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...

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.