Stories of Your Life and Others

(Paperback)

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'A science fiction genius . . . Ted Chiang is a superstar.' - The Guardian With Stories of Your Life and Others, his masterful debut collection, multiple-award-winning author Ted Chiang deftly blends human emotion and scientific rationalism in eight remarkably varied stories. From a soaring Babylonian tower that connects a flat Earth to the firmament above, to a world where angelic visitations are a wondrous and terrifying part of everyday life; from a neural modification that eliminates the appeal of physical beauty, to an alien language that challenges our very perception of time and reality, Chiang's unique imagination invites us to question our understanding of the universe and our place in it. The title novella 'Story of Your Life' was the basis for the Academy Award-winning film Arrival, starring Amy Adams and Jeremy Renner. 'United by a humane intelligence that speaks very directly to the reader, and makes us experience each story with immediacy and Chiang's calm passion' - China Miville, author of The City & The City Part of the Picador Collection, a series showcasing the best of modern literateure.

Reviews

United by a humane intelligence that speaks very directly to the reader, and makes us experience each story with immediacy and Chiang's calm passion. -- China Miville * The Guardian *
Ted Chiang's stories are lean, relentless and incandescent. -- Colson Whitehead, author of The Underground Railroad
Ted is a national treasure... each of those stories is a goddamned jewel. -- Cory Doctorow, journalist and author of Little Brother
Meticulously pieced together, utterly thought through, Chiang's stories emerge slowly . . . but with the perfection of slow-growing crystal. -- Lev Grossman, author of The Magicians Trilogy
Chiang writes seldom, but his almost unfathomably wonderful stories tick away with the precision of a Swiss watch and explode in your awareness with shocking, devastating force. * Kirkus Reviews (Starred Review) *
He puts the science back in science fiction brilliantly. * Booklist (Starred Review) *
[Chiang] confirms that blending science and fine art at this length can produce touching works, tales as intimate as our own blood cells, with the structural strength of just-discovered industrial alloys. * Seattle Times *
Essential. You won't know SF if you don't read Ted Chiang. -- Greg Bear, author of The Way and Forge of God series
Chiang is the real deal. His debut collection, Stories of Your Life and Others is one of the finest collections of short fiction I have read in the last decade. These tales possess the imaginative frisson that is a trademark of the best conceptual fiction, but, also bespeak a confident prose style and a willingness to take chances in tone and narrative structure. -- Ted Gioia
His stories mirror the process of scientific discovery: complex ideas emerge from the measured, methodical accumulation of information until epiphany strikes. . . . The best science fiction inspires awe for the natural properties of the universe . . . Mr Chiang's writing manages all of this. * The Economist blog *
Chiang derides lazy thinking, weasels it out of its hiding place, and leaves it cowering. * Washington Post *
The stories range widely in time, subject and style but are united by a patient but ruthless fascination with the limits of knowledge. * Los Angeles Times *
Throughout all his work, though no more so than in Stories, you can feel his months of removing sentences from his stories. Perhaps that he writes so little does something good for him, or maybe it's just that he doesn't write enough. -- Choire Sicha, editor-at-large of New York Magazine
It will not take readers new to these stories very long to appreciate their quality and beauty. * https://www.sfsite.com *
I think Chiang is one of the great science fiction short story writers of all time . . . it's not often these days that I have that "What What Wow!" experience. Chiang does it for me practically every time. There's no wonder he keeps winning awards he really is just that good. I generally try not to simply burble incoherently that things are brilliant and you have to read them, but faced with stories this awesome, that's pretty much all I can do. -- Jo Walton * Tor.com *
A science fiction genius . . . Ted Chiang is a superstar. * The Guardian *

Author Bio

Ted Chiang was born in Port Jefferson, New York, and currently lives outside Seattle, Washington. In 1990 he won the Nebula Award for his first published story, 'Tower of Babylon'. Following this triumph, his stories have won him numerous other awards, making him one of the most honoured writers in contemporary SF.