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A review by _paddi___
Stories of Your Life and Others by Ted Chiang
dark
hopeful
inspiring
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
I'll admit I read this book because I liked the film 'Arrival'. However, I am glad to say that the entire book was good actually.
Right from the beginning I was hooked by 'Tower of Babylon'. I found the religious fiction to be very interesting as a genre I have never explored at all before. The sheer scale and intense descriptions of the tower was one for captivating the imagination and the resolution in the end was a pleasant twist I didn't expect.
'Understand' was unexpectedly tense, high-action and thrilling, picking up pace very quickly and holding it up intelligently while continually provoking new ideas about the true potential of the human mind and the limit of knowledge.
Of course 'Story of your life' stood out as clearly the best and I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of this story I already knew well from the film but told much better in more interesting detail as a written work with more interesting ideas cut out from the film that really captivated and excited the imagination.
'Hell is the Absence of God' was the only story I came out of this book having disliked. Maybe I should have just appreciated it for being well written and exploring another interesting take on religion but I found myself quite upset by the ending (I say this even as someone who is not a believer) and just struggle to look past what a rotten twist that was even if well foreshadowed. I just find myself rather pissed off about that as it turns the story upside down and though that may be the intention, that doesn't make it enjoyable to read.
Finally, 'Liking What You See: A Documentary' was a wonderfully presented thought experiment exploring a vast number of perspectives around a very grounded fictional political issue that really opens up the mind to other ways of thinking and leaves you lost for a side to choose as they all make such interesting points. I may disagree with some of the foundations on which the story is built but I can look past that to really appreciate how well this story achieves its intentions all the way through.
Overall, a very good book.
Right from the beginning I was hooked by 'Tower of Babylon'. I found the religious fiction to be very interesting as a genre I have never explored at all before. The sheer scale and intense descriptions of the tower was one for captivating the imagination and the resolution in the end was a pleasant twist I didn't expect.
'Understand' was unexpectedly tense, high-action and thrilling, picking up pace very quickly and holding it up intelligently while continually provoking new ideas about the true potential of the human mind and the limit of knowledge.
Of course 'Story of your life' stood out as clearly the best and I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of this story I already knew well from the film but told much better in more interesting detail as a written work with more interesting ideas cut out from the film that really captivated and excited the imagination.
'Hell is the Absence of God' was the only story I came out of this book having disliked. Maybe I should have just appreciated it for being well written and exploring another interesting take on religion but I found myself quite upset by the ending (I say this even as someone who is not a believer) and just struggle to look past what a rotten twist that was even if well foreshadowed. I just find myself rather pissed off about that as it turns the story upside down and though that may be the intention, that doesn't make it enjoyable to read.
Finally, 'Liking What You See: A Documentary' was a wonderfully presented thought experiment exploring a vast number of perspectives around a very grounded fictional political issue that really opens up the mind to other ways of thinking and leaves you lost for a side to choose as they all make such interesting points. I may disagree with some of the foundations on which the story is built but I can look past that to really appreciate how well this story achieves its intentions all the way through.
Overall, a very good book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Grief
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Suicide attempt, Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Ableism, Body shaming