These stories and essays are mostly more serviceable than excellent, and for all that the authors are women and non-binary, not overtly, overwhelmingly, feminist or feminine in tone - which may be one of the points, that writing not done by men is still writing not feminine writing. Whether intrinsic to the stories as written, or an artifact of translations, there is often a self-consciousness in their subversion. A couple of them are startling, a couple of more very interesting in themselves, most are peculiar viewed with western gaze and leave a sense of non-shared context even as the included essays pointedly announce the accommodations for our lack. ( )

The Way Spring Arrives and Other Stories is an anthology of Chinese fantasy and science fiction by female and non-binary authors and translated into English. There are seventeen short stories as well as five critical essays on Chinese science fiction. The title story is more fantasy than science fiction. It creates a new mythology driven by love and longing that is beautiful despite the demands the mythology places on its conductors of the seasons.

“To Procure Jade” is another lovely story, one with a bit of a twist that would delight H. H. Munro. On the other hand, “Dragonslaying” was the grimmest, most horrific fantasy story I have read in a long time. But in counter-balance, “The Restaurant at the End of the Universe” was a comic delight.

I loved The Way Spring Arrives and Other Stories and did not want it to end. Every story was so different. It is a testament to the skill of the translators not one story came off as stiff or formalistic. There is an ease to the language that only comes from skilled translation. The editors did a good job of bringing together a collection that is on one hand is strictly classified by who can be included while on the other exuberantly diverse in subject and style. If, like me, you are a short story lover, this is a must read.

I received an ARC of The Way Spring Arrives and Other Stories from the publisher through Shelf Awareness.

The Way Spring Arrives and Other Stories at Tor Books | Macmillan
Yu Chen
Gina Kanyu Wang

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