Stories of Your Life and Others

Ted Chiang's imagination and prose are really unique and great. I didn't particularly like the last two stories in this book but that is just me. He is one of my favorite modern science fiction authors.

I read a lot but am very selective about the sci fi I choose to read bc its not a genre I read a lot of.
I read this book due to recs and a review I read somewhere.
For me the book was ho-hum. Not bad. But not great knock your socks off as many of the 5 star reviewers give. I'm guessing they are hadr core regular sci fi readers or something.

If you are a regular Joe dabbling in sci fi then maybe this isnt the greatest.

Do yourself a favor and do not ever, ever miss this book. If you like to think, if you like intelligence, if you've considered to have children, if you've ever wondered if God exists and why it should or it shouldn't: do not miss this book.

I absolutely adore Tower of Babylon, Story of Your Life and Understand. Not only entertaining but had me contemplating days later and discussing the ideas with my girlfriend. The other stories are great too but did not have as much impact for me as those three. Well worth the money!

Themes include intelligence, language, different world functions, and choices. My personal favorites are Understand(intelligence, language) and Liking What You See: A Documentary(perception, bias, choice).

If you enjoy Hard science fiction, philosophy, or plot driven short stories, this is an effective purchase.

Read this after seeing (and loving) the feature film "Arrival", as the movie is based on "Story of Your Life", one of the eight short stories collected in this volume. I could write a separate blurb about each story, but my feelings are similar for all of them. Chiang is undeniably a talented writer, adept at describing each story's characters and world in detail. But I often got lost in the intricate philosophical and/or physiological material which is elemental to his storytelling, not just background. Tom Clancy's novels can be riveting and thrilling, even if the reader glosses over the long passages of technological information, as they usually aren't essential to the story. Chiang's stories, on the other hand, are built on the foundation of such passages, and I found myself trying to wrap my head around his imaginative scenarios rather than enjoying the narrative. In short, reading these felt like WORK - which would have been fine if the payoff of each story had justified the effort. Instead, most simply ended, and only one or two provided any sense of reward for having made it through to the end. Granted, some readers may find the situations themselves thought-provoking enough to feel rewarded, but I'm not ashamed to admit that I found each destination to be not worth the journey.

And if you're wondering specifically how "Story of Your Life" compares to "Arrival"... there are inconsequential variations of character and plot, but overall, Chiang's story feels much more 'detached' than the film - which is surprising since the story is written in the first person. One of the few instances where the movie actually improved upon the source material, in my opinion.

Like probably 99% of his new readers, I bought this book because of "Arrival".

The story the movie is based on is very good - and it is the weakest one in the book.

There are some very thought-provoking stories in here that take a "what if?" premise to its logical conclusion. One of them will have you throw the book against the wall - but in a good way.

This isn't a bubblegum book. It has thoughts. Recommended.

Like probably 99% of his new readers, I bought this book because of "Arrival".

The story the movie is based on is very good - and it is the weakest one in the book.

There are some very thought-provoking stories in here that take a "what if?" premise to its logical conclusion. One of them will have you throw the book against the wall - but in a good way.

This isn't a bubblegum book. It has thoughts. Recommended.

Upon entering into work, I told my colleagues about this book. I mentioned the name (a very boring one to be honest), and I was greeted with looks of scepticism. After saying that it was an anthology, the looks became incredulous. Yet these tales are perhaps some of the most intelligently ones I've read in quite a while. Moreover, they will utterly absorb you into their worlds.

Arrival is a great story. The book reflects the recent movie, but does not copy it. Reading the book helped me understand the nuances of the film. I won't give away any spoilers. If you love a story that really gives you some things to think about -- this is one.

I bought this book after seeing Arrival and wanting to see how the book (or short story in this case) compared. Arrival is based on "Story of your life" which is definitely one of the better stories in this volume. Some of these stories could be good but they all suffer from little development being they are short stories. A couple of them don't even seem like stories at all to me; just a narrative with no real ending at all. There's a couple worth reading but honestly I wouldn't waste my time.

the famous one "Story of Your Life" (inspiring the upcoming movie Arrival) was a great story as I'm readying through it. thoughtful, well-written, bitter sweet, thought provoking, and absolutely thrilling to read . . . still thinking about it after having finished it several days ago. what's a bit odd is that feeling of "was there supposed to be something more to it . . . ?" it ended with a twist but somewhat anti climactic and bittersweet not in the sense of the plot itself necessarily (although obviously that was part of the challenge) but in that with all that "advanced" stuff (language, tech, anatomy, etc) it just came to an uninspiring conclusion. it's as if the Vulcans visited Earth and chose not to give us even their "live long and propser" idiom (in Vullcan) and then said "See Ya" . . . would they really have bothered to land in the first place . . . yea yea all the future is forgotten and we need to catch up to remember (blah blah blah) . . . very deep but terribly nonsensical from a story telling climax point of view. I know I know it's supposed to make you focus on the philosophical aspects of our lives, it's meaning in the grander context of the cosmos, and try to make us understand other ways to see life . . . and yet i'm left unfulfilled.

that's sort of the tone for the other stories I've gotten through so far: Tower of Babel, Understand, Division by Zero, and the Evolution of Human Science. gave up on Seventy-Two Letters after a few pages, may be try again in a few days (hard to read with all of the fancy words). working on the last two stories shortly.

I recommend this collection of thoughtful, well-written spec fiction. When Chiang explores an idea, he digs deep and I think it's this - and the quality of his writing - that makes this work interesting and entertaining. Some stories I raced through, some I found myself spending as much time thinking through the idea he was exploring as I was reading. I'll definitely be reading more by Ted Chiang. Thanks to him and congratulations on this collection.

Some interesting ideas in the stories, but the writing is no more than mediocre in many places, rather stiff, flat. and rather slow. I am interested to see what else the author comes up with, but I was expecting something much more polished based on other reviews.

A thought provoking collection that explores innovative concepts such as how people perceive who you are by looks to everyday occurrences of miracles, usually by God's messengers wreaking havoc as well as blessings. A very good read.

Read the title story. It's more of a novella or novelette, not a short story, so be prepared to read it for a while. His writing is so lucid that you won't even know how much time has passed, so don't worry. Just read it.

I bought this collection prior to the movie coming out and I've read it twice now, every single one of the stories. Have to admit, sometimes I re-read passages because I can't follow. Makes me feel slightly dumb, but oh my, these are amazing! The stories are ORIGINAL, thought provoking, intelligent, captivating stories. What an amazing new voice in fiction. So glad this book came to my attention!

Mr. Chang's work is fun to read both for it's variety of tone and topic as it is for the thoughts and feelings the stories provoke. Each story leaves a person thinking, "I never thought about it like that!", without actually implying how you should think about it. This is remarkable (and why I write this when I rarely write reviews).

This is the top of the heap; a must-have for avid readers of sci-fi. Beautiful and elegantly crafted, some of these stories will take your breath away--all of them will intrigue. This is what writing can be.
I don't believe in a be-all-to-end-all; but that stated, Chiang's work is, from my little corner, its own acme of intellectual science fiction. He's created a niche I've not seen duplicated by anyone, thus far.
Delightful and mind-expanding at once.

Read the title story. It's more of a novella or novelette, not a short story, so be prepared to read it for a while. His writing is so lucid that you won't even know how much time has passed, so don't worry. Just read it.

I bought this collection prior to the movie coming out and I've read it twice now, every single one of the stories. Have to admit, sometimes I re-read passages because I can't follow. Makes me feel slightly dumb, but oh my, these are amazing! The stories are ORIGINAL, thought provoking, intelligent, captivating stories. What an amazing new voice in fiction. So glad this book came to my attention!

Mr. Chang's work is fun to read both for it's variety of tone and topic as it is for the thoughts and feelings the stories provoke. Each story leaves a person thinking, "I never thought about it like that!", without actually implying how you should think about it. This is remarkable (and why I write this when I rarely write reviews).

This is the top of the heap; a must-have for avid readers of sci-fi. Beautiful and elegantly crafted, some of these stories will take your breath away--all of them will intrigue. This is what writing can be.
I don't believe in a be-all-to-end-all; but that stated, Chiang's work is, from my little corner, its own acme of intellectual science fiction. He's created a niche I've not seen duplicated by anyone, thus far.
Delightful and mind-expanding at once.

Short stories are always a gamble for the reader, since the time between the writing of one story and another often means that the tone or style has evolved (or slipped) in the meantime. Moreover, if a novelist has hit upon a great idea and executed it well, the entire novel is a tour de force - but the next novel might not be. So it can be with each short story of a collection.
This is the issue with "Stories of Your Life..." Some of the tales are absolutely brilliant, while others fizzle. The writing is always exquisite, but writing alone can't carry the entire load.
This makes it hard to rate the book as a whole: some of the stories rate five stars; at least on story was so awkwardly conceived that for me it is a one-star creation.

I bought this after watching the moving Arrival. The movie left me with many unanswered questions that only the actual story it was based on could answer. I am glad I picked this up because it introduced me to the talented writer Ted Chiang.

Every story in this collection has at its center a particularly provocative idea, each explored in a unique manner. Character development is not a feature, however. And, for some reason, endings seem optional. Recommended.

This was fabulous! The stories are all gripping, thought-provoking, and often profound. I feel like many of them could have been novels unto themselves. Story Of Your Life, particularly, is one of the best stories (in any medium) I've ever experienced.

My only complaint is that Ted Chiang hasn't written more things for me to read.

I'm so happy I experienced the original short story before I saw the movie (Arrival). I was not familiar with this author before, and I found every short story exceptionally well written and engaging.

For the first few stories, I was very impressed, they were as good as some of the better science fiction short stories I have read (and I read a LOT of science fiction). Not as good as the best, by any means.

Then I got to "Hell is the absence of God" and the last story about judging appearances. The first was just awful, but I managed to finish it hoping that it would get better. The last story, I just stopped reading. It was pure drudgery getting through it.

I bought the book because I wanted to see the move “Arrival” but discovered it was based on this book. So I wanted to read it before seeing the movie. Each story was fascinating but I assumed they’d all tie together somehow at the end.
They didn’t. It was just a book of interesting short stories. So for that I give it three stars. I don’t know how the movie will be drawn from this. I’ll find out soon.

Mind blowing, brilliant writing, it's not surprising his writing volume is so much less than other sci-fi writers as the depth of detail and insight in these stories is exceptional, a mandatory read for any sci-fi fan.

i purchased this book after reading "story of your life" in the years best sci fi twenty years collection and wS impressed. the depth of thought and interpretation incorporated into these stories frankly amazed me. especially since they were also interesting, fairly fast -paced and held my attention. five stars & i will be reading more of ted chiang!!

Unique concepts, well thought out (although obviously non-existent) science, and good twists. Recommended for any reader that's into sci-fi and or suspense. This is a nerd writing for nerds, in nerd-lingo, which is why this book resonated with my brain a lot.

Thought-provoking views of alternate paths, always intelligent, and filling a gap in speculative fiction. On finishing the stories I went back to see what else he had written, but there's not a lot - hope he writes more soon.

Deals with the intersections of religion, the history and philosophy of science, superhuman intelligence, and mathematics in stories that often feature experimental narrative techniques. Masterful, and reminiscent of the best work of Jorge Luis Borges, Italo Calvino, and William Gibson,

The rabbit is ready to eat....what I liked was that language written is linear and the other beings communicate past and present as a whole. While the interactions with her daughter seemed to already have happened. They would happen.

Ted has some absolutely amazing ideas. My only gripe was that many of the stories were left open ended, which while promoting further thought, also left me feeling dissatisfied in some instances. And others just left me feeling that this was a lot of fun.

Ted writes elegantly, but he’s too cerebral, which is not a good thing if you are in the business of writing fiction. I enjoyed his Tower of Babel—though the ending was flat. Story of Your Life was pretty okay but nothing stellar; and of course, Understand, which is perhaps his best story. I can see the hard work put in the latter story. Division by Zero didn’t hold my interest, and Hell is the Absence of God was simply awful to read. Ted has potential, but he needs to write more and strive to touch his reader’s emotion rather their minds.

Very odd book I watched the movie first then wanted to read the book to get more info and all i can say is it was nothing like the movie! So I did not find what I was looking for the short stories were very thought provoking but they all leave a lot more to be desired!

While I respect and appreciate Ted Chiang's use of both contemporary science and his infusing ancient myths (tower of Babylon, Jewish mysticism, ancient theories of reproduction, the theology of angels and salvation), his stories frequently are too deep into their own theoretical constructs to follow (at least for my brain) and get in the way of his storytelling. These stories are difficult to finish, he tends to sacrifice character for theory. The miner in "Tower of Babylon," the linguist in "Story of your Life" or Stratton in "72 Letters" aren't interesting enough to engage the reader as Chiang plays out his constructs. Still, thinking about the ideas presented in these stories presents me with some pleasure, even if they're a tad too complicated for me to ponder as I follow the plots.

I am very surprised by the number of reviews here praising Chiang's writing. The sample chapter drew me in after I read about Chiang in an interview with another author. The writing went downhill from the sample on. The writing was dry as a desert for me. Interesting ideas, less than satisfying fiction.

After seeing 'Arrival' I was fairly excited about reading the original story and others from this author. Found his style of writing and my tastes are completely different. Donated it to the library.

Ted writes elegantly, but he’s too cerebral, which is not a good thing if you are in the business of writing fiction. I enjoyed his Tower of Babel—though the ending was flat. Story of Your Life was pretty okay but nothing stellar; and of course, Understand, which is perhaps his best story. I can see the hard work put in the latter story. Division by Zero didn’t hold my interest, and Hell is the Absence of God was simply awful to read. Ted has potential, but he needs to write more and strive to touch his reader’s emotion rather their minds.

Very odd book I watched the movie first then wanted to read the book to get more info and all i can say is it was nothing like the movie! So I did not find what I was looking for the short stories were very thought provoking but they all leave a lot more to be desired!

Ted Chiang's fiction is not grandiose, or with a hidden agenda of its own. It is in fact deceptive in its utter, utter simplicity and straightforwardness. His best stories are nothing but thought experiments - not very clever or convoluted or look-at-me-how-smart-I-am type. And his stories have a component that is very, very rare in science fiction - indeed in most genre fiction (which is why even mediocre, run-of-the-mill literary fiction writers turn up their noses at genre fiction) - that of a lively, throbbing, understated but readily identifiable human connection - in its simple, unobtrusive, unassuming, even self-effacing, turning-attention-away-from-itself prose.

The best stories in his collection are Hell is the absence of God, Liking what you see: A documentary and the eponymous Story of your Life. There are some very deep issues explored in these stories from a remarkably fresh, wonderfully new perspective. And to those who're not shy from trying their own hand at writing science fiction, there's probably no other writer whose stories will make you think harder and from whom you'll learn more fruitfully than Chiang.

While I respect and appreciate Ted Chiang's use of both contemporary science and his infusing ancient myths (tower of Babylon, Jewish mysticism, ancient theories of reproduction, the theology of angels and salvation), his stories frequently are too deep into their own theoretical constructs to follow (at least for my brain) and get in the way of his storytelling. These stories are difficult to finish, he tends to sacrifice character for theory. The miner in "Tower of Babylon," the linguist in "Story of your Life" or Stratton in "72 Letters" aren't interesting enough to engage the reader as Chiang plays out his constructs. Still, thinking about the ideas presented in these stories presents me with some pleasure, even if they're a tad too complicated for me to ponder as I follow the plots.

I am very surprised by the number of reviews here praising Chiang's writing. The sample chapter drew me in after I read about Chiang in an interview with another author. The writing went downhill from the sample on. The writing was dry as a desert for me. Interesting ideas, less than satisfying fiction.

After seeing 'Arrival' I was fairly excited about reading the original story and others from this author. Found his style of writing and my tastes are completely different. Donated it to the library.