Reviews

Exhalation by Ted Chiang

fullyfoley's review against another edition

5.0

I'll admit that I am a sucker for good short stories so a whole book of great short stories makes it hard to not give a 5 star review. Not all the stories are equal in quality but all are very well written, interesting, and thought provoking. I found myself thinking of the different scenarios while not reading the book and any book that has me actively engaged like that goes in the recommendation list. I loved the authors note at the end of each story explaining the inspiration and themes. Will have to check out Ted's other books for sure.

bush42's review against another edition

reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

some hits, some misses. the title story is excellent, as is the time travel opener. the long, boring novella about AI children was a real whiff. just felt like your bog standard bad black mirror episode stretched out foreeeever. still, more good than bad. the line about not being your old self but still being continuous with them has stuck with me for a long while.

enbyglitch's review against another edition

5.0

A brief but poignant look at the nature of reality and consciousness.

Highly recommend, its available for free online!

jamesbuchanan08's review against another edition

inspiring mysterious reflective medium-paced

nina_rasmussen's review against another edition

4.0

3.5 stars

ethan_libra's review against another edition

4.0

Ted Chiang is a name that carries a lot of weight in the sci-fi world, having won numerous prestigious awards for his short stories, despite his relatively small list of works over the years. Still, as I saw when reading this collection, these stories are carefully crafted, usually starting with an intriguing question and evolving into a thoughtful examination of a particular character, situation, or concept. I won't take the time to review all of the stories here, but I found that in particular, the stories "Exhalation", "The Truth of Fact, The Truth of Feeling", and "The Great Silence" stood out to me as exceptionally well-made. These stories aren't perfect, and my biggest complaint would probably be how cliché some of the emotional situations are, but when faced with a collection as serenely beautiful and captivating as this, I shouldn't be complaining. Well done, Mr. Chiang.

roku's review against another edition

challenging hopeful informative inspiring reflective fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

brettpet's review against another edition

4.0

Exhalation was my first experience with Ted Chiang so I may have went in a little overhyped? There were some great stories here and some that fell flat for me. The opening story, "The Merchant and the Alchemist's Gate", was a lovely read that mixes classic fable with smart science-fiction elements. "Exhalation" is a horrifying look into alternative lifeforms dealing with resource management in a way eerily similar to ours, while "The Great Silence" is short yet brutal, combining themes of linguistics, the space race, and ecocide.

The longest story in the collection, "The Lifecycle of Software Objects", was the one I was most disappointed by. The premise starts off interesting enough (a combination of NeoPets and Black Mirror) but quickly falls into meandering and repetitive. I felt like it could have ended with the

Spoiler

closure of Blue Gamma and Anna being reminded of her zoo closure

without losing much for me. "The Truth of Fact, the Truth of Feeling" and "Dacey's Patent Automatic Nanny" were a bit too bland as well.

Despite my criticisms, Chiang's writing is still really unique and well-structured, shining light on big-picture concerns that have never crossed my mind before. I appreciated the author's notes at the end of story to explain things I may have missed during my read.

xeroxahippo's review against another edition

emotional mysterious reflective fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

emglange's review against another edition

emotional inspiring reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0