Exhalation

NATIONAL BESTSELLER ONE OF THENEW YORK TIMES BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR Nine stunningly original provocative and poignant stories—two published for the very first time—all from the mind of the incomparable author of Stories of Your Life and OthersTackling some of humanity’s oldest questions along with new quandaries only he could imagine these stories will change the way you think feel and see the world. They are Ted Chiang at his best: profound sympathetic revelatory.Ted Chiang tackles some of humanity’s oldest questions along with new quandaries only he could imagine.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.