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jayisreading's review against another edition
challenging
reflective
medium-paced
3.75
This collection was definitely a mixed bag, with either me enjoying the short story or caring very little about it (if at all). Without a doubt, though, Chiang really knows how to craft a world and situation; even for the short stories I struggled with due to disinterest, I was still impressed with the way he wove everything together. Furthermore, each story posed such interesting questions and challenges to reflect on, whether it be the unreliability of mathematics as we know it, reckoning with the undeniable presence of God and His angels, or reconfiguring one’s reality through language. Perhaps not surprisingly, the gem of this collection is “Story of Your Life,” which may have been one of the best short stories I have read in a long while. (It has certainly incentivized me to finally get around to watching Arrival.) I now understand why it has received as much praise as it has.
To me, the short stories that are worth reading are: “Story of Your Life” (this one is a must, I’d say), “Tower of Babylon,” “Understand,” and possibly “Hell Is the Absence of God.”
Content Warnings
Graphic: Medical content, Ableism, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Death, and Grief
Moderate: Suicide
Minor: Bullying, Torture, and Classism
laurenmiller100's review against another edition
challenging
dark
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
I loved this. Most of the stories left me gobsmacked and excited to talk about them with friends to really dissect the ideas. This compilation is excellent. As always, I love Ted Chiang’s commentary on where each story came from.
Favorites: The Tower of Babylon, Division by Zero, The Story of Your Life, Hell is the Absence of God, Liking What You See: A Documentary
Favorites: The Tower of Babylon, Division by Zero, The Story of Your Life, Hell is the Absence of God, Liking What You See: A Documentary
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Suicide attempt, and Torture
malaikawrites's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- 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
4.5
This was absolutely wonderful! Every story held its own, nut all together? All together it was dynamic, thought provoking and world-view shifting. It was a holistically powerful collection and I'm so glad I decided to pick it up.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Mental illness, and Suicide attempt
Moderate: Death and Suicide
Minor: Racial slurs and Sexism
kimbo8's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Suicide, Suicide attempt, Toxic relationship, War, Medical trauma, Grief, Body shaming, Suicidal thoughts, Racism, and Misogyny
kylieqrada's review against another edition
challenging
mysterious
reflective
slow-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
4.0
😱 I'm not usually an anthology girly, but this absolutely slapped. Almost all of the stories were highly rated, but Story of Your Life will definitely stick with me. I need to read Exhalation, like, now.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide attempt, Suicidal thoughts, and Mental illness
Moderate: Death, Child death, and Suicide
Minor: Racism, Sexism, and Bullying
loujanae's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
Every time I finished a story, I would look at my cat and say "well that was weird."
Three stand out stories:
Tower of Babylon
Story of Your Life
Hell is the Absence of God
Three stand out stories:
Tower of Babylon
Story of Your Life
Hell is the Absence of God
Content Warnings
Moderate: Suicide attempt, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide
Minor: Murder
ryyy27's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
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
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Suicidal thoughts, Death, Suicide, and Suicide attempt
Minor: Violence
rlgreen91's review against another edition
adventurous
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
5.0
What a wonderful collection of stories! I had never heard of Ted Chiang before, but I was happy to squeeze this book in for an online book club, and I'm so glad I did. Each story was wonderfully thought-provoking and engrossing.
In response to another reader's question, I'd have to say that "The Tower of Babylon", "Story of Your Life", and "Seventy-Two Letters" are tied for my favorite. As a fairly devout Christian, I loved the idea of an alternate version of the Tower of Babylon Bible story. I enjoyed the twists that emerged from the narrative structure of "Story of Your Life," as well as the linguistic and anthropological aspects of it - it reminded me a bit of "Speech Sounds" by Octavia E. Butler, another short story I really enjoyed. Finally, I loved "Seventy-Two Letters" because it also invoked linguistic and anthropological concepts - how do you create an epithet that reflects the essence of something? But Stratton's work is so similar at its core to what I do as a software developer. And the way Chiang captured Stratton's final idea was perfect - it was exquisite prose that managed to capture not just how revolutionary the discovery of DNA must have been, but also that moment when you've been puzzling over a difficult problem in programming and you finally figure out a simple, elegant solution. Well, maybe I do have a singular favorite after all, haha.
But really, these short stories are great. I believe Chiang has another collection so I'll have to pick it up soon. 5 stars.
In response to another reader's question, I'd have to say that "The Tower of Babylon", "Story of Your Life", and "Seventy-Two Letters" are tied for my favorite. As a fairly devout Christian, I loved the idea of an alternate version of the Tower of Babylon Bible story. I enjoyed the twists that emerged from the narrative structure of "Story of Your Life," as well as the linguistic and anthropological aspects of it - it reminded me a bit of "Speech Sounds" by Octavia E. Butler, another short story I really enjoyed. Finally, I loved "Seventy-Two Letters" because it also invoked linguistic and anthropological concepts - how do you create an epithet that reflects the essence of something? But Stratton's work is so similar at its core to what I do as a software developer. And the way Chiang captured Stratton's final idea was perfect - it was exquisite prose that managed to capture not just how revolutionary the discovery of DNA must have been, but also that moment when you've been puzzling over a difficult problem in programming and you finally figure out a simple, elegant solution. Well, maybe I do have a singular favorite after all, haha.
But really, these short stories are great. I believe Chiang has another collection so I'll have to pick it up soon. 5 stars.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Suicide attempt, and Classism
Minor: Misogyny
leftandleaving_'s review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Suicide attempt, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide
megsimsdavies's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
informative
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Content Warnings
Minor: Suicide and Suicide attempt