Exhalation: Stories - Ted Chiang

nONE OF THE NEW YORK TIMES 10 BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR nA NATIONAL BESTSELLER n nONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR: nTHE WASHINGTON POST - TIME MAGAZINE - NPR - ESQUIRE - VOX - THE A.V. CLUB - THE GUARDIAN - FINANCIAL TIMES - THE DALLAS MORNING NEWS n nExhalation by Ted Chiang is a collection of short stories that will make you think, grapple with big questions, and feel more human. The best kind of science fiction. --Barack Obama, via Facebook n nTHE UNIVERSE BEGAN AS AN ENORMOUS BREATH BEING HELD. n nIn these nine stunningly original, provocative, and poignant stories, Ted Chiang tackles some of humanity's oldest questions along with new quandaries only he could imagine. n n 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 second chances. In Exhalation, an alien scientist makes a shocking discovery with ramifications that are literally universal. In Anxiety Is the Dizziness of Freedom, the ability to glimpse into alternate universes necessitates a radically new examination of the concepts of choice and free will. n n Including stories being published for the first time as well as some of his rare and classic uncollected work, Exhalation is Ted Chiang at his best: profound, sympathetic--revelatory.n