Exhalation

I've known Chiang's work for years now (ever since listening to “Exhalation” on the EscapePod Podcast years ago) and have been a fan ever since. The movie Arrival, based on one of his short stories is a great example of how well he mixes thought-provoking science fiction with emotional themes that would ring true to most of us.


He has again delivered with this book of short-stories, with themes that would remind the reader of both Netflix's Black Mirror and Saramago. In particular, “The truth of fact, the truth of feeling” has now become my favourite short story of his:


“Digital memory will not stop us from telling stories about ourselves. As I said earlier, we are made of stories, and nothing can change that. What digital memory will do is change those stories from fabulations that emphasize our best acts and elide our worst, into ones that — I hope — acknowledge our fallibility and make us less judgmental about the fallibility of others”