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akhilsanka's review against another edition
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
zacheadams's review against another edition
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
The first story in the book is good, and What's Expected Of Us is one of the best short stories I've ever read, the rest were a challenge to keep attention.
vismund's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
relaxing
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
4.0
ratalice's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
sad
tense
medium-paced
smartflutist661's review against another edition
challenging
5.0
Five stars despite a few of the stories not quite working for me, because the ones that did absolutely knocked it out of the park. "The Merchant and the Alchemist's Gate", "Exhalation", "What's Expected of Us", and "The Great Silence" were all masterpieces of the science fiction short story; The Lifecycle of Software Objects and The Truth of Fact, the Truth of Feeling were both excellent, and "Omphalos" was nearly as good. I didn't really connect with "Anxiety Is the Dizziness of Freedom", though I did appreciate it. "Dacey's Patent Automatic Nanny" is the only story from the collection that I was disappointed by, though I did enjoy the humor about Victorian parenting. Lots of focus throughout on existence, fate, truth, and purpose (which are admittedly my catnip), so if you're in the mood for an existential crisis, this may be your collection.
gilles's review against another edition
emotional
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
4.0
This is a collection of science-fiction thought experiment short stories. I liked some of them more than others, but all of them felt more like a venue to explore an idea first and a story second. I still found them good and worth reading. "The Lifecycle of Software Objects" and "Anxiety is the Dizziness of Freedom" were the ones I liked best (and also happen to be the two longest).
beardybot's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
medium-paced
2.0
A collection of short and shorter stories with interesting premises. Time travel, a way to communicate over divergent timelines, AI in virtual commons, a robot nanny...
Sadly, most of them weren't long enough to do the ideas justice. I'm sure that's just me; I never did really get on with anthologies and short story collections.
Sadly, most of them weren't long enough to do the ideas justice. I'm sure that's just me; I never did really get on with anthologies and short story collections.
camreading's review against another edition
5.0
I'm learning it's not as easy for me to articulate why I loved something as it is to say how I dislike something - I'll work on that, but for now I will try to articulate my reaffirmed love for Ted Chiang's writing.
I read 'Stories of Your Life and Others' several years ago when I was in high school, and it became one of my favorite books / short story collections (if not my very favorite). I wasn't sure if Chiang's writing would hold up for me in adulthood, but Exhalation brought everything full circle for me. Chiang is built for short form writing. I've read short stories where it feels the author hasn't given themselves enough time to flesh out plots or make the reader attach to the characters, and I've read short stories that make it obvious the author is used to more long-form stories. Chiang is not one of these authors - his descriptions, world-building, and narratives lend themselves very well to short form. The reader is able to enjoy the substance and develop empathy for the characters/situations but doesn't feel like they're left hanging or begging for more. At the end of each story, things felt finished, and even if we're left with some unknowns or some room for predications about 'what happens next', I felt Chiang stopped in good places rather than continuing a story that had already fulfilled its purpose. Even when certain stories ended in what some may deem as cliché or preachy, I felt they were impactful enough to justify the cliché. It's not a light, feel-good story collection, if that's what you're looking for, but parts of it did make me feel faith in humanity or at least comforted that the anxieties I feel about the future/the world are often universal. In that way, it did feel good.
I haven't read anything that depicts the concepts of time, language, and technology the way that Chiang does. What I loved in Story of Your Life (later turned into the movie, 'Arrival') was that it saw language and time as these fluid and connected things, as a barrier to communication but also a partner to it. It was a perspective I'd never reckoned with. Chiang similarly discusses time with The Merchant & the Alchemist's Gate and Anxiety is the Dizziness of Freedom. He not only questions if time is linear or not, but if time is relative to one 'universe', one place, or one memory. The questions of if free will exists, if our decisions matter in the grand scheme of things, etc. are approached with grace and humility. When you're reading, it doesn't feel like Chiang is looking down upon you for having never thought of something before (which is a feeling I get from some sci-fi or philosophical stories, shaming the reader unintentionally for not having been as astute to spend time thinking of life's big mysteries). It feels like he's sharing something with you as a gift. And these stories, to me, really are a gift.
Some stories in this collection would rank higher than others to me, but overall I'm 4.5-5 stars. Some I liked far more than I thought I would (The Lifecycle of Software Objects) and others I liked as much as I predicted I would (I predicted I'd love them).
I think I'd read anything Ted Chiang writes, I just need to make sure it's during a point when I'm willing to find myself contemplating life's meaning and whether or not time is fake every few pages.
I read 'Stories of Your Life and Others' several years ago when I was in high school, and it became one of my favorite books / short story collections (if not my very favorite). I wasn't sure if Chiang's writing would hold up for me in adulthood, but Exhalation brought everything full circle for me. Chiang is built for short form writing. I've read short stories where it feels the author hasn't given themselves enough time to flesh out plots or make the reader attach to the characters, and I've read short stories that make it obvious the author is used to more long-form stories. Chiang is not one of these authors - his descriptions, world-building, and narratives lend themselves very well to short form. The reader is able to enjoy the substance and develop empathy for the characters/situations but doesn't feel like they're left hanging or begging for more. At the end of each story, things felt finished, and even if we're left with some unknowns or some room for predications about 'what happens next', I felt Chiang stopped in good places rather than continuing a story that had already fulfilled its purpose. Even when certain stories ended in what some may deem as cliché or preachy, I felt they were impactful enough to justify the cliché. It's not a light, feel-good story collection, if that's what you're looking for, but parts of it did make me feel faith in humanity or at least comforted that the anxieties I feel about the future/the world are often universal. In that way, it did feel good.
I haven't read anything that depicts the concepts of time, language, and technology the way that Chiang does. What I loved in Story of Your Life (later turned into the movie, 'Arrival') was that it saw language and time as these fluid and connected things, as a barrier to communication but also a partner to it. It was a perspective I'd never reckoned with. Chiang similarly discusses time with The Merchant & the Alchemist's Gate and Anxiety is the Dizziness of Freedom. He not only questions if time is linear or not, but if time is relative to one 'universe', one place, or one memory. The questions of if free will exists, if our decisions matter in the grand scheme of things, etc. are approached with grace and humility. When you're reading, it doesn't feel like Chiang is looking down upon you for having never thought of something before (which is a feeling I get from some sci-fi or philosophical stories, shaming the reader unintentionally for not having been as astute to spend time thinking of life's big mysteries). It feels like he's sharing something with you as a gift. And these stories, to me, really are a gift.
Some stories in this collection would rank higher than others to me, but overall I'm 4.5-5 stars. Some I liked far more than I thought I would (The Lifecycle of Software Objects) and others I liked as much as I predicted I would (I predicted I'd love them).
I think I'd read anything Ted Chiang writes, I just need to make sure it's during a point when I'm willing to find myself contemplating life's meaning and whether or not time is fake every few pages.