A review by isalime
Exhalation by Ted Chiang

adventurous funny hopeful informative lighthearted mysterious reflective relaxing medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I enjoyed this collection of sci-fi/speculative fiction short stories. This was my first time reading Ted Chiang. While the concepts and tech weren't new to me, I like the way Ted explored them in each of the short stories. The stories had overlapping themes and commentary on agency and free will. I enjoyed reading the Story Notes after each story. It gave me a little peek at how or why the story was written

My favorites and the ones I'll likely keep thinking about are 
  • The Merchant and Alchemist's Gate
  • The Lifecycle of Software Objects
  • The Truth of Fact, The Truth of Feeling
  • Anxiety is the Dizziness of Freedom

I look forward to reading more of his work.
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