A review by kellee
Exhalation by Ted Chiang

challenging hopeful reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

It was my first time reading Ted Chiang, and I very much enjoyed reading these short stories, each with its own style: some only a few pages, some over 100 pages, which take classic sci-fi “futuristic” ideas (time travel, robots and androids, virtual worlds vs reality) and yet make them so accessible and real and human. Using these stories as vehicles, Chiang poses questions about what it means to be human, how we communicate with each other, and how we remember. Sometimes, I felt the stories ended a bit abruptly, and the ideas were not always fleshed out, which is why I ultimately gave the collection 4 stars.