[K-LIT REVIEW] Bora Chung's 'Your Utopia' offers the breath-giving sci-fi we needed

As a university student, I needed a third-year art elective. Another science major had told me about a class that was popular among our cohort — a comparative literature course with a focus on science fiction. I needed no further convincing. I was already a fan of science fiction, and the course taught me new tools to enjoy and understand it further. The reading list was a great introduction to new works and authors, including Philip K. Dick, who I now count among my favorite authors. "Your Utopia" by Bora Chung is a collection of eight short stories. Its nomination for the Philip K. Dick Award — one of the "Big 3" science fiction awards, along with the Nebula and Hugo awards — seems appropriate, as Dick was himself a prolific short story writer. It was the first Korean nomination for the award — fitting, since breaking new ground is something Chung does very well. Truly impressive science fiction requires a willingness to break down the barriers between the present and future, not just in technology but in perception, culture and experience. "Your Utopia" impresses with its u