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charlietuna92's review against another edition
5.0
This book is short stories is so interesting! It reminds me of Black Mirror in how it looks at technology and the potential moral and philosophical issues that arise with them. Also I loved the explanations at the end and seeing where the author got his inspiration
mervie's review against another edition
adventurous
informative
mysterious
reflective
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? It's complicated
4.5
ahongy's review against another edition
5.0
A man after my own heart
Not done w it yet but i think stories of your life is a bit meatier
Not done w it yet but i think stories of your life is a bit meatier
dawngerrity's review against another edition
challenging
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- 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
doverstav's review against another edition
3.0
Started strong and ended on a great story, but otherwise failed to capture my interest.
The beginning three stories (The Merchant and the Alchemists Gate, Exhalation, What's Expected of Us) were pretty good, with Exhalation probably even deserving of a "great".
Then came The Lifecycle of Software Objects which felt like it took too many pages to say what it wanted to say, and what it wanted to say didn't interest me that much. That was followed by stories that either felt overly long or that failed to grip me.
Though the closer, Anxiety Is the Dizziness of Freedom, was something I enjoy very much, and is tied with Exhalation for being the strongest of what's offered here.
In conclusion, I found some gems in here, but most of what was here did not really gel with me
The beginning three stories (The Merchant and the Alchemists Gate, Exhalation, What's Expected of Us) were pretty good, with Exhalation probably even deserving of a "great".
Then came The Lifecycle of Software Objects which felt like it took too many pages to say what it wanted to say, and what it wanted to say didn't interest me that much. That was followed by stories that either felt overly long or that failed to grip me.
Though the closer, Anxiety Is the Dizziness of Freedom, was something I enjoy very much, and is tied with Exhalation for being the strongest of what's offered here.
In conclusion, I found some gems in here, but most of what was here did not really gel with me
planetmilagro's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
spoookykid's review against another edition
adventurous
informative
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
sarasey1's review against another edition
5.0
Stories i couldnt stop thinking about:
“The merchant and the alchemists gate”
“the truth of fact, the truth of feeling”
“Anxiety is the dizziness of freedom”
another big win for short stories and people who used to be good at math and wished they were still good so they vicariously live through scifi!!!
edit: for when i re-read (lol every time i think ill do that), compare “what’s expected of us” and “omphalos”…
also it just hit me that Chiang is able to write stories in SO many different formats, like letters vs third person vs jumping between different first person perspectives, like….!
i love this author because every story feels like a playground for him to explore LITERALLY any idea. to me, his stories are the pinnacle of science fiction: a story that at first seems to about some kind of whacky concept/alternate reality but at it’s core is always, always, always about humanity. (i feel this way about arrival and interstellar)
also in an attempt to make my star ratings more objective:
5 stars - changed the way i understand writing, story-telling, myself, or life
4 stars - enjoyed (includes whatever large spectrum of emotion that means) AND would recommend
3 stars - enjoyed or could understand how one might enjoy it BUT would not recommend
2 stars - did not enjoy, would not recommend
1 star - couldn’t even finish it
“The merchant and the alchemists gate”
“the truth of fact, the truth of feeling”
“Anxiety is the dizziness of freedom”
another big win for short stories and people who used to be good at math and wished they were still good so they vicariously live through scifi!!!
edit: for when i re-read (lol every time i think ill do that), compare “what’s expected of us” and “omphalos”…
also it just hit me that Chiang is able to write stories in SO many different formats, like letters vs third person vs jumping between different first person perspectives, like….!
i love this author because every story feels like a playground for him to explore LITERALLY any idea. to me, his stories are the pinnacle of science fiction: a story that at first seems to about some kind of whacky concept/alternate reality but at it’s core is always, always, always about humanity. (i feel this way about arrival and interstellar)
also in an attempt to make my star ratings more objective:
5 stars - changed the way i understand writing, story-telling, myself, or life
4 stars - enjoyed (includes whatever large spectrum of emotion that means) AND would recommend
3 stars - enjoyed or could understand how one might enjoy it BUT would not recommend
2 stars - did not enjoy, would not recommend
1 star - couldn’t even finish it
sarahetc's review against another edition
4.0
Pretty fantastic, though it felt a little uneven by the end. I appreciated having Chiang's notes at the end to wrap up each of the stories and how it fit with the larger overall schema. Looking forward to reading more from this autho.