![]() ![]() Delany drops you right into the middle of his world, assuming you will catch up without an introduction. Fortunately, the prose carries on over and around these kinds of questions, making them easier to brush aside. I wish there had been a bit more background on some of these, however – I’m pretty unclear on why ships need a team of 12 orphan children as maintenance techs, for example. A strange dragon or lion-man here, ship navigators who must form a polyamorous three-person relationship to fulfill their duties, or genetically engineered assassins. The writing is encrusted with flourishes and filigree, both in terms of prose and in worldbuilding. ![]() These books were part of a wave of writing that laid the foundation for modern literary science fiction. While both contain a few clichés (a protagonist named “Comet Jo” or your typical barbarian style off-worlder), I think we can chalk that up to the time period in which it was written – there’s something to be said for writing in a style that will actually be published and make some money with a broad audience. I would personally recommend first reading Empire Star and following it up with Babel-17, as there is a bit of crossover that has greater impact if read in that order. It’s a fun ride, and fans of linguistics or languages will find a lot to enjoy in Babel-17 in particular. I love the atmosphere, I love the characters, and I love how unabashedly pulpy it gets at moments. Delany’s prose has won me over wholeheartedly. ![]()
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