One of the Washington Posts’ “The 5 best science fiction and fantasy novels of 2017”!James Tiptree, Jr Literary Award Honor ListA B&N Sci-Fi and Fantasy Blog “Best SFF of 2017” pick!A Kirkus “Best of the Best!” of 2017 Honorable MentionFrom debut author Maggie Shen King, An Excess Male is the chilling dystopian tale of politics, inequality, marriage, love, and rebellion, set in a near-future … King, An Excess Male is the chilling dystopian tale of politics, inequality, marriage, love, and rebellion, set in a near-future China, that further explores the themes of the classics The Handmaid’s Tale and When She Woke.
Under the One Child Policy, everyone plotted to have a son.
Now 40 million of them can’t find wives.
China’s One Child Policy and its cultural preference for male heirs have created a society overrun by 40 million unmarriageable men. By the year 2030, more than twenty-five percent of men in their late thirties will not have a family of their own. An Excess Male is one such leftover man’s quest for love and family under a State that seeks to glorify its past mistakes and impose order through authoritarian measures, reinvigorated Communist ideals, and social engineering.
Wei-guo holds fast to the belief that as long as he continues to improve himself, his small business, and in turn, his country, his chance at love will come. He finally saves up the dowry required to enter matchmaking talks at the lowest rung as a third husband—the maximum allowed by law. Only a single family—one harboring an illegal spouse—shows interest, yet with May-ling and her two husbands, Wei-guo feels seen, heard, and connected to like never before. But everyone and everything—walls, streetlights, garbage cans—are listening, and men, excess or not, are dispensable to the State. Wei-guo must reach a new understanding of patriotism and test the limits of his love and his resolve in order to save himself and this family he has come to hold dear.
In Maggie Shen King’s startling and beautiful debut, An Excess Male looks to explore the intersection of marriage, family, gender, and state in an all-too-plausible future.
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This book would be a great series for Netflix
I thought I already wrote a review for this book, so I’ll keep it short since I read this book a while ago.
I’m not fully happy with how the story ended just for the fact I was hoping for a different one as far as one of the characters was concerned and I didn’t get that.
The book may seem a little dated since the one-child policy already ended, but it’s a convincing projection of what could have happened if it went on for a few more decades.
It is moving and chilling and … heavy on the ‘slice of life’. If you like realism with your stories, go for it. If you are a ‘what if’ person, this is also a great story for you. If you are up for conspiracies, this book has something for you too.
I had read a short story by Maggie Shen King that I greatly enjoyed, so I was happy to see this novel show up in my recommendations. This book is a little of everything: cyber-intrigue, romance, thriller, etc. Whether you like the characters or not (and sometimes it’s difficult to), you will find yourself rooting for them!
An Excess Male is set in China of the near future. Although presumably a dystopian novel, the story is quite plausible. Due to China’s past “One Child Policy”, the population has such a surplus of males that many men cannot have a wife and family. To ease the problem, a new policy is instituted whereby a family can have up to three husbands.
The characters are well drawn and believable. May Ling, a young wife with a hyper-active toddler and her two husbands who are brothers, are considering taking on a third husband who falls in love with May Ling. Each of the characters has issues which we gradually learn about. The plot is full of twists and action. It is a well-written novel and an enjoyable read.
I was cut deep by this book.
An interesting take on the future. I could see this taking place.
it was interesting at first but didn’t keep my attention
Liked this futuristic book set in China. Very interesting take on the consequences of the one child rule, with that child being preferably a male. Too many men–dearth of women. What to do?
This is a unique book with a well-written plot and believable characters set in a not-to -distant China. This is the kind of book that you cannot get out of your mind. It prompts a lot of thought.
This novel approaches the dilemma facing China in the years ahead. The women take multiple husbands! I found it engagingly. I became involved in the characters and was anxious to see how the story ended.
I thought the author did a fine job weaving the story around the problems exisitng today, and projecting them down the road to weave into a story you just don’t want to put down! It is well-written, well-researched and the characters ring true!
What if ?? This book presents an interesting and scary Orwellian type society in China that is the result of their now abandoned one child policy … worth reading …