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.

I really enjoyed this book. It was so different to anything I’ve read; it was futuristic as well as being really heartwarming.

The ending had me crying too; the robot in this story really felt to me what it would be like to have a talking pet which is why I felt so much emotion linked to this story.

There were some points in this book that really opened my eyes to what the future of our world could look like and it’s really not that far away.

I’d definitely recommend this book if you’re looking for something different to the usual hyped books but you still want the emotional rollercoaster of a romance.

This soft and gentle book combines two popular strands of contemporary Korean literature - sci-fi and healing novels. It is probably more suited to healing novel fans, rather than hardcore sci-fi readers. Set in a slightly alternative 2035, where most jobs are done by robots, it follows the story of a malfunctioning jockey robot, who is rescued and restored by a reclusive teenager. Now, they have to figure out how to save the robot's struggling riding horse from inevitable euthanasia. We meet a cast of characters, including the girl's disabled sister, her pushy classmate who wants to be her friend, her former actress turned small restaurant owner mum, and a vet from the racing track.

The book starts with a description of a horse race, and I was expecting it to focus on horses and racing (not a very appealing prospect for me, as I don't particularly care for horses). Thankfully, after the opening chapter, the narrative primarily focuses on Yeonjae, the girl who saves the robot, and her family. We get extensive chapters into their background (sans the dad, who is referred to as 'the firefighter' throughout, the man doesn't get to have a name, let alone a personality), and learn their perspectives.

I initially really enjoyed this book, thinking that it brings the best Korean healing novels can offer - a critique of capitalism, a defence of animal rights, an exploration of disability, all wrapped in a message to slow down, The initial chapters, more clearly focused on Yeonjae, have a bit of bite to them. I expected the story to focus more on her relationship with the robot, as cutifying robots is a genre in itself by now (Wall-E or The Wild Robot come to mind). Instead, the narrative switches to Yeonjae's disabled sister Eunhye, who cannot have an operation to get robotic legs due to its prohibitive costs, their mum, Yeonjae's new friend at school, and other characters. As a result, it feels like the novel is trying to do far too much, never giving any single issue the depth and the space to breathe. One moment we are reading about disability rights, then we are immediately plunged into a story of school social isolation and class difference, there is blink and you miss it queerness, whatever you want, it is probably in there. Apart from a coherent narrative and compelling plotting, that is.

The disability storyline in particular left me in two minds. It is giving 'the author had the best intentions, and presented a manifesto about accessibility'. It is stressed throughout that Eunhye does not necessarily want to be like abled people (eg have legs), but she wants to have the same opportunities and the same freedom (a point often seen in disability advocacy social media posts). The focus should be on the world to provide accommodations for her, not for her body to change to normative. However, that's all it felt like - social media advocacy posts. Because of all the other seventeen thousand storylines, we never got to know Eunhye better or see more nuance in her story.

It was also interesting to see that the critique of capitalism touched upon at the beginning, when Yeonjae loses her job to a robot, faded into the background pretty quickly. Something I've noticed in Korean healing novels is that the critique of capitalism is often there, but it rarely morphs into tangible left-wing socioeconomic ideas. 'Slow down and touch grass', or, more often 'withdraw from society', instead of 'start a revolution', with a hefty support for small business owners (see those endless bookshop, café, laundromat etc novels). I wonder if this is due to the history of the Korean peninsular and the existence of North Korea, which might create a different cultural perception of economic left-wing ideas (which I am sympathetic to, as someone from the former USSR).

Overall, there was a lot of potential in this book, but for me, it tried to do too much,

A Thousand Blues is a beautiful and emotive sci-fi story that follows a cast of characters over the course of 6 months. Likened to Kazuo Ishiguro's 'Klara and the Sun' (my favourite book of 2021!), the setting is a near future in which robots are starting to become widespread. With human jobs being replaced by robots in attempts to save money, this book asks: what does it mean to be alive?

I was interested in the main setting, which was a horse racing track using robot jockeys. I could tell that Cheon Seon-ran thought a lot about even the smallest changes that robots could have in our lives. There were so many tearjerking moments throughout as our characters tried to navigate this new age of technology. I was especially moved by the older sister, Eunhye, as she struggled to travel around as a wheelchair user in a world obsessed with new products and inventions.

The prose was also gorgeous. The translator Chi-Young Kim did a fantastic job of maintaining a balance between vivid descriptions and simplicity. This meant that the story was easy to digest, and the main themes were introduced well. In such a small book, so many themes were touched on, from disability to animal rights.

This was a lovely story about finding your own place within the world, and I would recommend this book to anyone who would like a thought-provoking read. The sci-fi elements were reasonably light, so I am sure that this book will appeal to a wide audience.

A Thousand Blues is a tender, gut-punch of a story about love, loss, and the quiet bravery of seeking happiness. I was in tears towards the latter half— Yeonjae’s fear of opening up felt painfully real, shaped by years of responsibility: caring for her sister, anchoring her mother after her father’s death, always moving forward but never letting herself reach for more. And there’s Jisu, the friend she never expected but desperately needed, nudging her toward the love and belonging she’s always deserved.

And Coli! A robot, yet somehow the most human of them all. With a quiet, unwavering empathy, Coli reminds us that kindness matters, that connection is everything, even when the world feels impossibly cold.

At its heart, A Thousand Blues is about finding the courage to love again, to hope when hope feels out of reach. It lingers, but in the way it makes you believe: just for a moment, happiness is worth chasing.

Gave me 'Klara and the Sun' vibes with a similarly interesting plot.

This is a book about the future and how robotics will change our society, and what it means to be alive, to be human. But at the same time it is a story about loss, grieve, the passing of time and difficult dynamics between family members and friends.

I enjoyed reading about all these things a lot, the plot was very interesting and well done, the characters diverse and relatable in their own way. There were some quotes that will stay with me for a while.

"You died if you weren't needed by a human. This was, as Bokhui said, the grave situation faced by all animals living on this planet."

It took me two tries and quite a while to get into the story though. I was confused about who all the different characters were and why we got these random glimpses into their backstories. Sometimes I didn't realize that we were talking about the past and not the present. It all made sense in the end, but my intrigue wavered at times because of it.

3.5 stars, rounded up to 4.

Oh my heart. I just can’t describe how I feel….

This story is so beautiful- it’s about understanding human emotion, love, loss, and friendship.

It’s about “saving”, saving Coli, saving friendships, making things better. It’s about so many things and all of them beautiful. I don’t think the translator could have done a better job.

I’ll never forget this book, or you Coli….

My thanks to Netgalley and Transworld, Penguin Random House for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

✨ Review ✨

Thank you Netgalley for the arc.

A Thousand Blues by Cheon Seon-Ran.

I've just come up for air after spending a solid 15 minutes ugly crying over the ending of this book. It takes a lot for a book to make me so emotional and this one got me right in the feels. The attachment I felt for each and every character was insane, especially Coli, the robot who relished being compared to a human.

This was such a gorgeous book, I have so many highlights and gorgeous one liners now part of my kindle highlights. If you are looking for a book filled with raw emotion, family bonding, slice of futuristic life, and the angst of trying to figure out who are the people you care for the most in life. Please pick this up.

A Thousand Blues is a mesmerizing blend of science fiction and human emotion, where technology and memory intertwine in unexpected ways. Cheon Seon-ran crafts a world that feels both futuristic and deeply personal, exploring loneliness, connection, and the traces we leave behind.

3.5. This was a really sweet, heart warming and cosy book. I think the Koreans and the Japanese do these types of books so well.

A Thousand Blues is a scifi novel, a genre that I don’t normally pick up, touching on the themes of family drama, animal abuse and human-animal relations.

Set in 2035 of a futuristic Korea, A Thousand Blues is narrated from the points of view of a family members of 3 and a robot named Coli. Yeonjae, equipped with her passion for robots saved an unrepairable Coli from being demolished after serving its purpose of a jockey.

I love the interactions between Coli and the girls especially Yeonjae’s mother, Bogyeong who was never fond of robots. It almost moved me to tears and I love Coli’s unwelcomed existence changed the relationship between Yeonjae, Bogyeong and Eunhye and the surrounding characters.

Overall, I didn’t expect to be moved by this sci-fi book, let alone enjoyed this very much. Love especially to note that the author ‘often dreams of living in a world where humans become the minority of flora and fauna…’

** 3.5 Stars **

I went into this book not knowing what to expect. Despite its brevity, there are several character perspectives, and a meaningful overarching commentary on humanity, the importance of connecting with other people and being honest about your emotions, importance of taking breaks, slowing down despite others telling you to always be busy doing things, and, of course, on how AI and robots can exhibit some signs of humanity themselves if allowed to learn. I do think that we maybe didn’t need quite so many different perspectives, but I liked the insight we got into different people’s minds.

I’m astonished that this story I expected to be about a racehorse learning to run slowly turned out to be so much more. There’s representation of disability as well as LGBTQ+ characters and commentary on feeling alone. The family we focus on has not only experienced tragedy, but gone on to develop problematic dynamics, and through the eyes of the robot, Colli, we get to see each member's mentality about themselves as well as how they see each other. Colli is also responsible for helping them reflect on their own actions and helping them choose to open up to each other. It's a beautiful narrative, and shows how robots and AI, while a tool, can also learn from humans and help us find our way back to each other. While it is a bit slow in the pacing, I think it’s the sort of quiet book intended to make you reflect as opposed to grip you with drama. If that’s the kind of book you’re interested in, definitely read this.

A Thousand Blues is about a robot and two sisters. The two sisters help their mother at the local cafe and one of the sisters loses their job to a robot. The sisters find out their favourite racehorse, Today is done racing after racing for a lifetime so they decide to rescue her.

This was written well and the translation was good, the English translation flowed well. The story was intriguing and I was left with a feeling of hope once I finished it. This had some interesting futuristic ideas and I’m giving it 3 stars. I think people who are fans of books involving automations/robots such as Annie Bot as well as Clara and the Sun will enjoy this. This was unique.

I love a translated fiction but sadly this one wasn’t my style of read so I did not entirely finish. I cannot tell which perspective I am reading in - is this written by the horse?

I loved this South Korean story of a mother and two sisters who have lost connections with each other and those in their daily lives. This is a world where AI is a huge part of life, where robots take the place of humans when money or risk are in play. Money making or lack of money define lives, so when the sisters lose their father they become distanced, the mother trying to work hard, and the older sister disabled. Technology seems to play a large part in this society, and the younger sister is skilled in the science of robotics, but not with human interaction. Inevitability, a robot comes into the story, it is a robotic jockey ( humans are replaced because of risk and money) who has been thrown on the scrap heap, and it looks like the horse he rode will soon be following. The characters are so well drawn, and you do get a good idea of what life could be like in the fast growing technology world of this country. Questions of morality are raised about how humans expect to use the animal kingdom for its own selfish purposes, and also about how humans treat each other. I enjoyed the glimpse into a different cultural world, for example it is traditional to take a gift to someone’s house if you visit in Korea. Most of all I loved the robot who is wired with an almost human empathy, and how it comes to make such a difference to their lives.

A strong sci-fi book that places love and solidarity at its heart.
Many important themes about being a human and what it entails (conscience, love, kindness, compassion) are explored in this book.
We have an amazing robot character.
This has been a fresh read, after reading many books set in Paris, London, NYC, rural Ireland, Tokyo and Seoul.
I can see why this is compared to some other strong Korean-language books.
It is indeed quite interesting.
Had the structure been more balanced and the themes differently blended in, I would have loved this. Though, this is my personal taste, and I would highly recommend this book for its the story and characters.

This was a bit of wild card for me, and I have to say that, although I enjoyed much of it, I found it quite disjointed overall and felt the narrative became lost in thoughts and introspection. Overall, although well written/translated, it didn't quite achieve its ambitious purpose.

I had a good time reading this book. I do not usually read science fiction, so I went in unsure what to expect. I loved the fact that it was focused on personal life experiences more than on world-building. Personally, I would have liked it more if it were a bit longer, so that the world in which this takes place could have been explained better. There were times when I was a bit confused and therefore could not really picture clearly what was happening and why.

What I liked most was the relationship that grew gradually between the mother and Coli. I think Coli's presence allowed her to slow a bit and reflect upon her life, since ,I think, she tried to bury herself in work as to avoid dealing with her feelings and especially her daughters' feelings. To me it was a beautiful reflection on grief and how we tend to gravitate our entire existence around a person dear to us who is no longer alive and forget to live and really acknowledge the people close to us.

Thank you for giving me the chance to read this book!

This is a delightful read with humans and robots interacting for the greater good. Coli is a wonderful robot character and I love what he brings to the story.
The story looks at horse racing and freedom and I really enjoyed the family’s journey in this. This story looks at grief, disability, human and animal rights and so much more.
A great book to end 2024 with!

A Thousand Blues is an imaginative tale set in 2035, it tells the story of sisters, Yeonjae and Eunhye, who embark on a daring mission to save a beloved racehorse, Today, and Coli, a robot jockey facing destruction. The book explores the themes of friendship, sacrifice, animal rights, and the impact of technology on society.

I didn’t know what to expect when I started this one but it tuned out to be a great read. It’s perfect for anyone who loves an emotional read with a sprinkle of sci-fi.