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A review by calarco
Exhalation by Ted Chiang
5.0
Ted Chiang is a genius, pure and simple. It is a rare overlap for insightful scientific thinkers to also have great literary aptitude, and Chiang excels at building moving emotional narratives out of the implications of different potential future technologies. I would even argue that this second published collection of short stories, [b:Exhalation: Stories|41160292|Exhalation Stories|Ted Chiang|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1534388394l/41160292._SX50_.jpg|64336454], adeptly showcases and refines Chiang’s talents first introduced with [b:Stories of Your Life and Others|223380|Stories of Your Life and Others|Ted Chiang|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1356138316l/223380._SY75_.jpg|216334].
There were many great ideas explored in this collection. Time travel in “The Merchant and the Alchemist’s Gate” is told in the vein of Arabian Nights and largely centers on the spiritual journey of reconciling the past with the present and future. With “The Truth of Fact, the Truth of Feeling,” Chiang unravels how technology that records events and can create truly accurate memories could conflict with the traditionally (biased) narratives we tell ourselves of our past to make sense of (and build) identity in the present. “Omphalos” opens to a world where creationism is truth, though the assumptions of this anthropocentric reality are still challenged by cosmic events. Also intriguing, is “Anxiety is the Dizziness of Freedom,” which introduces a world where we can communicate with parallel timelines, and how this very real knowledge of an otherwise intangible preponderance of “what if” can impact lives. Just such good stuff across the board.
My favorite though, would have to be ”The Lifecycle of Software Objects.” This story in many ways felt like an extension of Issac Assimov’s world of robots, specifically exploring how artificial intelligence could shape human relationships (both with AI and other humans). This story follows different humans raising AI capable of learning and growing. Ana, a former zoo worker, raises a digital creature, or digient, named Jax using the empathy and training techniques she would employ while caring for her animals. As Jax and the other digients advance, their human caretakers transform from digital pet owners into parents, essentially. These parents form an online community and debate how best to raise their digient children, especially as these kids exist in uncharted territory in an everchanging world. This is a really touching and thoughtful account that will definitely have you reevaluating how you treated your tamagotchi as a kid.
A good read is a good read, and Exhalation is an excellent read. I honestly could not recommend this book more, and definitely look forward to more of Ted Chiang’s work.
There were many great ideas explored in this collection. Time travel in “The Merchant and the Alchemist’s Gate” is told in the vein of Arabian Nights and largely centers on the spiritual journey of reconciling the past with the present and future. With “The Truth of Fact, the Truth of Feeling,” Chiang unravels how technology that records events and can create truly accurate memories could conflict with the traditionally (biased) narratives we tell ourselves of our past to make sense of (and build) identity in the present. “Omphalos” opens to a world where creationism is truth, though the assumptions of this anthropocentric reality are still challenged by cosmic events. Also intriguing, is “Anxiety is the Dizziness of Freedom,” which introduces a world where we can communicate with parallel timelines, and how this very real knowledge of an otherwise intangible preponderance of “what if” can impact lives. Just such good stuff across the board.
My favorite though, would have to be ”The Lifecycle of Software Objects.” This story in many ways felt like an extension of Issac Assimov’s world of robots, specifically exploring how artificial intelligence could shape human relationships (both with AI and other humans). This story follows different humans raising AI capable of learning and growing. Ana, a former zoo worker, raises a digital creature, or digient, named Jax using the empathy and training techniques she would employ while caring for her animals. As Jax and the other digients advance, their human caretakers transform from digital pet owners into parents, essentially. These parents form an online community and debate how best to raise their digient children, especially as these kids exist in uncharted territory in an everchanging world. This is a really touching and thoughtful account that will definitely have you reevaluating how you treated your tamagotchi as a kid.
A good read is a good read, and Exhalation is an excellent read. I honestly could not recommend this book more, and definitely look forward to more of Ted Chiang’s work.