Shining, haunting, mind-blowing tales...this collection is a pure marvel. [Ted] Chiang is so exhilarating so original so stylish he just leaves you speechless. I always suggest a person read at least 52 books a year for proper mental functioning but if you only have time for one, be at peace: you found it. --Junot Diaz
Meticulously pieced together, utterly thought through, Chiang's stories emerge slowly . . . but with the perfection of slow-growing crystal. --Lev Grossman
In Chiang's hands, SF really is the 'literature of ideas' it is often held to be, and the genre's traditional sense of wonder is paramount. But though one reads Stories of Your Life with a kind of thematic nostalgia for classic philosophical SF such as that of Asimov and Theodore Sturgeon, the collection never feels dated. Partly this is because the wonder of these stories is a modern, melancholy transcendence, not the naive '50s dreams of the genre's golden age. More important, the collection is united by a humane intelligence that speaks very directly to the reader, and makes us experience each story with immediacy and Chiang's calm passion. --China Mieville
Ted is a national treasure...each of those stories is a goddamned jewel. --Cory Doctorow, BoingBoing
Confirms that blending science and fine art at this length can produce touching works, tales as intimate as our own blood cells, with the structural strength of just-discovered industrial alloys. -- Seattle Times
Chiang derides lazy thinking, weasels it out of its hiding place, and leaves it cowering. -- Washington Post
Science fiction is a genre that often works well off the page. Spaceships and robots are just as thrilling on screen as in books. But Mr Chiang's approach is irreplaceable. His stories mirror the process of scientific discovery: complex ideas emerge from the measured, methodical accumulation of information until epiphany strikes. . . . The best science fiction inspires awe for the natural properties of the universe; it renders the fundamentals of science poignant and affecting. Mr Chiang's writing manages all of this. He deserves to be more widely read.
-- The Economist, Prospero blog
Throughout all his work, though no more so than in Story of Your Life, you can feel his months of removing sentences from his stories. Perhaps that he writes so little does something good for him, or maybe it's just that he doesn't write enough.
--Choire Sicha, The Millions
Essential. You won't know SF if you don't read Ted Chiang. --Greg Bear
Newly reissued by Small Beer Press, the stories range widely in time, subject and style but are united by a patient but ruthless fascination with the limits of knowledge.
--Ed Park, Los Angeles Times
Chiang is the real deal. His debut collection, Stories of Your Life and Others is one of the finest collections of short fiction I have read in the last decade. These tales possess the imaginative frisson that is a trademark of the best conceptual fiction, but, also bespeak a confident prose style and a willingness to take chances in tone and narrative structure.
--Ted Gioia, Conceptual Fiction This collection of short stories deserves constant re-introduction. Ted Chiang narrows the broad line between fiction and science fiction by taking a scalpel to normal, transforming it in ways that will blow your mind and challenge your beliefs. It's a breathless ride.
--Capitola Book Cafe
Chiang writes seldom, but his almost unfathomably wonderful stories tick away with the precision of a Swiss watch--and explode in your awareness with shocking, devastating force.
-- Kirkus Reviews (Starred Review)
The first must-read SF book of the year.
-- Publishers Weekly (Starred Review)
He puts the science back in science fiction--brilliantly.
-- Booklist (Starred Review)
Shining, haunting, mind-blowing talesthis collection is a pure marvel. [Ted] Chiang is so exhilarating so original so stylish he just leaves you speechless. I always suggest a person read at least 52 books a year for proper mental functioning but if you only have time for one, be at peace: you found it. Junot Diaz
Meticulously pieced together, utterly thought through, Chiang s stories emerge slowly . . . but with the perfection of slow-growing crystal. Lev Grossman
In Chiang s hands, SF really is the literature of ideas it is often held to be, and the genre s traditional sense of wonder is paramount. But though one reads Stories of Your Life with a kind of thematic nostalgia for classic philosophical SF such as that of Asimov and Theodore Sturgeon, the collection never feels dated. Partly this is because the wonder of these stories is a modern, melancholy transcendence, not the naive 50s dreams of the genre s golden age. More important, the collection is united by a humane intelligence that speaks very directly to the reader, and makes us experience each story with immediacy and Chiang s calm passion. China Mieville
Ted is a national treasureeach of those stories is a goddamned jewel. Cory Doctorow, BoingBoing
Confirms that blending science and fine art at this length can produce touching works, tales as intimate as our own blood cells, with the structural strength of just-discovered industrial alloys. Seattle Times
Chiang derides lazy thinking, weasels it out of its hiding place, and leaves it cowering. Washington Post
Science fiction is a genre that often works well off the page. Spaceships and robots are just as thrilling on screen as in books. But Mr Chiang s approach is irreplaceable. His stories mirror the process of scientific discovery: complex ideas emerge from the measured, methodical accumulation of information until epiphany strikes. . . . The best science fiction inspires awe for the natural properties of the universe; it renders the fundamentals of science poignant and affecting. Mr Chiang s writing manages all of this. He deserves to be more widely read.
The Economist, Prospero blog
Throughout all his work, though no more so than in Story of Your Life, you can feel his months of removing sentences from his stories. Perhaps that he writes so little does something good for him, or maybe it s just that he doesn t write enough.
Choire Sicha, The Millions
Essential. You won t know SF if you don t read Ted Chiang. Greg Bear
Newly reissued by Small Beer Press, the stories range widely in time, subject and style but are united by a patient but ruthless fascination with the limits of knowledge.
Ed Park, Los Angeles Times
Chiang is the real deal. His debut collection, Stories of Your Life and Others is one of the finest collections of short fiction I have read in the last decade. These tales possess the imaginative frisson that is a trademark of the best conceptual fiction, but, also bespeak a confident prose style and a willingness to take chances in tone and narrative structure.
Ted Gioia, Conceptual Fiction This collection of short stories deserves constant re-introduction. Ted Chiang narrows the broad line between fiction and science fiction by taking a scalpel to normal, transforming it in ways that will blow your mind and challenge your beliefs. It s a breathless ride.
Capitola Book Cafe
Chiang writes seldom, but his almost unfathomably wonderful stories tick away with the precision of a Swiss watchand explode in your awareness with shocking, devastating force.
Kirkus Reviews (Starred Review)
The first must-read SF book of the year.
Publishers Weekly (Starred Review)
He puts the science back in science fictionbrilliantly.
Booklist (Starred Review)