Stories of Your Life and Others

“Freedom isn't an illusion; it's perfectly real in the context of sequential consciousness. Within the context of simultaneous consciousness, freedom is not meaningful, but neither is coercion; it's simply a different context, no more or less valid than the other. It's like that famous optical illusion, the drawing of either an elegant young woman, face turned away from the viewer, or a wart-nosed crone, chin tucked down on her chest. There's no “correct” interpretation; both are equally valid. But you can't see both at the same time.”

I picked it up because of the movie and I'm very grateful for that. I would have missed out on some fantastic stories and ideas that kept me at the edge of my seat. My favorites were:

• Story of Your Life (naturally)
• Understand • Liking What You See: A Documentary • Tower of Babylon • Hell Is the Absence of God

I also enjoyed the author's notes explaining how each story came to be. This was highly neat.