Exhalation

by Ted Chiang (2019)

9/10

There may be other authors who are doing what Chiang does — cerebral and metaphysical sci-fi — but if so I don’t know them. His ability to take a novel premise and then explore seemingly every angle of its repercussions on human psychology is quite stunning; it reminds me of the serious novels of Stanislaw Lem (e.g. The Invincible, or Solaris).

But moreso than Lem, Chiang is able to craft truly complex characters that affect you emotionally, and his stories stay with you for a long time. It has been ages since I found myself thinking so deeply of a story both during and after reading.

All the stories are good but the two standout tales are the first and the last: “The Merchant and the Alchemist’s Gate” and “Anxiety is the Dizziness of Freedom.” Throughout the book Chiang is preoccupied with the free will/determinism dichotomy, and his thoughts on the topic are most piercing in these. “The Lifecycle of Software Objects” is also memorable, although it feels overlong to me, really a novella. But all three of those stories are more memorable than most short stories I’ve read over the last decade, which really speaks to Chiang’s ability to write authentic characters. And the first two mentioned are truly affecting.

Overall I would highly recommend this to just about anyone. It may be a little too contemplative for some folks, which I wouldn’t judge you for. But then again I think most of us could do with some more contemplation in our lives, so do yourself a favor and eat your spinach.