3 ms·

This reminds me of the devices described in the short story "The Story of Your Life", which is the basis of the movie Arrival. Excellent, excellent story and ve

This reminds me of the devices described in the short story "The Story of Your Life", which is the basis of the movie Arrival. Excellent, excellent story and very different from the movie, if anyone's into that kind of thing.

tomduncalf 5y ago
Seconded, I’ve really enjoyed all of Ted Chiang’s books and wish he was more prolific as I’ve read them all! An excellent writer and I think his style would appeal to the HN crowd as it’s kind of sci-fi, kind of based in science, and many of his stories are quite thought provoking and unique. Also they’re all short stories so great if you struggle finding time to take on a whole book or whatever!
- paxys 5y ago
  I recently read Exhalation, and was blown away by how engaging and thought provoking the stories were. Would highly recommend it to anyone with even a passing, high-level interest in sci-fi.
  - deleted 5y ago
    [deleted]
  - tomduncalf 5y ago
    Same here. I’m quite picky when it comes to sci-fi, a lot of it I don’t really like, but he nails a really unique sweet spot where sci-fi is just the framing device used for some beautiful stories. Might reread his books next actually! Edit: I’d love any recommendations of other authors people think of when discussing his books. Doesn’t necessarily have to be the same style but more just that level of quality and uniqueness.
    - shriphani 5y ago
      The first story in Exhalation is written in the style of the Arabian Nights (Thousand and One Nights). Get the unabridged, original translation by Richard Burton - it is some of the most beautiful literature ever written - comes in 16 volumes so there will be no shortage of reading material!
      - tomduncalf 5y ago
        Awesome! Thanks very much.
        shriphani 5y ago
        And of course I feel I have to mention Richard Burton himself who led possibly the most interesting life in his time: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Francis_Burton https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Francis_Burton
    - Jommi 5y ago
      I'd love to do a Clubhouse room just chatting around his stories.
  - sangnoir 5y ago
    To those who want to read a sample of the anthology, the complete titular short story ("Exhalation") can be read online for free: https://www.lightspeedmagazine.com/fiction/exhalation/ https://www.lightspeedmagazine.com/fiction/exhalation/ It is 6552 words long.
fellowniusmonk 5y ago
I definitely got vibes of the "viewing" tech from Asimov's "The Naked Sun", always exciting to see sci-fi tech reach the real world.
- karlkloss 5y ago
  Came here to say that. Asimov was one of the few SF authors that not only imagined advanced technology, but also could see what it would do to society.
Jommi 5y ago
Literally some of the best modern short stories there is.

tomduncalf 5y ago

Seconded, I’ve really enjoyed all of Ted Chiang’s books and wish he was more prolific as I’ve read them all! An excellent writer and I think his style would appeal to the HN crowd as it’s kind of sci-fi, kind of based in science, and many of his stories are quite thought provoking and unique. Also they’re all short stories so great if you struggle finding time to take on a whole book or whatever!

paxys 5y ago
I recently read Exhalation, and was blown away by how engaging and thought provoking the stories were. Would highly recommend it to anyone with even a passing, high-level interest in sci-fi.
- deleted 5y ago
  [deleted]
- tomduncalf 5y ago
  Same here. I’m quite picky when it comes to sci-fi, a lot of it I don’t really like, but he nails a really unique sweet spot where sci-fi is just the framing device used for some beautiful stories. Might reread his books next actually! Edit: I’d love any recommendations of other authors people think of when discussing his books. Doesn’t necessarily have to be the same style but more just that level of quality and uniqueness.
  - shriphani 5y ago
    The first story in Exhalation is written in the style of the Arabian Nights (Thousand and One Nights). Get the unabridged, original translation by Richard Burton - it is some of the most beautiful literature ever written - comes in 16 volumes so there will be no shortage of reading material!
    - tomduncalf 5y ago
      Awesome! Thanks very much.
      - shriphani 5y ago
        And of course I feel I have to mention Richard Burton himself who led possibly the most interesting life in his time: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Francis_Burton https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Francis_Burton
  - Jommi 5y ago
    I'd love to do a Clubhouse room just chatting around his stories.
- sangnoir 5y ago
  To those who want to read a sample of the anthology, the complete titular short story ("Exhalation") can be read online for free: https://www.lightspeedmagazine.com/fiction/exhalation/ https://www.lightspeedmagazine.com/fiction/exhalation/ It is 6552 words long.

fellowniusmonk 5y ago

I definitely got vibes of the "viewing" tech from Asimov's "The Naked Sun", always exciting to see sci-fi tech reach the real world.

karlkloss 5y ago
Came here to say that. Asimov was one of the few SF authors that not only imagined advanced technology, but also could see what it would do to society.

Jommi 5y ago

Literally some of the best modern short stories there is.