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A review by peterkeep
Embassytown by China Miéville
4.0
Very cool. Slow, but very cool.
The Language that Mieville invents in this is interesting. Enough to carry the story, really. Avice is a fine character, but she's not really the main character. Language is. The interactions between the Hosts, Ambassadors, and Embassytowners is a really cool dynamic, and the evolution throughout the book is interesting to read about and see. Sure, there's a story here with intrigue and action and stuff, but the story is really about how the Hosts communicate, and how that's different from us.
Lots of talk of linguistics, and similes, and metaphors, and falsehoods. This is the stuff that made it slow, but also it's the meat of the book.
The Language that Mieville invents in this is interesting. Enough to carry the story, really. Avice is a fine character, but she's not really the main character. Language is. The interactions between the Hosts, Ambassadors, and Embassytowners is a really cool dynamic, and the evolution throughout the book is interesting to read about and see. Sure, there's a story here with intrigue and action and stuff, but the story is really about how the Hosts communicate, and how that's different from us.
Lots of talk of linguistics, and similes, and metaphors, and falsehoods. This is the stuff that made it slow, but also it's the meat of the book.