joaniemaloney's review against another edition
4.0
A bit of a grind because I felt like I was exercising a long dormant part of my brain (I need to read more sci-fi in general) but so worth the effort and focus. What imagination and creativity to make these ideas work and fit so intelligently. Reading these stories make me nostalgic for the days when I used to look forward to and feel challenged by math classes, but then I just stopped being able to keep up. There's still that spark there that I can understand and admire for those who feel so much passion for the STEM fields - the elegance, human element and heft that Ted Chiang is able to bring to these fantastical thought experiments is worthy of so much praise. The extra notes he has at the end are simply wonderful, and has me feeling moved looking at a certain mathematical formula, so he really has a way of laying out the beauty of these things. I'm very charmed.
Seventy-Two Letters was probably the most work I had to do in this collection, but done so well in creating the world and the way the ideas were combined together in this alternate past, really showcased why Chiang is so good. I was, of course, most excited to read Story of Your Life because of Arrival, and as expected, it was an emotional experience. I did have to sit with all of these stories and think about them more to get them settled in, but this is one of those rare collections where I wasn't feeling so-so about any of the stories. That is really hard to do.
I thought I'd be up for something different once I finished but honestly I'm just greedy for more of his writing.
Seventy-Two Letters was probably the most work I had to do in this collection, but done so well in creating the world and the way the ideas were combined together in this alternate past, really showcased why Chiang is so good. I was, of course, most excited to read Story of Your Life because of Arrival, and as expected, it was an emotional experience. I did have to sit with all of these stories and think about them more to get them settled in, but this is one of those rare collections where I wasn't feeling so-so about any of the stories. That is really hard to do.
I thought I'd be up for something different once I finished but honestly I'm just greedy for more of his writing.
jenn_geeks_out's review against another edition
5.0
Someone (I can't remember who but it was likely Rosiana Halse Rojas, considering this was a Life's Library pick) described Ted Chiang as the best author you're not reading. So true. Chiang's short stories have won numerous awards. The most famous in this collection is "Stories of Your Life", which was the basis for the movie Arrival. And that story was good, but the whole collection is amazing. I'm struck by how tightly Chiang weaves a narrative, by how his form mimics his content (I know it's not poetry, but I think Alexander Pope would still approve), his imagination, his ability to weave actual science, math, linguistics, etc. together into the story he tells. So, so good.
Reading this collection has been the most thought-provoking reading I've done in a long time. Love that! It's inspired me to add another collection of his work to my To Be Read list, even though I'm actively trying to work through that backlist, which has made me hesitant to add new things to it before I make a dent in the old. This was good enough that his other work is automatically on the TBR list, regardless.
Reading this collection has been the most thought-provoking reading I've done in a long time. Love that! It's inspired me to add another collection of his work to my To Be Read list, even though I'm actively trying to work through that backlist, which has made me hesitant to add new things to it before I make a dent in the old. This was good enough that his other work is automatically on the TBR list, regardless.
js_reads's review against another edition
Technical, scientific language that took me out of the story. Use of theoretical concepts as main plot points wasn't a fit for me.
nuggetworldpeace's review against another edition
2.0
Only read 3/8 of these stories - the "Towel of Babylon," "Understand," and "Stories of Your Life." I actually would have stopped after the first two and given this book a one star rating, but ultimately went back to read the eponymous story after seeing high praise for it here on GR.
To me, the writing, especially of the first two stories, lacks heart and reminds me of the shoddily written short stories I would write in college, late at night and within 30 minutes. It feels like Ted Chiang thought of some sci-fi idea and ran with it, just to see if he could, but left its moral questions lacking in development or profoundness. "Stories of Your Life" feels a little more human by merit of its structure - interweaving the narrative with the narrator's memories of her deceased daughter - but there's lost potential in how unsubtly he handles it. Still, the ideas in this short story are definitely intriguing, especially in terms of how language can affect thought; the narrator begins to think less linearly, which is mirrored by the flipped use of tenses when she thinks about the past. Chiang does a good (if very transparent) job of drawing the mind to parallel iterations of this in physics and also in the narrator's memories of her daughter.
Definitely has the technical chops to write intriguing sci-fi, but the writing itself is such a turn-off.
To me, the writing, especially of the first two stories, lacks heart and reminds me of the shoddily written short stories I would write in college, late at night and within 30 minutes. It feels like Ted Chiang thought of some sci-fi idea and ran with it, just to see if he could, but left its moral questions lacking in development or profoundness. "Stories of Your Life" feels a little more human by merit of its structure - interweaving the narrative with the narrator's memories of her deceased daughter - but there's lost potential in how unsubtly he handles it. Still, the ideas in this short story are definitely intriguing, especially in terms of how language can affect thought; the narrator begins to think less linearly, which is mirrored by the flipped use of tenses when she thinks about the past. Chiang does a good (if very transparent) job of drawing the mind to parallel iterations of this in physics and also in the narrator's memories of her daughter.
Definitely has the technical chops to write intriguing sci-fi, but the writing itself is such a turn-off.
1librarianspath's review against another edition
5.0
I love this book. The interaction between God, science and the human ego is fascinating and there is so much to decipher that I could sit here for a while trying to pinpoint exactly which parts I loved, what was frustrating (in the highly enjoyable way) and the implications of each story. At the moment I’m just going to sit back and enjoy letting them wash over me, let them settle a bit before disturbing them again.
august30th's review against another edition
5.0
This book is written in a unique way where Ted Chiang focused more on the science, rather than the fiction. Each story attempted to ground the logic in realistic science, and offered plausible explanations that satisfied my moderate knowledge of science. Some of them had me wondering how we could actually achieve the results in our world.
One of Chiang’s strong points was perspective, as he was able to adequately convey different voices and viewpoints in each story. It didn’t feel like each character was the same voice with different thoughts, which I appreciated.
I really enjoyed his approach to romantic relationships. In a few of the stories, he kept them present and realistic, but they were not the primary focus at all. It was especially noticeable in “Story of Your Life,” where months and years pass by, and the relationship progresses as a focal point of the story, but did not consume all other aspects.
My two favorite stories were “Liking What You See: A Documentary” and the one that was similar to Arabian Nights. Both had very interesting premises, and the former really got me thinking. Calliagnosia is one of the most interesting topics I’ve encountered in a book.
There were some aspects of the book I didn’t like. Someone of the stories, like the first one, had confusing endings. Others felt like there wasn’t enough build-up to the ending, so it was unsatisfying, like the last one.
Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this book and found its realism very refreshing.
One of Chiang’s strong points was perspective, as he was able to adequately convey different voices and viewpoints in each story. It didn’t feel like each character was the same voice with different thoughts, which I appreciated.
I really enjoyed his approach to romantic relationships. In a few of the stories, he kept them present and realistic, but they were not the primary focus at all. It was especially noticeable in “Story of Your Life,” where months and years pass by, and the relationship progresses as a focal point of the story, but did not consume all other aspects.
My two favorite stories were “Liking What You See: A Documentary” and the one that was similar to Arabian Nights. Both had very interesting premises, and the former really got me thinking. Calliagnosia is one of the most interesting topics I’ve encountered in a book.
There were some aspects of the book I didn’t like. Someone of the stories, like the first one, had confusing endings. Others felt like there wasn’t enough build-up to the ending, so it was unsatisfying, like the last one.
Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this book and found its realism very refreshing.
alleeme's review against another edition
5.0
Been trying to read this since 2015, apparently. I received this from my dad who thought I’d like it but didn’t pick it up until the movie Arrival came out… then put it down again. Caught the ending of Arrival on TV a couple weeks ago, and since this was on my Kindle, and I needed a book to read, I started it again.
Any short story collection will have stronger pieces and weaker pieces, but every single one here is at the least thought-provoking, if not down right amazing.
Any short story collection will have stronger pieces and weaker pieces, but every single one here is at the least thought-provoking, if not down right amazing.
alannabarras's review against another edition
5.0
A solid collection, got 5 stars because a couple of the stories absolutely blew me out of the water, and for the most part the rest were solid. Many of Chiang's stories revolve around a theme or question he's trying to answer.
One asks, "What if we knew God/Heaven/Hell were real, how would that change our behavior?" (With the premise that hell is more like the Greek afterlife than the fire and brimstone most Christians imagine.) A non-religious man's wife dies suddenly and her soul ascends to heaven, so the man must choose between finding a way to love God or spending eternity without the love of his life. The problem is that he only wants to get into heaven to be with his wife, so any good deeds he might do are tainted by the motivations. The entire concept was fascinating to read, and the twist at the end was so good I literally had to get up and walk it off.
One asks, "What if we knew God/Heaven/Hell were real, how would that change our behavior?" (With the premise that hell is more like the Greek afterlife than the fire and brimstone most Christians imagine.) A non-religious man's wife dies suddenly and her soul ascends to heaven, so the man must choose between finding a way to love God or spending eternity without the love of his life. The problem is that he only wants to get into heaven to be with his wife, so any good deeds he might do are tainted by the motivations. The entire concept was fascinating to read, and the twist at the end was so good I literally had to get up and walk it off.