Declare Books Supposing Babel-17
| Original Title: | Babel-17 |
| ISBN: | 0839823282 (ISBN13: 9780839823285) |
| Edition Language: | English |
| Literary Awards: | Hugo Award Nominee for Best Novel (1967), Nebula Award for Best Novel (1966) |
Samuel R. Delany
Hardcover | Pages: 192 pages Rating: 3.76 | 11699 Users | 841 Reviews
Narrative To Books Babel-17
Babel-17 is all about the power of language. Humanity, which has spread throughout the universe, is involved in a war with the Invaders, who have been covertly assassinating officials and sabotaging spaceships. The only clues humanity has to go on are strange alien messages that have been intercepted in space. Poet and linguist Rydra Wong is determined to understand the language and stop the alien threat. (Paul Goat Allen)
Define Based On Books Babel-17
| Title | : | Babel-17 |
| Author | : | Samuel R. Delany |
| Book Format | : | Hardcover |
| Book Edition | : | Anniversary Edition |
| Pages | : | Pages: 192 pages |
| Published | : | June 1st 1978 by Gregg Press (first published May 1966) |
| Categories | : | Science Fiction. Fiction |
Rating Based On Books Babel-17
Ratings: 3.76 From 11699 Users | 841 ReviewsEvaluation Based On Books Babel-17
I liked this one. I found it to be quirky, weird, fascinating and unexpected. Another arrow in the Galactic secret agent quiver quest. The exploration of language as an ultimate tool for conquering and domination was...really interesting. This one was dated, riddled with anachronisms and some retro slightly offensive views on race and gender. Not uncommon for a book conceived and written in the 60s. There is more Delany in my future.3.5ish StarsRead on kindle.A lively, interesting young novel that is very clearly written by a very young man, who is very impressed with himself. I found I wanted to like it more than I actually did - because I like what it is trying to do, both ideologically and artistically, but I'm not convinced by how it's actually done. Overall feels rather light and stilted, and I found it particularly annoying how Delany would happily lecture his readers on any subject that came to hand, despite being monumentally and
Until something is named, it doesn't exist.Does thought create language? Or does language create thought?Mind-opening science fiction about language and its power.
Only the second Delany I've read, and as with the first one, the thought that comes to mind is "what took me so long?" I've loved both - the first for its myth and poetry, and this for the ideas, the prose, the explorations of self and identity. These are hitting exactly in my wheelhouse. This is closer to straightforward science fiction than was The Einstein Intersection, but with a magic all Delany's own.Note: The rest of this review has been withdrawn due to the recent changes in Goodreads
Wow - I was expecting something sprawling and odd, like Dhalgren, or something tragic like Nova, but got a tightly-plotted, smooth adventure in space with some meaning of war and thought and language. Awesome surprise!
A fascinating exploration of linguistics theory more than a science fiction novel, Babel-17 leaves you intrigued but unsatisfied. It is arguably a fantastic intellectual experiment, but the literary enjoyments are few and far between. Still, while perhaps not a 'must read', it is definitely a 'should maybe read' for fans of sci-fi and those interested in gaining a broader understanding of the genre.
Surprisingly fresh for a SF novel written in 1966. It has a lot of interesting ideas, the main one being the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis. In fact, the whole story is based on the development of this idea and those passionate about linguistics will find a real gem within its pages. It is even more surprising that Delany was only 23 years old when he wrote it. The writing is quite enthusiastic and lyrical the main character is a poet, after all. Its also an exploration into the human mind. It lacks
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