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Exhalation

By: Ted Chiang
Narrated by: Ted Chiang, Edoardo Ballerini, Amy Landon, Dominic Hoffman
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Publisher's summary

This much-anticipated second collection of stories is signature Ted Chiang, full of revelatory ideas and deeply sympathetic characters. 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 the temptation of second chances. In the epistolary ‘Exhalation’, an alien scientist makes a shocking discovery with ramifications not just for his own people but for all of reality. And in ‘The Lifecycle of Software Objects’, a woman cares for an artificial intelligence over 20 years, elevating a faddish digital pet into what might be a true living being. Also included are two brand-new stories: ‘Omphalos’ and ‘Anxiety Is the Dizziness of Freedom’.

In Exhalation, Ted Chiang wrestles with the oldest questions on earth - what is the nature of the universe? What does it mean to be human? - and ones 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.

©2019 Ted Chiang (P)2019 Macmillan Digital Audio
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What listeners say about Exhalation

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contains lots of content from previous books

so alas it is not as good value as I'd hoped, but still sufficiently entertaining

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Ted Chiang is the writer of writers

Outstanding stories that one could listen again and again. There are very few stories that stand as condensed as Chiang's.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Ted Chiang is great

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

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

It's boring

It's just boring. Some stories are better, some are very boring and I struggled to finish them. And I hated the voice acting even more: it sounded robotic. I wonder if those are actually human.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Simple ideas

The author does a great job of taking simple or rather well known ideas to their not so obvious conclusions- a nice sci-fi collection.

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Different

I liked the ideas and the way they are woven into stories. well worth a listen.

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    4 out of 5 stars
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Don't narrate the weird story first up

Amy Landon narrated a number of stories. And it just so happened, the next book I tried to listen to.
But she also narrated the retarded digimons in one of the first stories. And try as she might, her voice is very very similar. It was not great experience.
I would place a story like that, at the back of the book.

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Worth listening to!

I recently got introduced to his material by a writing course I'm taking, and I can say it's completely worth getting into. This book was weird, thought-provoking, and easy to engage with.

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  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars

Too long, not engaging

I struggled to finish this, some good stories, but most are rambling without any red thread.

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