leitnerkev's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Excellent set of stories. The storybof your life has such a great intellectual core that isn't really represented in the movie, Arrival.
rynethacker's review against another edition
3.0
With the exceptions of Division by Zero and the collection's titular story, I found this collection dreadfully dry and not nearly compelling enough in its concepts to justify the poor prose. That being said, Story of Your Life is brilliant.
bear_paw's review against another edition
3.75
Avg: 7.5/10
Favorites: Tower of Babylon | Story of Your Life | Liking What You See: A Documentary
Others I Liked: Hell is the Absence of God
Most of these stories are incredible. A few I didn't enjoy, but that was more a matter of taste than quality. Every story here is polished and thought through. Lots of fascinating ideas explored in different genres with well constructed plots. No two stories feel the same, they are all unique. This is speculative fiction!
Favorites: Tower of Babylon | Story of Your Life | Liking What You See: A Documentary
Others I Liked: Hell is the Absence of God
Most of these stories are incredible. A few I didn't enjoy, but that was more a matter of taste than quality. Every story here is polished and thought through. Lots of fascinating ideas explored in different genres with well constructed plots. No two stories feel the same, they are all unique. This is speculative fiction!
charmander17's review against another edition
challenging
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
4.75
Despite being written in 2002, the stories feel very modern and relevant. Absolutely love.
pointlessmoss's review against another edition
4.0
After I watched the movie Arrival a few years ago, super duper loved it, and found out that it was based on one of the short stories in this book (called Story of Your Life), I knew I had to put this on my reading list! I wasn't sure what to expect now that I finally got around to reading this collection because I have veryyy limited experience both with short stories and sci-fi in general. Well, turns out, I really liked it!
Every story felt a little different, which made it fun because the worlds were each so specific and the details made it feel so real. The characters were written so well -- they acted just like people I knew or people I could pass by on the street -- and their problems felt intimate even though they were sorta grand and alien. There were some really funny moments (I couldn't help but picture a couple guys having an all-out blink-war in Understand, which made me giggle) and I also was a massive fan of the specific feeling of dreading the inevitable I couldn't shake while reading a few of the stories, and boy, did Ted pull. It. Off. Every. Time. The conclusions were super satisfying and with each story I finished, I felt more and more that I could trust the author to wrap up a story in a way that wouldn't let me down.
I was so glad there was a little notes section in the back of the book that gives a peek into some of the author's inspirations for the different stories! I didn't even realize this was a part of the book until I turned the page, and as soon as I finished reading the last story I had so many questions I wanted to ask (and I still could), so getting some answers was a nice surprise.
The first story was kinda cool, and I really liked the writing, but I wasn't that into it so it didn't leave me feeling super confident about the rest of the book. I'm very happy I kept going because I had a great time overall! Seventy-Two Letters left me feeling stupid (and pretty grossed out!) at times, but the ending made it worth the read. I wish I could get everyone I know to read this book just so I have someone to talk to about our favourite parts and our questions/criticisms. If you want to know, my favourites were Division by Zero, Hell is the Absence of God, and Liking What You See: A Documentary! :)
Every story felt a little different, which made it fun because the worlds were each so specific and the details made it feel so real. The characters were written so well -- they acted just like people I knew or people I could pass by on the street -- and their problems felt intimate even though they were sorta grand and alien. There were some really funny moments (I couldn't help but picture a couple guys having an all-out blink-war in Understand, which made me giggle) and I also was a massive fan of the specific feeling of dreading the inevitable I couldn't shake while reading a few of the stories, and boy, did Ted pull. It. Off. Every. Time. The conclusions were super satisfying and with each story I finished, I felt more and more that I could trust the author to wrap up a story in a way that wouldn't let me down.
I was so glad there was a little notes section in the back of the book that gives a peek into some of the author's inspirations for the different stories! I didn't even realize this was a part of the book until I turned the page, and as soon as I finished reading the last story I had so many questions I wanted to ask (and I still could), so getting some answers was a nice surprise.
The first story was kinda cool, and I really liked the writing, but I wasn't that into it so it didn't leave me feeling super confident about the rest of the book. I'm very happy I kept going because I had a great time overall! Seventy-Two Letters left me feeling stupid (and pretty grossed out!) at times, but the ending made it worth the read. I wish I could get everyone I know to read this book just so I have someone to talk to about our favourite parts and our questions/criticisms. If you want to know, my favourites were Division by Zero, Hell is the Absence of God, and Liking What You See: A Documentary! :)
kami5's review against another edition
5.0
Sublime, incredibly tight writing and filled with ideas that one will think of for the following weeks. Anyone who even purports the slightest to like science fiction should read this book. Ted Chiang is definitely one of the top writers of his generation.
eliaa's review
challenging
informative
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- 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
ellisand's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
tjkraf's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.5
littlefreeinterrobang's review against another edition
5.0
I've never really read a short story collection that I've fully enjoyed, but this book finally broke my losing streak. A really lovely compilation of captivating and oftentimes surreal stories, with a well balanced variety of length and subject matter.