NATIONAL BESTSELLER ONE OF THE NEW 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 Others Tackling 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.
