Conservation of Shadows Paperback – April 16, 2013

While I was reading this I resented work, eating, sleep and friends because all I wanted to do was continue reading. Oh, it is definitely not for everyone. The stories in this collection are a strange and unique melange of math, honor, magic, music, Asian mythology, war, genocide, lexicography, weaponry, time travel, and spaceships - in other words, it is as if it was written specifically for me by someone who can see inside my head. Lee's style is poetic and almost-but-not-quite surreal and, sometimes, beyond my comprehension: in the good way, the way that promises that I will enjoy the second and tenth readings as much as the first. And yes, there will be a tenth reading, someday, because this is now one of my favorite books. If you want to get a sense of Lee's skill, one of my favorites of her stories is available for free on Tor.com: "Combustion Hour." If you like that, get a copy of Conservation of Shadows posthaste. It's so good it gives me the shivers.SAMPLE PARAGRAPH They say her true name means things like *gray* and *ash* and *grave.* You may buy her a drink, bring her candied petals or chaotic metals, but it's all the same. She won't speak her name. ---from "Flower, Mercy, Needle, Chain"

These sixteen short stories by Yoon Ha Lee have a different feel than most of the SF shorts I read. For one thing, they have Asian settings, characters, and cultural symbols. Their distinctiveness goes beyond the surface, however. They emphasize relationships over individuals, are driven by harmony rather than causality, and blur the distinction between science and magic.The most interesting five stories are:"Swanwatch" invites us to observe the crew of a space station whose duties require monitoring starships that enter their solar system to dive into its sun. Each member of the crew has a past and works toward some end. Not that they know these things about each other.In "Flower, Mercy, Needle, Chain" a woman guards an ancient weapon that can remove pieces of the past. Large pieces. The dialogue between the two main characters is reminiscent of the book-long bar discussion in  The January Dancer ."Iseul's Lexicon" explores the magical power of language in the context of a civil war and a supernatural assault by the unseen Genial Ones. The use of words takes on additional dimensions and has effects according to discernable rules and patterns. The story stretches readers' imaginations about actions, intentions, and articulation."The Unstrung Zither" is superficially about the interrogation of five captured terrorists. On a deeper level it is a different kind of story that progresses toward a harmonious conclusion rather than a logical one."The Book of Locked Doors" turns around a book that captures the skills, memories, and personalities of the dead. The protagonist is able to draw on them to aid in her clandestine war against powerful alien invaders. She is reluctant to draw upon its pages.A closing thought from Aliette de Bodard's introduction to the collection: "Lee's stories present, over and over, this fundamental tension between image and truth; between myth and reality; between actual behaviour and model." However you choose to describe Yoon Ha Lee's writing, it takes readers in directions unlooked for. They are worth reading.

Yoon Ha Lee is one of my new favorites. I first encountered her short stories in several Best of the Year anthologies and immediately loved her. She writes military science fiction with strong women characters. Her prose is strangely beautiful and poetically descriptive. I would place her in a category of the very best up-and-coming writers. Each story is fraught with moral dilemmas in the face of conflict and not every plot is resolved well, nor resolved at all, in some instances. Yet, these are not frustrating reads. Rather, they serve to illuminate the human spirit in all of its manifestations in the face of war and the horror of destruction.

I really enjoyed the short stories in this book. My favorite was "Swanwatch," a remarkably told tale of prisoners on a starbase who monitor starships suiciding into the event horizons of black holes.The language in all the stories is amazingly poetic and innovative. Occasionally I had a little trouble understanding some of the very far-reaching ideas and scenarios but for some reason I didn't care because the cadence of the writing just pulled me in. I felt, at times, as if I were dreaming awake while reading. The author is not afraid to confront unrecognizable futures, the actual strangeness of a mathematically poetic universe, as well as the nightmare realm of magic and sorcery. A lot of war themes abound, not necessarily my favorite thing to read. But well-placed in the hands of a talented author, any theme can soar and sing. Thus, I am giving this book five stars because, well, it's simply amazing writing. I hope this author publishes more.

A collection of short stories, well crafted and engaging. And then, when the environment and several characters evolve - the story ends. Most feel like a good start on a novel, less what could have been a satisfying 200 or more pages.Good writing but frustrating, I hope that some of these are expanded to include story arches that entertain for hours.

These stories are amazing! "Effigy Nights" is one that has stuck with me long after reading this collection. Creative settings and characters, beautiful language, excellent world building...these stories have it all. Some of them made me want to linger in the world, and I wished she had turned some of them into novels just so I could stay with the characters. If you are looking for sci-fi / fantasy themed literary short stories, this will be your new favorite! Cannot recommend enough!

This is a truly unique take on science fiction. The Asian perspective of how stories evolve make the book one of the more interesting I have read in several years. Enjoyable from start to finish. These are short stories, but absolutely riveting.

I bought this book following some recommendations found online and several good reviews. But nothing in them prepared me for the torment of being exposed to Yoon Ha Lee’s pretentious language. I used the word “torment” there deliberately. The author’s style closely resembles that used by the writers of “Planescape: Torment” and “Torment: Tides of Numenera” but is somehow a hundred times worse. It’s at times overwritten, purple, full of metaphors that make no sense (“windows [in] the color of regret,” what?), replete with annoying quirks of language, at other times puerile and simplistic, and sometimes laughably melodramatic. Yoon Ha Lee also has an extremely, extremely annoying tendency to overuse words that begin with the negative prefix “un-”, and she’s not beyond spawning such unnatural mutants as: unfisted, untouch, unsuperstitious... the list goes on and it quickly gets very tiresome to read. There’s a character in one of the stories who actually says, “I’ve unwritten death into the history of the universe.” What does that even mean?This horrible language effectively killed any enjoyment I may have drawn from reading what otherwise are quite interesting, intelligent and engaging stories. Well, mostly. Really could have gone without the obvious throwbacks to Korean history and the stories about nothing.The problems with Lee’s writing don’t end there. She has a tendency to introduce notions, ideas, technologies, weapons etc. and never explaining what they are or how they work, leaving the reader to puzzle things out with nothing to actually go on, leaving him confused. Is it technology? Or is it magic? Or is it technology so advanced that our 21st century minds think it’s magic? I doubt even the author herself knows what those things are. She just used words and terms that she thought sounded cool and left it there.Another problem I have with Yoon Ha Lee’s stories is that some of them end too soon and have no proper resolution. Most of them feel like a setup for something bigger and they end the moment something interesting happens. As such, they feel like “slice of life” episodes taken out of context instead of full-fledged, stand-alone stories. And once again the reader is expected to fill in the missing parts. Conversely “Iseul’s Lexicon”, which is the longest story in this collection, actually outstays its welcome by a good twenty pages! It really didn’t need to be this long.Above criticism aside, there’s some gold to be found here. I especially enjoyed the more normal and traditional stories like “The Bones of Giants” (I would have loved to see a novel in this setting), “Effigy Nights” (despite it being one of the worst offenders in the weird language and defamiliarisation department), “Counting the Shapes”, and “The Battle of Candle Arc”.Then there are also “stories” that feel like the author’s attempt at showing off how smart and unorthodox she can be in her writing. I’m talking about “A Vector Alphabet of Interstellar Travel” and the eponymous “Conservation of Shadows”. Pointless waste of paper and the readers’ time. “Stories” that tell no story. I just skimmed those, because I wasn’t willing to waste my time on even more pretentious BS.Overall, if like myself you're put off quirky language, vague ideas, and pretentious writing - stay away from this collection.

1. They are not exactly shorts. Some approach novel in size and nearly All approach novel in content scale.2. If you like 3 word sentences, you will hate it. The language can be near-gothic in its complexity.3. It is closer to fantasy than sci-fi.

Beautiful, unique (to me) and engrossing collection of short stories. A totally different writing perspective. I have read her full length novels (which helped interpreting many of the ideas here) but these stories are a step away again. They take some effort on the part of the reader but are better for that. Fabulous in every sense of the word.

The writing is lyrical and absorbing. Well crafted and imaginative. I only gave it four stars because I didn't really care for some of the conceits and themes. If you're a fan of speculative fiction, it's definitely worth a read.

I adore Yoon Ha Lee's prose and wry, dark humour. A must-read for those who discovered his work through Ninefox Gambit.