4.5 ⭐️ rounded up for translated work and short story collection.

This is a consistently strong, and sometimes brilliant collection of quiet sci-fi. The stories feature big sci-fi ideas by an author whose background in science comes through in the detail--FTL time travel, cryogenics, neural uploads--but its focus is close, on the human moments and how these big ideas affect humanity on a personal, individual level. Throughout the collection, generational womanhood is the strongest theme. All of the stories hit a poignant, emotional note that make the stories grounded and relatable, and showcases a cultural voice that is distinct from how western sci-fi often feels.

Standout stories were Spectrum--a first contact story about how different first contact between individuals might be from first contact between species-- and Pilgrims--a story about creating something to hold our love vs. being able to love flawed things.

3.5 ⭐️

​I quite adored this book! It is a collection of short stories and is a fantastic read for anyone who enjoys science fiction and philosophy.

​Each story gets you thinking about what it really means to be human. The author dives into some thought-provoking questions, like the nature of consciousness, the messy reality of relationships, and what we're willing to do for love. It’s the kind of book that uses imaginative sci-fi scenarios to explore deep, philosophical ideas, and it’s truly a rewarding journey.

I rated it 3.5 ⭐️ because I do think some of the narrative fell quite flat at the end or some stories just didn't give me enough to think about, which is usually what I look for in these type of stories. Otherwise, the overall message of each passage was pretty simple. I do think it simply may be due to translation.

​If you’re looking for something that will make you think and feel, and you enjoy stories that challenge your perspective, you should definitely check this one out.

some themes:
1. what causes our humanity
2. what happens to the conscientious on the dead?
3. curiosity is never wasted on the youth. when i look up at the stars, ill see you anna
4. material manifestation of emotions — do we have to have tangible evidence to have control? the whole range of emotions makes us human
5. shows that only by facing the fragility of a memory and the imperfection of love can that we break cycles of pain and create new legacies.
6. value of imperfection lies in its ability to teach resilience, foster creativity, and generate genuine relationships
7. humans can be psychologically and emotionally transformed by extreme experiences— but is it always a good thing?
thank you so much net galleyyy for the english ARC for this !!! a great short scifi read

This collection of stories explores the idea of "what if". While every story points to the future as an unknown, they all reflect a deep sense of humanity that can never be lost.

It is difficult for me to choose a favorite story as they are all so different yet impactful. I thought the concepts of space travel and technology that Choyeop describes are all unique, and I enjoyed that each story was open-ended, giving the reader space to fill in the blanks in their own way.

This is an excellent collection. Every story was unique, but all were masterfully written and thought-provoking.

I’ve seen the author compared to Ted Chiang and, in my opinion, that comparison is spot on. The title story in this collection hit me in a similar way to the title story in Chiang’s book: Stories of Your Life and Others. I won’t elaborate because I don’t want to spoil anything about either story.

I highly recommend this collection to anyone who enjoys short stories, soft science fiction, and speculative fiction. I can’t wait to check out more by this author.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

although i’m usually not a huge fan of short stories, i really enjoyed this sci-fi collection. each story was thought-provoking with similar themes, exploring what makes us human. you can tell that the author is very knowledgeable and did a lot of research. i really liked the commentary on the difficulties of pregnancy and the complexity of mother/daughter relationships. overall, my favorite was Symbiosis Theory!

thank you NetGalley and Saga Press for providing this arc!

This is a great scifi short story collection! I enjoyed every single story in the collection, though I liked some better than others. My personal favorites are Symbiosis Theory and Spectrum. Each story explores what it means to be human as advanced technology reshapes and expands our world. These stories were thought provoking, and I think they’ll stick with me for a long time. I highly recommend this collection for anyone who enjoys speculative short stories!

Thank you to Saga Press for providing me an eARC in exchange for my unbiased review.

What an excellent collection of SciFi short stories. I love Choyeop’s ability to create mind bending scenarios that are grounded in universal emotions and relatable relationships. Every story was intriguing.

I probably would have given it 5 stars, instead of 4, if I routinely read more short stories. I’m used to long epics and this left me wanting — that all to say, if this sounds interesting, and especially if you like or want short stories, this was wonderful.

Thank you, NetGalley and Saga Press, for this ARC. All opinions are my own.

It’s so rare to find a book that hits all the right notes, and I’m so glad I stumbled upon If We Cannot Go at the Speed of Light. Kim Choyeop is definitely my new favorite sci-fi writer. Her stories feel like a perfect mix of Ted Chiang and Ken Liu, where the wild, mind-bending concepts are always grounded in real, human feelings.

I absolutely loved the stories in this collection, especially "Symbiosis Theory," "Archival Loss," and "Spectrum." They explore what it means to be human in a future shaped by advanced technology, raising questions about memory, connection, and the very nature of identity. Kim Choyeop has a remarkable talent for transforming abstract scientific ideas into tangible, emotional narratives, making this a truly memorable collection.

Thank you Net Galley and Saga Press. I quickly became lost in these short stories. Kim Choyeop’s does make you question the world, our place in the universe and what wonders await us. The Materiality of Emotions stuck out because it begs the question of why would people purposely seek out negative emotions when you have the opportunity to be free of that. Overall well written and deep thought provoking stories.

This will seem hyperbolic, but some of these stories are as close to Ted Chiang as anything else I’ve ever read. Not every story is at that level, but none of them don’t work. Haunting and bizarre, this collection is one of those books that in five years everyone will say they read as soon at it was published.

This might be my favorite book of 2025. It reminded me of Black Mirror but less spooky, in a way. I will definitely read more books from this author.

I loved this collection of short stories and am choosing to 'review' but giving a brief one sentence view of each story or its message. I recommend this to those who enjoy science fiction, philosophy, and the questioning of humanity.

Symbiosis Theory: What exactly is humanity? Is it truly a human trait?

Spectrum: What if you were put into a world where the inhabitants have even more sense and ability than you?

If We Cannot Go at the Speed of Light: Does somewhere/something have to exist to be a goal?

Materiality of Emotion: If emotions are material objects, do they become any easier to control?

Archival Loss: Mother-Daughter relationships are hard, but one day understanding will blossom.

Pilgrims: What lengths will you go to for love? Will you seek out your own truth?

My Space Hero: Heroes are human. Some things are worth doing for the sake of doing them.

Thank you to NetGalley for an eARC of this novel.

This little book feels like stargazing in paperback form ✨. If We Cannot Go at the Speed of Light isn’t weighed down by equations or jargon — it’s soft, poetic science that reads more like a lullaby for the curious.
Every page feels like drifting between galaxies, asking the big questions about love, time, and what it means to be human in a universe that’s always expanding. It’s tender, hopeful, and leaves you with that bittersweet ache — like when you realize the stars you’re looking at are already in the past.
Short enough to read in an evening, but it lingers in your chest for days. Perfect for anyone who wants science with a side of wonder, like if The Little Prince met Seven Brief Lessons on Physics. 🌌💫

If We Cannot Go at the Speed of Light by Kim Cho-yeop is a collection of short stories that explores themes such as family tension, belonging, and human connection through a science fiction lens.

Each story involves its own science fiction idea but has strong themes of exploring connection and purpose that I often thought were over stated. While I appreciate that an introspective point was being made, I found that I often felt it was being over emphasized when it was explicitly stated, and that instead sometimes Cho-yeop could have let the reader do more of the work in deriving meaning.

Despite the different premise of each story, I felt like each one had almost the same structure, or that the narrative would build obviously build the world around a twist instead of just letting it be.

I found Pilgrims to be the most captivating and Symbiosis Theory to be the most unique. I appreciated that My Space Hero was the final story, since I felt it left the reader thinking the most.

I rate it a 3/5 stars because it was overall worth my time to read and I found it enjoyable. My only holdup is that I often expect short stories to leave me with a little more analysis to consider in my own end. .

A book doesn’t just tell stories it sells you emotions. And Kim Cho-yeop has done precisely that here. She’s crafted a collection of science fiction tales where the technology feels almost secondary to the pulse of the people within them. The ideas may orbit wormholes, space stations, and digital libraries of the dead, but the gravity is always human identity, love, belonging, grief, forgiveness.
Reading this collection feels a little like buying something from Emotional Solids, that fictional company within one of her stories. Except instead of chocolate for love or a stone for sadness, Cho-yeop gives you entire worlds distilled into short stories. And without warning, she slips a glass paperweight of anger into your hand, or a memory of grief so sharp you’ll find yourself sitting in the dark, whispering, “Yes, that’s exactly how it feels.”
There is a story of a woman stranded in a space station, and somehow it reminded me of every person who has ever waited for someone who might never return. There is a story of a pregnant daughter grappling with the digital disappearance of her estranged mother’s avatar, and the ending made me silently cry, nod and say, "Yes." There is a story of an artist whose paintings contain forgotten messages from another planet, and it left me staring at the wall, wondering what it means to be human if our very origin might be alien.
Cho-yeop’s gift lies in her ability to take the most complex scientific concepts wormholes, genetic engineering, digital consciousness and render them with an empathy so accessible that even readers who think they “don’t read sci-fi” will find themselves at home here. She shows us how technology doesn’t erase our humanity; it magnifies it.
If you have ever wondered what it means to live, to love, to remember, to forgive this collection doesn’t give you answers so much as it offers you the questions in the most beautiful way.
Thank you to NetGalley, Kim Cho-yeop, and Saga Press for this extraordinary ARC.

Thank you NetGalley for an arc!

I really enjoyed this collection of short stories! Sci-fi is really my jam, but I have such a hard time finding short stories that really click with me and all of these did in different ways! I loved that many of them had stories within stories framing, as well. Each one was emotional, thoughtful, and blended the sci-fi into the story in such a grounding way, it was really easy to get into.

My favorite short story in the collection was the collection's namesake, If We Cannot Go at the Speed of Light, but all of them were very good and poignant in their own ways. I'm very happy this collection was translated into English! I think the translator did a fantastic job.

Thank you Netgalley and Simon & Schuster for my ARC <3

I really enjoyed this collection! There's nothing flashy and no blockbuster action; this sci-fi collection is capturing a very down-to-Earth warmth. The author is still fairly young but in a couple of her stories, like the titular "If We Cannot Go at the Speed of Light," her writing voice speaks as someone with far more experience. Then there are others, like "The Materiality of Emotions" which feel on the pulse for modern day topics with young adults. Choyeop has a master's degree in Biochemistry so her writing reflects topics she is familiar with. I was worried that I'd be in over my head, but her stories never made me feel stupid, which I appreciated.

Kim Choyeop is a bestseller in South Korea so I applaud the translator Anton Hur for bringing her work to the US! I think she'll do well here too for those looking to read sci-fi reaching for the universe inside every person.

While I found myself thinking about some of the outlandish ideas from this short story collection, I never felt excited to pick it up. I felt like the narration was distant and I couldn't connect well to the characters, especially when the stories were told in a very matter of fact way. This happened. And then, this happened. Very straightforward, which isn't my preference! Overall though I do think this is a cool collection that some may enjoy more than I did.

Truly mind-altering plots and beautiful prose combine to make this an amazing addition to any sci-fi lovers library.

This collection of short stories deals with aliens, cryogenics, and digitizing the human mind, along with love, grief, and trauma. The short stories don’t necessarily connect but the themes and conversations absolutely do. This is a quick read, that I read in an afternoon. I am so excited to get a physical copy next year.

I’m not always a short story person, but this is done absolutely masterfully.