Scan barcode
lorenzadlung's review against another edition
5.0
What would happen if there was a gate for time travel? You'd travel years into the past or into the future, but you couldn't change a thing... What if we were all robots exploring how our minds work but realising that our time on earth is finite? What if there's no free will? What if we'd converse with ourselves in parallel universes? These are just a few questions that Ted Chiang entangles in his brilliant science-fiction short stories that make up a compelling read. Highly recommended!
theishu's review against another edition
4.0
The author’s notes at the end enriched my experience and perception of each story. So hang on till the end. Ted Chiang himself took inspiration from the works of the Philip K. Dick, the physicist Kip Thorne, and several other scholars. So his stories are rooted in possibility and yet reach quite far into the imagination.
Noteworthy stories in this collection:
The Merchant and the Alchemist’s Gate
Exhalation
The Lifecycle of Software Objects
Anxiety is the Dizziness of Freedom
Noteworthy stories in this collection:
The Merchant and the Alchemist’s Gate
Exhalation
The Lifecycle of Software Objects
Anxiety is the Dizziness of Freedom
branson's review against another edition
2.0
A friend once told me that they "read science fiction for the ideas." Unfortunately, Chiang made me realize that I don't read science fiction for only the ideas.
The environments, plots points, and characters felt as if they exclusively served the purpose of fulfilling a thought experiment. And yes, there are some genuinely provoking ideas throughout the book. Some of the ideas will stick with me, but I wish they would have a better flavor in my memory.
So packaging can be theater. And for me - in a book, it should be. I might read for ideas, but I also read for fun. I read for investment in characters and to feel the tension and release of a good story. If I want to fully appreciate an idea, I would like to engage with it beyond the scope of a thought experiment. I'm looking to engage with new situations through scenery, emotion, and made up people that I want to learn about.
An explanation packaged into a parable engages only one of the many senses I use to consume a story; the concepts of Exhalation carry weight, but the way they have been formed is one dimensional.
The environments, plots points, and characters felt as if they exclusively served the purpose of fulfilling a thought experiment. And yes, there are some genuinely provoking ideas throughout the book. Some of the ideas will stick with me, but I wish they would have a better flavor in my memory.
So packaging can be theater. And for me - in a book, it should be. I might read for ideas, but I also read for fun. I read for investment in characters and to feel the tension and release of a good story. If I want to fully appreciate an idea, I would like to engage with it beyond the scope of a thought experiment. I'm looking to engage with new situations through scenery, emotion, and made up people that I want to learn about.
An explanation packaged into a parable engages only one of the many senses I use to consume a story; the concepts of Exhalation carry weight, but the way they have been formed is one dimensional.
odin45mp's review against another edition
4.0
Really imaginative. This collection of stories runs the gamut of futures and alternate pasts and twists on the present day. I think the new novella, “Anxiety Is the Dizziness of Freedom”, is my favorite tale. But then I've always enjoyed parallel universes.
theooglyboogler's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
inspiring
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? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
teafully's review against another edition
5.0
One of the most creative and masterfully crafted collections of short stories I have ever had the pleasure of reading.
bbqxaxiu's review against another edition
3.0
3.5/5.0!
some of the stories were REALLLLLYYYY good so i would've given this a 4.0/5.0, but also some of the stories weren't so that's why the overall rating i'm giving is just 3.5/5.0.
fav stories, in order:
1. exhalation or anxiety is the dizziness of freedom (tied)
2. the lifecycle of software objects
3. the merchant and the alchemists' gate
4. everything else
rly rly loved anxiety is the dizziness of freedom, which talks about a world in which humans can now communicate to the parallel versions of themselves from parallel universes. this idea of billions of parallel versions of yourself existing, all due to the branching that happens every time we make a seemingly small decision, that may or may not compound over time (e.g. whether or not you decide to go to the grocery store on some day, whether or not you decide to accept someone's apology, etc), is really interesting :0 it's kind of similar to the spiderman multiverse movie. also i loved how ted chiang talked about the economic, social, and political effects of humans in aforementioned world having the technology to be able to communicate with their parallel selves....v interesting.....
would highly recommend this book!
some of the stories were REALLLLLYYYY good so i would've given this a 4.0/5.0, but also some of the stories weren't so that's why the overall rating i'm giving is just 3.5/5.0.
fav stories, in order:
1. exhalation or anxiety is the dizziness of freedom (tied)
2. the lifecycle of software objects
3. the merchant and the alchemists' gate
4. everything else
rly rly loved anxiety is the dizziness of freedom, which talks about a world in which humans can now communicate to the parallel versions of themselves from parallel universes. this idea of billions of parallel versions of yourself existing, all due to the branching that happens every time we make a seemingly small decision, that may or may not compound over time (e.g. whether or not you decide to go to the grocery store on some day, whether or not you decide to accept someone's apology, etc), is really interesting :0 it's kind of similar to the spiderman multiverse movie. also i loved how ted chiang talked about the economic, social, and political effects of humans in aforementioned world having the technology to be able to communicate with their parallel selves....v interesting.....
would highly recommend this book!
rozwei3's review against another edition
5.0
Great sci-fi short stories that make you reconsider your thoughts on AI
jessielinden1's review against another edition
4.0
Chiang is quite talented at endings. I enjoyed the relationships between characters much more than the technical explanations of the science, though I can appreciate it. For that reason, my favorites are “The Merchant...” and “The Truth of Fact, The Truth of Feeling.” I also enjoyed the framing devices, particularly when they became clearer at the end of the story.