Reviews

Stories of Your Life and Others by Ted Chiang

zeldaspellman's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

screamish's review against another edition

adventurous challenging hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No

5.0

honnari_hannya's review against another edition

3.0

Didn't quite like this as much as Chiang's other short story collection, Exhalation, but fascinating nonetheless. He has a wonderful way of integrating philosophy and science fiction in a way that doesn't seem too heavy-handed, which I've found is often the case with these types of stories. There's a throughline running through several stories (and which also appeared in Exhalation) about science and religion—how they run in tandem with one another, how they can work in harmony with one another, how leaps of faith are required for both—which I found especially compelling.

Would be interested in some longer works from him.

crystalunvrs's review against another edition

emotional mysterious reflective fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot

5.0

hgoodenn's review against another edition

2.5

Tower of Babylon 2/5
Understand 1/5
Division by Zero 1/5
Story of Your Life 5/5
Seventy-Two Letters 1.5/5
The Evolution of Human Science 3/5
Hell is the Absence of God 4/5
Liking What You See 4/5

The good ones were very good, but the bad ones were insufferable. Seems like speculative fiction is not for me

leggup's review against another edition

Gave up during Seventy-Two Letters. The writing style is very tedious. In order to sound scientific it rambles on and on. I read Story of Your Life because I didn't like Arrival and figured the original short story would be better. I was wrong.

eliseg29's review against another edition

challenging reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

h4ppycupcake's review against another edition

challenging mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

4.0

mjr313's review against another edition

challenging reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

I read Exhalation prior to this collection so had some familiarity with Chiang’s work. I found this collection to be thought provoking in a wide range of disciplines and philosophies, from religion to linguistics to the perception of beauty. Essential for any fan of speculative fiction.

andv8's review against another edition

adventurous medium-paced

2.5