

In a near-future setting, Leon suffered a terrible accident and ended up in a vegetative coma. And along the way they meet the builders of the tower who have made lives and families on the tower. But in order to get inside Yahweh’s Vault, the Elamites must climb to the top. The tower has finally reached the outer walls of the Vault after generations of work. The tower, a pillar of stone so tall that you cannot see the top at the bottom, is complete.

I enjoyed each story, and I think you will too, but I will leave you with short teasers for the first two stories in this collection.Ī group of Elamite miners, famed for their skill in digging and working with stone, are brought to the Tower of Babylon to dig their way into the Vault of Heaven. Speaking for myself, I often found myself wondering, “How did he do that?” after finishing a story. So, reading a collection of short stories might be more your speed.Ĭhiang uses various topics, including mathematics and scientific subjects, to tell very moving, human stories that are a joy to read and leave you with plenty to think about afterward. I don’t always have the time or patience for it either, and I love sci-fi. Reading a 700-800 page brick of a book does not sound appealing to many readers. One common complaint I’ve heard is about how long so many sci-fi/fantasy books are. I have always enjoyed science fiction, but I can understand why many people do not. I recently finished Ted Chiang’s sci-fi short story collection Stories of Your Life and Others, an engaging, smart, and varied set of stories that stretch and contract and circle back on themselves in surprising ways.
