Exhalation is Ted Chiang’s second sci-fi short story anthology. His first anthology was the basis for the 2016 film Arrival.

Exhalation has nine stories set in the near future, each with its own narrative style and themes. The stories explore the intersection of technology and its impact on us as individuals and as a society, but they are not by any means dystopian in tone.

What makes Exhalation different from other sci-fi is Chiang’s meticulous construction of each story, whereby you are participating in a thought experiment, questioning yourself, ‘Is this me too?’

Of the nine stories, there were four that resonated with me the most. ‘The Merchant and the Alchemist Gate’ is a tale of time travel and past mistakes.

‘The Lifecycle of Software Objects’ follows Ana Alvardo over a 20-year period as she raises a digital pet to the level of an AI with human-like intelligence.

In ‘The Truth of Fact, the Truth of Feeling’ a journalist, through assisted technology, realises that his memories are not as factual as he would believe and that this is the reason for his daughter’s ambivalence towards him.

‘Anxiety is the Dizziness of Freedom’ explores different worlds’ interpretation of quantum mechanics, whereby using a special device, one can interact with other selves in alternate realities.

Exhalation is sci-fi at its best. Chiang truly understands our relationship with technology. While technology is an extension of us, ultimately it will be our choices that will determine where it leads us in the future. According to Chiang, that future may not be as dystopian as some would believe.

Reviewed by Teresa Lewis