A review by maria_pulver
Embassytown by China MiƩville

adventurous dark inspiring reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

This is a rather unusual book: it has the coming-of-age material, and some love story, and there are aliens, and adventures, and diplomacy and war. But at the center of the story there is a language, an alien language that no single human can speak and special pairs of "ambassadors" are grown and trained to use it. I could never imagine, that Ferdinand de Saussure's linguistic theories can be turned into an interstellar adventure narrative.