Scan barcode
hakimbriki's review against another edition
4.0
Babel-17 is an incredible book and a superb achievement for Samuel R. Delany. Let's quickly recap what the author accomplished here.
- He created a majestic, intelligent, compelling and totally badass protagonist and incredibly endearing secondary characters.
- He makes the reader think throughout the whole book - not necessarily about the plot, which I think is pretty minimal, but about the incredible power of language and its role in human relationships.
- He managed to make language less esoteric, and FUN ! Eat your heart out, Ferdinand de Saussure!
- He blows the reader's mind when Rydra attempts to explains the concept of I and You to the Butcher.
- He introduced many language-related ideas and notions which will inspire a whole generation of authors (Neal Stephenson, China Miéville, Ursula K. Le Guin, Octavia Butler...)
I could list a dozen other accomplishments.
Babel-17 is a novel any language enthusiast should read. Though it might not be the most entertaining science fiction book of all time, Delany had the merit of building a strong novel around fascinating concepts.
Oh, and, for the record, Mr. Delany's translation of Jebel Tarik is wrong.
"Tarik, that's mountain in Old Moorish. Jebel's Mountain, maybe."
...
'Tell you some other time. Jebel could be somebody's name."
It's the other way around, sir.
Jebel (جبل) is Arabic (or Moorish) for Mountain.
Tarik is one of the most popular given names in North Africa. It also means Path, Route.
This just proves that doing research and getting the facts right was not an easy task back then. You know, before the internet.
- He created a majestic, intelligent, compelling and totally badass protagonist and incredibly endearing secondary characters.
- He makes the reader think throughout the whole book - not necessarily about the plot, which I think is pretty minimal, but about the incredible power of language and its role in human relationships.
- He managed to make language less esoteric, and FUN ! Eat your heart out, Ferdinand de Saussure!
- He blows the reader's mind when Rydra attempts to explains the concept of I and You to the Butcher.
- He introduced many language-related ideas and notions which will inspire a whole generation of authors (Neal Stephenson, China Miéville, Ursula K. Le Guin, Octavia Butler...)
I could list a dozen other accomplishments.
Babel-17 is a novel any language enthusiast should read. Though it might not be the most entertaining science fiction book of all time, Delany had the merit of building a strong novel around fascinating concepts.
Oh, and, for the record, Mr. Delany's translation of Jebel Tarik is wrong.
"Tarik, that's mountain in Old Moorish. Jebel's Mountain, maybe."
...
'Tell you some other time. Jebel could be somebody's name."
It's the other way around, sir.
Jebel (جبل) is Arabic (or Moorish) for Mountain.
Tarik is one of the most popular given names in North Africa. It also means Path, Route.
This just proves that doing research and getting the facts right was not an easy task back then. You know, before the internet.
accidentalspaceexplorer's review against another edition
2.5
This is based on the same concept as Ted Chiang's story Story of Your Life, the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis, but while I find it really compelling in Arrival & his story, I did not find it very compelling here. Part of that I think is that I've taken a linguistic anthropology class since then, & one of the things we talked about is that the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis doesn't work! For very specific tasks that you practice a lot, yes, it works, like if your language uses N/E/S/W instead of left & right for relative positioning you will be much better at determining the cardinal directions, but otherwise no. So I know it's false, which undermines the plot.
But more than that, I didn't particularly find the characters compelling. I never felt like I wanted to DNF, but I also could have stopped at any time and not cared. There was some interesting worldbuilding but it was counterbalanced for me by the random fatphobia & disgust characters would have for each other.
But more than that, I didn't particularly find the characters compelling. I never felt like I wanted to DNF, but I also could have stopped at any time and not cared. There was some interesting worldbuilding but it was counterbalanced for me by the random fatphobia & disgust characters would have for each other.
mercerhanau's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: War
Minor: Classism, Confinement, Violence, Cannibalism, Fatphobia, Grief, Medical trauma, Panic attacks/disorders, Pregnancy, Alcohol, Blood, Suicide, and Torture
shalini_gunnasan's review
5.0
I can't believe this was written in the sixties! Okay, yes, I could, the technology really dates it, because really how could anyone predict some of the cutting-edge tech we've got today, but still. The detailed explanation on language and how it influences thought processes is very true. Isn't that why people say when you learn a new language, you're actually opening the gates to a whole new world? So you're learning a whole new way of thinking, too.
Babel-17 really reminded me very strongly of the Navajo code talkers, only the Navajos were the good guys. While I was terribly disappointed that the, other aspects of the "skill" were riveting.
Also, space pirates. Come on, that's a star all by itself. Too bad they weren't featured more, they had the most outlandish war maneuvers! Good ride.
Babel-17 really reminded me very strongly of the Navajo code talkers, only the Navajos were the good guys. While I was terribly disappointed that the
Spoiler
body language reading skill is really just telepathy, bah, so overusedAlso, space pirates. Come on, that's a star all by itself. Too bad they weren't featured more, they had the most outlandish war maneuvers! Good ride.
0ri's review against another edition
challenging
fast-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.5
grayjay's review
3.0
The premise Delany is exploring in this classic Hugo and Nebula winner is that language influences thought and perception (the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis). Rydra, a linguist and poet, is recuited by her government to decipher a language that is being used by the enemy they are at war with.
Side note: there is a little silly vintage sci-fi nonsense about physically augmented spaceship pilots wrestling for prospective captains to demonstrate their piloting skills. Since pilots are linked in physically to their ships, piloting is like a wrestling match with the ship.
Side note: there is a little silly vintage sci-fi nonsense about physically augmented spaceship pilots wrestling for prospective captains to demonstrate their piloting skills. Since pilots are linked in physically to their ships, piloting is like a wrestling match with the ship.
maggie92's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
tonegroan's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5