Book Review: To Hold Up the Sky by Liu Cixin (four stars)
People really were stupid in the past, and they really had a tough time.
Excellent collection of science fiction short stories. The opening “The Village Teacher” and closing “The Thinker” stand out. Liu jumps from a then current discovery or trend to extrapolate consequences or possibilities.
The only difference between those reporters and prostitutes is that they sell a different body part.
Liu ranges wide through ethics and consequences. Philosophic and creative. Many tales reflect a distinct point of view. Uses stereotypes to explore deeper realities.
This time, the sun will blast powerful electromagnetic radiation into space in every frequency, from the highest to the lowest. In addition, the powerful X-ray radiation generated by the sun will collide violently with Earth’s ionosphere, blocking off short-wave radio communications, which are reliant on the layer.
Quibbles: “Full-Spectrum Barrage Jamming” betrays numerous errors in astrophysics and micro-electronics. “Sea of Dreams” likewise flunks elementary chemistry and physics. Gratuitous profanity confined to two stories, indicating Liu wanted it there.
“From a certain philosophical viewpoint, this universe is even grander than the one you observe. Even though your universe is tens of billions of light-years wide, it’s been established that it’s finite. My universe is infinite because thought is infinite.”
As a Matter of Fancy 
Good stories – great. Thinking back to the days when it seemed there were more stories.