"Blend[s] absorbing storytelling with meditations on the universe, being, time and space. . . . raises questions about the nature of reality and what it is to be human."--The New York Times

"Shines with a brutal, minimalist elegance. Every sentence is the perfect incision in the dissection of the idea at hand."--The Guardian

"Meticulously pieced together, utterly thought through, Chiang's stories emerge slowly . . . but with the perfection of slow-growing crystal."--Lev Grossman, Best of the Decade: Science Fiction and Fantasy, Techland

"Ted Chiang is one of the best and smartest writers working today. If you don't know his name, let's fix that. Now."--Karen Joy Fowler, author of We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves

"Ted Chiang astonishes. You must read him."--Kelly Link, author of Get in Trouble

"United by a humane intelligence that speaks very directly to the reader, and makes us experience each story with immediacy and Chiang's calm passion."--China Mieville, The Guardian

"Ted is a national treasure . . . each of those stories is a goddamned jewel."--Cory Doctorow, BoingBoing

"Confirms that blending science and fine art at this length can produce touching works, tales as intimate as our own blood cells, with the structural strength of just-discovered industrial alloys."--Seattle Times

"Chiang derides lazy thinking, weasels it out of its hiding place, and leaves it cowering."--Washington Post

"Essential. You won't know SF if you don't read Ted Chiang."--Greg Bear

"Chiang writes seldom, but his almost unfathomably wonderful stories tick away with the precision of a Swiss watch--and explode in your awareness with shocking, devastating force."--Kirkus Reviews (starred Review)

"The first must-read SF book of the year."--Publishers Weekly (starred Review)

"He puts the science back in science fiction--brilliantly."--Booklist (starred Review)