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mbelle97's review against another edition
I got this book to read the short story that inspired the movie arrival, and I found that I liked arrival better đ
I was listening to the audiobook and found it very hard to follow what was happening, so it might have been better to read physically. The stories just didn't compell me that much to keep reading
panicsuper's review against another edition
2.0
âStory of Your Lifeâ was good (I had already seen Arrival) and âUnderstandâ was interesting but I really couldnât get into the rest. Perhaps too much religion for my taste.
sss23's review
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
fran_mosteiro's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
medium-paced
3.75
isabelmary's review
3.75
Well done, but highly concept driven rather than characters driven. If you like speculative fiction focused on ideas youâll like this. For a character girlie like me it didnât fully satisfy.
tcatsninfan's review against another edition
Iâve been aware for years that Chiang has won many awards, and I saw Arrival a few years ago. Iâm a big fan of scifi, so I decided to give this short story collection a try.
Unfortunately, I gave up after the second story. The first story was incredibly boring and didnât have a satisfying ending. The second story just felt annoying to read.
One thing about the second story: itâs written in 1st person with the narrator explaining whatâs happening to him. However, he seemingly dies at the end. Logically, he wouldnât be able to tell the story to anyone later if he died. It just doesnât make any sense.
After I finished the second story, I thought about how Chiang has won all these awards and felt like I âshouldâ like his writing because of those. I felt like I should force myself to continue reading.
Ultimately, though, everyone has their own taste and mine doesnât include Chiangâs writing. Life is too short to read things we donât enjoy, and itâs OK to have a different opinion from others.
Unfortunately, I gave up after the second story. The first story was incredibly boring and didnât have a satisfying ending. The second story just felt annoying to read.
After I finished the second story, I thought about how Chiang has won all these awards and felt like I âshouldâ like his writing because of those. I felt like I should force myself to continue reading.
Ultimately, though, everyone has their own taste and mine doesnât include Chiangâs writing. Life is too short to read things we donât enjoy, and itâs OK to have a different opinion from others.
calliopereads's review against another edition
challenging
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
lalune's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
mikimeiko's review against another edition
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
3.75
I love Ted Chiang's voice, and I wish he didn't only write short stories because I would like the chance of staying in a world of his for a little longer. In the other hand though I found all the stories starting very strong, with compelling what ifs, but then kinda getting lost in the execution? Anyway I'll probably read more of his short stories in the future, especially more recent ones.