Ted Chiang Reading Order
4 series · 53 books · Born 1967
Ted Chiang is a prolific American author renowned for his thought-provoking science fiction narratives. With an impressive portfolio of 53 works spanning four series, including short stories, novellas, and anthologies, he captivates readers with his unique blend of speculative ideas and rich storytelling. His most acclaimed piece, "Story of Your Life," showcases his ability to weave complex themes into compelling narratives, solidifying his status in the genre from 1990 to 2026.
Anthologies Series
Ongoing22 books (1991–2026)
Start with Isaac Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine, August 1991, the first of 22 books in the Anthologies series.
| # | Title |
|---|---|
| 1 | Isaac Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine, August 1991 1991Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 2 |  Starlight 2 1998Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 3 |  Year's Best SF 4 1999Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 4 |  Vanishing Acts 2000Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 5 |  Nebula Awards 35 (2001) 2001Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 6 |  Starlight 3 2001Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 7 | Supermen 2002Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 8 |  I premi Hugo 2002 2003Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 9 | The Hard SF Renaissance 2003Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 10 |  The Best of the Best: 20 Years of the Best Short Science Fiction Novels 2005Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 11 | Feeling Very Strange 2006Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 12 |  Year's Best SF 11 2006Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 13 | The WisCon Chronicles, Volume 1 2007Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 14 |  The Mammoth Book of Best New SF 21 2008Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 15 | The Mammoth Book of Extreme Fantasy 2008Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 16 |  Twenty-First Annual Collection 2008Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 17 |  The Thackery T. Lambshead Cabinet of Curiosities 2011Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 18 | Lightspeed Magazine, December 2012 2012Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 19 | Lightspeed Magazine, July 2016 2016Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 20 | The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction May/June 2016 2016Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 21 | Edited By 2020Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 22 |  The Penguin Book of the International Short Story 2026Buy 🇺🇸 |
Short Stories/Novellas Series
Complete11 books (1990–2019)
Start with Tower of Babylon, the first of 11 books in the Short Stories/Novellas series.
| # | Title |
|---|---|
| 1 | Tower of Babylon 1990Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 2 | Understand (in Asimov's) 1991Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 3 |  Story of Your Life (in Stories of Your Life and Others) 1998Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 4 | Seventy-Two Letters (in Vanishing Acts) 2000Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 5 | Hell Is the Absence of God 2001Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 6 |  The Merchant and the Alchemist's Gate 2007Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 7 |  The Lifecycle of Software Objects 2010Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 8 |  The Truth of Fact, the Truth of Feeling 2013Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 9 | The Great Silence 2015Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 10 | Anxiety Is the Dizziness of Freedom 2019Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 11 | Omphalos 2019Buy 🇺🇸 |
Short Story Collections Series
Complete2 books (2002–2019)
Start with Stories of Your Life and Others / Arrival and read in order.
Year's Best SF Anthology Series
Complete18 books (1996–2013)
Start with Year's Best SF, the first of 18 books in the Year's Best SF Anthology series.
| # | Title |
|---|---|
| 1 | Year's Best SF 1996Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 2 | Year's Best SF 2 1997Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 3 |  Year's Best SF 3 1998Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 4 | Year's Best SF 4 1999Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 5 |  Year's Best SF 5 2000Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 6 | Year's Best SF 6 2001Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 7 |  Year's Best SF 7 2002Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 8 | Year's Best SF 8 2003Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 9 | Year's Best SF 9 2004Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 10 |  Year's Best SF 10 2005Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 11 | Year's Best SF 11 2006Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 12 |  Year's Best SF 12 2007Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 13 | Year's Best SF 13 2008Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 14 | Year's Best SF 14 2009Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 15 |  Year's Best SF 15 2010Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 16 | Year's Best SF 16 2011Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 17 |  Year's Best SF 17 2012Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 18 |  Year's Best SF 18 2013Buy 🇺🇸 |
Frequently Asked Questions
- How many books has Ted Chiang written?
- Ted Chiang has written 53 books across 4 series. Their published works span from 1990 to 2026.
- What is the first book in each Ted Chiang series?
- Here are the first books in Ted Chiang's series: Anthologies: Isaac Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine, August 1991; Short Stories/Novellas: Tower of Babylon; Short Story Collections: Stories of Your Life and Others / Arrival; Year's Best SF Anthology: Year's Best SF.
- What order should I read Ted Chiang's books?
- We recommend reading Ted Chiang's series in publication order. Each series can be read independently.
- Is Ted Chiang still writing new books?
- Yes, Ted Chiang has 1 ongoing series: Anthologies.