Cixin Liu's Sea of Dreams
A Graphic Novel
Cixin Liu author Jok illustrator Rodolfo Santullo editor Jok editor
Format:Paperback
Publisher:Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Published:5th Aug '21
Should be back in stock very soon
In a desolate cosmos, humanity struggles for survival, while an alien artist seeks collaboration with a gifted ice sculptor in Cixin Liu's Sea of Dreams.
In a vast and desolate cosmos, humanity grapples with the challenges of survival while attempting to understand their place in the universe. Cixin Liu's Sea of Dreams emerges as a graphic novel adaptation, bringing to life the intricate narratives woven by Liu, often hailed as 'China's answer to Arthur C. Clarke.' This innovative collaboration features 26 writers and illustrators from 14 countries, transforming 15 of Liu's award-winning stories into compelling visual tales.
The story begins when an extraterrestrial artist, captivated by the stunning ice sculptures displayed at the Ice and Snow Arts Festival, descends to Earth. This being, hailing from a civilization that has mastered the art of manipulating entire worlds, yearns to collaborate and share its unique artistic vision. While humans have learned to craft ice into ephemeral beauty, this alien artist's civilization has perfected the transformation of natural elements into breathtaking works of art.
As humanity faces the grim reality of their planet's impending destruction, they find themselves in a desperate fight for survival. The alien artist chooses to communicate only with Yan Dong, an ice sculptor whose creations initially caught its attention. In this poignant narrative, Cixin Liu's Sea of Dreams explores themes of creativity, collaboration, and the enduring spirit of art in the face of existential threats.
The whole project offers a fascinating insight to a 'new' author, with the graphic novels serving as a gateway drug to a traditionally inaccessible voice in the realm of SFF * SciFiNow *
The overall tone of this graphic novel well reflects Cixin Liu's thoughtful, measured pace... It mixes questions of philosophy with realistic characters and relationships. Quirky bits of humour glimmer here and there and an overall sense of optimism prevails. I am most definitely looking forward to the rest of the series' * SF Crowsnest *
Santullo and JOK do an impressive job in this version of Sea... The style of JOK works well with Cixin's source material. It feels like it's part of the same world. JOK also does a great job on the huge set pieces in the book. Sea is not just a musing on art, but has planetwide rocket launches that JOK captures in a few pages... Sea of Dreams is an interesting and entertaining graphic novel that poses questions, but also entertains the reader' * SF Book Review *
A fascinating insight into the journey of how someone comes to terms with their own place in the world, understanding his values as both an artist and as a member of a wider society * SciFiNow *
A unique blend of scientific and philosophical speculation, politics and history, conspiracy theory and cosmology -- George R.R. Martin
Wildly imaginative, really interesting... The scope of it was immense' -- Barack Obama
A milestone in Chinese science fiction * New York Times *
A marvellous mélange of awe-inspiring scientific concepts, clever plotting and quirky yet plausible characters... Exhilarating, mind-stretching' * TLS *
China's answer to Arthur C. Clarke * The New Yorker *
ISBN: 9781800249974
Dimensions: unknown
Weight: unknown
98 pages