Ted Chiang review – SFBRP #154

[Judy__Subscriber]

Ted Chiang’s – Stories of Your Life and Others.

Luke Burrage is struggling with Ted Chiang’s stories in this review. But his review is an interesting struggle. I got something different from Chiang’s stories and tend to like what Burrage doesn’t. What do you think?

http://www.sfbrp.com/

[FredosphereSubscriber]

Thanks for this link, Judy. I’ve only listened to half so far, but Luke’s main complaint so far seems to be that Ted Chiang writes short stories, and Luke thinks most short stories are disappointing.

[Judy__Subscriber]

Yes. I also think Luke likes action rather than the mental thought type of sci-fi; Ted Chiang is almost entirely in the mind. But such mental spaces Chiang takes us to. Chiang’s work brought me back to sci-fi…I had mostly given up on it ever being interesting again.

[TheBeerManSubscriber]

I think Ted Chiang has written the best short stories I have read in years. (I’ve only read “Stories of Your Life and Others”, and heard the Starship Sofa stuff – Merchant of Alchemist’s Gate and Exhalation).

Exhalation was engrossing. Chiang’s comment about it “I wanted to write a story where science was the hero, not scientists” gave me a new way of understanding sf.

And “Hell is the absence of God” I found fascinating. I’m not sure I agree with it and my uncertainty comes from the fact that I’m not sure I understand it and *that’s* why I think it’s a great story. Plenty to talk about for sure.

[Judy__Subscriber]

Yes, Chiang puts the science back into science fiction.

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