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linwin's review against another edition
5.0
I was completely taken in by this book all the way through and I could not put it down. The concept of each story is fascinating and I also connected to a lot of the characters in an emotional way despite the short formate. The structure of the storytelling of the first chapter wasn’t exactly my cup of tea but I still found it interesting from a philosophical standpoint. Will immediately go find more works by this author to read!
raisa's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
electricdistrict's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
5.0
Ted Chiang's short stories always impress me with their concepts but it's the insights into the human condition that leave the biggest impact on me. Every single one encourages me to think deeper about the way the world truly works. Incredible.
galoshes's review against another edition
challenging
reflective
medium-paced
I have a complex relationship with this collection of short stories.
At times I loved it: the masterful writing style makes complex sci-fi concepts feel crystal clear, many of the ideas made me think and apply ideas to my own life, I appreciated the representation and writing of women and lgbtq characters, and at certain points I decided I needed to have these stories on my shelf so I could reread them. (I picked this up at the library)
But there were times when I instinctively questioned the presented messages. Some parts felt a bit acephobic or ableist, and sometimes I felt like the author was focusing a little too much on sex and sexual attraction.
Ultimately I'm deciding not to purchase a copy for myself and I won't be rating it five stars, but I will be thinking about some of these themes and ideas for a long while.
At times I loved it: the masterful writing style makes complex sci-fi concepts feel crystal clear, many of the ideas made me think and apply ideas to my own life, I appreciated the representation and writing of women and lgbtq characters, and at certain points I decided I needed to have these stories on my shelf so I could reread them. (I picked this up at the library)
But there were times when I instinctively questioned the presented messages. Some parts felt a bit acephobic or ableist, and sometimes I felt like the author was focusing a little too much on sex and sexual attraction.
Ultimately I'm deciding not to purchase a copy for myself and I won't be rating it five stars, but I will be thinking about some of these themes and ideas for a long while.
oxnard_montalvo's review against another edition
4.0
This was surprisingly deep- every story caught me off guard in some manner. They are hard work in the sense that there are some really abstract concepts based in physics or biology that I don’t have a grounding in, and perhaps if I did, I would understand the “ingredients” of the story better. But they aren’t inaccessible, they just require time and patience.
The Merchant and the Alchemist’s Gate was particularly good; sci-fi interweaved with the tradition of stories within stories of the Arabian Nights. A very accomplished story. Similarly The Great Silence which was one of the shortest stories but one manages to say so much about communication, what counts as intelligent life, the cost of valuing the search for life outside of our solar system instead of preserving life on this planet.
The Merchant and the Alchemist’s Gate was particularly good; sci-fi interweaved with the tradition of stories within stories of the Arabian Nights. A very accomplished story. Similarly The Great Silence which was one of the shortest stories but one manages to say so much about communication, what counts as intelligent life, the cost of valuing the search for life outside of our solar system instead of preserving life on this planet.
smitchy's review against another edition
dark
reflective
medium-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
3.75
Chiang explores themes of AI, predestination, memory, and purpose. There are big ideas at work in this short story collection and some of the stories work better than others but Chiang's use of language and imagery is always lovely. Each story has a distinct style varying from classical Arabian nights style in "The Merchant & the Alchemist's Gate" to diary format in "Omphalos" or contemporary third person in "Dacey's Patent Automatic Nanny".
This was one we did for book club and the discussion was harder than I expected. Given the big themes I expected this to encourage big discussions but while we pulled several threads discussion petered our quite quickly. While we all enjoyed the writing, we also all struggled with the longest story in the book "The Lifecycle of Software Objects" and agreed that we enjoyed the shorter stories better. Chiang clearly excels in the short format and gets a bit lost in the longer. While I would happily pick up his other collection of short stories I am not sure I would be at all interested in a full length novel.
This was one we did for book club and the discussion was harder than I expected. Given the big themes I expected this to encourage big discussions but while we pulled several threads discussion petered our quite quickly. While we all enjoyed the writing, we also all struggled with the longest story in the book "The Lifecycle of Software Objects" and agreed that we enjoyed the shorter stories better. Chiang clearly excels in the short format and gets a bit lost in the longer. While I would happily pick up his other collection of short stories I am not sure I would be at all interested in a full length novel.
testaroscia's review against another edition
5.0
I thought the majority of the Stories merited 5 stars (The Merchant, The Truth of Fact and Omphalos above others) A bit less enamored with The Lifecycle of Software Objects, but the body of short stories are great food for thought
tess98831's review against another edition
challenging
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75