THE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER From the acclaimed author of Stories of Your Life and Others – the basis for the Academy Award nominated film Arrival – comes a groundbreaking second collection of short fiction: nine stunningly original; provocative; and poignant stories. 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 the temptation of second chances. In the epistolary ‘Exhalation’; an alien scientist makes a shocking discovery with ramifications not just for his own people; but for all of reality. And in ‘The Lifecycle of Software Objects’; a woman cares for an artificial intelligence over twenty years; elevating a faddish digital pet into what might be a true living being. Also included are two previously unpublished stories: ‘Omphalos’ and ‘Anxiety Is the Dizziness of Freedom’. In Exhalation; Ted Chiang wrestles with the oldest questions on earth – What is the nature of the universe? What does it mean to be human? – and ones that no one else has even imagined. And; each in its own way; the stories prove that complex and thoughtful science fiction can rise to new heights of beauty; meaning; and compassion.