sonofthe's review
5.0
A man explores memory and truth. Writing comes to the Tiv people.
This is part story, part philosophical exploration of memory and truth. The story is actually story here, though, rising above things like the Platonic dialogues because the characters are actually fleshed out and travel an arc, not simply straw men. Above that, the story enacted by the narrator and the story of the Tiv people, even this overall story by Ted Chiang, illustrate the Truth of Feeling better than a mere argument could. The journey of the narrator and of Jijingi as they develop and explore the topics give me plenty of food for thought and self-examination.
NOTE: I read this as part of the 2014 Hugo Voter Pack.
This is part story, part philosophical exploration of memory and truth. The story is actually story here, though, rising above things like the Platonic dialogues because the characters are actually fleshed out and travel an arc, not simply straw men. Above that, the story enacted by the narrator and the story of the Tiv people, even this overall story by Ted Chiang, illustrate the Truth of Feeling better than a mere argument could. The journey of the narrator and of Jijingi as they develop and explore the topics give me plenty of food for thought and self-examination.
NOTE: I read this as part of the 2014 Hugo Voter Pack.
liacooper's review
4.0
I received a digital ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
My average rating for this collection is 3.7 stars.
1/3 of this collection is pretty stand out (There are couple authors in particular who i'll be checking out further), 1/3 is just not to my taste or interest but otherwise well written, and 1/3 was pretty dry AF.
Overall this collection wasn't bad. I think most readers would find at least a couple stories here they'd really like but because it covers such a diverse range of topics, genres, writing styles, I don't think every story is going to appeal to every reader--if that makes sense? A decent collection for those interested in surveying a lot of speculative authors. Like I mentioned above, I found a couple new names to check out.
I think the stories that worked the best were the ones that pushed the envelope. Several were just a little too...tame, a little too timid and stoic in their execution, but I can't fault the writing in any of the stories--it's all by accomplished and polished writers.
I jotted down brief thoughts about most of the short stories, though I should emphasize they are only BRIEF. My absolute favs have been bolded.
1. Perfidia *3.5
2. Game *4
3. Last Log of the Lachrimosa *4.5 this was one of my favorites, super gripping, great characters, intrigue, interesting spin, would make a great movie
4. The 17th King *3.75 lolz
5. Dispersed by the Sun *3.75 depressing AF
6. The Pile *3.5 good but the ending fell flat for me
7. The Bohemian Astrolabe *4 really entertaining, I would definitely read an entire series of novels set in this universe
8. Tanglefoot *3.75 creepy. there was a lot of stuff about the civil war and trying to set this in an AU that felt...sort of unnecessary and didn't tie back in
9. Hide and Horns *3.25 writing was fine but not the most engaging
10. Balfour and Meriweather *4 the two protagonists were a little hard to set apart but the story itself was a lot of fun and i would totally read a series set in this universe with these characters
11. Last Breath *3.5
12. Younger Women *3.75 gave me a lol
13. White Lines etc *4 (this is the sort of thing I wanted to see from American Gods but which American Gods UTTERLY failed to deliver.)
14. Least of the Deathly Arts *3.75 liked the world, liked the concept, weak ending
15. Water Can't be Nervous *2.5 umm, wtf
16. Valley of the Girls *4 Interesting
17. Sic Him, Hellhounds! Kill! Kill! *4.5 YAS, love the twilight digs, loved the relationship
18. Troublesolving *4 lot of fun and quirky
19. The Indelible Dark *4 I like parts of it
20. The Prayer of 90 Cats *3.75 the beginning is cumbersome but at its heart theres an interesting story
21. The Crane Method *3 good concept and title, eh execution
22. The Tomb of the Pontifax Dvorn *3 the beginning was PAINFULLY slow, lots of bleh exposition, abrupt rushed ending
23. The Toys of Caliban *3 JFC GRRM is a such a Nihilist
24. The Secret History etc *3 not a real short story, eh (I didnt make a note of it but I think this is the Scalzi addition that feels like it was only added so they could put his name on the cover)
25. The Screams of Dragons *4 Man that was dark
26. The Dry Spy *3.75 super boring beginning but great ending
27. He Who Grew Up reading Sherlock Holmes *3.5 eh
28. A Small Price to Pay *4.5 Almost Amadeus w/ more murder
29. The Truth of Fact etc *3 interesting but i found the writing soooo dry
30. Long Walk Home *4.5 OMG!!!!
My average rating for this collection is 3.7 stars.
1/3 of this collection is pretty stand out (There are couple authors in particular who i'll be checking out further), 1/3 is just not to my taste or interest but otherwise well written, and 1/3 was pretty dry AF.
Overall this collection wasn't bad. I think most readers would find at least a couple stories here they'd really like but because it covers such a diverse range of topics, genres, writing styles, I don't think every story is going to appeal to every reader--if that makes sense? A decent collection for those interested in surveying a lot of speculative authors. Like I mentioned above, I found a couple new names to check out.
I think the stories that worked the best were the ones that pushed the envelope. Several were just a little too...tame, a little too timid and stoic in their execution, but I can't fault the writing in any of the stories--it's all by accomplished and polished writers.
I jotted down brief thoughts about most of the short stories, though I should emphasize they are only BRIEF. My absolute favs have been bolded.
1. Perfidia *3.5
2. Game *4
3. Last Log of the Lachrimosa *4.5 this was one of my favorites, super gripping, great characters, intrigue, interesting spin, would make a great movie
4. The 17th King *3.75 lolz
5. Dispersed by the Sun *3.75 depressing AF
6. The Pile *3.5 good but the ending fell flat for me
7. The Bohemian Astrolabe *4 really entertaining, I would definitely read an entire series of novels set in this universe
8. Tanglefoot *3.75 creepy. there was a lot of stuff about the civil war and trying to set this in an AU that felt...sort of unnecessary and didn't tie back in
9. Hide and Horns *3.25 writing was fine but not the most engaging
10. Balfour and Meriweather *4 the two protagonists were a little hard to set apart but the story itself was a lot of fun and i would totally read a series set in this universe with these characters
11. Last Breath *3.5
12. Younger Women *3.75 gave me a lol
13. White Lines etc *4 (this is the sort of thing I wanted to see from American Gods but which American Gods UTTERLY failed to deliver.)
14. Least of the Deathly Arts *3.75 liked the world, liked the concept, weak ending
15. Water Can't be Nervous *2.5 umm, wtf
16. Valley of the Girls *4 Interesting
17. Sic Him, Hellhounds! Kill! Kill! *4.5 YAS, love the twilight digs, loved the relationship
18. Troublesolving *4 lot of fun and quirky
19. The Indelible Dark *4 I like parts of it
20. The Prayer of 90 Cats *3.75 the beginning is cumbersome but at its heart theres an interesting story
21. The Crane Method *3 good concept and title, eh execution
22. The Tomb of the Pontifax Dvorn *3 the beginning was PAINFULLY slow, lots of bleh exposition, abrupt rushed ending
23. The Toys of Caliban *3 JFC GRRM is a such a Nihilist
24. The Secret History etc *3 not a real short story, eh (I didnt make a note of it but I think this is the Scalzi addition that feels like it was only added so they could put his name on the cover)
25. The Screams of Dragons *4 Man that was dark
26. The Dry Spy *3.75 super boring beginning but great ending
27. He Who Grew Up reading Sherlock Holmes *3.5 eh
28. A Small Price to Pay *4.5 Almost Amadeus w/ more murder
29. The Truth of Fact etc *3 interesting but i found the writing soooo dry
30. Long Walk Home *4.5 OMG!!!!
lamusadelils's review
5.0
Lo que podría parecer una historia muy sencilla, estilo blog, contiene muchos elementos complejos acerca del pensamiento, la memoria, el lenguaje y la comunicación humanas.
Chiang no solo demuestra su talento de contar una buena historia en poco espacio, sino de usar ejemplos aparentemente muy simples para ilustrar conceptos complejos, además de siempre incluir los sentimientos, emociones y valores que permean la naturaleza humana cuando lidiamos con situaciones relacionadas a estos conceptos en la vida cotidiana.
Aquí nos presenta los paralelos de los descubrimientos tecnológicos en dos puntos distintos en la historia: por un lado la introducción de la escritura en una sociedad que no la conoce, y por el otro una tecnología en la que es posible grabar toda nuestra vida y accesar esa información constantemente. Las implicaciones de ambos casos van mas allá de lo práctico (tener registros supuestamente exactos) sino que conllevan cambios en nuestras interacciones con otros e incluso en nuestra forma de pensar y de conceptualizar la realidad.
Si bien las dos historias que se cuentan aquí son por si mismas poderosas al comprender el desafío mental y social que implican las nuevas tecnologías en cada una, es en sus paralelos donde encontramos verdadero significado, así como en las reflexiones que podemos sacar de aquí acerca de nuestra sociedad y los avances que encuentra todo el tiempo.
Chiang no solo demuestra su talento de contar una buena historia en poco espacio, sino de usar ejemplos aparentemente muy simples para ilustrar conceptos complejos, además de siempre incluir los sentimientos, emociones y valores que permean la naturaleza humana cuando lidiamos con situaciones relacionadas a estos conceptos en la vida cotidiana.
Aquí nos presenta los paralelos de los descubrimientos tecnológicos en dos puntos distintos en la historia: por un lado la introducción de la escritura en una sociedad que no la conoce, y por el otro una tecnología en la que es posible grabar toda nuestra vida y accesar esa información constantemente. Las implicaciones de ambos casos van mas allá de lo práctico (tener registros supuestamente exactos) sino que conllevan cambios en nuestras interacciones con otros e incluso en nuestra forma de pensar y de conceptualizar la realidad.
Si bien las dos historias que se cuentan aquí son por si mismas poderosas al comprender el desafío mental y social que implican las nuevas tecnologías en cada una, es en sus paralelos donde encontramos verdadero significado, así como en las reflexiones que podemos sacar de aquí acerca de nuestra sociedad y los avances que encuentra todo el tiempo.
Spoiler
Curiosamente, las conclusiones de las dos historias parecen terminar al lado opuesto del que empezaron. Esto no solo nos deja en medio del debate, sino que demuestra que es posible cambiar de perspectiva dependiendo de nuestro entorno.f18's review
Stories finished:
Perfidia by Lewis Shiner
Game by Maria Dahvana Headley
The Last Log of the Lachrimosa by Alastair Reynolds
The Bohemian Astrobleme by Kage Baker
The Prayer of Ninety Cats by Caitlín R. Kiernan
A Small Price to Pay for Birdsong by K. J. Parker
The Truth of Fact, the Truth of Feeling by Ted Chiang
Perfidia by Lewis Shiner
Game by Maria Dahvana Headley
The Last Log of the Lachrimosa by Alastair Reynolds
The Bohemian Astrobleme by Kage Baker
The Prayer of Ninety Cats by Caitlín R. Kiernan
A Small Price to Pay for Birdsong by K. J. Parker
The Truth of Fact, the Truth of Feeling by Ted Chiang
morticia32's review
3.0
I like to read anthologies, because I always find new authors to try. But like most anthologies, not every story appealed to me. Some were excellent, and I will be searching out work by the author. Some, not so much.
But if you enjoy sci-fi/fantasy, you will find something in here for you. The stories are diverse, from horror to urban fantasy. Find what appeals to you and read it! As a result, some stories hit, some missed.
Almost all of these authors were new to me, with Kelley Armstrong being the only one I had read anything (everything!) by. Yes, that also means I am one of the few folks on the planet who has not read or watched Game of Thrones. I stick pretty much to urban fantasy, so some of these stories were certainly out of my comfort zone. But that's a good thing. Now I have more authors to look for and a wider range to read!
*I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book provided by the publisher via NetGalley.*
But if you enjoy sci-fi/fantasy, you will find something in here for you. The stories are diverse, from horror to urban fantasy. Find what appeals to you and read it! As a result, some stories hit, some missed.
Almost all of these authors were new to me, with Kelley Armstrong being the only one I had read anything (everything!) by. Yes, that also means I am one of the few folks on the planet who has not read or watched Game of Thrones. I stick pretty much to urban fantasy, so some of these stories were certainly out of my comfort zone. But that's a good thing. Now I have more authors to look for and a wider range to read!
*I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book provided by the publisher via NetGalley.*
jakemcc's review
4.0
Really compelling short story that explores a world where technology has allows us to basically never forget our experiences. What would it be like if you could recall every event in your life just by thinking about a search term? Would that make you bitter and angry? Would you become a worse or better person?
villyidol's review
4.0
The Truth of Fact, the Truth of Feeling by Ted Chiang
Not read as part of this anthology. Another story that got merged by Goodreads librarians.
Not read as part of this anthology. Another story that got merged by Goodreads librarians.
verkisto's review
5.0
This is a story about a technology that allows people perfect recall of all their memories, but it's also about the purpose of memory in relationships in how we recall what's happened to us. What happens when we're given perfect recall of our entire lives? How does it affect our lives and the lives of everyone we know?
arkron's review
5.0
Full review at my blog.
Best stories in this anthology:
Worst stories:
Contents:
Merged review:
Repost from my blog.
Summary: What would a perfect memory mean for us and our culture? How changed literacy our subjectivity? A journalist explores the pros and cons of a Cyborgish memory enhancement gadget called Remem which lets you capture, search, and replay every instance of your liveblog. It would bring a change similar to reading and writing for our Western culture, so he writes the story of the savage folk of Tev who slowly learn the impact of written truth versus oral truth. He can't stop people adopting the gadget like the tribes oral culture could stop writing on paper; so, he tried to find the positive in it.
Review: First, I feared yet another linguistic exploration of the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis (which Chiang already explored in Story of your Life), but then it gladly developed in a different direction, that of literacy. The story contains lots of brain food about different sorts of truth - the harsh truth of facts versus smoothening truth of feeling, the stories of yourself which you need to comfort yourself or your tribe, which are based on forgiving and forgetting. The author gave us two interposed point of views for comparison, and to understand the concept: one set in the future in first person perspective of the journalist who wrote the whole story. It is mostly about the relationship to his daughter, and his finding out with the help of the memory gadget that he was wrong about his history:
And I think I’ve found the real benefit of digital memory. The point is not to prove you were right; the point is to admit you were wrong.
The tribal version of adopting new forms of memory was narrated in the point of view of a boy who learned reading and writing from a missionary. I found the insights into the process wonderful and bringing a lot to understand what the futuristic gadget would bring to our culture. Just one sample:
It was only many lessons later that Jijingi finally understood where he should leave spaces, and what Moseby meant when he said “word.” You could not find the places where words began and ended by listening. The sounds a person made while speaking were as smooth and unbroken as the hide of a goat’s leg, but the words were like the bones underneath the meat, and the space between them was the joint where you’d cut if you wanted to separate it into pieces. By leaving spaces when he wrote, Moseby was making visible the bones in what he said.
This gadget will change our "private oral culture" just as writing changed the tribal's oral culture. It will be difficult to rewrite our pasts to our needs.
Sometimes the narration feels more like an essay than a story, it moves slowly, even contemplative. And then, it isn't an essay at all but character driven, providing a lot of character development and insights into the main characters. Anyways, it is a masterful usage of futuristic technology to explore philosophical topics in the frame of a short story: Chiang focuses on the searchable story telling capabilities of technology only, and left out several other aspects that this gadget could be used for (think of medical usages).
I fully recommend this novelette to everyone searching for more heavy-weight stories: It will stay with you for some time: Did you already think about your own made-up story?
Best stories in this anthology:
- ★★★★★ • A Small Price to Pay for Birdsong • 2011 • Alternate World novella by K. J. Parker about the creative genius of two musicians • review
- ★★★★★ • The Truth of Fact, the Truth of Feeling • 2013 • Near Future SF novelette by Ted Chiang about a perfect memory recording gadget • review
Worst stories:
- ★ • The Secret History of the Lost Colony • 2008 • SF short story by John Scalzi
- ★ • He Who Grew Up Reading Sherlock Holmes • 2014 • short story by Harlan Ellison • review
Contents:
- 9 • ★★★★ • Perfidia • 2004 • thriller novelette about Glen Miller's death by Lewis Shiner • review
- 49 • ★★★★ • Game • 2012 • Magical realism novelette about hunting tigers in 1950 by Maria Dahvana Headley • review
- 79 • ☆ • The Last Log of the Lachrimosa by Alastair Reynolds • Horror - didn't read
- 125 • ★★★+ • The Seventeenth Kind • SF comedy about a shopping channel presenter, a novelette by Michael Marshall Smith • review
- 145 • ★★+ • Dispersed by the Sun Melting in the Wind • Post Apocalyptic short story with multiple "lasts" by Rachel Swirsky • review
- 157 • ★★+ • The Pile • ghost story about a Macarena dancing gorilla toy by Michael Bishop • review
- 175 • ★★★★ • The Bohemian Astrobleme • 2010 • Steampunk novelette by Kage Baker about a prostitute-spy investigation in Bohemia • review
- 205 • ★★★ • Tanglefoot • 2008 • Steampunk novelette by Cherie Priest about a boy creating a clockwork doll • review
- 235 • ★★★ • Hide and Horns • 2009 • Western novelette by Joe R. Lansdale • review
- 259 • ★★★★ • Balfour and Meriwether in the Vampire of Kabul • 2011 • Steampunk novelette by Daniel Abraham • review
- 285 • ★★★ • Last Breath • 2005 • Weird short story by Joe Hill • review
- 295 • ★★ • Younger Women • 2011 • Weird short story by Karen Joy Fowler • review
- 303 • ★★ • White Lines on a Green Field • 2011 • Magic realism novelette by Catherynne M. Valente • review
- 323 • ★★+ • The Least of the Deathly Arts • 2012 • Fantaasy short story by Kat Howard • review
- 335 • ★★+ • Water Can’t be Nervous • 2012 • Mainstream short story by Jonathan Carroll • review
- 345 • ★★★+ • Valley of the Girls • 2011 • SF short story by Kelly Link • review
- 361 • ★★★+ • Sic Him, Hellhound! Kill! Kill! • 2012 • Urban Fantasy short story by Hal Duncan • review
- 381 • ★★★ • Troublesolving • 2009 • SF novelette by Tim Pratt • review
- 407 • ★★+ • The Indelible Dark • 2012 • SF Metafiction novelette by William Browning Spencer • review
- 435 • ★★★ • The Prayer of Ninety Cats • 2013 • Dark Fantasy novelette by Caitlín R. Kiernan • review
- 471 • ★★+ • The Crane Method • 2011 • Magical realism short story by Ian R. MacLeod • review
- 485 • ★★★ • The Tomb of the Pontifex Dvorn • 2011 • SF novelette by Robert Silverberg • review
- 521 • ☆ • The Toys of Caliban • 1986 • Horror novelette by George R. R. Martin • Screenplay for The New Twilight Zone S2E29 based on an unpublished story by Terry Matz
- 561 • ★ • The Secret History of the Lost Colony • 2008 • SF short story by John Scalzi • A removed chapter from "The Last Colony". Why would anyone else than absurdely hardcore fans of that series want to read something like that? Why is this considered a "Best of Subterranean"?
- 577 • ★★★ • The Screams of Dragons • 2014 • Urban Fantasy novelette by Kelley Armstrong • review
- 619 • ★★★ • The Dry Spell • 2009 • Magical realism short story by James P. Blaylock about a man daring the heavens to rain • review
- 635 • ★ • He Who Grew Up Reading Sherlock Holmes • 2014 • short story by Harlan Ellison • review
- 645 • ★★★★★ • A Small Price to Pay for Birdsong • 2011 • Alternate World novella by K. J. Parker about the creative genius of two musicians • review
- 685 • ★★★★★ • The Truth of Fact, the Truth of Feeling • 2013 • Near Future SF novelette by Ted Chiang about a perfect memory recording gadget • review
- 723 • ★★★ • A Long Walk Home • 2011 • Far future SF novelette by Jay Lake about loneliness • review
Merged review:
Repost from my blog.
Summary: What would a perfect memory mean for us and our culture? How changed literacy our subjectivity? A journalist explores the pros and cons of a Cyborgish memory enhancement gadget called Remem which lets you capture, search, and replay every instance of your liveblog. It would bring a change similar to reading and writing for our Western culture, so he writes the story of the savage folk of Tev who slowly learn the impact of written truth versus oral truth. He can't stop people adopting the gadget like the tribes oral culture could stop writing on paper; so, he tried to find the positive in it.
Review: First, I feared yet another linguistic exploration of the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis (which Chiang already explored in Story of your Life), but then it gladly developed in a different direction, that of literacy. The story contains lots of brain food about different sorts of truth - the harsh truth of facts versus smoothening truth of feeling, the stories of yourself which you need to comfort yourself or your tribe, which are based on forgiving and forgetting. The author gave us two interposed point of views for comparison, and to understand the concept: one set in the future in first person perspective of the journalist who wrote the whole story. It is mostly about the relationship to his daughter, and his finding out with the help of the memory gadget that he was wrong about his history:
And I think I’ve found the real benefit of digital memory. The point is not to prove you were right; the point is to admit you were wrong.
The tribal version of adopting new forms of memory was narrated in the point of view of a boy who learned reading and writing from a missionary. I found the insights into the process wonderful and bringing a lot to understand what the futuristic gadget would bring to our culture. Just one sample:
It was only many lessons later that Jijingi finally understood where he should leave spaces, and what Moseby meant when he said “word.” You could not find the places where words began and ended by listening. The sounds a person made while speaking were as smooth and unbroken as the hide of a goat’s leg, but the words were like the bones underneath the meat, and the space between them was the joint where you’d cut if you wanted to separate it into pieces. By leaving spaces when he wrote, Moseby was making visible the bones in what he said.
This gadget will change our "private oral culture" just as writing changed the tribal's oral culture. It will be difficult to rewrite our pasts to our needs.
Sometimes the narration feels more like an essay than a story, it moves slowly, even contemplative. And then, it isn't an essay at all but character driven, providing a lot of character development and insights into the main characters. Anyways, it is a masterful usage of futuristic technology to explore philosophical topics in the frame of a short story: Chiang focuses on the searchable story telling capabilities of technology only, and left out several other aspects that this gadget could be used for (think of medical usages).
I fully recommend this novelette to everyone searching for more heavy-weight stories: It will stay with you for some time: Did you already think about your own made-up story?