"The Merchant and the Alchemist's Gate"
At first I was a little confused by the setting and the time it is set in. I guess a part of me thought that sci-fi = futurism. But I enjoyed it, and how unusual of a setting this was for a speculative fiction story.
The time travel in this story was interesting, and the smaller stories funny at times. I like when time travel in media is done in a way where you see that the creator thought a lot about it. I especially like to read about this type of time travel, which implies that everything is predetermined. And it opens a can of worms - from whom did Hassan know where treasure was hidden? Or: what would have happened if Ajib moved to Cairo so his younger self could not find his money? Would he not have been able to do so?
I also think that a short story is a great format for this type of time travel, since it opens so many questions and possible paradoxes. And when you have so few pages, the reader can pause and think about it, rather than have too many pages that open even more paradoxes.
and this reminded me of the Netflix series "Dark"
Exhalation (just the titular story, not the whole book)
At first, the search for what powers this sentient being reminded me of humanities steps towards understanding anatomy. And it also made me think of the beauty that human bodies possess. I saw a human heart beating in a surgery where I could watch and this was just.. stunning.
And I really liked how, in this beings' universe, the change of air pressure powered everything, and "the universes exhalation" is a beautiful expression. And made me think of how, in our world, much of our energy comes from the sun. Whether it is calories through plants and photosynthesis, or renewable energies like solar power, water power, wind power. Fossil fuels.
Really, really enjoying the two stories I read so far. I think I will take small breaks after every story, this does not feel like a book to binge-read.
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