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ncteisen's review against another edition
5.0
Heady, philosophical sci fi. Very good.
His later collection, Exhalation, has stronger stories, but this one is also worthwhile if you want more of the same.
His later collection, Exhalation, has stronger stories, but this one is also worthwhile if you want more of the same.
smithmick14's review against another edition
Very readable but still with a lot of literary integrity. Chiang definitely reads the same semiotic nerd source material as me and it was a nice break to see it all distilled into stories that would make good movies.
joshmgoetz's review against another edition
5.0
From this point on I will read anything Ted Chiang puts out. Even when I don’t particularly enjoy a story of his, I’m still enthralled by his world building, his writing style and the way he explores the themes he chooses to tackle.
One of the easiest 5/5s for me, if you like sci fi short stories, read this collection ASAP
One of the easiest 5/5s for me, if you like sci fi short stories, read this collection ASAP
teabrewer's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
As the title suggests, there are multiple short stories in this book. My opinion on each varied greatly. Some felt like pure art and some almost made me give up the book although over all this xollection is really worth reading.
The tower of babylon, the first story, had an interesting message and a very interesting setting, I liked it but it lacked intensity and I wish more time had been spent in the tower's villages elaborating the world.
The second story, Understand, felt at the beggining like a less interesting version of Flowers for Algernoon. Later on it started to walk with its own legs but, before got anywhere, it tripped and felt on its head fatally.
So far the stories hadn't necessarily lived up to the hype, but the third story, Division by 0, absolutely did! This is the first time I read a female character written by a man before 2010 that feels like an entire person. Both main characters are incredibly written and every one of their actions and thoughts add to the story beautifully. The contrast between the couple's point of views and the sense of inevitability accompanied by the sections on mathematical theory really marked this stoey as a true masterpiece, seriously. I wish I could frame each page and hang them on my walls. I feel like if you don't care a lot about math, you may have some difficulty understanding Renee and some of the terminology may be a little tiring but I don't know if that would get in the way of enjoying this story.
Story of our life has a very innovative manner of representing time. I loved the movie and the short story is even better because the manner in which it is written makes the reader feel like they see time like the main character. Again tackling themes around the inevitable. A very interesting representation of motherhood too.
Seventy-two letters is very interesting and a little uncomfortable to read. I'm not sure if it is a warning or a defense of innovation.
The last story, Liking what you see, was very interesting and a great exploration of the effects of technology in a society centered around beauty. I also really enjoyed the documentary format
Content Warnings
Minor: Misogyny and Suicide
cabbagefan's review against another edition
5.0
favorites were tower of babylon, story of your life, hell is the absence of god, liking what you see
atadla's review against another edition
5.0
One of the best compilations of short stories I’ve read in years.
Heavy physics/linguistics influence in a few of the chapters but not to the extent that it’s impossible to understand what’s going on. A masterclass in abstracting technical/scientific concepts to explore fundamental questions about humanity and the meaning of life.
Side note: I was chatting with friends about books we loved and met a person who also happened to be reading Stories of Your Life at the same time as me. We’d never met before but IMMEDIATELY began discussing our favorite stories, their themes and broader significance and continued talking for about 20 mins. This is one of those rare books that sparks that kind of bond between readers and makes you seem ✨more interesting and well read ✨ than maybe you actually are. 10/10
Heavy physics/linguistics influence in a few of the chapters but not to the extent that it’s impossible to understand what’s going on. A masterclass in abstracting technical/scientific concepts to explore fundamental questions about humanity and the meaning of life.
Side note: I was chatting with friends about books we loved and met a person who also happened to be reading Stories of Your Life at the same time as me. We’d never met before but IMMEDIATELY began discussing our favorite stories, their themes and broader significance and continued talking for about 20 mins. This is one of those rare books that sparks that kind of bond between readers and makes you seem ✨more interesting and well read ✨ than maybe you actually are. 10/10
strategineer's review against another edition
4.0
Goodreads refuses to show my gifs, here's the review https://strategineer.com/books/2024-05-02/