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A review by koberreads
The Great Silence by Ted Chiang
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
5.0
The Great Silence by Ted Chiang.
Disclosure: I am a male of 20ish of age.
Forgive me for my imperfect opinion and insights (I am still young and have a lot to learn), but I hope you are inspired to read the book after reading my review or the other works of Ted Chiang.
“It’s no coincidence that “aspiration” means both hope and the act of breathing. When we speak, we use the breath in our lungs to give our thoughts a physical form. The sounds we make are simultaneously our intentions and our life force.”
— The Great Silence (Electric Literature's Recommended Reading) by Ted Chiang
https://a.co/8W1jDz6
---
Short review: (Non-spoiler)
To whom would you recommend this book?
I recommend this short story to science fiction lovers and those enthralled by the possibility of other intelligent life on earth, and of course, those who know and are curious about the Fermi Paradox. It is one of the shortest short stories of Ted Chiang but is thought-provoking and questions our ethical standards.
I don't recommend this for first-time readers of Ted Chiang, not because it is bad or unworthy of your time or mental space but because I think to fall in love with the writings of one of the best writings on our planet that is still alive right now, you must consume first his best. I suggest going to the book collection of short stories, "Stories of your life and others" (One of the stories, which is the title of the book, inspired the movie "Arrival"). After reading that, I suggest reading "Exhalation," his second set of Short story collections. Fortunately, The Great silence is one of the nine stories in the Exaltation. Of course, this "Exaltations" kindle price on Amazon is much higher than this single short story because the former is a collection. But if you want to get the best bang for your buck and continue reading his stories after reading "Exhalation," You can jump right into Exhalation.
I suggest you do not skip reading the intro. It will give further like in the short story.
Why did you choose this rating?
My review says it all.
I also gave this perfect rating because Ted Chiang is The beast of Science fiction and philosophical thought explained through sci-fi writings.
------------
Further comments: (Spoilers)
About parrots, space exploration, the search for intelligent non-human life forms, and our disheartening journey up to now that we haven't found any outside our planet, but more disheartening is the fact we neglect the intelligent non-human life form present on our planet. (You will know what those creatures on the next line)
A parrot narrates the story.
I never thought Parrots could comprehend our words before here; they just repeated them. Ted Chiang always enlightens me about things that I never thought existed or would fascinate me more or provoke my thoughts.
This story is not just written by an animal activist or environmentalist. (Not sure if Ted Chiang is one, but he would most likely be warmly welcomed if he did walk into a room full of animal activists and environmentalists who read his writings, especially this one.) But this is also a story that subtly expresses a profound deep human nature truth.
We tend not to see what we have been looking for all our lives even though that very thing is right in front of us.
I think this wisdom does not only apply to this story about parrots and space exploration but is a striking thought that you could apply in some aspect of your life if you decide to change your perspective in seeing things.
Disclosure: I am a male of 20ish of age.
Forgive me for my imperfect opinion and insights (I am still young and have a lot to learn), but I hope you are inspired to read the book after reading my review or the other works of Ted Chiang.
“It’s no coincidence that “aspiration” means both hope and the act of breathing. When we speak, we use the breath in our lungs to give our thoughts a physical form. The sounds we make are simultaneously our intentions and our life force.”
— The Great Silence (Electric Literature's Recommended Reading) by Ted Chiang
https://a.co/8W1jDz6
---
Short review: (Non-spoiler)
To whom would you recommend this book?
I recommend this short story to science fiction lovers and those enthralled by the possibility of other intelligent life on earth, and of course, those who know and are curious about the Fermi Paradox. It is one of the shortest short stories of Ted Chiang but is thought-provoking and questions our ethical standards.
I don't recommend this for first-time readers of Ted Chiang, not because it is bad or unworthy of your time or mental space but because I think to fall in love with the writings of one of the best writings on our planet that is still alive right now, you must consume first his best. I suggest going to the book collection of short stories, "Stories of your life and others" (One of the stories, which is the title of the book, inspired the movie "Arrival"). After reading that, I suggest reading "Exhalation," his second set of Short story collections. Fortunately, The Great silence is one of the nine stories in the Exaltation. Of course, this "Exaltations" kindle price on Amazon is much higher than this single short story because the former is a collection. But if you want to get the best bang for your buck and continue reading his stories after reading "Exhalation," You can jump right into Exhalation.
I suggest you do not skip reading the intro. It will give further like in the short story.
Why did you choose this rating?
My review says it all.
I also gave this perfect rating because Ted Chiang is The beast of Science fiction and philosophical thought explained through sci-fi writings.
------------
Further comments: (Spoilers)
About parrots, space exploration, the search for intelligent non-human life forms, and our disheartening journey up to now that we haven't found any outside our planet, but more disheartening is the fact we neglect the intelligent non-human life form present on our planet. (You will know what those creatures on the next line)
A parrot narrates the story.
I never thought Parrots could comprehend our words before here; they just repeated them. Ted Chiang always enlightens me about things that I never thought existed or would fascinate me more or provoke my thoughts.
This story is not just written by an animal activist or environmentalist. (Not sure if Ted Chiang is one, but he would most likely be warmly welcomed if he did walk into a room full of animal activists and environmentalists who read his writings, especially this one.) But this is also a story that subtly expresses a profound deep human nature truth.
We tend not to see what we have been looking for all our lives even though that very thing is right in front of us.
I think this wisdom does not only apply to this story about parrots and space exploration but is a striking thought that you could apply in some aspect of your life if you decide to change your perspective in seeing things.