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Exhalation
- Narrated by: Ted Chiang, Edoardo Ballerini, Amy Landon, Dominic Hoffman
- Length: 11 hrs and 22 mins
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Exhalation
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Summary
This much-anticipated second collection of stories is signature Ted Chiang, full of revelatory ideas and deeply sympathetic characters. In ‘The Merchant and the Alchemist’s Gate’, a portal through time forces a fabric seller in ancient Baghdad to grapple with past mistakes and the temptation of second chances. In the epistolary ‘Exhalation’, an alien scientist makes a shocking discovery with ramifications not just for his own people but for all of reality. And in ‘The Lifecycle of Software Objects’, a woman cares for an artificial intelligence over 20 years, elevating a faddish digital pet into what might be a true living being. Also included are two brand-new stories: ‘Omphalos’ and ‘Anxiety Is the Dizziness of Freedom’.
In Exhalation, Ted Chiang wrestles with the oldest questions on earth - what is the nature of the universe? What does it mean to be human? - and ones that no one else has even imagined. And, each in its own way, the stories prove that complex and thoughtful science fiction can rise to new heights of beauty, meaning and compassion.
What listeners say about Exhalation
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- David Adams
- 29-01-21
speculative fiction~☆
an enjoyable production with a diverse range of voices and stories.
especially enjoyed the author's commentary at the end of each story.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- P Quirk
- 08-02-21
Mixed bag
This collection had some ideas, some better executed than others. On the one about the computer based characters I was bored long before the end. The “big brother” style of the narrators part was tiresome and the story dragged out too long.
The parrot story was great but left me questioning that if parrots were so smart couldn’t they have figured out a way to communicate?
The “filling lungs” story was interesting but had me saying “he’s described entropy” long before the end.
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance2 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 08-01-21
excellent stories, poor narration.
Stories were really outstanding, but they were partly spoiled by the narrator. Feels like a lot of wasted potential. Nevertheless, I don't regret the purchase.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- A. C. McCrea
- 30-04-23
More science, philosophy and ethics than fiction
An excellent book for our time, as it dives into intelligent science fiction scenarios as starting points for much questioning and reflection. It is a treaty about society, relationships and choices.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- darren
- 10-08-19
good but slow
I do realise that Ted's stories can be slow over a novel, but I hoped these may have been less of a plod. several chapters were given to one arc about AI which seemed a real waste of potential, whereas others lost the plot as they meandered along.
this isn't punchy short sci-fi, but worth listening to if you're a fan
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3 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Viktoria Spittler
- 31-01-23
Magical story telling and really cool sci-fi concepts
Loved the stories in this book, each had their own style and fantastically satisfying endings. I really appreciated the short authors note at the end of each chapter where Ted Chiang explains which scientific theory has layed the foundation for each story.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- R.H.
- 20-12-23
amazing and thought provoking read
An amazing and thought provoking read. I particularly enjoyed the authors notes. Some great slow storytelling too.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Reviewer Tales
- 26-04-21
Absolutely fantastic
This was a really good! I'd had so many people recommend this book to me, and now I understand why.
Stories were very engaging. Themes were extremely clever. And the mechanism of using fiction as a way to explore the philosophical aspects of AI, parallel universes, pre-destination, etc. was flawless.
Highly recommended.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Dannehdanman
- 07-10-20
Fantastic stories
I really enjoyed this anthology. Amy Landon's reading was overly robotic for me however.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Sara
- 24-11-23
The story
The voices are appealing, the story is well structured and flowing.
A good listening experience before going to sleep.
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