Science Fiction: Why Ted Chiang`s "Exhalation" Belongs Into Any Serious Library Of Contemporary Literature

 (Drivebycuriosity) - Ted Chiang belongs to my favorite contemporary science fiction authors  (here my list of favorites ). While many scifi authors write serial novels to make a living specializes the Chinese-American  in short stories & novellas and publishes them infrequently. In the past 28 years, he’s released 17 short stories and novellas (gq.com). The frugality seems to support the quality, Chiang collected a lot prestigious awards and his novella "Story of Your Live" was turned into the movie "Arrival". Recently Chiang published his second book: "Exhalation" ( amazon).  This book is again a collection of short stories like the first book "Stories of Your Life and Others" from 2002.

"Exhalation"  isn´t quite as strong as "Stories of Your Life", which is outstanding. I missed the wow-effect of "Tower of  Babylon", the genius of "Story of Your Live", the weird humor of "Hell is the Absence of God" and the magic & thrill of  "Seventy-Two Letters", but Chiang`s new book is still ahead of the competition. The anthology is a masterpiece of modern hard science fiction, more Franz Kafka than Jules Verne. The 9 short stories & novellas - covering a spectrum of scifi sub-genres - are brilliant thought experiments blending pure logic with entertainment & philosophy. Chiang belongs to the few talents who can translate cutting edge physics into gripping stories.


"Anxiety is the Dizziness of Freedom" is my favorite.  In a near term future people can communicate with parallel universes and talk with their selves in other timelines thanks to devices run by quantum physics. Chiang used contemporary physics - including quantum mechanic phenomena, probability & many-worlds theory  - to create a fascinating tale about decision making, fate and more. He described plausible how these alleged quantum phenomena work and how they affect human emotions and behavior. Chiang`s precise but readable style reminded me of Steve Hawkings` "A Brief History of Time" and Nancy Kress`brilliant "Probability Moon" trilogy.  

I also enjoyed the other stories, including "Exhalation", which is set in a bizarre universe inhabited by people who have an extremely different metabolism. Again Chiang used basic laws of physics (I don´t tell which, this is spoiler free blog) and bend them into a kafkaesk tale.

The novella "The Lifecycle of Software Objects" is set in a near term future and follows software engineers who develop and sell cute artificial intelligence, virtual pets who are able to learn and to evolve. The story tells how developers and owners interact with these artificial beings and how these relationships influence their lives. The analytical but also emotional plot is a fascinating speculation about AIs and their role in the near future.   

"Omphallos" is set in a parallel universe where the fundamental Christian believe in the fable of creationism seems to be backed by science.

"Exhalation" is not only top-notch science fiction, the anthology belongs into any serious library of contemporary literature.