內容簡介
內容簡介 《妳一生的預言》作者、雨果獎第一位華人得獎者Ted Chiang(姜峯楠)，最新短篇故事集，出版後隨即登上紐約時報暢銷榜。 宇宙開始時，就像是一個屏住的呼吸。 九篇令人驚豔、個性鮮明的故事，敘述關於人性最古老的大哉問，例如：自由意志、人工智慧、革命等，以及只有作者姜峯楠能想像得到的疑惑。行文流暢、不做作的寫法，反而讓每一字一句都顯得更具可信度，如同《出版家週刊》所評，出版後就終將成為經典。 The Merchant and the Alchemist’s Gate中，一個生活在巴格達的賣布商人透過時間的缺口，回到過去並且有了糾正錯誤的機會；Exhalation中，外太空的科學家找到了關於宇宙的重大發現；Anxiety Is theDizziness of Freedom中，可以窺探另一個平行宇宙的能力，引起了對於選擇和自由意志的爭議。 This much-anticipated second collection of stories is signature Ted Chiang, full of revelatory ideas and deeply sympathetic characters. 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 brand-new 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.
