I'm on the fence: loved and hated it at the same time. Fascinating and hard to read (my adhd was not happy)
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

The book isn’t for everyone with the story of a robot that is a racehorse jockey and a family with heavy issues but you read about their lives and how they’ve managed to get through things and dealt with love and loss

A Thousand Blues has become one of my favourite books. Life feels turbulent and overwhelming and this beautiful book is the reminder we all need to slow down. To quieten the noise and revel in the small joys.

The year is 2035 and Coli, a robot jockey, has been adopted by a young Korean girl, Yeonjae. Coli would have been sold and taken apart, but Yeonjae upgrades Coli and gives him a second life.

Yeonjae has a sister, Eunhye, who is confined to a wheelchair. Her mother, Bogyeong, works all hours to make ends meet and is frozen in time since the loss of her beloved husband.

Coli brings this family together in a way nobody could predict. Together, they learn to connect and when Today (Coli's partner and racehorse) is threatened with euthanasia due to injury, they make it their mission to buy Today more time.

Dealing with themes of grief, loneliness, disability, poverty, technology and above all love, this book is a testament to the best and worst of humanity. It is so poignant and moving and manages to provoke deep joy and sadness at the same time.

It is a book I would turn to when life feels heavy and humanity seems doomed.

I ummed and ahhed over whether to review this as I didn’t actually finish it on time- instead getting to 38% before my arc expired. I, obviously, decided I would as while I wasn’t able to fully read this novel, I have been able to fully digest the pages I did read. This is a beautifully quiet, verging on the mundane, tale of a girl who is fascinated by robotics and the robot jockey who thinks and feels too much.

I’ll start with the robot. He was implanted with the wrong chip and is therefore quite different to the other robot jockeys. For one, he cares about his ride, a horse named Today. For two, he seeks more from life. He wants to feel the wind on his body, he wants to see the sky as he races, and he wants to race as long as Today enjoys doing so. So when Today is injured yet still being pushed to race, he sacrifices himself to save her from pain.

This sacrifice is where this tale truly begins and we are introduced to our other characters and point of views.

A Thousand Blues was heartwarming and small in its scope- we are given glimpses of the larger world and the robots and AI that inhabit it, though they are never the focus. The writing is lovely and the characters felt so real.

This may be a good book for you if you primarily read literary fiction and are wanting to slowly give science fiction a try. I would also highly recommend this to fans of cosy fantasy.

While I wasn’t able to finish this in time, the parts I did read were quaint yet beautiful. If you like quiet stories with a small cast of characters, definitely give this translated work a go!

Appreciation of the sky.
Coli is an unusual robot, he is a jockey robot, his sole purpose to ride and win horse races. During production he has the wrong chip inserted giving him reasoning and speech. Ion his way to the racetrack he sees the sky and is fascinated by it. The horse he is given to ride is called Today and by watching the kindly trainer he learns how the horse likes to be stroked and handled. Today goes on to be a winner and is highly prized. During one race Coli looks up at the sky and falls off the horse, he is badly damaged and is destined for scrap.
Yeonjae and Eunhye are sisters, their Mother Bokhui struggles to.make ends meet, she is a widow and runs a popular resturant. Eunhye is restricted to a wheel chair and has trouble getting about without help. Yeonjae is a quiet studious girl who is good at robotics. When Coli is sitting in his damaged state outside the stables, Yeo.make negotiates to buy him and takes him home, her Mother is upset as she does not trust robots.
Jitsu is a fellow pupil of Yeonjae and asks her to be her partner in a robotics competition, in return she will supply Coli's spare parts. Back at the stable Today has injured his legs and is not entered into any races, the vet attending to him says he needs to be put down.
This book is full of family struggles and disappointments, attitudes to friendship,which are helped by Coli's questions and reasoning.
Thank you NetGalley, Chain and Random House for this ARC.
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The year is 2035 and robots are gradually taking over menial jobs that humans once did. Initially revolving around teenager Yeonjae who comes across a discarded jockey robot whom she calls Coli; the story branches out to Yeonjae's elder wheelchair-bound sister Eunhye and widowed mother Bogyeong.

Whilst Coli is being manufactured, something goes amiss which leads to Coli gaining human-like intelligence. He becomes a successful robot jockey who rides a horse named Today. Together they are a dream team until during one race, Coli's curiosity gets the better of him. He is in awe of the blue sky above him and ends up falling off Today leading him to become damaged and discarded until Yeonjae comes across him. Yeonjae has a passion for robotics and fixes Coli to become one of the family.

Don't be fooled, A Thousand Blues is not all about robotics and sci-fi. It is moving and poignant and delves into the importance of human relationships.

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...