Set in 2035, in a fast-changing futuristic world, robots have become more prevalent within society and have replaced many manual jobs, including horse jockeys.
We are introduced to sisters Yeonjae and Eunhye, who embark on a mission to save a retired racehorse called Today. They have formed a deep bond with the horse, who after many years of successful racing, is waiting to be euthanised. Joining them on their mission is Today’s jockey, Coli, a loveable humanoid robot, who after serving his intended purpose has been left on the scrap heap.

This was really thought-provoking and charming piece of fiction. It explores technology, specifically AI, and how this may shape our future whilst many current social struggles remain the same, but also examines deeper themes of mother, daughter and sister relationships, disability and animal cruelty.
I’m not usually sci-fi girly but there is something about Korean fiction that is so healing to read; the ending made me blub 😭

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’s 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’t 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’s just not the story I was wanting/expecting. I think if THAT sounds like something you’re interested in, I’d definitely recommend this book. If you are after a quirky robot with heart, I think you’ll be hung out to dry a little bit. Despite being pretty short it took me a couple days to finish just because I wasn’t very immersed (I think because I was waiting for more robot scenes 💀)

The most important thing is the themes and messages of A Thousand Blues are incredibly important and well-delivered. There’s 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.

The thing about A Thousand Blues is that it takes you in by surprise. I started this book thinking it'll be similar to all the cozy Asian literature books that I've previously read - I probably will feel comforted by it but nothing else - but I closed the last chapter of this book reeling with the feeling of loss and grief, but also this feeling of warmth for the characters that I didn't think I was going to get attached with.

For a story involving an AI robot, this book is very much human. All the characters have so much heart and complexities that made it very easy to root for them and to empathize with them and I really loved how much thought and care the author has put into each of these characters. I've always loved cozy Asian literature books, but one thing I noticed from my time with them is that it's common for me to feel like I'm only reading these characters through a distance, but this book was different. I loved the friendships and the relationships that were brought or repaired in this book.

Thank you so much for Netgalley and the publisher for the e-ARC

Published earlier this month, this book is one of the reasons why I love Korean and Japanese translated works. This is a book packed full of themes and moments that will hurt your heart. We are in the near future where AI and robots are becoming more widespread. People are losing their jobs because buying a robot is cheaper. In this story that covers the space of about six months we are in the world of horse racing. Human jockeys have been replaced by robot jockeys because 1) jockeys were getting hurt and 2) robot jockeys are much lighter and so the horses can go much faster. Coli is the jockey robot who rides Today and they are a champion winning team. Coli - by accident -was fitted with the wrong chip and is sentient. He is inquisitive, he understands the world around him, he can feel through touch that when Today runs she is happy and so he is happy too. However, he falls from her and is crushed, destined to be thrown away until a young girl, Yeonjae, who wants to be involved in robotics finds him, buys him and takes him home to repair. Her mother is not that keen; she mistrusts robots. As for her sister, Eunhye, who is confined to a wheelchair, she is more interested in Today. Every day she is at the stables with the horse. But Today is suffering. The speeds that she is reaching are affecting her and her joints are failing. A horse that cannot race has only one fate. Therefore the two sisters set out to make sure that Today can have one last race, urged on by Coli who wants Today to be happy one last time. But this race will be different, for this race Today must be the slowest. The themes come thick and fast in this novel - disability and accessibilty is one of them. Eunhye’s mother cannot afford for her to have prosthetic limbs, but all around money is being spent on producing more mobile robots. The robots can go anywhere, Eunhye cannot. Then there is the theme of animal rights - the fact that the only thing that Today has to look forward to when she can no longer race is death. Also sisters and their mother are closed up, trapped in their own feelings which is reflected in the small box that Coli is kept in at the track and Today’s small stable. For the humans, Coli is the catalyst to help them find their freedom. But this is also a book that reminds us to take our time. Just as Today must run her slowest race, so we too should slow down and, like Coli, enjoy the thousand blues in the sky.

A Thousand Blues by Cheon Seon-Ran (translated by Kim Chi-Young) is on its face a science fiction book. The book opens with a robot jockey who accidentally gets an AI chip that allows it to develop a more human personality. But robot jockeys and servers and search and rescue teams aside, A Thousand Blues is really about a family – mother Bogyeong and her two daughters Yeonjae and Eunhye – brought together by that robot and his relationship with the horse that he rode called Today.
A Thousand Blues opens from the perspective of the jockey robot (aho comes to be called Coli). Robot riders mean that horses could achieve greater speeds, and Coli’s human characteristics give him a much closer connection to Today who becomes an award winning racehorse. But this racing wears the horses out and before Today can run itself to death, Coli sacrifices himself, getting smashed in the process. He is rescued and rebuilt by Yeonjae, who turns out to be an expert in robotics, and slowly wins the heart of the family. Meanwhile Yeohjae’s wheelchair-bound sister, Eunhye, has become fixated on saving Today.
A Thousand Blues is a book about growth, friendship, empathy and redemption. It fits neatly within a Korean genre of popular culture known as healing style – which are are characterized by a variety of characters with their own stories, set in familiar and nostalgic spaces, and featuring characters recovering from pain. In this case, despite the futuristic setting, the main characters can be found at the racecourse, school or Bogyeong’s chicken restaurant. But also in this vein, it is a book about slowing down – about taking time to look at the sky and to really think about what is around you. Cheon Seon-ran writes a little about her journey to understand this lesson in a short Afterword.
It cannot be forgotten that the main character of this book is a robot. Coli does drive the plot and his actions and observations cause the other characters to change underpin consideration of what it means to be human (or at least a good human). This is reminiscent of the robot protagonist of Kazuo Ishiguro’s Klara and the Sun.
A Thousand Blues won the 4th Korea Sci-fi Literature Award. And while it is not particularly ground breaking science fiction, it is heartwarming, though provoking and endearing and that is more than enough.

Set in the near future where robotics are rife to the point the average population have lost their means of occupation by the development, replaced to save money for business owner the book follows a girl and her sister who become entwined with the lives of a humanoid robot jockey that appears to be sentient beyond what it should be and it's ailing horse today.

The book ultimately poses the question of what does it mean to be alive and questions how a world obsessed with new complex tech, forget about cheap and accessible options that can improve the quality of life of animals and of humans with disabilities, a thought provoking read and one I would recommend when it comes to wanting to reflect on what it truly means to be alive...


Thank you NetGalley and Random House UK, Transworld Publishers | Doubleday for the e-ARC.

I felt things during this novel - that's no secret, and although I normally find translated fiction hard to follow, I found this one to be quite easy to follow. I loved the premise of the book; the storyline seemed captivating and honest, but I just didn't feel like it quite hit exactly where I wanted it to, and I felt as though I was gearing myself up for such a journey, and yet I didn't feel what I wanted to feel.

It dealt with some heavy topics, and they were explored thoughtfully and well, there's no denying that. It was a LOT, but Seon-ran tried to carefully balance this with the honesty.

I just loved the premise and, unfortunately, it just didn't land the way I wanted it to.

A Thousand Blues by Cheon Seon-ran - as I wonder how best to summarise my thoughts after finishing, the word ‘odd’ comes to mind. I’ve read a fair amount of Japanese fiction over the years and whilst I realise this is a Korean (sci-fi, kind of) novel, I still couldn’t shake a sense of “Japanese-ness” that sometimes comes to me when reading some books from that side of the planet. It’s a bit like seeing a mirror world maybe, where things are more or less familiar but simultaneously quite ‘other’ and I suppose this is amplified in the case of A Thousand Blues with it being set in the year 2035 as well as various futuristic components that are dotted throughout. That said, I never exactly felt I was reading a sci-fi book in the way that I understand the term, as in many respects the science fiction elements felt secondary to the main arc of the story and the character developments we witness.

Enough fellow reviewers will have summarised the plot so I won’t bother retreading old ground other than to comment that the more I read, the more I felt It could almost be a YA book at times. This is not intended as a slight, but there was something simplistic, unshowy and clean about the writing whereby much of what I read had a 'flattened' quality, at least as I perceived it. It was almost as if these strange, complex characters, most of them with their own backstories and at times quite peculiar histories, were blunted or smoothed out to fit within the wider, controlled palette of the book's tone. This is not a criticism of the writing (or more truthfully, given that I read it in English, the translation by Chi-young Kim) but I was unable to fully immerse myself in this specific time and place. I couldn’t quite get a handhold and instead felt kept slightly at arm’s length (and I wonder, given the book’s ultimate messages about connection, slowing down and simplicity, whether this is somewhat deliberate - or maybe just the author’s regular style. Had the novel been full of dense, knottily-constructed sentences, I suspect that would have jarred).

Plainly there is a philosophical dimension to A Thousand Blues with its quirky (and, in some cases, non-human) protagonists and some of the book's oddities pushed me in the direction of considering it more akin to a modern fable. I can’t decide if it offers genuine wisdom or something a bit less profound, but I was left with a sense of having read something which ultimately added up to more than the sum of its parts. I found this description of the author and book online - “She (Cheon Seon-ran) often dreams of a world where humans become a minority in a world of flora and fauna, and what the end of the world might look like. She penned her thoughts down in this novel which won the 4th Korea Sci-fi Literature Award. A THOUSAND BLUES has been adapted as a stage musical in Korea and will be published around the world” - and in some ways I offer this as a coda to my review. Most books that tackle freedom, grief, the nature of time, disability, blackmail, isolation, alongside a rewired horse-racing robot with a deep sense of empathy and sacrifice probably don’t get turned into musical theatre... but, hey, it’s that kind of book. Weird at times for sure, but also somehow oddly mainstream (or maybe I mean ‘universal’), which I guess is a testament to something positive, even if I’m not entirely sure what.

With thanks to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an unbiased review.

This is a wonderful story of four people, a robot and a horse and how they unexpectedly change each other’s life.

Eunhye, her sister Yeonjae and their mother live quietly, in relative isolation, in a fast-changing world. Their mother is stuck in the past grieving for the girls’ father and Eunhye’s physical disability due to polio means she cannot do as much as she would like to and neither can her sister, albeit in a different way, as she often has to help her. They have all long accepted their life for what it is but that is all about to change because when Yeonjae brings home a broken jockey robot to fix up, the robot is maybe what they all need to break down barriers, start to feel their own heartbeat again and move forward even if it is just ever so slowly.

This is such a lovely story showing what it is to be human and what love, kindness and compassion can achieve and that it doesn’t matter how long ago ice may have formed, it can still thaw.

If you like Korean (or Japanese) fiction then this is definitely for you. I love that kind of fiction and really enjoyed this book.

A Thousand Blues by Cheon Seon-ran is a poignant and introspective novel that explores artificial intelligence, memory, and what it truly means to be human, all wrapped in a delicate and thought-provoking narrative. The book's tone reminded me a lot of Klara and the Sun, a recent favorite of mine—both novels share a quiet melancholy and a deeply personal perspective on AI.

Set in 2035, the story follows two sisters growing up in the shadow of a racecourse, helping their mother run a local café famous for its ramen. Their family life is tense, and things become even more strained when one of the sisters loses her job to an automaton, forcing them to confront the increasing presence of AI in everyday life.

Beyond exploring AI and memory, the novel also tackles deeper themes like animal cruelty and humanity’s relentless pursuit of entertainment. Set in the future, it sparks fascinating conversations about how society might evolve—particularly in terms of technology, ethics, and how we treat people and animals. It also thoughtfully examines disability, mainly how well-meaning people often try to "help" disabled individuals in ways they neither need nor want. The book presents intriguing and convincing ideas, making it an engaging and unsettling read for speculative fiction fans with a philosophical core.

Thank you to Random House UK, Transworld Publishers Doubleday and NetGalley for the e-ARC

This is a surprisingly beautiful read set in a future not too far away.. This story is very relatable and very readable. It is about love and relationships and about living your best life.

This was a really lovely story. I loved the themes it covers like animal cruelty and humanity's pursuit of entertainment. Set in the future, there are many interesting conversations to be had about how we will progress and this book has some intriguing and convincing takes on that. I loved Coli (a robot jockey)! I wish it had been in it even more. It's imperfectly-perfect view of the world and understanding of life created such thought provoking dialogue that I really enjoyed. I highly recommend this book to fans of Klara and the Sun, as it does explore the relationship between robot and human beautifully. Another aspect of this book I enjoyed was Today (the racehorse) and the honest view of horse racing the book approaches. She has such a heartbreakingly beautiful storyline that is woven into the book and brings the characters together so well.

Wow, this book is incredible—It's a sweeping tale about family, love, disability, and technology that will stay with me for a long time!

A Thousand Blues is set in 2035 in a dystopian society where robots are a common presence, for rich people that is. A lot has changed from the world we know today—technology is more advanced, robots are taking over people's jobs—but so much has stayed the same—the ones suffering these changes for the worse are the poor. The book begins with a jockey robot who accidentally receives a chip meant for a humanoid bot, which makes Coli (short for Broccoli) able to learn. He's contemplating how blue the sky is one day while horse riding and ends up taking a nasty fall. Now, normally that would mean it would be discarded, but, luckily, Coli is saved by a girl and he, in turn, ends up changing her family's life forever.

This book is incredible! I loved that the blurbs available online didn’t give too much away, so I tried to do the same here—while also giving you just a little bit more. This is a story about grief, sacrifice, and love; about those times when time seems frozen, but we remember we are still alive; and about our love for others, animals and robots alike.

A Thousand Blues is a sci-fi with a sprinkle of healing fiction that reminds us to take a closer look at the people around us and lead a slower life in times when we're always asked to do everything at the speed of light—the pali pali hustle.

Coli, I hold a space for you in my heart!

Thank you so much to Doubleday UK and NetGalley for the e-ARC!

It was definitely something different from what I’ve read so far, especially since I don’t usually go for the sci-fi genre. Curiosity won, and the cover convinced me even more. 🫣😅

A Thousand Blues by Cheon Seon-ran is a novel set in 2035, exploring themes of technology, humanity, and compassion. It makes you think about what it truly means to be alive and human in a world that’s becoming increasingly automated. The story centres on two sisters who, after losing their jobs to automation, form a deep bond with a racehorse named Today. When Today faces euthanasia due to over-racing, the sisters, along with a robot jockey named Collie (who experiences human emotions due to a malfunction) devise a plan to save her...

The modest and uncomplicated style of writing is deceptive – it masks depths to be probed. I confess I wasn’t taken with the novel initially – rather a l-o-n-g way in before the driving force behind the story kicks in. But a robot capable of emotion – compassion and understanding – is both unnerving and reassuring as it nudges humans to consider the desires of a racehorse destined for the knacker’s 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 – it is worth the effort.

‘A Thousand Blues’ Takes Us to the Near Future to Remind Us to Slow Down

C-27 is a robot jockey whose only purpose is to race. Robot jockeys’ humanoid bodies are light, designed not to weigh their live horse down, and coded to be the most efficient riders possible. But during one fateful race, C-27 falls off its horse and gets trampled on the track. How could a machine with a sole purpose go wrong?

Well, it’s simple, really. This robot wanted to look up at the sky.

With its legs destroyed, C-27 is destined to be scrapped for parts—until a young girl named Yeonjae finds it and takes it home. She works to replace C-27’s legs, naming the robot Coli and, in doing so, gives it a new sense of purpose. Because Coli is no ordinary robot; it has thoughts and questions and something that might even resemble feelings.

Actually, it’s not quite that simple at all.

Yeonjae’s home is quiet and disconnected; she lives in a house with her world-weary mother Bogyeong, and her disabled sister Eunhye. They’re each fighting their own battles they don’t know how to articulate, least of all to their loved ones. As Yeonjae works to repair Coli, her family life starts to knit together in unexpected ways, while she also finds herself bonding with a fellow classmate named Jisu who barrels into her wall of loneliness.

Coli slowly connects to each of them, allowing them to figure out what they need most from one another. When the group hears that Coli’s race-horse, aptly named Today, is about to be euthanized, they must work together to save her; Coli’s biggest desire, however, is to help Today find happiness by running one last race.

A Thousand Blues is a calming and sincere novel that uses a futuristic element sparingly to bring out the rifts already forming within humanity. Set in the year 2035, the world is much like our own except even more jobs have been automated, and humans have already become too reliant on robots. But some humans are wary of too much change, or simply cannot afford to keep up with the relentless march of time. And then there are those humans who see the life held within machines, and there are the machines that see them; this is their story.

The writing is direct but touching, showing us how Coli sees the world and the humans it meets. Through it, we get to see the diverse shades of humanity reflected back at us. Why do humans bond the way we do? Why do we sometimes seek to save a helpless case but we cannot save ourselves? A Thousand Blues explores the depths of its characters’ souls with a gentle hand, using Coli’s innocent curiosity to bring out the other characters’ motivations and desires. It’s a deft storytelling technique that will find its way into your heart.

With poignant looks at sisterhood, mother-daughter relationships, and the deep bonds of friendship and love, this novel is a lovely and refreshing read. In a time when many of us are questioning what we owe one another and how machines will affect our future, A Thousand Blues is a beautiful reminder to take a breath, slow down, and look around at what we need to hold onto.

A THOUSAND BLUES - CHEON SEON-RAN

A Thousand Blues won the Grand Prize in the 4th Korea Sci-Fi Literature Awards, so I already knew that this was a special book before I started reading it. I've read plenty of science fiction books in the past, but I can't recall reading anything that remotely recreates the feeling that this book gives you.

If forced to summarise A Thousand Blues in a single statement, I'd say that it's a science fiction book with so much heart. Yes, it's set in a future where robots are a part of daily life, but this book focuses on the characters, as well as its themes. It's quirky, cosy and heartwarming, with those themes being so universal that I think just about anyone would love this book.

A Thousand Blues begins with a horse race that goes wrong, where a horse and its robot jockey both experience catastrophic damage. But instead of being used for parts, a girl called Yeonjae uses her life savings to illegally purchase the robot and repair him. The story progresses through multiple perspectives as we see all the other lives that this robot and the racehorse impact directly or indirectly.

It's a beautiful story that brought tears to my eyes, with key messages around slowing down, belonging, connection, what it means to be human, the treatment of animals, being seen and being present.

I loved every single page, and I think that C-27, or Coli, will steal the heart of anyone who reads this special book. Thank you to Cheon Seon-Ran, the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this eARC.

Release date: 13 March 2025 

Review score: 4.5/5

Trigger warnings: d*ath, injury detail, mental health

Sci-fi is not my vibe. Knowing that I gave this one ago because I like translated literature. I enjoyed the storyline, Coli is a good character and the book itself is very easy to follow. it brings that kind of healing vibe that Korean novels offer. Accessibility as one of the points of this novel is refreshing to see; however, I feel something was missing in the prose related to it. I guess I was expecting it to be executed differently. Overall, is a nice read!

Thank you to Random House and Netgalley for this ARC.
Upon requesting this book, I was really excited however I didn't realise it was a Sci-Fi (That was my bad should have looked properly). I still gave it a try and tried to enjoy it. I enjoyed the storyline that I read, Coli was an interesting charcater for sure, the prose was lovely and wonderful to read, with lots of different characters. However, I just couldn't keep reading, the Sci-Fi for me personally was a bit much. I would 100% recommend this book to translated fiction fans who enjoy Sci-Fi.

A Thousand Blues was a fantastic futuristic sci-fi in which robots have become commonplace and replaced humans in many everyday functions. The main characters are two sisters who have become socially isolated due to both the older sister's disability and the death of their father.

Throughout the novel, connection and the search for meaning are key themes. The older sister, who uses a wheelchair, seeks connection with a retired racehorse who is also no longer able to rely on her legs whilst the younger sister seeks to bring the horse's accidentally sentient jockey back to some form of life.

Although there is a definite plot in this novel what really shone for me was the character development and the exploration of the characters' inner lives.