This long-awaited volume of the Around the World challenge took me to Austria, China, and India (not Saudi Arabia quite yet – I’m postponing it for the time being, but keep an eye out). With settings ranging from mid-20th century ocean liners to bustling neighborhoods and even worlds built in virtual reality, this collection is certainly diverse.

Before getting into the reviews themselves, a quick amendment to the rules of this challenge! Previously, I had set the rules as fictional prose and poetry only – I’m also going to say that plays are fair game too. Thank you to Dr. Citrin for the suggestion!

I’ll be honest – when I read the blurb of this novella, I thought I would hate it. I’m glad to say that I was proved wrong. This novella is set on a Brazil-bound ocean liner, where a chess champion is challenged to a number of games by his relatively unskilled fellow passengers. However, when one mysterious and skilled figure appears, the story quickly shifts into something far more. This novella may be short, but its language is engaging and descriptive, and it manages to touch on themes I would never have expected out of a book about chess games (for the sake of avoiding spoilers, I’ll let you discover just what those themes are). One thing’s for certain – I won’t forget this short tale any time soon.

I have a love-hate relationship with this sci-fi novel from China. Telling the story of a diverse range of characters navigating socio-political challenges, video games, and scientific experimentation, this book is ambitious and has incredible storytelling abilities. This book was also enlightening when it came to the Cultural Revolution, and it was shockingly critical of the CCP for a book published in China itself. The pacing of this book is also incredibly well done, with well-built tension and resolution. However, the passages explaining the science and technology of the world at hand were more convoluted than illuminating, and I would primarily recommend this book to people with a solid understanding of astrophysics. Thus, the best I can give this book is a 3.75. If you love sci-fi, go for this book; if not, avoid it.


If I had to describe this novella in one word, I would probably use the word “fun.” It’s pretty good, but not incredible. Telling the tale of a family in Bangalore moving up the social ladder, this novella explores class and gender in modern India. I didn’t find this book to be too memorable or awe-inspiring, but if you’re looking for a relatively light read with some social commentary, this book is the one for you.

With these reviews out of the way, it’s time to continue with the challenge. Keep your eyes out for more clearly themed “volumes” from here on out! It is certainly getting a lot colder right now…