From the acclaimed author of Stories of Your Life and Othersthe basis for the Academy Award nominated film Arrivalcomes a groundbreaking new collection of short fiction: nine stunningly original, provocative, and poignant stories. These are tales that tackle some of humanitys oldest questions along with new quandaries only Ted Chiang could imagine.In zThe Merchant and the Alchemists Gate,y a portal through time forces a fabric seller in ancient Baghdad to grapple with past mistakes and second chances. In zExhalation,y an alien scientist makes a shocking discovery with ramifications that are literally universal. In zAnxiety Is the Dizziness of Freedom,y the ability to glimpse into alternate universes necessitates a radically new examination of the concepts of choice and free will.Including stories being published for the first time as well as some of his rare and classic uncollected work, Exhalation is Ted Chiang at his best: profound, sympatheticrevelatory.