A fairly obscure and relatively unknown work of fantasy (because apparently I can’t be bothered to read more classics first). As is the case with other books that may spring to mind while reading Kalpa Imperial (the Silmarillion for instance), the stories found here are often about time and its influence.
It’s got some interesting touches of anti-imperialism and a Buddhist conception of death that I found well-fitting with the tone and content of the stories, at times reminding me of Le Guin’s work (who, apparently, served as a translator for some of these tales). But I can’t help but feel as if there was, in a parallel dimension of sorts, a better version of this anthology. More polished, more emotional… just more.
Generally, it felt like a really long Borges story fragmented into multiple unrelated narratives (minus the puzzling symbolism and capacity for synthesis that is). And it… I don’t know, never quite gets that far either?
It should have been more compelling. But it’s not entirely bad either, would at least recommend checking it out.