Exhalation

A groundbreaking new collection of short fiction: nine stunningly original, provocative and poignant stories.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 Also included are two previously unpublished stories: ‘Omphalos’ and ‘Anxiety Is the Dizziness of Freedom’.In Exhalation, Ted Chiang wrestles with the oldest questions on earth – What is the nature of the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.

‘The best science-fiction writer of his generation.’ -- The Economist
‘Ted Chiang's stories are lean, relentless, and incandescent.' -- Colson Whitehead, author of The Underground Railroad

Ted Chiang’s fiction has won four Hugo, four Nebula, and four Locus awards, and he is the recipient of the John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer and the Theodore Sturgeon Memorial Award. His debut collection, Stories of Your Life and Others, has been translated into 21 languages. He was born in Port Jefferson, New York, and currently lives near Seattle, Washington. Ted Chiang’s fiction has won four Hugo, four Nebula, and four Locus awards, and he is the recipient of the John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer and the Theodore Sturgeon Memorial Award. His debut collection, Stories of Your Life and Others, has been translated into 21 languages. He was born in Port Jefferson, New York, and currently lives near Seattle, Washington. Edoardo Ballerini is an Italian-American actor, writer, director and film producer. He is best known for his work on screen as Corky Caporale in The Sopranos, a hot-headed chef in the indie hit Dinner Rush and an NFL businessman in the blockbuster Romeo Must Die. Edoardo was awarded the Best Male Narrator Audie award in 2013 and 2019 for Watchers by Dean Koontz and Beautiful Ruins by Jess Walter respectively. He also earned a lifetime achievement 2019 AudioFile Golden Voice award. Amy Landon is a classically trained actress and audiobook narrator with over 300 titles recorded. She has a facility in dialects, which she coaches, and is an AudioFile Earphones Award winner and Audie nominee in humour, original work and romance. She’s taught Voice & Speech at the University of Missouri: Kansas City and the Stella Adler Studio in New York City. Her voice can be heard in commercials, video games and film narration. Dominic Hoffman is a Los Angeles-based actor of stage, screen, and television. With a degree in English literature, he has appeared in such television shows as The Shield, NYPD Blue, and The Jamie Foxx Show. He attended the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts as well as the American Conservatory Theater.

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