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4.21 AVERAGE
4.21 AVERAGE
emotional
hopeful
tense
slow-paced
It’s not badly written; I’m just particular about short stories, and this one just didn’t hit the mark for me.
While I think “Story of your Life” is just about flawless, the others in this collection didn’t have the refinement or craft that those in Exhalation did. I still loved them though, and they gave me a lot to think about. “Understand” and “Seventy-Two Letters” in particular were so clever, but the latter I thought ended too soon. I was shocked it ended where it did, there was still so much in the world to talk about! These stories are meant to be read and re-read, discussed and dissected, and I look forward to recommending this book to others and talking to my friends about them.
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Ray Bradbury once remarked that: "science fiction is the most important literature in the history of the world, because it’s the history of ideas, the history of our civilization birthing itself," and this collection of short stories captures this contemplation on humanity with perspectives ranging from theology and language to math and physics; each story made my nerd heart swell up with joy. One of my Favorite Things Ever is the intersection between science and the humanities that attempt to ask big philosophical questions about technology and scientific advancement, and I love this collection because every story balances its particular big-picture thematic question with highly individualized narratives and characters.
"Story of Your Life" (adapted into the movie Arrival (2016)) and "Liking What You See: A Documentary" were my favorites because I'm obsessed with memory and perceptions of beauty respectively. Honorable mentions to "Hell is the Absence of God" and "Understand."
"Story of Your Life" (adapted into the movie Arrival (2016)) and "Liking What You See: A Documentary" were my favorites because I'm obsessed with memory and perceptions of beauty respectively. Honorable mentions to "Hell is the Absence of God" and "Understand."
challenging
informative
reflective
Rounded up to 3.85*.
Really interesting collection I've been wanting to read since I saw Arrival. "Story of your life" was not a standout for me however--the movie is superior in my eyes. I was captivated the most by "Hell is the absence of god" and "Liking what you see: a documentary." The latter I found especially percipient and the documentary formatting was clever. "72 letters" I want to revisit at a later time for deeper understanding. Overall, really fascinating ideas explores in this collection with good writing to match. There is another collection of similar stories that I am inclined to check out. Have an itch to watch Arrival again as well.
Really interesting collection I've been wanting to read since I saw Arrival. "Story of your life" was not a standout for me however--the movie is superior in my eyes. I was captivated the most by "Hell is the absence of god" and "Liking what you see: a documentary." The latter I found especially percipient and the documentary formatting was clever. "72 letters" I want to revisit at a later time for deeper understanding. Overall, really fascinating ideas explores in this collection with good writing to match. There is another collection of similar stories that I am inclined to check out. Have an itch to watch Arrival again as well.
A ranking of the stories from worst to best:
Understand - I know I'm ranking this worst but I really did enjoy this one! It was a bit slow to start and I'm not sure how I feel about the ending, but I liked the room for interpretation as well as the story/concept itself, even if the concept felt a bit familiar at times.
The Evolution of Human Science - I actually really loved this one as well, but it feels like a cop out to put it any higher since its only three pages. The concepts were super cool and easy to understand while still being engaging/interesting.
Liking What You See - I really like the concept of this one, and its theming is probably the most accessible of the collection. I found myself questioning my own stance on calli throughout the story and felt that multiple POV's provided perspectives I had hoped would be present.
Seventy Two Letters - This one was a bit harder to get into, but I found myself super immersed in the world and concepts as I came to better understand them. I found the rising action a bit more entertaining than the resolution itself, but still found its contents super interesting! Had a bit of a hard time figuring out which words I was supposed to know or not lol.
Tower of Babylon - I also loved the world building of this one! Loved the descriptions of the tower and interesting take on the structure of the universe. Also a great tone-setter for the collection.
Division By Zero - I absolutely loved this one! I connected with both sides of the narrative, but loved the main conflict/concept explored. It reminded me a bit of The Three Body Problem with its focus on 'fundamental concepts' losing their meaning/application.
Story of Your Life - This one definitely lived up to the hype, and I feel that I would have enjoyed it more if I had not seen Arrival before reading. Small changes make a huge difference to the aura of heptapods and the exploration of time and language are much better translated (lol) through text than the film, though both are great.
Hell Is The Absence of God - I was floored by this one, honestly! I have been searching for a story of this aesthetic and topic for a while and was surprised to find one in this collection. It left me wanting waaaay more in the department of descriptions and detail, but in the way where the lack of detail made the reading experience all the better. Definitely my top pick!
Understand - I know I'm ranking this worst but I really did enjoy this one! It was a bit slow to start and I'm not sure how I feel about the ending, but I liked the room for interpretation as well as the story/concept itself, even if the concept felt a bit familiar at times.
The Evolution of Human Science - I actually really loved this one as well, but it feels like a cop out to put it any higher since its only three pages. The concepts were super cool and easy to understand while still being engaging/interesting.
Liking What You See - I really like the concept of this one, and its theming is probably the most accessible of the collection. I found myself questioning my own stance on calli throughout the story and felt that multiple POV's provided perspectives I had hoped would be present.
Seventy Two Letters - This one was a bit harder to get into, but I found myself super immersed in the world and concepts as I came to better understand them. I found the rising action a bit more entertaining than the resolution itself, but still found its contents super interesting! Had a bit of a hard time figuring out which words I was supposed to know or not lol.
Tower of Babylon - I also loved the world building of this one! Loved the descriptions of the tower and interesting take on the structure of the universe. Also a great tone-setter for the collection.
Division By Zero - I absolutely loved this one! I connected with both sides of the narrative, but loved the main conflict/concept explored. It reminded me a bit of The Three Body Problem with its focus on 'fundamental concepts' losing their meaning/application.
Story of Your Life - This one definitely lived up to the hype, and I feel that I would have enjoyed it more if I had not seen Arrival before reading. Small changes make a huge difference to the aura of heptapods and the exploration of time and language are much better translated (lol) through text than the film, though both are great.
Hell Is The Absence of God - I was floored by this one, honestly! I have been searching for a story of this aesthetic and topic for a while and was surprised to find one in this collection. It left me wanting waaaay more in the department of descriptions and detail, but in the way where the lack of detail made the reading experience all the better. Definitely my top pick!
Incredibly thought provoking. I initially picked this out to read for the Arrival story. But, that was not my favorite of the collection. Hell is the Absence of God and Tower of Babylon are probably my favorite works of the collection. Some of the stories felt like they were a bit too sci-fi for my personal tastes.
All in all, good read. And I definitely recommend reading them with a friend. It was really entertaining to talk about each one.
All in all, good read. And I definitely recommend reading them with a friend. It was really entertaining to talk about each one.
Treściwie, lecz krótko
Doskonałe pomysły, wręcz genialne, rozwijające motywy nauki przemieszanej z mitologią i wrzucające w to wszystko człowieka wraz z jego emocjami i uczuciami. Niektóre opowiadania cierpią jednak na tym, że są... opowiadaniami – aż się prosi, żeby rozwinąć niektóre wątki, albo dowiedzieć się, co będzie dalej, bo czasem cała historia bywa podsumowana zaledwie jednym zdaniem.
Ja też więc zakończę już moją recenzję. A masz, Tedzie Chiangu!
Doskonałe pomysły, wręcz genialne, rozwijające motywy nauki przemieszanej z mitologią i wrzucające w to wszystko człowieka wraz z jego emocjami i uczuciami. Niektóre opowiadania cierpią jednak na tym, że są... opowiadaniami – aż się prosi, żeby rozwinąć niektóre wątki, albo dowiedzieć się, co będzie dalej, bo czasem cała historia bywa podsumowana zaledwie jednym zdaniem.
Ja też więc zakończę już moją recenzję. A masz, Tedzie Chiangu!
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes