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hagwife's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
I'm so glad I picked up a copy of this book and spent more time with Ted Chiang's work after Exhalation. There are a lot of similarities in style and in the thought given to Chiang's stories, which were more apparent to me after reading both collections. Warning that from here it gets pretty lengthy so I can organize my thoughts so the TL;DR is that the book is wonderful and I like Exhalation ever so slightly more aesthetically. If you're interested in story notes but not the rest of it, scroll to the bottom.
Chiang includes notes at the end of the book for each story (love this) and the notes can be separated into two categories: a converging of themes or a question to be ruminated on. I think it's incredibly difficult to find the balance between the narrative of a story and its purpose; with most of the stories, that there is a driving force behind them is clear, but it doesn't feel solely like a writing exercise.
Chiang includes notes at the end of the book for each story (love this) and the notes can be separated into two categories: a converging of themes or a question to be ruminated on. I think it's incredibly difficult to find the balance between the narrative of a story and its purpose; with most of the stories, that there is a driving force behind them is clear, but it doesn't feel solely like a writing exercise.
- One reoccurring theme is how humans interact with the divine, the supernatural, or purely the "Other". Given that so many of the tales are set in universes where supernatural or paranormal (yes, these are different, promise I'm not just playing around with a thesaurus for the hell of it) occurrences are considered part of the everyday, it can be hard to classify certain experiences or other types of beings. A few sub-themes that have emerged to me.
- This has been changed from the original statement here in that I need to reflect more on what Chiang’s works say on our relationship with the divine.
- Communication and self-reflection are pivotal in the attempt to understand ourselves and therefore others. The attempt itself to understand is framed as, perhaps, the greatest and most important undertaking of humanity.
- A second theme is that technology is going to happen to humanity because of humanity (possibly outside forces) and there's no point in bemoaning this fact. Technology often represents the "how" an event might have occurred but not the "why". In this, Chiang's stories are similar to my favourite episodes of Black Mirror. However, I like Chiang's approach better. There can be elements of unease or even horror at times, but it feels like the point of the story is not to scare us into being better people or give us a look at the worst case scenario, but to think about the consequences of our actions more deeply. I don't even think most of the discussions about the use and outcomes of technology or other scientific marvels have a hard moral stance; we're supposed to think about the possibilities and make choices accordingly, which I like quite a bit.
- All in all, no matter the exact driving question behind the story, each story ruminates on an aspect of what it means to be alive and what it means to understand what "alive" is and how it connects a single being to the rest.
In terms of personal preference, I think I liked Exhalation more. I don't think that the stories in Exhalation are any technically better (in terms of aspects of writing a story), but these fell slightly more on the side of "unadorned philosophical question" than "philosophical question wrapped in the weird and / or whimsical". I definitely know people who prefer the former, but I really do like an extra touch of something to a story. For both collections, I love how Chiang utilizes forms for his stories that impart a bit of meta-knowledge to the story (an op-ed, a journal publication, a documentary transcript, etc.). I've said it before and I'll say it again, that form equaling function is one of my favourite things to look for and find in a written piece.
I also didn't write any individual story notes for Exhalation though I think I will for a few from this collection. It's unclear as to whether these made me think more, or I was more critical of the stories so I have more thoughts, or if I'm just more familiar with Chiang's writing style and so was able to engage with this book in a different manner.
- "Understand" is wild and such a fascinating premise. I'm consistently blown away by how Chiang extrapolates from the modern day and makes the fantastic accessible, even when it is purposefully designed to be unreachable by humanity as it currently stands.
- "Story of Your Life" is remarkable and lovely. I'm going to have to rewatch Arrival now for comparison; I'm uninterested in which one I think is "better" and more interested to see if the film conveys the same message as the short story. This is probably my favourite story across the board of narrative choices, themes, and overall packaging.
- "Seventy-Two Letters" is the most disquieting for me. If you liked Babel by R.F. Kuang I would give this a go and vice-versa.
- "Liking What You See: A Documentary" was also tough to grapple with, in my opinion because it is the one that is closest for us to relate to. Chiang does an amazing job of replicating the voices and moves we're likely to see in any debate surrounding socio-political issues. My stance can probably be distilled into education over augmentation.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief
Moderate: Ableism, Child death, and Suicide
Minor: Car accident and Dysphoria
jayisreading's review
challenging
reflective
medium-paced
3.75
This collection was definitely a mixed bag, with either me enjoying the short story or caring very little about it (if at all). Without a doubt, though, Chiang really knows how to craft a world and situation; even for the short stories I struggled with due to disinterest, I was still impressed with the way he wove everything together. Furthermore, each story posed such interesting questions and challenges to reflect on, whether it be the unreliability of mathematics as we know it, reckoning with the undeniable presence of God and His angels, or reconfiguring one’s reality through language. Perhaps not surprisingly, the gem of this collection is “Story of Your Life,” which may have been one of the best short stories I have read in a long while. (It has certainly incentivized me to finally get around to watching Arrival.) I now understand why it has received as much praise as it has.
To me, the short stories that are worth reading are: “Story of Your Life” (this one is a must, I’d say), “Tower of Babylon,” “Understand,” and possibly “Hell Is the Absence of God.”
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Death, Suicidal thoughts, Medical content, Grief, and Suicide attempt
Moderate: Suicide
Minor: Bullying, Torture, and Classism
joannalouise's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
informative
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Ableism, Child death, and Self harm
bomenvernietiger's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
informative
inspiring
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
All the points for blowing me away completely. Minus a little for not always understanding women and autism.
This would be fully timeless, except that the author felt the need to include such a sexist trope as a father coming to terms with his daughter developing breasts. This holds the particular story back decades.
This would be fully timeless, except that the author felt the need to include such a sexist trope as a father coming to terms with his daughter developing breasts. This holds the particular story back decades.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Mental illness, and Suicide
Minor: Ableism, Racism, Sexism, Blood, Medical trauma, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail
kappafrog's review against another edition
challenging
informative
mysterious
slow-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? It's complicated
3.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Classism
Moderate: Ableism, Animal cruelty, Violence, Car accident, and Toxic friendship
Minor: Torture
pandact's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
I found this because of Alex Kasman's MathFiction Database because who can resist a title like "Division By Zero?" I was primed to enjoy that story the most, but most of Ted Chiang's stories get stuck in my head for years.
The only reason I subtract half a star is that it's been a while and I'm not sure how it aged! I remember Division By Zero most clearly because it's the kind of story you have to reread...The coolest part, for me, was the way each parallel narrative was part of a proof that 1=2, which was so meta! I disagree with people saying that they're doomed as a couple because the man's whole problem was how he couldn't relate to math research, but her disastrous discovery is something he can understand. The mathematician's arc is looking for something else to find meaning in, so why can't they be two people together now?
The only reason I subtract half a star is that it's been a while and I'm not sure how it aged! I remember Division By Zero most clearly because it's the kind of story you have to reread...
Content Warnings
Moderate: Ableism, Grief, Religious bigotry, and Car accident
ryyy27's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-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
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Death, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Suicide attempt
Minor: Violence
polychromatic_hedgehog_parable's review against another edition
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.75
WTAF TED CHIANG
1. Ted Chiang seems to me to be a very good writer
2. I disliked most of the stories in this collection
3. lmao why use the c-slur so often????
ableism:
"[...] your ability to interact with others is c****led. It'd be a kind of high-functioning autism."
fuck that lmao.
I'm still uncertain where I fall on discounting relationships in favour of world building etc, and certainly feel that I discount the former for the later more than some people I know. I feel like a problem I had with this collection is that it tended to concentrate on world building & philosophical ideas over compelling characters and I just... wasn't interested in any of the philosophy Ted Chiang seemed to be interested in? idk.
I also tended to prefer the stories that were more multi-fauceted/introduced multiple perspectives. Maybe: the presence of multiple perspectives makes the world seem more real or enriches the perspective of the main character?
Many of the stories had distinct writing styles, which I found to be neat! And I felt like Ted Chiang did a good job of switching?
I thought it was cool to have a section in the back for where you got your ideas for each story. That sounds potentially very fun to write/share! :O
(more ableism, eugenics)
tower of babylon: why have I read multiple science fiction stories about the shape of the world being a [cylinder, hyperbola, other 3D shape] instead of a sphere. I don't find these very interesting. Now I feel like I should write one, though. or find more and create a collection. they're a meme.
story of your life: I liked the movie a lot better lol. I didn't really like the story. I did cry a bit though.
seventy-two letters: "I've invented DNA so as to save poor people from eugenics" is a really weird plot for a short story. I liked that the short story engaged so directly with racism & classism, but then the resolution seemed to involve fully side stepping eugenics through the ingenious invention of DNA, in a way I feel parallels many popular understandings of eugenics as an idea that was most persuasive in Europe during the second industrial revolution. It's still persuasive. People are literally dying rn. I just had a conversation with someone who is directly targeted eugenics yesterday.
hell is the absence of god: ok I really liked this one and also found it too relatable LMAO. I enjoyed the frank, recognizable depictions of different types of christians/relationships with religion.
liking what you see: ok I literally just finished the book and will need to think more about this. but I enjoyed the format!
honestly I got this book for free somewhere and I was considering putting it back in a free little library when I was done with it but maybe I'll keep it just for the one story. maybe not.
1. Ted Chiang seems to me to be a very good writer
2. I disliked most of the stories in this collection
3. lmao why use the c-slur so often????
ableism:
"[...] your ability to interact with others is c****led. It'd be a kind of high-functioning autism."
fuck that lmao.
I'm still uncertain where I fall on discounting relationships in favour of world building etc, and certainly feel that I discount the former for the later more than some people I know. I feel like a problem I had with this collection is that it tended to concentrate on world building & philosophical ideas over compelling characters and I just... wasn't interested in any of the philosophy Ted Chiang seemed to be interested in? idk.
I also tended to prefer the stories that were more multi-fauceted/introduced multiple perspectives. Maybe: the presence of multiple perspectives makes the world seem more real or enriches the perspective of the main character?
Many of the stories had distinct writing styles, which I found to be neat! And I felt like Ted Chiang did a good job of switching?
I thought it was cool to have a section in the back for where you got your ideas for each story. That sounds potentially very fun to write/share! :O
(more ableism, eugenics)
tower of babylon: why have I read multiple science fiction stories about the shape of the world being a [cylinder, hyperbola, other 3D shape] instead of a sphere. I don't find these very interesting. Now I feel like I should write one, though. or find more and create a collection. they're a meme.
story of your life: I liked the movie a lot better lol. I didn't really like the story. I did cry a bit though.
seventy-two letters: "I've invented DNA so as to save poor people from eugenics" is a really weird plot for a short story. I liked that the short story engaged so directly with racism & classism, but then the resolution seemed to involve fully side stepping eugenics through the ingenious invention of DNA, in a way I feel parallels many popular understandings of eugenics as an idea that was most persuasive in Europe during the second industrial revolution. It's still persuasive. People are literally dying rn. I just had a conversation with someone who is directly targeted eugenics yesterday.
hell is the absence of god: ok I really liked this one and also found it too relatable LMAO. I enjoyed the frank, recognizable depictions of different types of christians/relationships with religion.
liking what you see: ok I literally just finished the book and will need to think more about this. but I enjoyed the format!
honestly I got this book for free somewhere and I was considering putting it back in a free little library when I was done with it but maybe I'll keep it just for the one story. maybe not.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism
c-slur up the wazoo