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3.65 AVERAGE
3.65 AVERAGE
adventurous
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
challenging
hopeful
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I enjoyed this book tremendously, right up until the denouement, which was abrupt and awful. Other than that, Delany's prose was masterful and the plot was clever, though the character development was a little weak.
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Babel-17 does so many things right. It’s wildly imaginative, beautifully written, and the characters are distinct people. It’s no wonder that this book won the Nebula in 1967 and was nominated for a Hugo in the same year.
The plot went in many directions I didn’t expect, and the protagonist (Rydra Wong) takes the narrative into some interesting philosophical territory. Oh and the prot is also a strong woman… not something I would have expected from a male author writing in the 60s, but oh wait… Samuel Delaney isn’t white or straight, so there’s the daylight. Oh and Rydra’s poetry that comes between chapters is actually really good. Imagine that.
This is a smart book, but it’s also a fun adventure. That second aspect might put off some serious lit people, but then again so would the cover art. For anyone deeply or mildly interested in science fiction, especially the founding canon, Babel-17 is definitely worth a read.
Side note: one thing I love about older science fiction is how there can be so much imagination and futurism that is still impressive years later, but then in the next scene a character picks up a telephone to call someone, or packages up some documents to put in the post. Ha!
The plot went in many directions I didn’t expect, and the protagonist (Rydra Wong) takes the narrative into some interesting philosophical territory. Oh and the prot is also a strong woman… not something I would have expected from a male author writing in the 60s, but oh wait… Samuel Delaney isn’t white or straight, so there’s the daylight. Oh and Rydra’s poetry that comes between chapters is actually really good. Imagine that.
This is a smart book, but it’s also a fun adventure. That second aspect might put off some serious lit people, but then again so would the cover art. For anyone deeply or mildly interested in science fiction, especially the founding canon, Babel-17 is definitely worth a read.
Side note: one thing I love about older science fiction is how there can be so much imagination and futurism that is still impressive years later, but then in the next scene a character picks up a telephone to call someone, or packages up some documents to put in the post. Ha!
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I'm really glad I finally read this book. I've read about it in numerous papers on science fiction, but for some reason I just never reached for it. Until recently, that is.
The importance of language and linguistics is such an interesting part of the plot, and I really enjoyed how this concept was used in the novel. The scene in which Rydra tries to understand Butcher and his speech pattern, as well as teaches him about the concept of "you" and "I", and about power of words, was my favourite part of the novel, I think.
I have to admit, this is one of the novels I read mostly for the plot, not for the characters, as the only characters I actually found interesting were Butcher and Ron. And the discorporate members of the crew, of course. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed reading about Rydra assembling her crew, and about her talking to Ron about their respective relationships, but I found concepts appearing in the novel so much more interesting. Inclusion of polyamorous relationship, creation of discorporate characters, the worldbuilding in general; those are the things that made this novel so unique, the things that really caught my attention.
I really enjoy Samuel R. Delany's style of writing, and I can't wait to read more of his works.
The importance of language and linguistics is such an interesting part of the plot, and I really enjoyed how this concept was used in the novel. The scene in which Rydra tries to understand Butcher and his speech pattern, as well as teaches him about the concept of "you" and "I", and about power of words, was my favourite part of the novel, I think.
I have to admit, this is one of the novels I read mostly for the plot, not for the characters, as the only characters I actually found interesting were Butcher and Ron. And the discorporate members of the crew, of course. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed reading about Rydra assembling her crew, and about her talking to Ron about their respective relationships, but I found concepts appearing in the novel so much more interesting. Inclusion of polyamorous relationship, creation of discorporate characters, the worldbuilding in general; those are the things that made this novel so unique, the things that really caught my attention.
I really enjoy Samuel R. Delany's style of writing, and I can't wait to read more of his works.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Violence, Grief, Murder
Moderate: Fatphobia, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicide, Blood, Alcohol, War
Minor: Homophobia, Mental illness, Racial slurs, Racism, Torture, Medical content, Medical trauma