Babel-17

Babel-17 by Samuel R. Delany (1966)

Set in a future world with space travel, body modification, ghost, and an intergalactic war with beings known only as “the Invaders”. The Invaders are a specter in the book; they never appear on page, only the effects of their actions. The story is about Rydra Wong, a renowned poet. Her government, the Alliance, asks her to decode messages they’ve intercepted from sites of Invader sabotage. The messages are a code they’ve never heard before, a code they’ve named Babel-17.

When we meet Rydra, she begins with correcting the Alliance’s misconception: Babel-17 isn’t a code. It’s a language. And it’s unlike any language Rydra has learned before. She’s a poet: words are her playground. Babel-17 is the most efficiet language she’s ever encountered, and she’s barely begun to scratch the surface of what it can do. She puts together a crew and goes to investigate.

There were lots of interesting ideas explored in this book, especially about language and how it affects how we think. There was a lot of jargon thrown at you. I wouldn’t mind reading it again someday. I enjoyed the story and world Delany built.

If you liked Arrival, I think you’ll like this one. It is a little dated; it’s almost 60 years old. But overall I was pleasantly surprised by it!