A Thousand Blues
Paperback Published on: 22/01/2026; Language: English, Korean (Original language of a translated text)
Price: £9.99
Bookseller Reviews
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An immensely profound, meaningful tale
This novel took me completely by surprise. If you could only read one book this year, please let it be this one. A powerful meditation on a world in motion... READ MORE
A read that'll hit you in the feels. And yes, I cried.
The blurb I've seen for this book recommends it for fans of Klara and the Sun. I preferred A Thousand Blues by some distance.
First published in 2020 an... READ MORE
The blurb doesn't do this justice!
Forgive me for rambling, I just loved this so much and have no idea how to organise my thoughts! I went into this having no idea how it was going to be sci... READ MORE
Heartbreaking and hopeful with important and interesting themes.
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... READ MORE
Synopsis
THE #1 KOREAN INSTANT BESTSELLER AND PRIZEWINNER
Discover the original and uplifting sensation for fans of CONVENIENCE STORE WOMAN and KLARAAND THE SUN
‘Engaging, touching, subtly disturbing’K-Lit Review
‘A stunningly crafted novel, evoking a myriad emotions’ Kim Bo-young
‘A dazzling, warm novel that shows us how to move forward as a society without leaving anyone or anything behind’ Choi Jin-young, author of To the Warm Horizon
From its perch on top of a pile of junk inside a shed, Coli, a robot with powerful observational qualities, waits patiently for someone to find it.
Coli is special among AI robots. This is because Coli has the capacity for emotion.
Today, Coli is feeling particularly in awe – of the sky in all its wondrous shades of blue.
Luckily for Coli, a young girl is about to pass by. She is obsessed with robots.
Together, they will save a life.
But first, they must make friends, put themselves at risk, and pull off the mother of all deceptions.
‘Feels like a feather softly descending and tickling my heart’ Reader review *****
‘A breath of fresh air’ Reader review *****
‘Full of human warmth’ Reader review ****
Publisher information
- Publisher: Transworld Publishers Ltd
- ISBN: 9781804995327
- Number of pages: 320
- Dimensions: 197 x 129 x 22 mm
- Weight: 224g
- Languages: English, Korean (Original language of a translated text)
Customer Reviews
View allDelightful read!
This is a delightful read with humans and robots interacting for the greater good. Coli is a wonderful robot character and I love what he brings to the sto... READ MORE
Very readable Korean sci-fi!
I knew nothing of the book when I started, so I was slightly surprised when I realised it was sci-fi! But surprised in a good way. I like a good robot book... READ MORE
A book to comfort and a reminder to slow down
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 do... READ MORE
Gorgeous Read!
Thank you to the publishers for this early copy.
It claims to be a great read for fans of Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro - and I agree.
This absolut... READ MORE
It’s perfect for anyone who loves an emotional read with a sprinkle of sci-fi.
A Thousand Blues is an imaginative tale set in 2035, it tells the story of sisters, Yeonjae and Eunhye, who embark on a daring mission to save a beloved ra... READ MORE
An uplifting but original Korean novel in translation
A Thousand Blues is translated by Chi-Young Kim from the original 천개의 파랑 by 천선란 (Cheon Seon-ran).
Winner of the 2019 한국과학문학상 (Korean Sci-Fi Literature A... READ MORE
On what being human is
Not all translated East Asian fiction is the same; perhaps there’s even a Hero’s Journey plot in this one. What I want to open with is that this is science... READ MORE
South Korean story of human and AI
I loved this South Korean story of a mother and two sisters who have lost connections with each other and those in their daily lives. This is a world whe... READ MORE
Humanity in unexpected places
The modest and uncomplicated style of writing is deceptive – it masks depths to be probed. I confess I wasn’t taken with the novel – rather a l-o-n-g way i... READ MORE
nice read
Knowing that I gave this one ago because I like translated literature. And the cover?? So pretty!
I enjoyed the storyline, Coli is a good character and ... READ MORE
We need to slow down and read this
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 mom... READ MORE
A poignant and introspective novel that explores artificial intelligence, memory, and what it truly means to be human
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... READ MORE
Blue Is Not The Only Colour
I found this a challenging read - but I think that says more about me than the translated Korean tale of what life might become as AI becomes ever closer t... READ MORE
A poignant and introspective novel that explores artificial intelligence, memory, and what it truly means to be human
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... READ MORE
Enjoyable cosy sci-fi
Set in 2035, in a fast-changing futuristic world, robots have become more prevalent within society and have replaced many manual jobs, including horse jock... READ MORE
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