
If We Cannot Go at the Speed of Light
Kim Choyeop(Author)
MacLehose Press
Will be published approx. on 7. May 2026
Book
Paperback/Softback
192 pages
978-1-5294-4761-3 (ISBN)
Description
Bora Chung, author of Cursed Bunny and The Midnight Timetable
Meet the alien species that put the humanity into human beings
Discover the fate of Slefonia III once warp travel became obsolete
Visit the Mind Library to commune with the dead
Kim Choyeop became an instant literary sensation in Korea with her debut short story collection. Each of these bitesize speculative masterpieces represents a journey into the unknown, guided by a writer blessed with a boundless imagination.
From alternative futures to distant alien planets, in the company of scientists, space explorers and ordinary citizens in extraordinary situations, Kim Choyeop revels in making the impossible seem not only possible but somehow inevitable.
Each story focuses on an specific issue of discrimination against women or other marginalised groups, adding a mind-bending twist to hold a mirror to modern society and its everyday iniquities.
Translated from the Korean by Anton Hur
Meet the alien species that put the humanity into human beings
Discover the fate of Slefonia III once warp travel became obsolete
Visit the Mind Library to commune with the dead
Kim Choyeop became an instant literary sensation in Korea with her debut short story collection. Each of these bitesize speculative masterpieces represents a journey into the unknown, guided by a writer blessed with a boundless imagination.
From alternative futures to distant alien planets, in the company of scientists, space explorers and ordinary citizens in extraordinary situations, Kim Choyeop revels in making the impossible seem not only possible but somehow inevitable.
Each story focuses on an specific issue of discrimination against women or other marginalised groups, adding a mind-bending twist to hold a mirror to modern society and its everyday iniquities.
Translated from the Korean by Anton Hur
Reviews / Votes
I've been yearning for the whole world to read Kim Choyeop and fall in love with her as I did -- Bora Chung, author of Cursed BunnyMore details
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Quercus Publishing
Product notice
Paperback (UK-trade)
Illustrations
N/A
Dimensions
Height: 216 mm
Width: 133 mm
Thickness: 18 mm
Weight
214 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-5294-4761-3 (9781529447613)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions

Kim Choyeop
If We Cannot Go at the Speed of Light
the groundbreaking short story collection and Korean bestseller from superstar Kim Choyeop
E-Book
05/2026
MacLehose Press
€9.49
Available for download
Persons
Kim Choyeop has a master's degree in biochemistry from Pohang University of Science and Technology. She burst onto the Korean literary scene and immediately won the grand prize at the 2nd Korean Science Fiction Awards in 2017 (short story/mid-length novel category) for her short story "Lost on Premises".