A portal through time forces a fabric seller in ancient Baghdad to grapple with past errors and the temptation of second chances; an alien scientist makes a shocking discovery with ramification not just for his own people but for all of reality; a newfound ability to glimpse into alternate universes forces a radical re-examination of the concepts of choice with free will. 

In exhalation, Ted Chiang addresses one of the most fundamental of issues, what is the nature of the universe? What does is mean to be huma? Alongside others 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.