Reading the short stories of science fiction and fantasy writer Ted Chiang feels more like reading a book of philosophy (in exceptionally creative narrative form) than the otherworldly lightness often associated with these genres (which I also enjoy, to be clear). I recently picked up a second volume of his short stories, Stories of Your Life and Others, which I enjoyed entirely as much as the first.
Unlike Philip K. Dick and Ursula LeGuin, who use their fantasy/science fiction as a social critique, Chiang writes his stories around an idea, which he helpfully explains at the end of the book. Sometimes it’s literally an idea in science, like the story about a math researcher who proves that math doesn’t work, leading to a crisis of “faith” (so to speak) in the world and how it works. Other times it’s an idea like his philosophical exploration of human beauty and its impact on our social dynamics. It’s written as the script of a documentary about a world where people can opt to use a device that masks one’s ability to decipher attractive faces, but instead sees all people’s beauty as equally. Interestingly, in this volume three of his stories have Jewish sources. Two are based on Midrash, Migdal Bavel (the Tower of Babel) and Iyov (Job), and one on the Golem.
Beyond his incredible creativity and ability to take interesting ideas and convert them into compelling fiction, is that Chiang is a fabulous writer. This is not simply reflected in the smoothness of his prose and ability to develop characters and a story, but perhaps more interestingly in how well he uses structure to tell his stories. As noted, one reads as the screenplay for a documentary, which was an ingenious approach to the topic he tackles in that story, providing multiple perspectives and high level debate. In another that explores our experience of time, he intersperses a linear with a non-linear storyline, to draw out different ways in which we understand how time operates scientifically, if not from a human perspective.
A couple of the stories are a bit out there, but even so, enjoyable and interesting. Absolutely well worth the read.
Just Because I Liked It:
- I enjoyed this episode of Conversations With Tyler, where he interviews David Brooks. Brooks is a thoughtful conservative, and always enjoyable to listen to.