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fluffypotamus's review against another edition
4.75
like every comedy sketch show, not every short story in a collection can be a winner. "understand" and "division by zero" were a bit weak, but every other story was so good that i barely care.
cristina_g_'s review against another edition
informative
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
failedfocus's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
amanda_serenity's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
neta's review against another edition
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
littlegoliath's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Challenging, fascinating, these stories have depth.
yourlocalbigboy's review against another edition
4.0
Before this I was not sure how I felt about anthologies so I thought I’d give one a try, and while it was a nice break from my usual reading I just don’t think it’s my style. I like to sink my teeth into a story and I’m too slow to learn names when there are multiple POV in a short novella.
Despite my preferences, this set of short stories was worth the read. From a fanatical, quest feeling start to a thought provoking black mirror-esque end there are stories to fit every mood and interest. I will admit while I enjoyed the variety I was surprised at some of stories in here paired along with hard sci-fi and speculative fiction themes.
Below are my blurbs from each of the short stories.
"Tower of Babylon" 5/5
Reads like a compelling biblical-fiction journey with a mysterious and awesome (literally) goal. The first short story of this collection, the metaphor felt more on the nose than speculative sci-fi but it was a really fun read that had me curious the whole time.
"Understand" 4/5
A first person narration of a man experiencing neuron regeneration and super intelligence after being tested with an experimental drug. Very descriptive and quite captivating, however I thought it ended a tad abruptly.
"Division by Zero" 5/5
While I don't study it, I find math so interesting so a story with mathematics and logical thought described in a reasonably straightforward way was really fascinating.
Although I will admit at times I was lost but sometimes I like that in sci-fi
Intertwined with math theory is a story about personal relationships & navigating empathy and mental health. Reminiscent of "Singer Distance"
You added a status update
"Story of Your Life" 3.5/5
Listed as speculative fiction but this novella is about aliens. I liked the concept of retelling "the story of your life" but I was mainly wanting to hear about the aliens and learning their language. I feel like so many sci-fi stories skip the massive chasm that would be interspecies communication - this novella does it right! At the end it all made sense but I still wanted more alien
"Seventy-two letters" 3/5
Finished up right at 72% how fun is that? Steam punk sci-fi meets global fertility crisis. An interesting mix of esotericism and (what felt like?) genetics.
"The Evolution of Human Science" 4.5/5
A speculative fiction short story that poses the question "what is the role of human scientists in an age when the frontiers of scientific inquiry have moved beyond the comprehension of humans?" Written from the
POV of the editor for a scientific journal which was a fun concept.
"Hell is the Absence of God" 2/5
Surprisingly a religious fantasy tucked in here with all the sci-fi. I will admit for 75% of it I kept thinking "oh there will be a sci-fi tie in soon..." Nope - this is a religious fiction about miracles. Personally it was too brimstone and fire for me and it felt like religious trauma. But the story telling was strong and the concept was interesting.
“Liking What You See: A Documentary" 4/5
The final short story in this anthology and a return to sci-fi. As the title suggests this story is told like a documentary with sections of first person accounts of a new device that blocks your repose to beauty. In what felt like an episode of "Black Mirror" Chiang presents well articulated arguments from all sides. It is left open for the reader to decide how they feel.
Despite my preferences, this set of short stories was worth the read. From a fanatical, quest feeling start to a thought provoking black mirror-esque end there are stories to fit every mood and interest. I will admit while I enjoyed the variety I was surprised at some of stories in here paired along with hard sci-fi and speculative fiction themes.
Below are my blurbs from each of the short stories.
"Tower of Babylon" 5/5
Reads like a compelling biblical-fiction journey with a mysterious and awesome (literally) goal. The first short story of this collection, the metaphor felt more on the nose than speculative sci-fi but it was a really fun read that had me curious the whole time.
"Understand" 4/5
A first person narration of a man experiencing neuron regeneration and super intelligence after being tested with an experimental drug. Very descriptive and quite captivating, however I thought it ended a tad abruptly.
"Division by Zero" 5/5
While I don't study it, I find math so interesting so a story with mathematics and logical thought described in a reasonably straightforward way was really fascinating.
Although I will admit at times I was lost but sometimes I like that in sci-fi
Intertwined with math theory is a story about personal relationships & navigating empathy and mental health. Reminiscent of "Singer Distance"
You added a status update
"Story of Your Life" 3.5/5
Listed as speculative fiction but this novella is about aliens. I liked the concept of retelling "the story of your life" but I was mainly wanting to hear about the aliens and learning their language. I feel like so many sci-fi stories skip the massive chasm that would be interspecies communication - this novella does it right! At the end it all made sense but I still wanted more alien
"Seventy-two letters" 3/5
Finished up right at 72% how fun is that? Steam punk sci-fi meets global fertility crisis. An interesting mix of esotericism and (what felt like?) genetics.
"The Evolution of Human Science" 4.5/5
A speculative fiction short story that poses the question "what is the role of human scientists in an age when the frontiers of scientific inquiry have moved beyond the comprehension of humans?" Written from the
POV of the editor for a scientific journal which was a fun concept.
"Hell is the Absence of God" 2/5
Surprisingly a religious fantasy tucked in here with all the sci-fi. I will admit for 75% of it I kept thinking "oh there will be a sci-fi tie in soon..." Nope - this is a religious fiction about miracles. Personally it was too brimstone and fire for me and it felt like religious trauma. But the story telling was strong and the concept was interesting.
“Liking What You See: A Documentary" 4/5
The final short story in this anthology and a return to sci-fi. As the title suggests this story is told like a documentary with sections of first person accounts of a new device that blocks your repose to beauty. In what felt like an episode of "Black Mirror" Chiang presents well articulated arguments from all sides. It is left open for the reader to decide how they feel.
bougiebrat's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
ncteisen's review against another edition
5.0
Heady, philosophical sci fi. Very good.
His later collection, Exhalation, has stronger stories, but this one is also worthwhile if you want more of the same.
His later collection, Exhalation, has stronger stories, but this one is also worthwhile if you want more of the same.
smithmick14's review against another edition
Very readable but still with a lot of literary integrity. Chiang definitely reads the same semiotic nerd source material as me and it was a nice break to see it all distilled into stories that would make good movies.