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.

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.