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Now THIS is why I read speculative fiction. To have my mind blown by very intelligent stories that do not underestimate the reader and that force my brain to venture somewhere it doesn’t usually go. I love stories that blend themes you do not expect to work well together: when an author has the skill to mix ideas like the nature of language and time, math and theology and human perception, I’m a very happy reader indeed!

This collection by Ted Chiang had been on my radar for a while. I have only started enjoying short stories over the past couple of years. I used to get annoyed with the format, always wishing the stories would be longer so I could sink my teeth in them and explore the world a bit more deeply. But now I appreciate that a well-executed short story is like a perfect little hors d’oeuvre: it’s just one or two bites but it surprises and delights you.

Here is a short summary of my favorites:

“The Tower of Babylon� follows a builder hired to work on the famous pillar to Heaven. The workers have reached the “vault� of the sky and must now dig upwards in order to continue building. I love revisited Biblical stories, especially when they are about human intelligence and ingenuity as opposed to supernatural events, and this story pays more homage to the engineers, architects and builders of Antiquity’s great monuments than to the Divine per se. It felt to me like a newly discovered Scheherazade story.

"Understand" follows an idea similar to the one in Keyes' "Flowers for Algernon": a man is given an intelligence-enhancing hormones, but the similarity to the classic story ends there. He begins to identify patterns with remarkable speed, and his self-awareness becomes extreme. Hiding from the CIA, which he is convinced is looking for him, he begins to work on reaching what he describes as a rational enlightenment. But then he gets in touch with another person who has also been given the hormone, but who has been putting the changes to use in a very different way. It's hard to reflect on this one without spoilers, but it opens a fascinating line of thought about intelligence and compassion.

"Division by Zero" is about a mathematician who creates an equation that essentially invalidates mathematics as a whole, and subsequently goes insane, as she has just disproved the validity of her life's work. This isn’t a favorite per se, but it is still very thought-provoking and interesting.

"Stories of Your Life" is the short story the movie "Arrival" was based on (thoughts about the movie at the end*). It is a mind-blowing, intricately woven story about the nature of language, free will and time, with wondrous and bittersweet implications. A strange race of aliens makes contact with humanity; Louise Banks is a linguist selected by the feds to try and establish clear communication with them. They figure out that those aliens have two different languages, one spoken and one written, which implies and entirely different way of thinking about things and perceiving reality. As Louise becomes more and more adept at the written form of the alien language, she begins to understand her own life in a new way. I loved this story, for it's deeply human complexity and interesting reflections on linear time... and parenthood. Now I want to re-read "Embassytown". Incredible.

"Seventy Two Letters" is a steampunk exploration of the power of names, and the way automation and artificial intelligence has changed economy and the work force. In this alternate version of Victorian London, scientists have come to the conclusion that the human race will become extinct in a handful of generations, and decide to find a way to create humans in a steampunk version of what we'd call in vitro. This leads to both great and terrible possibilities, including the prospect of a eugenic manipulation of who can and cannot have children. Chiang uses this fable as a stylish reflection on science and technology used without moral barometers, or with barometers set in the wrong direction. It has many interesting ideas, but could have used some fleshing out.

"Hell is the Absence of God" is a lot to unpack, and it's probably my favorite of the collection � ex aequo with the title story. In the world of this novella, angelic visitations are a frequent occurrence, which often results in miracles and revelations, but also deaths and tragedies. The story focuses on how 3 people react to the results of such visitation. Neil lost his wife, who was what made him feel good about both life and God, and he is now angry, and desperate to find a way to be reunited with her in heaven. Janice was born with flippers where her legs should have been as the result of a visitation witnessed by her mother; but a subsequent visitation miraculously restored her legs and she now struggles to make sense of her situation. And finally, Ethan is a very devout man whose faith has always lacked a specific focus. After her legs are restored, he gets in touch with Janice in the hopes that talking to her will help him find a perspective with which to align his devotion. I love stories that speculate about Biblical stories being literal reality people must cope with. The idea of a specific set of rules that determines what happens to you if you adhere to them has always stuck me as entirely discounting the messy and imperfect world we live in, not to mention the sliding scale of human intent � and blind obedience of those rules has a tendency to create more complications than ignoring them. Chiang touches on faith, grief, humanism, the ineffability of the divine as a concept� As I said, a lot to unpack! It reminded me of Neil Gaiman's short story "Murder Mysteries" (/review/show...).

“Liking What You See: A Documentary� is a fascinating reflection of the way people judge each other based on appearances and attractiveness. Calliagnosia is a neural modification which makes the person who underwent the procedure incapable of perceiving attractiveness in others. The final story of the collection is a transcribed documentary, explaining how scientists came to identify the neurological pathways that led to perception of aesthetic beauty and found a way to block it in people, effectively creating groups of people who would never discriminate based on the attractiveness of the people they interacted with. A few months ago, I came across an article discussing the notion of attractiveness as a privilege, in the same way that race or gender can be a privilege. I think it definitely can be, and the pressure of looking good can have such nasty effects on people. We tell people how they look doesn’t matter all the time, but has there ever been a bigger lie? This story tackles the consequences of making that lie a reality, in a brilliant, subversive thought experiment. The documentary transcript format usually annoys me, but in this case, it's perfect to illustrate the subject matter effectively.

In short, any lover of speculative fiction ought to read this little collection. They are impressive, intricate, thought-provoking, emotional yet not sentimental, and rooted in rationality without being dry. Chiang truly is a master of the short story. 5 stars, even if one disappointing story and a couple of weaker ones keep this collection from being flawless. Read it anyway!


*I watched “Arrival� soon after it came out, and despite my not finding it perfect (I don’t think I’ll ever like Amy Adams in anything), it still vastly exceeded my expectations � but then, I should know better than to doubt Denis Villeneuve’s ability to make awesome movies. It was the kind of very cerebral sci-fi I live for, focusing the idea of first contact on something much more existential than simply shooting at aliens (or have them shoot at us). The short story is structured around a dual narrative, which isn't how the film goes, and I must say I preferred the short story's approach, which is more consistent with the theme. Still absolutely worth watching!