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3.65 AVERAGE
3.65 AVERAGE
the poems that begin each sections are everything :,)
babel-17 shared a lot w/ nova for me in its focus on describing forms of interstellar travel, and how a ship is operated to move through space--there's also a lot of emphasis on the crew and the roles they have, however in babel-17 the division of labor is more stratified. in both, pilots / navigators / crew members relate to the ships and their operation v corporially, however in nova it's through being plugged into the ship directly and in babel it's through the interpolation of sensory information by the discorporate crew into smthing the corporate members can perceive w/out dying lol; on that note there's a theme of sensory overload to the point of death / sensory death in each work
babel-17 shared a lot w/ nova for me in its focus on describing forms of interstellar travel, and how a ship is operated to move through space--there's also a lot of emphasis on the crew and the roles they have, however in babel-17 the division of labor is more stratified. in both, pilots / navigators / crew members relate to the ships and their operation v corporially, however in nova it's through being plugged into the ship directly and in babel it's through the interpolation of sensory information by the discorporate crew into smthing the corporate members can perceive w/out dying lol; on that note there's a theme of sensory overload to the point of death / sensory death in each work
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
it deserves more stars than I'm giving it.
It's simply outdated.
for me it was hard to read as it was hard to follow. Part of this is the creative writting style, which is not for me but I can excuse. Things just happen and it just seems to be what the plot needed. The dots are not connected in any believable way. Some parts of this sci-fi world are explained in great detail but 90% of it is simply not addressed. This happens with a fair amount of sci-fi if this age/type and they often hold a lot of great stuff so I can't say that this is a bad book. Heck I even enjoyed it, but it was a struggle and I wouldn't go out of my way to recommend it. If you've come across this on your own based on other likes, then maybe this book will be for you.
I rather take my slogging epics that give me way too much detail.
I know this was short but I'm thinking I would have enjoyed it if it was even shorter as the core points I thought were cool.
It's simply outdated.
for me it was hard to read as it was hard to follow. Part of this is the creative writting style, which is not for me but I can excuse. Things just happen and it just seems to be what the plot needed. The dots are not connected in any believable way. Some parts of this sci-fi world are explained in great detail but 90% of it is simply not addressed. This happens with a fair amount of sci-fi if this age/type and they often hold a lot of great stuff so I can't say that this is a bad book. Heck I even enjoyed it, but it was a struggle and I wouldn't go out of my way to recommend it. If you've come across this on your own based on other likes, then maybe this book will be for you.
I rather take my slogging epics that give me way too much detail.
I know this was short but I'm thinking I would have enjoyed it if it was even shorter as the core points I thought were cool.
amazing ideas, semiotics, linguistic programming, etc ... wonder to what degree this influenced William Gibson
A little immature, I think, but ample evidence of the brilliance Delany was to become is demonstrated in this small work. His restless intellect plays with the concept of language and how it shapes our selves and our perceptions, and it is a bumpy but fascinating ride. This futuristic world is peopled by brave new creatures - the products of cosmetisurgery and alien races, and the experience of this future alternative world is intriguing, and even educational. A true Science Fiction work which keeps its roots in the content, form, jargon and methodology of science, and fascinates us with the possibilities of our own time, as well as our alternative futures.
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
It was maybe a little sexist and objectifying towards women and I thought he was little too into himself. Then I found out about the NAMBLA controversy and decided I didn't care enough to finish it when there's so much good stuff out there.
adventurous
mysterious
reflective
fast-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 really liked a lot of the ideas in this book: the way the ships are piloted, the Eye, Nose and Ears, the discorparated people and Babel 17 itself. I think it's a really fascinating take on sci-fi that come at it's world building more like poetry than science.
I also liked the characters, Rydra was cool and I liked the crew, especially the chapter where they were all put together.
However where this book really fell down for me was just how confusing it was. The plot made no sense, I never felt like I knew what was going on or why things were happening. And more that that the writing itself was just impenetrable. So much meandering techno-babble mixed with waxing poetry and scenes just slid from one moment to the next with no distinction. One moment they're fighting on a spaceship, the next the pilots offering them a coffee and saying they won, the next apparently everyone's dead even though seconds ago they were winning, the next they're planning their next journey??
The conclusion also felt rushed and unsatisfying.
There was also a few problematic elements but I appreciate this is an old book and keeping that in mind the strong POC female main character and good Poly rep was actually quite impressive.
Overall I'm sad to give this book such a low rating cause I felt like it had some really unique and interesting ideas, but I just wish they had been explored and explained more.
I'm not sure I would have finished it if it wasn't a book club book but I'm glad to have read it.
I also liked the characters, Rydra was cool and I liked the crew, especially the chapter where they were all put together.
However where this book really fell down for me was just how confusing it was. The plot made no sense, I never felt like I knew what was going on or why things were happening. And more that that the writing itself was just impenetrable. So much meandering techno-babble mixed with waxing poetry and scenes just slid from one moment to the next with no distinction. One moment they're fighting on a spaceship, the next the pilots offering them a coffee and saying they won, the next apparently everyone's dead even though seconds ago they were winning, the next they're planning their next journey??
The conclusion also felt rushed and unsatisfying.
There was also a few problematic elements but I appreciate this is an old book and keeping that in mind the strong POC female main character and good Poly rep was actually quite impressive.
Overall I'm sad to give this book such a low rating cause I felt like it had some really unique and interesting ideas, but I just wish they had been explored and explained more.
I'm not sure I would have finished it if it wasn't a book club book but I'm glad to have read it.
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
A precursor to Ted Chiang's "Story of Your Life" and Denis Villeneuve's film adaptation Arrival in the way it explores the effect language has on cognition. I do wish there was more detail on the language of Babel-17 itself. The book is a fast-paced space opera in the vein of Banks' later Culture series, and while Delany's prose is inventive, he is reticent on the inner workings of his fictional language.