Yoon Ha Lee: Bonsai Starships (Beneath Ceaseless Skies)
English language
Published by Beneath Ceaseless Skies.
A novice takes care of three bonsai, who may one day become the 'heart' of warring starships. But when ambassadors of the Empress come, demanding all the bonsai now to fight an enemy, she is not ready to give up those in her charge. Her attempt to save the bonsai would lead to world changing consequences.
This short story can be read here: www.beneath-ceaseless-skies.com/stories/bonsai-starships/
A story about a monk cultivating her bonsai starships who is forced to look beyond her gardens into a larger world of space politics. In typical Yoon Ha Lee fashion, there are delightfully no details about how these bonsai are starships, they just are. It's hard to blame a short story for being too short, but the ending felt abrupt in a way that didn't quite resonate with the rest of the story for me.
