Ted Chiang was born in Port Jefferson, New York, and currently lives outside Seattle, Washington. In 1990 he won the Nebula Award for his first published story, Tower of Babylon . Following this triumph, his stories have won him numerous other awards, making him one of the most honoured writers in contemporary SF.
Shining, haunting, mind-blowing tales . . . this collection is a pure marvel. [Ted] Chiang is so exhilarating, so original, so stylish he just leaves you speechless. I always suggest a person read at least 52 books a year for proper mental functioning but if you only have time for one, be at peace: you found it. * Junot Diaz * 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 MiƩville, Guardian * Ted is a national treasure... each of those stories is a goddamned jewel. * Cory Doctorow * Meticulously pieced together, utterly thought through, Chiang's stories emerge slowly...but with the perfection of slow-growing crystal. * Lev Grossman * 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) * He puts the science back in science fiction - brilliantly. * Booklist (Starred Review) * [Chiang] 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 * Essential. You won't know SF if you don't read Ted Chiang. * Greg Bear * Chiang is the real deal. His debut collection, Stories of Your Life and Others is one of the finest collections of short fiction I have read in the last decade. These tales possess the imaginative frisson that is a trademark of the best conceptual fiction, but, also bespeak a confident prose style and a willingness to take chances in tone and narrative structure. * Ted Gioia * His stories mirror the process of scientific discovery: complex ideas emerge from the measured, methodical accumulation of information until epiphany strikes. . . . The best science fiction inspires awe for the natural properties of the universe . . . Mr Chiang's writing manages all of this. * The Economist blog * Chiang derides lazy thinking, weasels it out of its hiding place, and leaves it cowering. * Washington Post * The stories range widely in time, subject and style but are united by a patient but ruthless fascination with the limits of knowledge. * Ed Park, Los Angeles Times * Ted Chiang's stories are lean, relentless and incandescent. * Colson Whitehead * A science fiction genius . . . Ted Chiang is a superstar. * Guardian *