Exhalation: Stories

Is it possible to change the past to make the future better? Is it a mistake to forget about being human in favor of technology and living in a virtual world? Are recorded memories more accurate than beliefs and remembered feelings? In Chiang’s latest collection with two never-before-published short stories, Exhalation: Stories gives readers plenty to think about.

Like Generation X, with televisions and calculators, Generation Z and Millennials have had access to computers from the time they were old enough to play the simplest of games. Technology has become a fundamental part of existence, and Chiang’s stories remind us to ask if we are now a slave to computers and electronic gadgets to the extent of eschewing real relationships. Have we stopped having faith and belief in the spiritual, in favor of science and machinery? “The Lifecycle of Software Objects” and “The Truth of Fact, the Truth of Feeling” may provide the answer to these questions. “The Merchant and the Alchemist’s Gate”, “Anxiety and the Dizziness of Freedom”, and “The Lifecycle of Software Objects” throw in the subject of free-will and whether we truly control our lives, or do we let technology influence how we make decisions.

Nine fascinating and thought-provoking short stories leave you wondering if your cell phone, computer, or self-driving car really controls you. Each tale will stay with you long after you put down the book.