A tale which is ultimately about how language shapes our thoughts. That's not by any means a new concept in literary fiction or in sociolinguistics, but SF allows it to be explored in way that stretches its boundaries and makes the reader wonder just how true it is.

The plot begins as a poet and ex-codebreaker is brought in to decode a mysterious noise-like transmission related to war-like incidents. It proves to be a language so different it alters how you think. Well-written and plotted although with a vaguely disappointing end, it also makes many points about different types of relationships and social values. Delany handles all the concepts he's dealing with deftly and engagingly. A good read when I encountered it in the early 2000s; it must have been stunning at the time it appeared almost 40 years earlier. ( )

Delany almost certainly read Alfred Korzybski--several concepts in this novel come straight from general semantics.

The prose is poetic, even elegiac at times. I definitely recommend this--very impressive, when one considers its context in the history of SF. ( )

Although "Babel-17" is set in a future with starships, reanimated consciousnesses, extreme body modifications, advanced weapons, and interstellar conflict with alien cultures, it is not so much a story about any of these things as it is a story about language and understanding.

Rydra Wong, the main character, is a genius at understanding spoken languages. She can also read attitudes and at times entire trains of thought from body language. She is enlisted to decipher a new language (Babel-17), and her journey to understand the language and the mindset it implies takes her far in both space and understanding.

It's a short book, and has a nice focus to it. Delany gives a lot of detail about the characters and their communication to give the book a nice depth, but goes light enough on the details about the technology and environments that the reader's imagination can fill in the details. With very few exceptions, the low level of tecnnical detail helps avoid dating the book, which stands the test of time quite well.

Very enjoyable and a quick read, highly recommended. ( )

This book was formative for me. I read it in elementary school, and the powerful message it conveyed about how the language you know shapes the way you are able to think affects me to this day. It's science fiction, won a Nebula Award, reads more like poetry than prose at various points, and isn't for everyone - but if it's for you, it's powerful. ( )

Linguistic heroine saves the day.

One of those books where the author comes up with something a bit strange and different, especially as far as the crewing of Rydar's ship goes.

A brilliant young woman's help is needed to deal with communicate with aliens, otherwise much bloodshed.

Along with this she has to deal with military politics into the bargain.

A very cool book.

http://notfreesf.blogspot.com/2007/10/babel-17-samuel-r-delany.html ( )