Well, it's time for the truth to come out. I love science fiction. There, I said it. And Ted Chiang is a genius!!!

This collection of stories presents a wide array of scenarios: some are the classic AI dystopia, but others tap into proto-Western folklore, or present a relatively plausible present day. What they all have in common is that through his stories he can make you (re)consider cool concepts such as the existence of free will, the nature of time, the role of beauty in society, or (and I admit this one was hard to grasp lol) the validity of mathematics. Also there's one on like the limits of human consciousness. Or one on like, how entropy is the ultimate physical requirement for life to occur. Does this make sense? Lol

Idk man these new worlds and realities - and the philosophical musings that ensue - really tickled my brain in a very nice way. Very well written, great pace, keeps you engaged, 11/10 would (will!) read more from him.

PS. The movie Arrival with Amy Adams as badass linguist is based on "Story of your Life" which you find in this book!

PPS. Don't be fooled by my enthusiasm this is still your classic nerdy white boy sci-fi so refrain if you don't normally vibe with the genre!!!