Babel-17The Nebula Award Winner: “By looking at a typical space opera adventure from a different angle, Delany . . . give[s] us a weird, welcoming book” (Tor.com). At twenty-six, Rydra Wong is the most popular poet in the five settled galaxies. Almost telepathically perceptive, she has written poems that capture the mood of mankind after two decades of savage war. Since the invasion, Earth has endured famine, plague, and cannibalism—but its greatest catastrophe will be Babel-17. Sabotage threatens to undermine the war effort, and the military calls in Rydra. Random attacks lay waste to warships, weapons factories, and munitions dumps, and all are tied together by strings of sound, broadcast over the radio before and after each accident. In that gibberish Rydra recognizes a coherent message, with all of the beauty, persuasive power, and order that only language possesses. To save humanity, she will master this strange tongue. But the more she learns, the more she is tempted to join the other side . . . This ebook features an illustrated biography of Samuel R. Delany including rare images from his early career. |
Other editions - View all
Common terms and phrases
Administrative Alliance Headquarters aikido Andrew Porter Armsedge Baron Baroness began brain Brass breath bubble chair Butcher Calli Captain Wong caught circle Çiribian crew cruiser Cryptography Customs Officer dark Delany Dhalgren discorporate door Dorco Dragon Dragon's Tongue eyes face fingers fist floor Fobo Forester girl glass guess hair hand happened hell HUGO AWARD hyperstasis Invaders Jebel kids language leaned light lips looked Marilyn Hacker metal mind minutes Miss Wong Mocky Mollya moved muscles Navigator Nebula Award never nodded opened pilot platoon Ratt Rydra asked Rydra Wong SAMUEL ship shook his head shoulder shrugged Slug smiled Snap sort speak Specelli spider-boat stars started stasis stopped swung T'mwarba talk tape Tarik telepathy tell There's thing thought Titin told took Transport trying turned vanadium voice walked wall watched What's whispered words