The Latest Book by One of the World’s Best Sci-Fi Writers Is on Sale for $1.99

Ted Chiang is primarily known as a writer of sci-fi short stories. Even if you don’t typically read science fiction, you probably know his work. Director Denis Villeneuve adapted Chiang’s short story “Story of Your Life” into the movie Arrival. Despite being a working writer for several decades now, Chiang has published only two story collections, one in 2002, and another in 2019. If you’re familiar with his work, it’s not hard to imagine why he publishes so infrequently: he puts an incredible amount of thought and craft into each story. These aren’t your typical sci-fi stories of exciting adventures on faraway planets. These are thoughtful pieces that take wildly far-out premises and work through what it might be like if they actually happened. Right now, you can pick up a digital copy of his most recent collection, Exhalation: Stories, for just $1.99 on most platforms, ranging from Kindle to Kobo. Exhalation: Stories doesn’t include “Story of Your Life” (that’s collected in Story of Your Life and Others), but it has nine new stories, each of which is fascinating, thought-provoking, and exciting. In “The Merchant and the Alchemist’s Gate,” a fabric seller in ancient Baghdad discov