Question from Mr. Chiang

Mr. Chiang,

You use many religious elements in your stories. One story in particular, "Tower of Babylon," seems to be closely related to the biblical tale. Therefore, I was wondering about your own thoughts on the various aspects of religion and religious beliefs you illustrate in your stories. We discussed in class how this story could be a metaphor for the journey we each take in our own lives with respect to religion. Did you use the story for this purpose or for no religious reason at all?
Also, this may seem like an extremely silly question, but what are your personal beliefs on the existence of aliens? I know you have written about them in some of your stories, but are you writing about them as you would imagine or hope them to be or as you believe they really are? I find the subject to be fascinating, and I just wanted an actual author's perspective on the topic. Thank you for your time.

Ashley Owen