⋙ Read Gratis Babel17 The Gregg Press Science Fiction Series Samuel R Delany Robert Scholes 9780839823285 Books

Babel17 The Gregg Press Science Fiction Series Samuel R Delany Robert Scholes 9780839823285 Books

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Babel17 The Gregg Press Science Fiction Series Samuel R Delany Robert Scholes 9780839823285 Books

I have been swept up in this 1966 novel. I'm have 20% left to read but each time I pick it up I have a harder time putting it down. There are some complex ideas presented here and a crazy future universe in which they work out. Could you believe that translating a new-found language would lead to death-defying adventure, mysterious antagonists and bizarre comrades? Those who know only one language can have little idea how multilingualism expands one's thinking and changes your view of the world. Here a language is discovered which is being used as a weapon. It is extremely concise in concepts and thought, such that switching back to one's original thought-language feels hobbling.
Rydra Wong, the central character, is a born linguist, learning several languages before most children are adept with one. But she has crippling fears and tragedies in her past. She is given an assignment to crack a military code which has stumped all others. She discovers it is actually a whole language, one that is robust but curiously lacking features that seem essential to every 'natural' language. Of course, her efforts do not endear her to the opposing military and culture, leading to many exciting adventures and, I hope, a very satisfying finale.


Tags : Babel-17 (The Gregg Press Science Fiction Series) [Samuel R. Delany, Robert Scholes] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. Rydra Wong, a poet and code expert, is asked to break a code used by an enemy government, but discovers that the code is really a super-sophisticated language,Samuel R. Delany, Robert Scholes,Babel-17 (The Gregg Press Science Fiction Series),Gregg Pr,0839823282,Science Fiction - General,Language and languages;Fiction.,Women linguists;Fiction.,Women poets;Fiction.,Fiction,Fiction Science Fiction General,Language and languages,Science Fiction,Women linguists,Women poets

Babel17 The Gregg Press Science Fiction Series Samuel R Delany Robert Scholes 9780839823285 Books Reviews

I thought I read this book in the seventies, as in the 1970s. Reading Babel-17 did not uncover any familiar themes or feelings of deja vu. That being the case the novel is either forgettable or my neurons are degenerating at a rapid pace. The punch cards mentioned in Babel date the story. In fairness to Delaney, the musings of an intellectual young adult of the mid-60s don't render as a harmonious whole to the intellect of an aging baby-boomer in January 2016.
But, where I fail perhaps another's efforts will prove rewarding. Caveat lector...
Babel-17 displays a fair amount of New Wave flair, so it can be a bit on the imaginative and figurative side, for an SF novel. Also, since the main character is a poet, it has some poetry. If I'm down on anything in the novel, it's the poetry. It's the kind of stuff a novelist writes, not a poet. The rest is very imaginative, and many of Delany's details about various languages are spot-on. The characters are very interesting, and the plot story moves along nicely. The ending feels a bit sudden, but it is the logical culmination of what he has built. If it's not completely satisfying for modern readers, it is because authors at that time often stopped just after the main resolution. They didn't tend to keep writing full and complete explanations. They simply suggested what might happen next and called it done.

I like the novel, and I recommend it to any modern SF reader who enjoys a well-written tale that's mixes equal parts fanciful and nostalgic with very well-constructed character development.
From the first page I was blown away. My version of the book had a foreword which talked about Delaney the person and how he was so young when he wrote this. Those words continued to resonate with me as I read because regardless of the age of the author, he has a masterful control of the language.
The book is very much about language and how we use it and has undertones in that language can be used to control or as a weapon. This is true of all languages. Our protagonists come to discover the subtlety of words and it gave me pause and made me reflect upon all the times I didn't choose my words wisely. So many unintended consequences arise from poor word choice. Sometimes I think the Queen's English would be much cleaner and nicer if every word had only one meaning, but then where would Shakespeare be?
No spoilers here, but I will say the only disappointment, for me, was in how neatly the book was wrapped up. That may be a 1960s thing. Not sure. But even without the tidiness of the last 10% the first 90% makes it a wonderful, thoughtful read.
Samuel R Delany's Babel-17 is a dense, sci fi classic from the mid 1960's. Humanity in the future has expanded into space finding a populated and sometimes hostile alien presence. While under attack, the military intercepts what appears to be a coded message, but cryptographers are unable to crack it. They turn to a former cryptographer who is now one of the most popular poets and a language expert. She recognizes that the message is not a code, but a unique and rich language. As she gets closer to the action, she gradually begins to decipher the language and appreciates the level of complexity to the point where certain ideas can be conveyed that are not capable of human language expression. At the same time, a devious plot is uncovered that tips the war balance.

Space flight is common and while aliens are alluded to, there is no direct interaction and little engagement. Space pirates also play a pivotal role as will as mental constructs of dead individuals. The main focus is on language and the notion that ideas and concepts can only be considered when language can present words and expressions to enable thought. In addition, Delany toys with the idea that complexity can impart more information with fewer words with a more sophisticated language. There is also the concept of identity such that lack of the word "I" leads to neglect or failure to recognize the self which was likely suggested by academic work of the bicameral mind such that intelligence could exist without consciousness. Of significance is a pushing of the boundaries of alien from the mere physical to alien mental processes.
I have been swept up in this 1966 novel. I'm have 20% left to read but each time I pick it up I have a harder time putting it down. There are some complex ideas presented here and a crazy future universe in which they work out. Could you believe that translating a new-found language would lead to death-defying adventure, mysterious antagonists and bizarre comrades? Those who know only one language can have little idea how multilingualism expands one's thinking and changes your view of the world. Here a language is discovered which is being used as a weapon. It is extremely concise in concepts and thought, such that switching back to one's original thought-language feels hobbling.
Rydra Wong, the central character, is a born linguist, learning several languages before most children are adept with one. But she has crippling fears and tragedies in her past. She is given an assignment to crack a military code which has stumped all others. She discovers it is actually a whole language, one that is robust but curiously lacking features that seem essential to every 'natural' language. Of course, her efforts do not endear her to the opposing military and culture, leading to many exciting adventures and, I hope, a very satisfying finale.