Reviews with content warning for Murder - Exhalation

Here's the fun of getting into reading a book without knowing much about it: you never know when you're about to stumble on one of your favorite reads of all time.

This book is made of short stories, mainly with aspects of speculative fiction, that dive into the complexity of what it means to be human. With a hint of Black Mirror attached to its lines, Ted Chiang's ideas are mind-bobbling futuristic "what ifs?" that don't stop at just the fun of speculating whether it'd be cool to have giant robots living amongst society or if it would be nice to be able to see your past through a toilet's reflection. It takes everything a step further, making a run for it directly into the human's psyche. To me, there were two fundamental aspects of this collection.

The first one is lined by Chiang's amazing ability to submerge himself into the ocean of possibilities that could've been our past (and could be our future), a sea widely explored by previous authors and Twitter conspirators, and be able to bring us original visions. Even when there's clear reference to old tropes, they're explored in refreshing and unique ways. We're talking about alien robot races that can dissect their own brains, devices that can prove the inevitability of actions, future days where we can communicate to and impact alternate versions of our lives, the list goes on. You'd have to read these stories to understand that none of them are simply recycled sci-fi ideas, but actually quite unique spins with creative details that showcases the amount of thought put into them. They are mainly tales about possible future technologies and the many ways they integrate into society, and this brings me to the second fundamental aspect of them.

Chiang's universes are capable of, in a short amount of pages, exploring many sideways and alleys of the human experience. In other words, it's a very human book. He brilliantly narrates the dilemmas and complex chains of feelings of his characters, navigating through different points of view and times during all stories. There' so much to uncover here, I'd hardly be able to mention all of the insights these dramas are able to give you: thoughts on what it is to be human, on the possibilities of free will and inevitable fatalism, on the ways we consider ourselves the center of, well, everything. These dilemmas are of times that never existed, yet they are incredibly real and plausible. It really comes to show that, while we've had major changes in the ways we live as humans in the past, the human experience is an ever-present factor, and its doubts are as ever-present as its dubious answers.

Chiang brings our old needs to new times. We can see a part of ourselves in a world where religion and science are intrinsically mixed, in a world where digital forms of life walk among us, in a world where prisms can give us access to ourselves in a different timeline. Chiang's translation of our major doubts and questions into future times prepares us for the inevitable change, and it does it with a somewhat soothing writing style. If anything, I felt more human while connecting with these stories.

There's a phrase said in the last short story I think encapsulates well what this is all about: "I want to know whether my decisions matter!". While you may think that many of the plots here brings the characters onto dead-ends, this collection is, ironically, a clear message that life is anything but a dead-end.

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miak2's review

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adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? N/A
Strong character development? N/A
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

“Science is not just the search for the truth,” he said. “It’s the search for purpose.”

This story collection might be one of my favorite things ever written. Seriously. I don't think there was a single 'miss' in this anthology. Ted Chiang is clearly scientifically knowledgeable and an expert storyteller. Each of these was unique and thought provoking. The message was frequently different than what I expected, or at least more nuanced. Take Black Mirror but make it optimistic. Read on for my spoiler-free thoughts on each of the stories. (Apologies in advance for the longer-than-usual review)

The Merchant and the Alchemist's Gate: A GREAT first story with a unique take on time travel. I'm always a sucker for the 'stories-within-a-story' format.'

Exhalation: I love it when authors write intelligent, science-y things in a way that I can understand. It makes me feel intelligent and science-y. Loved the worldbuilding in this one, and loved the takeaway.

What's Expected of Us: What in the Black Mirror hell is this? Fuck.

The Lifecycle of Software Objects: What a unique perspective on the development of sentient manmade beings. We so often think about AIs as something to fear, but what if they were something we could grow to love. Chiang has been consistently breaking the sci-fi mold and this story was definitely no exception.

Dacey's Patent Automatic Nanny: Probably my least favorite of the stories, but still really interesting. And, again, went a completely different direction than I expected it to.

The Truth of Fact, the Truth of Feeling: This might have been my favorite of the collection. The dual stories were both engaging and effective at conveying the message. Definitely a good story for fans of Black Mirror - The Entire History of You. It takes a similar concept, being able to record and rewatch your memories, and explores both the drawbacks and the benefits. And the parallel that's drawn to the switch from oral history to written history was a fascinating one.

The Great Silence: The perspective of parrots, ha! When you've thought you've read it all. Really great, quick story.

Omphalos: As someone who isn't religious, this one was an especially interesting read. What if there being a God were a scientific fact? What does it mean, then, when your understanding of creation is forced to dramatically shift?

Anxiety is the Dizziness of Freedom: Ok, no, this one was my favorite. Chiang doesn't approach any concepts half-heartedly. There's so much to consider when it comes to parallel universes, something that's so frequently used as a gimmick in other media. Chiang considered not only the practical applications of being able to communicate with alternate versions of ourselves, but also the moral and emotional implications. Would I want technology like this to exist? Would I be able to resist using it? So good.

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talonsontypewriters's review against another edition

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challenging reflective medium-paced

4.0

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rnbhargava's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring lighthearted mysterious reflective relaxing sad tense 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? Yes

4.0

The short stories across this book are mostly sci-fi tinged, character based, moral dilemma narratives. Of course there will always be subjective mileage on subject matter for different readers but I was always quite engaged, feeling all sorts of emotions and reactions while reading through all the different stories. It’s a pretty good collection, some stories might be too slight or too bloated to some readers but they’re all pretty worthwhile for me.

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emilyplun's review

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challenging hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot

5.0

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