If you’re in the mood for time travel stories with a Arabian Nights flavor, you’ll love The Merchant and the Alchemist’s Gate. Ted Chiang creates a series of intertwined tales about a merchant in Baghdad who has The Gate of Years. If you enter the Gate in one way, you travel 20 years in the future. If you enter the Gate the other way, you go back in time 20 years. Chiang’s clever tales explore the essence of time. Subterranean Press published The Merchant and the Alchemist’s Gate back in 2007. It swiftly sold out and became a pricey book. I’ve seen copies going for $200 on ABE. But Subterranean Press has recently made The Merchant and the Alchemist’s Gate available as an ebook so download a copy of pure delight.
Sounds good.
Chiang’s book is very good, Jeff. But it’s been unavailable (unless you wanted to pay Big Bucks for it) since 2007 until this ebook version.
Sounds interesting. I don’t do e-books and won’t pay The Big Bucks so this one is out of reach unless the library has it. That’s what libraries are for, right? [a few moments later…] They do have it, 5 copies. I’ve put it on hold.
You’re lucky to find a library copy of THE MERCHANT AND THE ALCHEMIST’S GATE, Rick. Usually, for a rare book like this, they “disappear.”
Chiang’s collection will give you a sense of his work, though, Rick…he’s intentionally unprolific.
I’ve liked everything I’ve read by Chiang, Todd. I wish he were more prolific.
This is available on-line for free:
http://www.sfsite.com/fsf/fiction/tc03.htm
You can also hear it very nicely read:
http://freesf.blogspot.com/2008/01/merchant-and-alchemists-gate-ted-chiang.html
Chiang is a wonderful writer, who should certainly be better known.
Thanks for the links, Steve! I’m doing everything I can to make Chiang better known!