The first story, "Tower of Babylon," is FANTASTIC, a fascinating speculation as to what such a construct might have been like. The last story, "Liking What You See," is also a great read. The rest were rather a disappointment. "Seventy-Two Letters" had the possibility for greatness, but it dropped w
Brian
– (about 2 months)
★★★★★
Short story collections are often a mixed bag, but I was impressed by all of these stories, especially as a beginning to a writing career. Quick thoughts from favorite to least favorite story:
Seventy-Two Letters
Awesome transposition of golem folklore into a Victorian sci-fi setting. One of my all-time favorite short stories.
Story of Your Life
I saw the film version "Arrival" first. Both it and the short are great.
Understand
Chiang takes a common sci-fi trope (humans gaining super-intelligence) and just writes a "simple", top-notch story.
Tower of Babylon
Not sure what it was, but this story hooked me. What a great setting for a story; I want more!
Liking What You See: A Documentary
Like others have said, does a very good job of pushing you back and forth on the central question of: "What if we could flip a switch and not see human beauty?"
Hell Is the Absence of God
I can see how a Christian would be offended by this story, but as a piece of fiction I found it fascinating.
The Evolution of Human Science
Not as interesting a subject as some of the others, but still a good short short story.
Division by Zero
My least favorite, but still a good story. Just didn't resonate with me like the others.