The review: 

 

Ken Liu writes not only Sci-Fi but often melds it with either historical settings or Asian/non-american culture or both. Other authors have done this but I truly felt that Ken Liu is the best when it comes to mixing sci-fi/fiction and history/nonfiction because his sci-fi/fiction helps you provoke thoughts about issues regarding the historical/nonfiction, some stories it feels like it doesn't work but most of them does especially the last story in the collection. Do advise to read the book from the first page to the last since that would really maximize your reading experience rather than going to the table of contents and reading the story with the title best peaks your interest. 

 

He likes to expose the untold suffering the Chinese experience during the past, hence he writes not only fiction but historical fiction with a bit mix of Fantasy to explain events that are often unexplainable but gives light on the suffering human beings can experience and the crimes we commit against each other. We all truly have Darkness within us. 

 

This last story (The Man who ended history) is the best story of all the stories in the collection even if I do not consider it my favorite (My favorite is "The Waves" oddly don't know why it is only because finalist, it deserved an award. ) maybe because it is the most profound and most challenging to write and often difficult to read because how dark it could get (It is so controversial and complex just Holocaust) because he is tackling a historical (you might even consider it political) issue through a fictional setting plus in the format of a documentary so that the could eloquently voice out both sides of the issues. 

 

Even if he is Chinese, he is not biased or even hateful towards Japan (He did write this short story in this collection with the MC as Japanese). I know other writers wrote like this before but he did it so well and made the technobabble about the sci-fi of experiencing the past that it feels like time travel (you are aware of the presence of the past but they are unaware of your presence because you didn't even exist in their time) 

 

This is the perfect last story for the reader to read because it really proves the intellect and empathy of the author are immense and do not contradict each other but make each other sharper and better.