Short Stories

Exhalation

Exhalation

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  • Create Date：2021-03-31 11:18:59
  • Update Date：2025-09-07
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Ted Chiang
  • ISBN：1101947888
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Summary

alternate cover for this ISBN can be found here

The universe began as an enormous breath being held。

From the acclaimed author of Stories of Your Life and Others — the basis for the Academy Award-nominated film Arrival — comes a ground-breaking new collection of short fiction: nine stunningly original， provocative， and poignant stories。 These are tales that tackle some of humanity's oldest questions along with new quandaries only Ted Chiang 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。

Including stories being published for the first time as well as some of his rare and classic uncollected work， Exhalation is Ted Chiang at his best: profound， sympathetic — revelatory。

Contents:
- The Merchant and the Alchemist's Gate （2007）
- Exhalation （2008）
- What's Expected of Us （2005）
- The Lifecycle of Software Objects （2010）
- Dacey's Patent Automatic Nanny （2011）
- The Truth of Fact， the Truth of Feeling （2013）
- The Great Silence （2015）
- Omphalos （2018）
- Anxiety Is the Dizziness of Freedom （2018）

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Reviews

Melissa Smith ，

I don't normally read science fiction， but this book is making me question that decision！ I don't normally read science fiction， but this book is making me question that decision！ 。。。more

Bret Praxmarer ，

This just wasn't for me。 I did not enjoy the stories。 I read the first 3 or 4 and only moderately enjoyed the first one。 This just wasn't for me。 I did not enjoy the stories。 I read the first 3 or 4 and only moderately enjoyed the first one。 。。。more

Francisco Javier ，

Como muchos libros de relatos， no todos nos resultan igual de interesantes。 Unos nos fascinan más que otros， mientras algunos nos pueden parecer maravillosos otros nos pueden dejar fríos。 Este libro no es una excepción y tras un inicio maravilloso con un relato de viajes en el tiempo con la factura de un cuento de las Mil y una noches， encontramos buenos relatos de ciencia ficción que plantean dilemas， sobre todo los relacionados con el libre albedrío pero， en mi opinión， creo que precisamente l Como muchos libros de relatos， no todos nos resultan igual de interesantes。 Unos nos fascinan más que otros， mientras algunos nos pueden parecer maravillosos otros nos pueden dejar fríos。 Este libro no es una excepción y tras un inicio maravilloso con un relato de viajes en el tiempo con la factura de un cuento de las Mil y una noches， encontramos buenos relatos de ciencia ficción que plantean dilemas， sobre todo los relacionados con el libre albedrío pero， en mi opinión， creo que precisamente los dos relatos que ocupan más páginas del libro son los más flojos 。。。more

Sally ，

I loved a few of the stories （especially “Exhalation”）， but I got bogged down in “The Lifecycle of Software Objects” and almost never got to my favorite， “The Great Silence。”

Nancy Cohen ，

Chiang's writing is provocative and thought inducing。 I find when reading his stories that I stop frequently to ponder something he has written。 Chiang's writing is provocative and thought inducing。 I find when reading his stories that I stop frequently to ponder something he has written。 。。。more

Jenna Hildebrand ，

4。5！ It took me a bit to get into this one。 A bit of a departure from what I usually read， but I really enjoyed all of the interesting social/moral questions raised through the exploration of sci-fi realities and AI。

Thomas Ahle ，

Not as good as Stories of your Life and Others， but still worth a read。

Jason ，

Having now read his two short story collections， I can safely say Ted Chiang's work isn't for me。 I like that the plots are unexpected and imaginative。 I like that they're sciency and based on ongoing scientific discourse。 Stylistically， though， they're about as interesting as reading hard science。 I think that's the issue for me。 Short stories are an opportunity to play around with language and style in ways that would be impractical to sustain throughout a full novel。 In Exhalation as well as Having now read his two short story collections， I can safely say Ted Chiang's work isn't for me。 I like that the plots are unexpected and imaginative。 I like that they're sciency and based on ongoing scientific discourse。 Stylistically， though， they're about as interesting as reading hard science。 I think that's the issue for me。 Short stories are an opportunity to play around with language and style in ways that would be impractical to sustain throughout a full novel。 In Exhalation as well as Stories of Your Life and Others， the stories might as well have been written by some AI digient or some other character from Chiang's fictional universes。 None of them are bad stories; they're all completely average。 I think I liked "The Truth of Fact， the Truth of Feeling" （terrible title） the best because of its multilayered structure。 I also liked the very short "Dacey's Patent Automatic Nanny"， the one story where the voice is well-suited to the content。 The book ends with story notes discussing the inspiration for each story if you're into that sort of thing。 Personally， I'm not。 I don't know: other people seem to love Chiang's work。 The New York Times listed Exhalation as one of its notable books of 2019。 It was just okay for me。 I don't think I'll read any more Ted Chiang collections， but I think his stories might work well in larger anthologies。 。。。more

Lindsay B ，

A solid collection of sci-fi stories revolving around free will， in some capacity or another。 The Merchant and the Alchemist's Gate - 5 StarsArabian Nights-esque story about time traveling。 The storytelling and setting really came alive。 It was a joy to read。 Exhalation - 1。5 StarsRobot alien operates on himself。 Fantastic concept but the narration was a bit monotonous。 This story really didn't resonate with me。 What's Expected of Us - 5 StarsShort， pithy， and somewhat comical story about the me A solid collection of sci-fi stories revolving around free will， in some capacity or another。 The Merchant and the Alchemist's Gate - 5 StarsArabian Nights-esque story about time traveling。 The storytelling and setting really came alive。 It was a joy to read。 Exhalation - 1。5 StarsRobot alien operates on himself。 Fantastic concept but the narration was a bit monotonous。 This story really didn't resonate with me。 What's Expected of Us - 5 StarsShort， pithy， and somewhat comical story about the mental fallout of knowing we have no free will。 The Lifecycle of Software Objects - 3 StarsStandard story about AI's becoming sentient， what it means to be human， and when a robot stops becoming just an object。 It was a good story but nothing you haven't read before。 Dacey's Patent Automatic Nanny - 3 StarsThe story imagines what if a robotic nanny were available to Londoners in the Victorian/Edwardian eras。 How would the children turn out？ The story was fine but lacking something that I can't put my finger on。。。 maybe depth。 The Truth of Fact， the Truth of Feeling - 2 StarsA dual narrative: one narrative was in the near future （which was Black Mirror-y）; the other narrative was during colonization in Africa。 It reflects on what is truth and how recording history changes truth。 This story really didn't work for me。 The characters felt cliche and the points were belabored。 The Great Silence - 5 StarsA short story from the point of view of a parrot。 It was heartfelt and thoughtful。 Omphalos - 3。5What would the universe have to look like for young earth creationist to be right？ An interesting concept but as with a lot of these stories， the characters lack any kind of depth that makes them interesting。 Anxiety is the Dizziness of Freedom- 4 StarsWe can videochat with ourselves in parallel universes。 Very interesting concept。 The story was more flushed out than most in this collection。 I still felt that the characters feel to cliches or were unrealistic in their manners。 This collection was filled was fascinating concepts。 My one critique is that the human interactions are rather one-dimensional。 。。。more

Mauro Luengo Ramírez ，

Relatos de ciencia ficción a lo Black Mirror pero sin esa sensación inquietante que caracteriza a la serie de Charlie Brooker。 Los elementos ficticios son aquí el punto central en torno al cual se desarrolla la trama y no solo un decorado de fondo。Ted Chiang trata temas como la ética o metafísica al estilo de Borges o Asimov， pero desde una perspectiva moderna y con una prosa， casi científica y a menudo desprovista de sentimiento afectivo， casi científica。

albahb8 ，

El mercader i la porta de l'Alquimista 4。5/5Exhalació 4/5El que s'espera de nosaltres 4/5El cicle de la vida dels objectes de software 3/5La mainadera automàtica patentada Dacey 4/5La veritat dels fets， la veritat del sentiment 4，5/5El gran silenci 5/5Òmfal 4。5/5L'angoixa és el vertigen de la llibertat 5/5 El mercader i la porta de l'Alquimista 4。5/5Exhalació 4/5El que s'espera de nosaltres 4/5El cicle de la vida dels objectes de software 3/5La mainadera automàtica patentada Dacey 4/5La veritat dels fets， la veritat del sentiment 4，5/5El gran silenci 5/5Òmfal 4。5/5L'angoixa és el vertigen de la llibertat 5/5 。。。more

Philip ，

An interesting read， obviously。 Especially since Sci-Fi isn’t typically my choice。 All of the stories are thought-provoking， in their profundity。 What made the stories compelling ， at least for me， is the plausibility of them。 Yet the stories’ true impact seems to be caught up in the contemplation the stories provoke/evoke。 Do our decisions really matter？ Are there consequences to our thought and actions ？ If we could， would we change the past？ Or alter the future？ How has/ does/ will technology An interesting read， obviously。 Especially since Sci-Fi isn’t typically my choice。 All of the stories are thought-provoking， in their profundity。 What made the stories compelling ， at least for me， is the plausibility of them。 Yet the stories’ true impact seems to be caught up in the contemplation the stories provoke/evoke。 Do our decisions really matter？ Are there consequences to our thought and actions ？ If we could， would we change the past？ Or alter the future？ How has/ does/ will technology influence the circumstances in which we ‘find’ ourselves？ I would have rated the book 5-stars but at least one of the stories was excessively long and I got bored with just how odd the story turned。 There are times when the ‘science，’ whether actual or created by Chaing gives the stories a too- technical feel and for me bogged down the momentum of the narratives。 。。。more

Jennavier ，

I can't star these， because thier brilliant。 I don't know that I *enjoyed* them as such， but I'll remember them for a long time。 I can't star these， because thier brilliant。 I don't know that I *enjoyed* them as such， but I'll remember them for a long time。 。。。more

Kano ，

Cada uno de los relatos de este señor son perlas de la imaginación 。。。 siempre vale la pena :）

Aimy Wang ，

I love "Stories of Your Life， and Others"， and read it annually; I finally found the time to pick up its newer sister earlier this year， and was eager to see what new stories Ted Chiang has to offer。 There is some overlap with the deluxe edition of SOYLAO with this collection， and it gave me time to revisit my feelings when I first encountered these stories a few years ago。 Some were more interesting to me than others， but I will definitely say that each left its own impact on me， and I know for I love "Stories of Your Life， and Others"， and read it annually; I finally found the time to pick up its newer sister earlier this year， and was eager to see what new stories Ted Chiang has to offer。 There is some overlap with the deluxe edition of SOYLAO with this collection， and it gave me time to revisit my feelings when I first encountered these stories a few years ago。 Some were more interesting to me than others， but I will definitely say that each left its own impact on me， and I know for a fact that I will be internalizing them in the coming weeks and months。 As such， I may add more to my review at that point， but until then: Ted Chiang never disappoints， and I am excited to add this to my yearly reread list。 。。。more

Molly ，

What I really liked about this collection was that you could tell that each story was motivated by a specific and interesting question。 And Chiang explored them all in different ways - each story took place in a different world， some much more similar to this world than others。 Some of the stories weren't my cup of tea （especially the really unsettling ones）， but I could still appreciate what they were trying to do and the questions they were trying to answer （or the questions they were trying t What I really liked about this collection was that you could tell that each story was motivated by a specific and interesting question。 And Chiang explored them all in different ways - each story took place in a different world， some much more similar to this world than others。 Some of the stories weren't my cup of tea （especially the really unsettling ones）， but I could still appreciate what they were trying to do and the questions they were trying to answer （or the questions they were trying to pose）。 。。。more

Andy Fitzsimons ，

Interesting and thought provoking stories

Fern ，

Such a lovely thoughtful collection of stories。 Love how Ted Chiang melds ancient and cutting edge， and disrupts science fiction tropes in the best ways。 The opening story with its combination of Islam， Arabian Nights narrative structure and an exploration of time travel is an instant enchantment。 The Truth Of Fact， The Truth Of Feeling is the one I’d nitpick because it feels occasionally like a philosophical essay rather than a cohesive short story。 But i do like the idea that as soon as we lea Such a lovely thoughtful collection of stories。 Love how Ted Chiang melds ancient and cutting edge， and disrupts science fiction tropes in the best ways。 The opening story with its combination of Islam， Arabian Nights narrative structure and an exploration of time travel is an instant enchantment。 The Truth Of Fact， The Truth Of Feeling is the one I’d nitpick because it feels occasionally like a philosophical essay rather than a cohesive short story。 But i do like the idea that as soon as we learn to read we are cognitive cyborgs。 。。。more

Wilson Lim Setiawan ，

Read as part of an ethics in science and technology module。I now understand the hype behind Ted Chiang as a sci-fi writer。 His best stories are experiences as good if not better than some of the best black mirror episodes and the weaker stories still hold up without leaving me bored or wanting to skip。 Ted Chiang covers a wide range of the different facets of how our relationship with technology has evolved。If you're strapped for time， I at least recommend these 3 as must reads。1。 What's Expecte Read as part of an ethics in science and technology module。I now understand the hype behind Ted Chiang as a sci-fi writer。 His best stories are experiences as good if not better than some of the best black mirror episodes and the weaker stories still hold up without leaving me bored or wanting to skip。 Ted Chiang covers a wide range of the different facets of how our relationship with technology has evolved。If you're strapped for time， I at least recommend these 3 as must reads。1。 What's Expected of Us2。 The Lifecycle of Software Objects3。 The Merchant and the Alchemist's Gate 。。。more

Rachael Prest ，

These are more a series of thought experiments than stories。 They’re sparsely written but thought-provoking looks at how things might be in the future， or another universe。

Gustavo ，

Literatura fantástica o ciencia ficción。 En última instancia， narraciones poderosas que cuestionan el pasado o el futuro y alumbran problemas éticos de la humanidad y las consecuencias de nuestros actos。 Los relatos poseen una aire ominoso y sin duda hay pesimismo en su visión del mundo; sin embargo， Chiang sabe dotarlos de sentencias filosóficas a lo mejor optimistas que resuenan desde ya como clásicos。

Royale ，

“Experts tried to explain that human decision-making was a classical rather than quantum phenomenon， so the act of making a choice didn’t by itself cause new branches to split; it was quantum phenomena that generated new branches， and your choices in those branches were as meaningful as they ever were。” 👆🏻This book brained me。 Some stories were better than others， as is always the case in a short story collection， but overall too hard sci-fi for me。

Sascha Deng ，

some of the stories are really good

Noah Pulvermacher ，

This book is a perfect example of what great sci-fi can be。Chiang uses realistic technology as a vehicle to pose genuinely thought-provoking questions。 The short stories draw you in immediately and most stick with you long afterwards。

Wouters Rodolphe ，

A book of fiction novels。 Some great novels。 I particularly liked the one where there is a door to travel time that someone uses， trying to get richer， but in fact he gets wiser。 Easy to read and well written。

danielle ，

this was the fantastical fiction i was yearning for 🥺🤩 i don't think i've ever read science fiction so this was an excellent introduction！！ stories that stood out for me were the merchant and the alchemist's gate， the lifecycle of software objects， dacey's patent automatic nanny， the truth of fact， the truth of feeling and anxiety is the dizziness of freedom。 each of the stories was so well constructed and such a joy to read even while they confronted difficult questions on what it means to be h this was the fantastical fiction i was yearning for 🥺🤩 i don't think i've ever read science fiction so this was an excellent introduction！！ stories that stood out for me were the merchant and the alchemist's gate， the lifecycle of software objects， dacey's patent automatic nanny， the truth of fact， the truth of feeling and anxiety is the dizziness of freedom。 each of the stories was so well constructed and such a joy to read even while they confronted difficult questions on what it means to be human。 the pieces were investigative and explorative on topics fundamentally rooted in the idea of humanity， discussing memory， identity， connection， intimacy， fate， existence， purpose and meaning while remaining necessarily open ended and not prescribing any particular set of beliefs on the reader， with just a gentle nudge toward certain questions that the reader is left to form on their own。 this was a very cohesive collection of short stories that were incredibly thoughtful and extremely well written - what a delight this was to read， truly。 "nothing erases the past。 there is repentance， there is atonement， and there is forgiveness。 that is all， but that is enough。""contemplate the marvel that is existence， and rejoice that you are able to do so。" "the point is not to prove that you were right; the point is to admit you were wrong。 because all of us have been wrong on various occasions， engaged in cruelty and hypocrisy， and we've forgotten most of those occasions。 and that means we don't really know ourselves。 how much personal insight can i claim if i can't trust my memory？ how much can you？""none of us are saints， but we can all try to be better。 each time you do something generous， you're shaping yourself into someone who's more likely to be generous next time， and that matters。""we like the idea that there's always someone responsible for any given event， because that helps us make sense of the world。 we like that so much that sometimes we blame ourselves， just so that there's someone to blame。 but not everything is under our control， or even anyone's control。" 。。。more

daniel dillon ，

These stories are absolutely brilliant， cerebral and evocative at the same time。 Chiang doesn't just sketch out dramatic speculations of how new technologies might change the way we think about the world。 He really digs in to consider how our tools and tech influence the way we think about ourselves， carefully considering and crafting new ways of being that feel real even as I see the subtle influence of his craft here or there。 These stories are absolutely brilliant， cerebral and evocative at the same time。 Chiang doesn't just sketch out dramatic speculations of how new technologies might change the way we think about the world。 He really digs in to consider how our tools and tech influence the way we think about ourselves， carefully considering and crafting new ways of being that feel real even as I see the subtle influence of his craft here or there。 。。。more

Rosie ，

3。5 stars。 There were 2-3 that I thought were spectacular but the others were just fine。

Sue Myers ，

This book got a one-star because I could not finish it。 Normally I enjoy a good science fiction story， but this one was entirely too techie for me-artificial intelligence， digients， portals， bots， avatars。 All this just made my head spin。 I found myself rereading parts over again and that disrupted the "flow" of the story。 I felt that the writing was choppy and stories did not flow from beginning to end。 Probably my favorite story of the 4 that I read was the first， The Merchant and the Alchemis This book got a one-star because I could not finish it。 Normally I enjoy a good science fiction story， but this one was entirely too techie for me-artificial intelligence， digients， portals， bots， avatars。 All this just made my head spin。 I found myself rereading parts over again and that disrupted the "flow" of the story。 I felt that the writing was choppy and stories did not flow from beginning to end。 Probably my favorite story of the 4 that I read was the first， The Merchant and the Alchemist's Gate。 I did not like that it was a story within a story within a story。 This was a selection by our book club and I did appreciate our discussion。 The selector of this book pointed out that there was such humanity in the stories， which I agree with。 I liked that the problems with technology are not easy and the solving of an issue brings up other issues。 As in life， nothing is simple， as black and white。 。。。more

Mendhak ，

Really good short stories。 Each one takes an interesting concept and then runs with it into many possibilities and outcomes。

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Exhalation

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Exhalation&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Exhalation&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0