Exhalation

A riveting collection of science fiction short stories from a master of the genre

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Exhalation

By: Ted Chiang

Narrated by: Amy Landon, Dominic Hoffman, Edoardo Ballerini, Ted Chiang

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‘Ted Chiang is one of the most exciting writers in science fiction . . . These parables are filled with hope and humanism.’ – The Daily Telegraph

From the acclaimed author of Stories of Your Life and Others – the basis for the Academy Award-winning film Arrival – comes a groundbreaking second collection of short fiction.

'Will make you think, grapple with big questions, and feel more human. The best kind of science fiction' – Barack Obama

A portal through time forces a fabric-seller in ancient Baghdad to grapple with past errors and the temptation of second chances; an alien scientist makes a shocking discovery with ramifications not just for his own people, but for all of reality; a newfound ability to glimpse into alternate universes forces a radical re-examination of the concepts of choice and free will.

In Exhalation, Ted Chiang addresses the most fundamental of issues – What is the nature of the universe? What does it mean to be human? – alongside others that no one else has even imagined. And, each in its own way, the stories prove that complex and thoughtful science fiction can rise to new heights of beauty, meaning, and compassion.

‘Deeply beautiful stories' – The New York Times 'The 10 Best Books of the Year'

‘Chiang’s writing . . . inspires awe for the natural properties of the universe; it renders the fundamentals of science poignant and affecting.’ – Economist

‘A scintillating cavalcade of ideas’ – Financial Times, 'Books of the Year'

Ted ChiangAmy LandonDominic HoffmanEdoardo BalleriniTed ChiangPicador

Accolades & Awards

Locus Award

2020

Anthologies & Short Stories

Locus Award

Science Fiction

Short Stories

Time Travel

First Contact

Genetic Engineering

Anthologies & Short Stories Locus Award Science Fiction Short Stories Time Travel First Contact Genetic Engineering

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Critic reviews

A collection of short stories that will make you think, grapple with big questions, and feel more human. The best kind of science fiction. (Barack Obama)

Beautifully written and conceived, this is a marvelous, astonishing collection that we would do well to read before the worlds it conjures are upon us. Urgently recommended. (Alan Moore)

One of the most exciting writers in science fiction . . . Although dark in premise, these parables – threaded through with references to ancient mythology and folklore – are filled with hope and humanism: a balm for anxious souls.

Deeply beautiful . . . This book is as generous as it is marvelous, and I’m left feeling nothing so much as grateful for it.

Chiang’s writing . . . inspires awe for the natural properties of the universe; it renders the fundamentals of science poignant and affecting.

A scintillating cavalcade of ideas . . . Chiang breathes new life into well-worn SF themes such as time travel, artificial intelligence and parallel universes.

Ted Chiang is a superstar . . . Every sentence is the perfect incision in the dissection of the idea at hand.

Illuminating, thrilling . . . Individual sentences possess the windowpane transparency that George Orwell advocated as a prose ideal. (Joyce Carol Oates, The New Yorker)

Chiang is a virtuoso of short fiction . . . This collection is a stunning achievement in speculative fiction, from an author whose star will only continue to rise.

Breaks down what it really means to be human

Meticulously crafted and innovative short fiction . . . Masterful and striking . . . plucks both heartstrings and gray matter in equal measure

Ted Chiang’s stories are lean, relentless, and incandescent. (Colson Whitehead)

We all know Ted Chiang is a fucking genius, but: Ted Chiang is a fucking genius. (Carmen Maria Machado)

Ted Chiang has no contemporary peers . . . His name deserves to be mentioned in the same breath as Carver, Poe, Borges, and Kafka . . . You will inhale Exhalation in a single, stunned sitting, because true genius doesn’t come along nearly as often as advertised. This is the real thing. (Blake Crouch)

Ted Chiang writes with such a matter-of-fact grace and visionary power that one simply takes on faith that his worlds and his characters exist, whether they are human or robot or parrot. (Karen Russell)

A beguiling mix of compassion and awe, worthy of comparisons to the work of Philip K. Dick . . . An immensely pleasing book

So jammed with brilliant, mind-exploding ideas it's like the author packed fireworks between the covers (NPR)

Chiang produces deeply moving drama from fascinating first premises . . . These stories are brilliant experiments, and [Chiang’s] commitment to exploring deep human questions elevates them to among the very best science fiction. (Publisher’s Weekly, starred review)

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I really enjoyed this book, the storys are fun to follow and really trigger deeper thoughts, a must read for sure.