Order of Ted Chiang Books

Ted Chiang is a Chinese-American science ficiton writer. He is perhaps best known for his short story Stories of Your Life which became the hit film Arrival. That short story won both a Nebula Award and a Theodore Sturgeon Award after it’s release. He has written numerous other short stories and novellas that have been recognized for awards including the Nebula and Hugo Awards.

Both of Chiang’s parents were born in China. They immigrated to Taiwan and later the United States where Ted was born. Chiang then went to Brown University where he graduated with a computer science degree. He would work in the software industry as a technical writer while writing fiction on the side.

Publication Order of Short Stories/Novellas

Publication Order of Short Story Collections

Publication Order of Anthologies

If You Like Ted Chiang Books, You’ll Love…

• Philip K. Dick
• Neal Stephenson
• Ursula K. Le Guin

For a great collector of Chiang’s stories, check out Stories of Your Life and Others. This book features nine of Chiang’s classic tales, including the story mentioned in the title that became the basis for the hit film Arrival. Chiang’s stories are told with sharp intelligence and humor, and examine what it means to be alive in this world of beauty, wonder, and uncertainty. In addition to that story, it also includes Hell is the Absence of God. This is one of his most fantastical and imaginative stories that covers a world in which the existence of God and angels is obvious and known to all.

The Merchant and the Alchemist’s Gate is another one of Chiang’s classic stories. This book heads to medieval Baghdad where a poor man is brought before the most powerful man in the world to tell his story. The story includes many twists and turns, and dabbles in time travel with the ultimate message about the will of Allah and how it must be accepted, no matter what form it takes.