Scan barcode
A review by branson
Exhalation by Ted Chiang
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.