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bookishevy's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Two years ago, I blindly downloaded Stories of Your Life and Others by Ted Chiang and forgot about it. I finally listened to it and struggled to pick my favorites. It came down to which ones I couldn't stop thinking about.
Seventy-two Letters - science vs religion, race and class vs politics in Victorian England when scientist Robert Stratton builds an automaton with hopes of helping poor laborers, but Lord Fieldhurst wants to use the creation to control the lower classes.
Hell Is the Absence of God - terrifying. Imagine a world in which the existence of God, souls, and the after life cannot be disputed, visitations by angels are a common occurrence, and loved ones ascend to heaven and descend to hell before your eyes.
Liking What You See: A Documentary - this story is told in a series of interviews. People discuss the implications of a reversible procedure called calliagnosia, which eliminates the ability to tell if a person is attractive or not. I was riled up.
Story of Your Life - A few minutes into this story, I started. How did I not know that one of my favorite sci-fi films, Arrival, was based on this novella? The story is so much more than humans trying to communicate with aliens and figure out what they want. It examines free will. Since the heptapods experience time simultaneously, they already know their future, so they can't make choices. I also liked that it's narrated by linguist Dr. Louise Banks and is more straightforward so that we know from the start when she first meets the heptapods. The reader understands that engaging with the heptapods changes how Banks experiences time. In the film, how she experiences time doesn't snap into place until later, and then the viewer is like Oooooohhhhhh.
I feel smarter after finishing this read. My thoughts were definitely provoked. LOL! I dont regret downloading this audiobook. Abby Craden and Todd McLaren did the stories justice and brought the characters to life. There were some suspenseful scenes that I got completely lost in.
Seventy-two Letters - science vs religion, race and class vs politics in Victorian England when scientist Robert Stratton builds an automaton with hopes of helping poor laborers, but Lord Fieldhurst wants to use the creation to control the lower classes.
Hell Is the Absence of God - terrifying. Imagine a world in which the existence of God, souls, and the after life cannot be disputed, visitations by angels are a common occurrence, and loved ones ascend to heaven and descend to hell before your eyes.
Liking What You See: A Documentary - this story is told in a series of interviews. People discuss the implications of a reversible procedure called calliagnosia, which eliminates the ability to tell if a person is attractive or not. I was riled up.
Story of Your Life - A few minutes into this story, I started. How did I not know that one of my favorite sci-fi films, Arrival, was based on this novella? The story is so much more than humans trying to communicate with aliens and figure out what they want. It examines free will. Since the heptapods experience time simultaneously, they already know their future, so they can't make choices. I also liked that it's narrated by linguist Dr. Louise Banks and is more straightforward so that we know from the start when she first meets the heptapods. The reader understands that engaging with the heptapods changes how Banks experiences time. In the film, how she experiences time doesn't snap into place until later, and then the viewer is like Oooooohhhhhh.
I feel smarter after finishing this read. My thoughts were definitely provoked. LOL! I dont regret downloading this audiobook. Abby Craden and Todd McLaren did the stories justice and brought the characters to life. There were some suspenseful scenes that I got completely lost in.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence
Minor: Child death
ehponies's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Ted Chiang re-defines my understanding of speculative fiction, science, and human experience through this phenomenonal collection. Ted Chiang is a champion of methodical, patient, loving, and kind writing -- he embraces you through technical writing that somehow opens up a new understanding of an intimate part of your own life despite the absurdity of the premise of each narrative. A beautiful time.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Child death, and Violence
kappafrog's review
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, Car accident, Toxic friendship, Animal cruelty, and Violence
Minor: Torture
onlyonebookshelf's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
mysterious
reflective
fast-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? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Violence, and Child death
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, Suicidal thoughts, Death, Suicide, and Suicide attempt
Minor: Violence
bwwilhelm's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
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? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug use, Drug abuse, Grief, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide attempt
Moderate: Ableism, Death, and Medical content
Minor: Acephobia/Arophobia, Child death, Infertility, Misogyny, Racism, Sexism, Violence, and Xenophobia
mar's review against another edition
challenging
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts and Suicide attempt
Moderate: Child death, Death, Violence, and Grief
booksthatburn's review against another edition
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
These stories play with math, language, and science, situating their more technical aspects within various strange and internally consistent rule-sets which stretch into the fantastic while wearing the clothes of the scientific, all to tell deeply moving stories about people in strange worlds which are almost like our own. From a literal interpretation of the Tower of Babel wherein they reach to the heavens, to a mathematical formalism so destabilizing that it drives the theorist to despair, to a contemplation on beauty and appearance which refuses to ever quite take a side on its central question. One of the strengths of this collection is the worldbuilding, the way the details vary from story to story but they're all extremely immersive, exploring the strange corners of each premise while still feeling complete and focused. My favorites were "Tower of Babylon" and "Understand", closely followed by "Story of Your Life" (upon which the 2016 film, "Arrival" is based). Several of them were uncomfortable in a good way, but that experience will obviously vary widely.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicidal thoughts, and Violence
Minor: Ableism, Bullying, Racism, Sexism, Suicide, and Torture
Tower of Babylon: CW for death. Understand: CW for anxiety, PTSD, panic attacks, major character death (not depicted), death (not depicted). Division by Zero: CW for mental illness, attempted suicide. Story of Your Life: CW for death (not depicted). Seventy-Two Letters: CW for sexism, racism, eugenics, violence, torture (not depicted), death (not depicted). The Evolution of Human Science: No major CWs. Hell is the Absence of God: CW for bullying (not depicted), ableism, discussion of suicide, major character death, death. “Liking What You see: A Documentary”: CW for sexism (minor), ableism (minor).
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