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4.28 AVERAGE
4.28 AVERAGE
adventurous
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
N/A
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
Overall, this was another fantastic collection of stories by Chiang. I didn't expect to be nearly brought to tears by the first two stories, but when that happens you know it's going to be good. There's some masterful writing here, particularly in terms of the "scientific" explanations underpinning the premise of the various stories.
It feels like Chiang is leaning harder into hard sci-fi with this collection, as evident by the many passages explaining how certain inventions or phenomena work in what I'd call advanced layman's terms. I'm trying to recall Stories of Your Life and Others - my two favorite stories of that collection, "Seventy-Two Letters" and "Stories of Your Life," also tend to give this impression. Thinking more about that collection, maybe this is just consistent world-building on Chiang's part, that each story tends to walk the reader through the scientific principles that underlay the plot, and my thought that this collection is "harder sci-fi" is due to the fact that I read Stories of Your Life and Others a few years ago.
There's less stories in this collection to choose from since one entry is likely more of a slim novella than a short story, but if I had to pick a favorite, I think I'd go with "Exhalation." From the way Chiang sets the scene with these beings that seem to straddle the line between human and alien, to the discussion of the narrator's dissection and discoveries, to the philosophical ponderings of why we create, it was fantastic from start to finish. Very close runners-up are "The Merchant and the Alchemist's Gate";" The Truth of Fact, the Truth of Feeling"; and "The Great Silence."
Again, a fantastic collection of stories. I once again look forward to seeing what Chiang writes next.
It feels like Chiang is leaning harder into hard sci-fi with this collection, as evident by the many passages explaining how certain inventions or phenomena work in what I'd call advanced layman's terms. I'm trying to recall Stories of Your Life and Others - my two favorite stories of that collection, "Seventy-Two Letters" and "Stories of Your Life," also tend to give this impression. Thinking more about that collection, maybe this is just consistent world-building on Chiang's part, that each story tends to walk the reader through the scientific principles that underlay the plot, and my thought that this collection is "harder sci-fi" is due to the fact that I read Stories of Your Life and Others a few years ago.
There's less stories in this collection to choose from since one entry is likely more of a slim novella than a short story, but if I had to pick a favorite, I think I'd go with "Exhalation." From the way Chiang sets the scene with these beings that seem to straddle the line between human and alien, to the discussion of the narrator's dissection and discoveries, to the philosophical ponderings of why we create, it was fantastic from start to finish. Very close runners-up are "The Merchant and the Alchemist's Gate";" The Truth of Fact, the Truth of Feeling"; and "The Great Silence."
Again, a fantastic collection of stories. I once again look forward to seeing what Chiang writes next.
My husband was looking for a book for us to read for our book club and he saw that I had shelved this book as to-read. He said he was surprised that I had shelved it because a) it's science fiction and b) it's a short story collection--neither of which I like much. I don't consider myself a sci-fi person, and most short stories I'm pretty meh on. With the exceptions of "Harrison Bergeron" by Kurt Vonnegut and "The Flowers" by Alice Walker (and of course "The Gift of the Magi"), which all blew me away, I feel like I'm always wanting *more* in a short story or that I just don't "get" them.
I didn't recall shelving it, but when I looked, I saw that I had because it was a recommendation from EW, where, back in the day I got most of my book recommendations.
This book surprised me in the best possible way. The science fiction aspect of it was solidly accessible. One of my main issues with science fiction is that I can't quite grasp what is being described. Being a visual reader, it's hard sometimes for me to understand the description of alien life forms or distant planets with unpronounceable names. All of these stories were ones that depicted a technology or science that was firmly rooted in reality and as such, I enjoyed them much more than other science fiction books I've read.
My husband has said that the best science fiction explores what it means to be human and these stories got it right. We talked about these stories for more than 2 hours at our book club built for 2 (as he calls it). While not every story worked as well as others, I rounded up to 5 stars because it surprised me.
I didn't recall shelving it, but when I looked, I saw that I had because it was a recommendation from EW, where, back in the day I got most of my book recommendations.
This book surprised me in the best possible way. The science fiction aspect of it was solidly accessible. One of my main issues with science fiction is that I can't quite grasp what is being described. Being a visual reader, it's hard sometimes for me to understand the description of alien life forms or distant planets with unpronounceable names. All of these stories were ones that depicted a technology or science that was firmly rooted in reality and as such, I enjoyed them much more than other science fiction books I've read.
My husband has said that the best science fiction explores what it means to be human and these stories got it right. We talked about these stories for more than 2 hours at our book club built for 2 (as he calls it). While not every story worked as well as others, I rounded up to 5 stars because it surprised me.
challenging
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Honestly I do not get the hype about this author. I tried "Stories of Your Life and Others" and couldn't get into it so I picked up this one instead. Kinda forced myself to keep reading. It seemed uneven to me -- but I guess the disparate approaches he takes are supposed to be genre-bending or earth-shattering or something. I wonder, is Chiang more interested in various philosophical ideas than in making sure the stories told are always well-crafted?
"Merchant & Alchemists' Gate" - a good story but the folktale is not my thing. Next.
"Exhalation" - this was the A+ story in the collection. Insanely good.
"What's Expected of Us" - didn't hold my attention, kind of a mini-story.
"The Lifecycle of Softeware Objects" - the opposite, maybe a little too long. Upon reflection, this one really stayed with me so maybe I'd add a half star overall. A good story and probably its length gave it time to be more memorable.
"Dacey's Patent Automatic Nanny" - Uhg I don't care. Dull concept and dully executed.
"The Truth of Fact" - two parallel stories that were annoyingly juxtaposed; about how learning to read/write affects perception and memory. I guess it seemed too contrived and I couldn't give a shit about the characters.
"The Great Silence" - Meh. It just didn't seem that profound to me.
"Omphalos" - this one was particularly bad; super long and convoluted about an earth where you could see scientific evidence of "creation." Plodding and didactic "god versus science" theme that was hard to care about. I had problems with the lack of logic in this one. A character is "frightened [God] has never been listenting at all" -- yet there was nothing in this fictional world to indicate any presence of god beyond creation. So there was nothing to support her anxiety or make it believable.
"Anxiety is the Dizziness of Freedom" - final story also gets an A+. Finally we get some character development and reasonable dialog with an interesting plot/concept. Actual points of tension. A prism lets you see into alternative timelines (as per the many worlds interpretation of quantum physics).
"Merchant & Alchemists' Gate" - a good story but the folktale is not my thing. Next.
"Exhalation" - this was the A+ story in the collection. Insanely good.
"What's Expected of Us" - didn't hold my attention, kind of a mini-story.
"The Lifecycle of Softeware Objects" - the opposite, maybe a little too long. Upon reflection, this one really stayed with me so maybe I'd add a half star overall. A good story and probably its length gave it time to be more memorable.
"Dacey's Patent Automatic Nanny" - Uhg I don't care. Dull concept and dully executed.
"The Truth of Fact" - two parallel stories that were annoyingly juxtaposed; about how learning to read/write affects perception and memory. I guess it seemed too contrived and I couldn't give a shit about the characters.
"The Great Silence" - Meh. It just didn't seem that profound to me.
"Omphalos" - this one was particularly bad; super long and convoluted about an earth where you could see scientific evidence of "creation." Plodding and didactic "god versus science" theme that was hard to care about. I had problems with the lack of logic in this one. A character is "frightened [God] has never been listenting at all" -- yet there was nothing in this fictional world to indicate any presence of god beyond creation. So there was nothing to support her anxiety or make it believable.
"Anxiety is the Dizziness of Freedom" - final story also gets an A+. Finally we get some character development and reasonable dialog with an interesting plot/concept. Actual points of tension. A prism lets you see into alternative timelines (as per the many worlds interpretation of quantum physics).
adventurous
inspiring
reflective
Black Mirror-esque exploration of the impact of technology on people/society, but thoughtful rather than depressing. Could have benefited from more emotional grounding in the characters and their individual stories (not a criticism I think it's usually important with scifi, but it would have lent more impact to the ideas explored!).
informative
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Some super interesting ideas are explored in the book, but the prose is pretty plain, which is fine in the shorter stories but means that the longer ones drag a bit at points.
challenging
reflective
I've never thought of these concepts before. I loved how they made my mind work. New favorite author unlocked