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I read "Stories of Your Life and Others" this year and it was for me the best fiction in a few years. Cognitive sci-fi, sometimes with religious themes (e.g. wh

by stared 10y ago

I read "Stories of Your Life and Others" this year and it was for me the best fiction in a few years. Cognitive sci-fi, sometimes with religious themes (e.g. what if Kabbalah were a basis for the industrial revolution). Also, quite a few stories by Ted Chiang are available online, see links in https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ted_Chiang https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ted_Chiang. EDIT: Freely accessible stories converted to mobi (the Kindle format): https://www.dropbox.com/s/wbhdyer9qfpexcm/Stories%20accessible%20online%20-%20Ted%20Chiang.mobi?dl=1 https://www.dropbox.com/s/wbhdyer9qfpexcm/Stories%20accessib...

taliesinb 10y ago
I'm reading the The Merchant and the Alchemist's Gate now. It's really great. It feels a bit like Borges, but conveniently deboned of the classical allusion a modern idiot like me can choke on.
wyager 10y ago
For me, the ultimate trifecta of high-concept sci-fi authors is Ted Chiang, Charles Stross, and Greg Egan. Every time I read one of their books I'm left dropping a constant stream of "whoa"s.
StavrosK 10y ago
I will second this, that book was fantastic. I hope the movie is as good as the story, but I don't think it will.
- stared 10y ago
  But you will go to the movie anyway, fully knowing that it will not meet your expectations... ;) (Also, free will vs time seem to be one of his favourite themes - at least two other stories are about that.)
  - StavrosK 10y ago
    > But you will go to the movie anyway, fully knowing that it will not meet your expectations... ;) Yes :( Same with the Martian. The movie was good, but the book was just fantastic.
    - stared 10y ago
      It was a very in-joke (cf.: would you conceive a daughter if.. [spoiler]). Actually, I heard that the movie is good.
      - StavrosK 10y ago
        Oh, haha, I didn't catch it at first. Good one :)
nyolfen 10y ago
'story of your life', the short story the film is based on, can be read online here: http://web.archive.org/web/20101206050220/http://guccipiggy.objectis.net/prose/storyofyourlife http://web.archive.org/web/20101206050220/http://guccipiggy....
aaron-santos 10y ago
Seventy-Two Letters is a great story. I'd absolutely love to see a Zachtronics-esque take on it too.
SonOfLilit 10y ago
If you liked his Kabbalah story, you will love http://unsongbook.com http://unsongbook.com edit: and the much shorter http://slatestarcodex.com/2014/04/03/the-study-of-anglophysics/ http://slatestarcodex.com/2014/04/03/the-study-of-anglophysi...

by stared 10y ago

taliesinb 10y ago

I'm reading the The Merchant and the Alchemist's Gate now. It's really great. It feels a bit like Borges, but conveniently deboned of the classical allusion a modern idiot like me can choke on.

wyager 10y ago

For me, the ultimate trifecta of high-concept sci-fi authors is Ted Chiang, Charles Stross, and Greg Egan. Every time I read one of their books I'm left dropping a constant stream of "whoa"s.

StavrosK 10y ago

I will second this, that book was fantastic. I hope the movie is as good as the story, but I don't think it will.

stared 10y ago
But you will go to the movie anyway, fully knowing that it will not meet your expectations... ;) (Also, free will vs time seem to be one of his favourite themes - at least two other stories are about that.)
- StavrosK 10y ago
  > But you will go to the movie anyway, fully knowing that it will not meet your expectations... ;) Yes :( Same with the Martian. The movie was good, but the book was just fantastic.
  - stared 10y ago
    It was a very in-joke (cf.: would you conceive a daughter if.. [spoiler]). Actually, I heard that the movie is good.
    - StavrosK 10y ago
      Oh, haha, I didn't catch it at first. Good one :)

nyolfen 10y ago

'story of your life', the short story the film is based on, can be read online here: http://web.archive.org/web/20101206050220/http://guccipiggy.objectis.net/prose/storyofyourlife http://web.archive.org/web/20101206050220/http://guccipiggy....

aaron-santos 10y ago

Seventy-Two Letters is a great story. I'd absolutely love to see a Zachtronics-esque take on it too.

SonOfLilit 10y ago

If you liked his Kabbalah story, you will love http://unsongbook.com http://unsongbook.com edit: and the much shorter http://slatestarcodex.com/2014/04/03/the-study-of-anglophysics/ http://slatestarcodex.com/2014/04/03/the-study-of-anglophysi...