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Summary
Sacrifice one person, and the others can be saved.
Who dies? You die? I die?
Or—let the killer die?
As death closes in and the people in the Ark dwindle one by one, the morality of the world above finally loses its hold...
Editor's review
Who it's for
A good fit for
- Readers who enjoy soft science fiction and care about the conflict between technology and human ethics
- Readers interested in closed-space narrative and group psychology dynamics
- Readers seeking philosophical reflection beyond entertainment in a story
- Literature lovers who appreciate delicate prose and attention to characters' inner lives
Not a good fit for
- Traditional sci-fi fans expecting fast-paced action or hard technical description
- Readers who prefer light entertainment and avoid heavy ethical themes
Reading tips
- When reading the first half, follow the author patiently as the worldview and character relationships are built; the later impact is closely tied to this earlier groundwork.
- Pay attention to the different characters' understandings of the Ark's mission—this forms the main line of the story's internal conflict.
- After reading, consider: if you were on the ship, how would you define the "core of civilization" that must be preserved?
About the publisher
China Friendship Publishing Company is a comprehensive publisher known for its literary titles, covering classical Chinese literature, foreign literature, folk literature and cultural appreciation. According to the books in the database, its classical list includes celebrated dramas and novels such as The Peony Pavilion, The Romance of the Western Chamber and Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio, as well as note-style classics like Hong Mai's Rongzhai Suibi. In foreign literature it offers translations of Dostoevsky's Crime and Punishment, Kawabata Yasunari's Snow Country and Anne Frank's The Diary of a Young Girl, involving translators such as Zeng Siyi. It also publishes The Complete Literary Works of Lu Xun and titles associated with the "Xue'er Shuguan" editorial group, balancing the collation and popularization of classic texts. Public information on its publishing features and plans is limited; the above is summarized only from the books in the database.
Contents
- 版权信息
- 序幕
- 第一章 方舟
- 第二章 天灾与杀人
- 第三章 斩落之首
- 第四章 刀与指甲钳
- 第五章 抽选
- 终幕
- 再入《方舟》
FAQ
Is this book pure science fiction?
How do the two authors' writing styles work together?
Is the ending open-ended?
Comments
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About the author
Yuki Haruo is a mystery and detective fiction author whose publicly available personal information is limited. To date, only one of the author's works has been confirmed in Chinese publication: the representative novel Ark. Based on the available information, the author's writing is focused on the mystery and detective genre, and Ark serves as the most direct entry point for understanding this author. Because details such as dates of birth and death, nationality, English name, and a full writing career have not been clearly recorded, it is not yet possible to outline the author's life story, nor would it be appropriate to speculate extensively about their background or writing journey. As a work of mystery and detective fiction, Ark belongs to a genre that typically emphasizes the tension between puzzle construction, the laying out of clues, and the revelation of truth; readers of such works generally expect strong narrative pacing and rigorously logical deduction. Although the number of Yuki Haruo's works currently available for reference is small, Ark already offers a sample through which to observe the author's writing orientation, and should more works be translated and introduced in the future, a fuller picture of the author's creative profile may emerge.
Jiachen is an author about whom limited public information is available. Five works by this author are held in the collection, spanning categories such as mystery and suspense as well as foreign literature. Judging from the representative titles—Tiger's Residual Dream, The Star Diviner's Memory, The Ark, Sherlock Holmes's Triumph, and The Imitation of Murder—the books all carry a distinct flavor of detective fiction and puzzling cases, suggesting that Jiachen's writing centers largely on mystery and suspense while also touching on the translation or related writing of foreign literary works. Because information such as birth and death dates, nationality, and English name cannot be confirmed, the author's personal history and creative background are difficult to describe in detail. The available clues indicate that Jiachen's works circulate among readers of both detective fiction and foreign literature, with themes involving the pursuit of mysterious cases, memory, and fate, and an overall orientation toward plot development and puzzle design that merits further reading by those interested in mystery and suspense.
