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3.65 AVERAGE
3.65 AVERAGE
Good but not great.
The story and the plot are interesting, but nothing more. Some of the ideas were ahead of its time.
My main issue is that the MC is very much a Mary Sue. She's an expert on everything. Anytime a problem arises, she's the one who's gonna solve it using some extremely specific bit of knowledge. Once I realize that, the book lost a lot of interest for me.
The book is also a bit pedantic at times.
Finally, the "resolution" of the book, while it made sense, also introduced a bunch of plotholes. Best not to think too much about it...
The story and the plot are interesting, but nothing more. Some of the ideas were ahead of its time.
My main issue is that the MC is very much a Mary Sue. She's an expert on everything. Anytime a problem arises, she's the one who's gonna solve it using some extremely specific bit of knowledge. Once I realize that, the book lost a lot of interest for me.
The book is also a bit pedantic at times.
Finally, the "resolution" of the book, while it made sense, also introduced a bunch of plotholes. Best not to think too much about it...
adventurous
mysterious
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:
Complicated
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
This book represents everything I love about early sci-fi. It tosses everything but the kitchen sink in, somehow still works, and is more beautiful for it. The world building alone is A+++
I didn't know "I am, and you are" could be a romantic phrase.
4 stars because, as much as I loved it, I don't think I would re-read it.
I didn't know "I am, and you are" could be a romantic phrase.
4 stars because, as much as I loved it, I don't think I would re-read it.
adventurous
challenging
funny
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Actually liked this one more than I expected to. 3.5 stars.
adventurous
challenging
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Babel-17 has a lot I look for in a sci-fi novel – adventure, some great twists, and a Sapir-Whorf informed exploration of agency and the relationship between language and thought. The protagonist, Rydra Wong, is a well known poet and, here, ship’s captain investigating an unusual linguistic phenomenon, Babel-17, being used by Invaders in attacks on Alliance targets. There are strange weapons, spies, strange stretches of space, ‘pirates’ / salvagers, and a fantastic diverse crew. This is not my first Delany book and certainly won’t be my last.
Content warnings: war, violence, gun violence, death, murder, medical content
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Gun violence, Violence, Medical content, Murder, War
book about autism.....
read in the babel-17/empire star double print edition. delightful and beautiful and perfect
5hr 8m
read in the babel-17/empire star double print edition. delightful and beautiful and perfect
5hr 8m
adventurous
challenging
informative
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Perhaps it was the formatting of my book but I found a lot of difficulty following everything. That said I appreciated how efficient the story was. So much territory covered...!