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amun_quoi's review against another edition
challenging
inspiring
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? It's complicated
5.0
lusea_'s review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
ruin_and_ending's review against another edition
challenging
inspiring
reflective
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
bbqxaxiu's review against another edition
2.0
this was ok, I give it 2.5 stars. his short stories could definitely be made into black mirror or love, death + robots episodes. my favorites were, in order, 1) story of your life, 2) tower of babylon, and 3) seventy-two letters.
for all his creativity, I have to admit he didn't make it easy to read a lot of his stuff. I understand that the "sci" in "sci fi" means I'll be coming face to face with some technical concepts, but there were many times I felt he used an obscure ass word just for kicks, when something more simple would've sufficed and been more tasteful, or he explained a scientific concept in a way that made made me so confused I had to go back and reread multiple times before eventually giving up and hoping it wouldn't appear again in the story.
this is because I think Ted falls into the trap of equating "good" writing with "confusing" writing—as if the more inaccessible something is, the more worth it has. I get that he has a cs background, but shit, I do too, and his good ideas are no use if—contrary to what he'll have you believe—he doesn't understand them enough to make others understand them too. he reminds me of many of the white and/or male teaching assistants of my cs classes, who were always too pretentious to be helpful to anyone, and while I think he has promise, at the moment I can't say I'm particularly impressed.
for all his creativity, I have to admit he didn't make it easy to read a lot of his stuff. I understand that the "sci" in "sci fi" means I'll be coming face to face with some technical concepts, but there were many times I felt he used an obscure ass word just for kicks, when something more simple would've sufficed and been more tasteful, or he explained a scientific concept in a way that made made me so confused I had to go back and reread multiple times before eventually giving up and hoping it wouldn't appear again in the story.
this is because I think Ted falls into the trap of equating "good" writing with "confusing" writing—as if the more inaccessible something is, the more worth it has. I get that he has a cs background, but shit, I do too, and his good ideas are no use if—contrary to what he'll have you believe—he doesn't understand them enough to make others understand them too. he reminds me of many of the white and/or male teaching assistants of my cs classes, who were always too pretentious to be helpful to anyone, and while I think he has promise, at the moment I can't say I'm particularly impressed.
rozwei3's review against another edition
5.0
Some really interesting philosophies and lots more adaptation on than just arrival
sam_t1027's review against another edition
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
pinkchickie's review against another edition
challenging
reflective
medium-paced
3.75
I think I read this at a time that was not meant for me. I probably will return to this book in the future with more life experience.
emilyb_chicago's review against another edition
4.0
All of these stories are intense and often odd, but all are thoughtfully done. They each delve into a fascinating and unique world and when the story ends I had to pause just to dwell on the world/story/ending. Because each is very much it's own individual entity, I'll review each story separately.
Tower of Babylon - 4 stars: Happily this not a trite retelling of the biblical story, but a real-feeling emersion into the life of the Babylon worker.
Understand - 3 stars: This was well done, but the stream of consciousness feeling is not my favorite story telling method. It starts feeling very much like a 'Flowers for Algernon' sort of story that I've read and seen produced in many medium. It diverged pleasantly from the trope and although I felt like it was a bit too-clever, it stayed engaging.
Division by Zero - 2 stars: I just couldn't get attached to these characters and found the jumping around confusing instead of intriguing. Still, the concept was an interesting one.
Story of your life - 5 stars: This story is why I read the book. I saw the movie Arrival, which used this story as a basis. It's one of those rare book/movie combos where one enhances the other (like [b:The Abyss|40289|The Abyss|Orson Scott Card|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1225165505s/40289.jpg|937985] or [b:The Martian|18007564|The Martian|Andy Weir|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1413706054s/18007564.jpg|21825181]). Even though this was also told from the 1st person, I found it necessary for and enhancing of the story. If you're only reading one story from this book, read this one!
Seventy-Two Letters - 4 stars:
The Evolution of Human Science- stars:
Hell is the Absence of God - 4 stars: Like so many of these, what an interesting world this story lives in. It sucked me in and I would happily read whole novels about this world. That said, this was a perfect glimpse into the world and told a complete story.
Liking What You See: A Documentary - 5 stars: Especially in today's world, what would you do if you could no longer see attractiveness? This story explores the politics and social dynamics if you can turn on/off the ability to tell if someone is good-looking.
What's Expected of Us - 4 stars
The Merchant and the Alchemist's - 4 stars
Exhalation - 4 stars:
The Lifecycle of Software Objects - 4 stars:
Tower of Babylon - 4 stars: Happily this not a trite retelling of the biblical story, but a real-feeling emersion into the life of the Babylon worker.
Understand - 3 stars: This was well done, but the stream of consciousness feeling is not my favorite story telling method. It starts feeling very much like a 'Flowers for Algernon' sort of story that I've read and seen produced in many medium. It diverged pleasantly from the trope and although I felt like it was a bit too-clever, it stayed engaging.
Division by Zero - 2 stars: I just couldn't get attached to these characters and found the jumping around confusing instead of intriguing. Still, the concept was an interesting one.
Story of your life - 5 stars: This story is why I read the book. I saw the movie Arrival, which used this story as a basis. It's one of those rare book/movie combos where one enhances the other (like [b:The Abyss|40289|The Abyss|Orson Scott Card|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1225165505s/40289.jpg|937985] or [b:The Martian|18007564|The Martian|Andy Weir|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1413706054s/18007564.jpg|21825181]). Even though this was also told from the 1st person, I found it necessary for and enhancing of the story. If you're only reading one story from this book, read this one!
Seventy-Two Letters - 4 stars:
The Evolution of Human Science- stars:
Hell is the Absence of God - 4 stars: Like so many of these, what an interesting world this story lives in. It sucked me in and I would happily read whole novels about this world. That said, this was a perfect glimpse into the world and told a complete story.
Liking What You See: A Documentary - 5 stars: Especially in today's world, what would you do if you could no longer see attractiveness? This story explores the politics and social dynamics if you can turn on/off the ability to tell if someone is good-looking.
What's Expected of Us - 4 stars
The Merchant and the Alchemist's - 4 stars
Exhalation - 4 stars:
The Lifecycle of Software Objects - 4 stars:
tomasthanes's review against another edition
3.0
When you look at the cover of this book (which the publisher, Vintage, advertises as a "media tie-in") you think, oh, this is the novel that the movie "Arrival" is based on. It's not. It's a collection of short stories. About a third of the way through the book is a short story called "Story of Your Life" on which the movie is based.
This made it very confusing. The first story is about the Tower of Babylon ("Babel"?) about a group of miners who spend a year climbing up the tower to reach the Vault of Heaven then use their tools to (hopefully) break through. Where was that in the movie?
Then there are two more short stories before you get to the "Story of Your Life".
If I give the book 3 stars, its more a statement to the Publisher on their deceptive cover on the book rather than on the author's capable and thought provoking short stories.
BTW, I did enjoy "Story of Your Life" even though it was very different from the movie. In the movie, they rose up into the mostly vertical alien ship; in the book, they have these "looking glass" devices through which they communicate with the heptapods. There were a number of other significant differences as well.
This made it very confusing. The first story is about the Tower of Babylon ("Babel"?) about a group of miners who spend a year climbing up the tower to reach the Vault of Heaven then use their tools to (hopefully) break through. Where was that in the movie?
Then there are two more short stories before you get to the "Story of Your Life".
If I give the book 3 stars, its more a statement to the Publisher on their deceptive cover on the book rather than on the author's capable and thought provoking short stories.
BTW, I did enjoy "Story of Your Life" even though it was very different from the movie. In the movie, they rose up into the mostly vertical alien ship; in the book, they have these "looking glass" devices through which they communicate with the heptapods. There were a number of other significant differences as well.
tiffinir's review against another edition
4.0
arrival was the chosen story for book club but i had to read the others, my favorite story was hell is the absence of god!