 2021!), the setting is a near future in which robots are starting to become widespread. With human jobs being replaced by robots in attempts to save money, this book asks: what does it mean to be alive?
I was interested in the main setting, which was a horse racing track using robot jockeys. I could tell that Cheon Seon-ran thought a lot about even the smallest changes that robots could have in our lives. There were so many tearjerking moments throughout as our characters tried to navigate this new age of technology. I was especially moved by the older sister, Eunhye, as she struggled to travel around as a wheelchair user in a world obsessed with new products and inventions.
The prose was also gorgeous. The translator Chi-Young Kim did a fantastic job of maintaining a balance between vivid descriptions and simplicity. This meant that the story was easy to digest, and the main themes were introduced well. In such a small book, so many themes were touched on, from disability to animal rights.
This was a lovely story about finding your own place within the world, and I would recommend this book to anyone who would like a thought-provoking read. The sci-fi elements were reasonably light, so I am sure that this book will appeal to a wide audience. Thank you NetGalley and Random House UK, Transworld Publishers | Doubleday for providing this e-ARC for an honest review.
I was interested in the main setting, which was a horse racing track using robot jockeys. I could tell that Cheon Seon-ran thought a lot about even the smallest changes that robots could have in our lives. There were so many tearjerking moments throughout as our characters tried to navigate this new age of technology. I was especially moved by the older sister, Eunhye, as she struggled to travel around as a wheelchair user in a world obsessed with new products and inventions.
The prose was also gorgeous. The translator Chi-Young Kim did a fantastic job of maintaining a balance between vivid descriptions and simplicity. This meant that the story was easy to digest, and the main themes were introduced well. In such a small book, so many themes were touched on, from disability to animal rights.
This was a lovely story about finding your own place within the world, and I would recommend this book to anyone who would like a thought-provoking read. The sci-fi elements were reasonably light, so I am sure that this book will appeal to a wide audience. Thank you NetGalley and Random House UK, Transworld Publishers | Doubleday for providing this e-ARC for an honest review.
June 14, 2025
Kocht dit boek met oek omdat het letterlijk een koreaans paardenboek is. Letterlijk ons kind. Maar het was echt heel goed en mooi, kijk deze quote bvb:
鈥淚f you start experiencing tiny joys, very slowly, every day, maybe you will experience the time you are currently living in, and that will thaw the time that has been frozen.鈥�
鈥淚f you start experiencing tiny joys, very slowly, every day, maybe you will experience the time you are currently living in, and that will thaw the time that has been frozen.鈥�
November 24, 2024
2.5 stars
Ah! I really wanted to love this one. However, I found the writing very clunky and the time jumps confusing. I couldn鈥檛 get invested in the characters despite the sisters having an interesting story. It was an original idea and while I enjoyed some moments, overall it was a drag to read and felt devoid of real emotion and depth.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for kindly providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review. #AThousandBlues #NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
Ah! I really wanted to love this one. However, I found the writing very clunky and the time jumps confusing. I couldn鈥檛 get invested in the characters despite the sisters having an interesting story. It was an original idea and while I enjoyed some moments, overall it was a drag to read and felt devoid of real emotion and depth.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for kindly providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review. #AThousandBlues #NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
June 11, 2025
A powerful reflection on being alive and what that means. There were some glaring plot holes and the writing style is strange. There were moments that were simply mentioned in retrospect that could develop the story/character/emotion on a deeper level if told in real time or with a bit of clever foreshadowing.
If you can move past one absurd moment where a horse vomits (wish the author had done some research here), the ending is worth it.
I could read the ending on repeat.
If you can move past one absurd moment where a horse vomits (wish the author had done some research here), the ending is worth it.
I could read the ending on repeat.
May 13, 2025
Watch my video review here:
*A Thousand Blues* is that rare social science fiction novel whose every element is pitch perfect. This three-hundred page work by the South Korean author Cheon Seon-ran has lodged itself deep into my heart. It came at a time when I was questioning the capacity each and every one of us has to connect and communicate with one another. *A Thousand Blues* was a stark reminder that no connection is unsalvageable and that joy is ever an antidote to pain.
*A Thousand Blues* is set up in the near-future year of 2035. Its science-fictional conceit shows an ever-increasing degree of robotization across every aspect of South Korean society (and beyond). The author has thought through the social and economic implications for the use of robots across various sectors. Her chief concern is the use of robots as horse jockeys; the text reasonably points out that one of the reasons horses don鈥檛 go as fast as they physically can during races is because their human jockeys, weighing certain amounts and not wanting to die, cannot drive the horses past a certain point; with jockeys, shorter, made of light material for the express purpose, horse races are reinvigorated, the animals driven to speeds unthinkable until robotization came knocking.
Coli
One of the point-of-view characters here is robot Coli, a jockey who, through an unlikely but quotidian incident, has within himself an experimental chip that allows him to grow and learn about the world 鈥� true artificial intelligence, in a nutshell. To experience the world through his eyes is to see it afresh. His childlike curiosity is endearing, his optimism and joy welcome. His story is inextricably woven first with the race horse Today, a filly who, under his guidance, breaks national records on the race tracks. Because of the brutally exploitative treatment of race horses by the industry, as soon as Today can no longer run, the clock begins ticking, with her time running out.
Later, after Coli takes a drop that shatters the lower part of his body, he meets a girl 鈥� a brilliant but lost teenager by the name of Yeonjae. Through her efforts to repair him, the robot meets the girl鈥檚 family, her mother and sister; what follows is a kind of magic, with Coli helping these disparate individuals, each of whom live at a distance from one another (and, really, from all other human beings) to find their way back together. It is not just Coli who does this, however: it is also their common effort to counteract the cruel exploitative nature of race track policy that would see Today euthanised. No longer capable of running at the speeds they used to because of overextension that leads to frailty, worn out joints, and various other conditions, these animals are deemed a drain on their owners鈥� resources and summarily put down. The only criticism I can think of for all the book is, why wouldn鈥檛 the owners of the racing tracks get into horse-breeding? I know that aged stallions past their prime are often used for such purposes, though I do not know how things stand with fillies. This is a minor point, perhaps the one thing that stood out to me as not being addressed in the text. It might be less the text鈥檚 fault than my own ignorance on the relationship between horse-racing and horse-breeding.
Humanity鈥檚 Social Contract with Animals
The novel makes a persuasive case about the need for humanity to do better towards animals. Humanity鈥檚 social contract with nonhumans is unjust in so many ways, and Today鈥檚 story is only one example of the adage that animals 鈥渄ied if [they] weren鈥檛 needed by a human鈥� (189). Bokhui, the veterinarian who serves as one point-of-view character, speaks most strongly to this, bringing up one compelling point after another. I suspect her opinions reflect the author鈥檚 own, considering what the latter鈥檚 bio says, namely that 鈥渟he often dreams of a world where humans become a minority in a world of flora and fauna鈥�. That said, the link between character and author, if you see it, didn鈥檛 at any point draw away from the novel.
A Story about Family
Yeonjay
How about the family at the centre of the novel? Yeonjay is the robotics whiz, an outwardly indifferent teenager who, because of the life she鈥檚 had to lead, accepts things with a stoicism that bellies the depth of her feelings. She is a victim of robotization, having found herself out of a store clerk job. One day, the owner of the place decided to spare some money via the purchase of a Betsy 鈥� a store clerk robot. Yeonjay is someone incredibly comfortable to follow. Her interactions with the owner endeared her to me; the friendship she develops with fellow student Jisu was beyond satisfying. It was one of those adolescent friendships that really extend a person鈥檚 horizons. It so well recalled one of my own foundational high-school friendships that I wanted to read more of these two characters together. Yeonjay discovers Coli after the latter has been shattered via a fall from Today鈥檚 back, and it is she who masterfully rebuilds him.
Eunhye
Yeonjay plays the role of helper to her sister Eunhye, who is bound to a wheelchair due to getting polio at the age of five. Eunhye is the older of the two. Her point of view says a lot about society鈥檚 in-built ableism 鈥� as you might expect, just about none of it good. As with the animals, here too the text is persuasive about the need to do more, to do a better job for those who are disabled in some way. It鈥檚 Eunhye who is, alongside Coli, Today鈥檚 fiercest champion. Like Yeonjay, she too has many walls that separate her from her family; while those are not taken down entirely, a path opens to a world where they may eventually fall.
Bogyeong
Last but certainly not least in the family is Bogyeong. Mother to the two girls, and widow to a firefighter husband who once saved her from a terrible accident. Her life before the family, before the kids, is a journey all its own, and told so masterfully; the family life, heavy with loss and the necessities of survival, is full of things unsaid, of small regrets and racked-up debts.
and
Yet, there is a way back for each member of the family to the others. With enough care, wounds are healed; with enough care, even scars disappear.
Poignancy and Humour
The novel is rich in moments of understated humour, at once poignant and an absolute laugh. My favourite has to be the following, taken from a conversation between Eunhye and Bokhui as the former tells the latter about her cousin:
On the Translation
I sadly cannot offer commentary on the faithfulness of the translation to the author鈥檚 original; however, Chi-Young Kim鈥檚 translation makes of this novel a joy to read in English, and I believe that they have done an admirable job bringing this special text to the English-speaking world.
Concluding Thoughts
*A Thousand Blues* is an early favourite of mine for the best release of 2025. I can鈥檛 recommend it enough 鈥� it has got heart like few novels I鈥檝e read in recent memory.
*A Thousand Blues* is that rare social science fiction novel whose every element is pitch perfect. This three-hundred page work by the South Korean author Cheon Seon-ran has lodged itself deep into my heart. It came at a time when I was questioning the capacity each and every one of us has to connect and communicate with one another. *A Thousand Blues* was a stark reminder that no connection is unsalvageable and that joy is ever an antidote to pain.
*A Thousand Blues* is set up in the near-future year of 2035. Its science-fictional conceit shows an ever-increasing degree of robotization across every aspect of South Korean society (and beyond). The author has thought through the social and economic implications for the use of robots across various sectors. Her chief concern is the use of robots as horse jockeys; the text reasonably points out that one of the reasons horses don鈥檛 go as fast as they physically can during races is because their human jockeys, weighing certain amounts and not wanting to die, cannot drive the horses past a certain point; with jockeys, shorter, made of light material for the express purpose, horse races are reinvigorated, the animals driven to speeds unthinkable until robotization came knocking.
Coli
One of the point-of-view characters here is robot Coli, a jockey who, through an unlikely but quotidian incident, has within himself an experimental chip that allows him to grow and learn about the world 鈥� true artificial intelligence, in a nutshell. To experience the world through his eyes is to see it afresh. His childlike curiosity is endearing, his optimism and joy welcome. His story is inextricably woven first with the race horse Today, a filly who, under his guidance, breaks national records on the race tracks. Because of the brutally exploitative treatment of race horses by the industry, as soon as Today can no longer run, the clock begins ticking, with her time running out.
Later, after Coli takes a drop that shatters the lower part of his body, he meets a girl 鈥� a brilliant but lost teenager by the name of Yeonjae. Through her efforts to repair him, the robot meets the girl鈥檚 family, her mother and sister; what follows is a kind of magic, with Coli helping these disparate individuals, each of whom live at a distance from one another (and, really, from all other human beings) to find their way back together. It is not just Coli who does this, however: it is also their common effort to counteract the cruel exploitative nature of race track policy that would see Today euthanised. No longer capable of running at the speeds they used to because of overextension that leads to frailty, worn out joints, and various other conditions, these animals are deemed a drain on their owners鈥� resources and summarily put down. The only criticism I can think of for all the book is, why wouldn鈥檛 the owners of the racing tracks get into horse-breeding? I know that aged stallions past their prime are often used for such purposes, though I do not know how things stand with fillies. This is a minor point, perhaps the one thing that stood out to me as not being addressed in the text. It might be less the text鈥檚 fault than my own ignorance on the relationship between horse-racing and horse-breeding.
Humanity鈥檚 Social Contract with Animals
The novel makes a persuasive case about the need for humanity to do better towards animals. Humanity鈥檚 social contract with nonhumans is unjust in so many ways, and Today鈥檚 story is only one example of the adage that animals 鈥渄ied if [they] weren鈥檛 needed by a human鈥� (189). Bokhui, the veterinarian who serves as one point-of-view character, speaks most strongly to this, bringing up one compelling point after another. I suspect her opinions reflect the author鈥檚 own, considering what the latter鈥檚 bio says, namely that 鈥渟he often dreams of a world where humans become a minority in a world of flora and fauna鈥�. That said, the link between character and author, if you see it, didn鈥檛 at any point draw away from the novel.
A Story about Family
Yeonjay
How about the family at the centre of the novel? Yeonjay is the robotics whiz, an outwardly indifferent teenager who, because of the life she鈥檚 had to lead, accepts things with a stoicism that bellies the depth of her feelings. She is a victim of robotization, having found herself out of a store clerk job. One day, the owner of the place decided to spare some money via the purchase of a Betsy 鈥� a store clerk robot. Yeonjay is someone incredibly comfortable to follow. Her interactions with the owner endeared her to me; the friendship she develops with fellow student Jisu was beyond satisfying. It was one of those adolescent friendships that really extend a person鈥檚 horizons. It so well recalled one of my own foundational high-school friendships that I wanted to read more of these two characters together. Yeonjay discovers Coli after the latter has been shattered via a fall from Today鈥檚 back, and it is she who masterfully rebuilds him.
Eunhye
Yeonjay plays the role of helper to her sister Eunhye, who is bound to a wheelchair due to getting polio at the age of five. Eunhye is the older of the two. Her point of view says a lot about society鈥檚 in-built ableism 鈥� as you might expect, just about none of it good. As with the animals, here too the text is persuasive about the need to do more, to do a better job for those who are disabled in some way. It鈥檚 Eunhye who is, alongside Coli, Today鈥檚 fiercest champion. Like Yeonjay, she too has many walls that separate her from her family; while those are not taken down entirely, a path opens to a world where they may eventually fall.
Bogyeong
Last but certainly not least in the family is Bogyeong. Mother to the two girls, and widow to a firefighter husband who once saved her from a terrible accident. Her life before the family, before the kids, is a journey all its own, and told so masterfully; the family life, heavy with loss and the necessities of survival, is full of things unsaid, of small regrets and racked-up debts.
They all had their feelings hurt, and before one wound could heal a new one would open up, pushing the older one further down. (154)
and
What she wished above all else was for her to have a better relationship with her daughters. Each of them was indebted to the other two, which made it all that more difficult to broach the subject. Eunhye was a bruised finger and Yeonjae was a finger with damaged nerves. Both of them had wounds so old that it was hard to remember exactly what had happened, until you glanced at them one day and realized they hadn鈥檛 healed correctly. Bogyeong couldn鈥檛 pick off their scabs and put ointment on them. She could only watch as the wounds hardened into scars. (238)
Yet, there is a way back for each member of the family to the others. With enough care, wounds are healed; with enough care, even scars disappear.
Poignancy and Humour
The novel is rich in moments of understated humour, at once poignant and an absolute laugh. My favourite has to be the following, taken from a conversation between Eunhye and Bokhui as the former tells the latter about her cousin:
鈥楬e loves animals, too. Which might be his weakness, actually. I still remember what he told me once. He said that a species goes extinct as often as an app gets an update. Isn鈥檛 that grim? That means every time I update an app, another species is going extinct.鈥�
鈥淭hat sounds about right, unfortunately.鈥�
鈥淭hat鈥檚 why I don鈥檛 update my apps very often. It just feels wrong.鈥�
On the Translation
I sadly cannot offer commentary on the faithfulness of the translation to the author鈥檚 original; however, Chi-Young Kim鈥檚 translation makes of this novel a joy to read in English, and I believe that they have done an admirable job bringing this special text to the English-speaking world.
Concluding Thoughts
*A Thousand Blues* is an early favourite of mine for the best release of 2025. I can鈥檛 recommend it enough 鈥� it has got heart like few novels I鈥檝e read in recent memory.
April 22, 2021
I am happy to see more Korean writers attempting at Sci-fi. Looking forward to seeing (reading) how new wave of Korean sci-fi evolves.
This book includes human-like 'robot' I enjoyed reading about the unique role of the robot (jocky) and how factory-made robot learns human-like emotion (by an accident). Even though the book claims its sci-fi, I find the main story is about human emotion; bond, friendship and family. The author talks through a robot, but the basic emotion is so much like Korean (not sure how to explain this; Korean sensitivity?)
The book brought up an interesting argument about how we perceive augmented body, and how such augmentation might become another factor for discrimination (human-beings may not function without drawing 'sides' us.vs.them?).
This book includes human-like 'robot' I enjoyed reading about the unique role of the robot (jocky) and how factory-made robot learns human-like emotion (by an accident). Even though the book claims its sci-fi, I find the main story is about human emotion; bond, friendship and family. The author talks through a robot, but the basic emotion is so much like Korean (not sure how to explain this; Korean sensitivity?)
The book brought up an interesting argument about how we perceive augmented body, and how such augmentation might become another factor for discrimination (human-beings may not function without drawing 'sides' us.vs.them?).
May 24, 2025
3.5/5
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毵堨毵夓溂搿� 鞝曧暣歆� 雼奠澊 鞐嗠姅 歆堧霌れ棎 雽€頃� 鞏措ジ 韽靺橃棎靹� 欤茧姅 雼奠澊 雱堧 鞚茧皹搿犾爜 (雮橂弰 鞛� 氇ゴ歆€毵屸€� 鞚措爣歆€ 鞎婌潉旯�?) 鞚措澕靹� 鞎勳壗. 鞗€氩犽ゴ韸� 鞐愳綌鞚� 鞙岆Μ鞐� 靾橂弰鞀� 氤措┐靹滊姅 鈥滌晞 鞚� 靷瀸 歆勳 順勳澑鞚措嫟!鈥� 鞁鹅棃電旊嵃.
February 18, 2025
鈥淲e all need practice slowing down.鈥� A message that resonates now more than ever. Having deleted Instagram and TikTok last year, I have been trying to do exactly this.
Cheon Seon-ran takes this contemplative statement as a core and creates a beautiful crystal around it. A part sci-fi, a part family drama, set in the almost-foreseeable future of 2035, this novel does a lot with the 200 odd pages it covers.
For me, the best part was the effectiveness of the message that came across: follow your own path. Do not bow to the pressure of others. Be willing to take risks. The simplicity with which Coli communicated added a glimmer to the prose, which was skilfully translated.
For fans of Klara and the Sun and The Midnight Library.
Cheon Seon-ran takes this contemplative statement as a core and creates a beautiful crystal around it. A part sci-fi, a part family drama, set in the almost-foreseeable future of 2035, this novel does a lot with the 200 odd pages it covers.
For me, the best part was the effectiveness of the message that came across: follow your own path. Do not bow to the pressure of others. Be willing to take risks. The simplicity with which Coli communicated added a glimmer to the prose, which was skilfully translated.
For fans of Klara and the Sun and The Midnight Library.
June 16, 2025
Falls squarely into the robots-teach-us-to-feel-again genre and, like other offenders of this kind (e.g. Klara and the Sun), it feels a little like being taught basic empathy by a man who has recently had a mind-expanding ayahuasca experience.
Like dude, get this: 鈥淗umans could look at the same thing but see something different every time. Coli thought human were really quite peculiar. Time flowed differently for each person even when they shared the same space. They remembered different things even when they looked at the same thing. And they did not know how others felt unless they talked to reach other about it.鈥�
Still, i like how Coli comes to life from human error and deliberately malfunctions to protect Today because its logic is derived from human inconsistency.
Like dude, get this: 鈥淗umans could look at the same thing but see something different every time. Coli thought human were really quite peculiar. Time flowed differently for each person even when they shared the same space. They remembered different things even when they looked at the same thing. And they did not know how others felt unless they talked to reach other about it.鈥�
Still, i like how Coli comes to life from human error and deliberately malfunctions to protect Today because its logic is derived from human inconsistency.
March 2, 2025
The modest and uncomplicated style of writing is deceptive 鈥� it masks depths to be probed. I confess I wasn鈥檛 taken with the novel initially 鈥� rather a l-o-n-g way in before the driving force behind the story kicks in. But a robot capable of emotion 鈥� compassion and understanding 鈥� is both unnerving and reassuring as it nudges humans to consider the desires of a racehorse destined for the knacker鈥檚 yard. The exploration of a family wounded by death and disability, unable to communicate their needs, is at times heartrending. Cheon Seon-ran addresses disability with tremendous insight and tact, ditto the sense of isolation of other family members. Humanity and friendship weigh in to carry the family forward, supported by the robot.
Be patient when you read this 鈥� it is worth the effort.
Pub. 13th March, 2025
Be patient when you read this 鈥� it is worth the effort.
Pub. 13th March, 2025
May 17, 2025
This is what I wanted from Klara and the Sun. Beautiful and provocative and soothing.
Incidentally this is the second time I presumed I wouldn鈥檛 enjoy a book because it focused on horse racing and was very wrong (Kick The Latch being the first)
Incidentally this is the second time I presumed I wouldn鈥檛 enjoy a book because it focused on horse racing and was very wrong (Kick The Latch being the first)
May 24, 2025
This is a quiet but book that explores what it means to be human in a world that values speed and perfection. I鈥檝e loved the different points o views of the characters, to the point of getting emotionally attached to a humanoid robot character.
March 9, 2025
3.5猸愶笍
May 27, 2025
A great novel on the role of robots in society, human-technology and human-human relations, responsibility and friendship. Most of all, the book is a great reminder that while our society is reaching for the stars with AI and what not, people in wheelchairs still cannot seamlessly participate in daily life because this same AI-striving society disables people by stairs with no integrated ramp, elevators that keep breaking down, curbs and holes in the roads and what not. A refreshing sci-fi book, highly recommend overall and will definitely highlight this to my robotic engineering students.
June 7, 2025
Review to come!
dnf
June 9, 2025dnf at 46%. it seems quite a wholesome story and i probably would have liked it 2 years ago. but it鈥檚 taking me ages to get through and life鈥檚 too short to read books that drag
April 28, 2025
鈥淲e all need practise slowing down鈥�
Loved this. Would love to see it turned into a film!
Loved this. Would love to see it turned into a film!
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