Content levels
Positive tags
Protagonist archetypes
Tropes
Synopsis
NATIONAL BESTSELLER • ONE OF THE NEW YORK TIMES BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR • Nine stunningly original, provocative, and poignant stories—two published for the very first time—all from the mind of the incomparable author of Stories of Your Life and Others Tackling some of humanity’s oldest questions along with new quandaries only he could imagine, these stories will change the way you think, feel, and see the world. They are Ted Chiang at his best: profound, sympathetic, revelatory. Ted Chiang tackles some of humanity’s oldest questions along with new quandaries only he could imagine. In “The Merchant and the Alchemist’s Gate,” a portal through time forces a fabric seller in ancient Baghdad to grapple with past mistakes and second chances. In “Exhalation,” an alien scientist makes a shocking discovery with ramifications that are literally universal. In “Anxiety Is the Dizziness of Freedom,” the ability to glimpse into alternate universes necessitates a radically new examination of the concepts of choice and free will.
Tags
Is Exhalation: Stories appropriate for my child?
Suitable for most readers 13 and up.
Intellectually sophisticated short stories exploring philosophical questions about time, consciousness, free will, and humanity through SF conceits. Content is clean with no violence, sex, or profanity—complexity is conceptual rather than graphic.
What to know going in
This book has mild violence, no sexual content, and clean language. Content notes include death and anxiety.
Publisher ages reflect reading level; our rating reflects content maturity — they can differ.
Who'll love this
Teens who love thought-provoking science fiction that explores big questions about choice, fate, and what makes us human will find these stories fascinating.