Dramatic re-introduction into the world of science fiction

This was my first time reading science fiction in a long time… like, since childhood. For me, reading is mostly purely for fun, and perhaps it is partially because I do science for work that I tend to pick up books that focus on other domains. Exhalation by Ted Chiang had been sitting on my reading list for over 2 years! There are some books that just sit in my reading list for way too long that I give up on them, but I must say I am SO thankful that I ended up picking this one up. I was utterly blown away by the book.

The powerful themes

Exhalation is a collection of short stories. I’m a bit embarrased to admit that, I initially anticipated a science fiction book to be about, well, science. Perhaps the hollywood movies with space ships and cool futuristic devices left too strong an impression on me, making me think that a sci-fi book would also be largely focused on the “wow” factor of the future of technology.

In reality, the central themes I observed in Exhalation ran much deeper. The questions that the stories grapple with are not ones that are cheap and low-hanging, but deeply thought-out and profound: ones like “How do everyday tools alter the way we think at a fundamental level?”, “What is free will and does such a thing exist?”, and “Why does anything that we do matter?” Some of the stories posed analogies that brought to light entirely new ways to see the world for me. The captivating storytelling triggered strong emotions at times and left me in deep contemplation at others. The stories drew me in completely, and I absolutely relished being fully absorbed and lost in the book.

A book really changes your life, no matter how small

Some of the eye-opening themes of the book got me thinking about how, when you really think about it, an impact that a book can have on you is truly immense. It’s almost deceivingly so, considering its unassuming physical presence - just a bundle of paper with some ink! Whether it be with a new fact that you learned or a new character you related to, these things still allow us to see the world in an every so slightly new way. In turn, no matter how small, these books will have changed our lives.