Embassytown

By: China Mieville

Narrated by: Susan Duerden

Length: 12 hrs and 23 mins

Publisher's summary

China Miéville doesn’t follow trends, he sets them. Relentlessly pushing his own boundaries as a writer - and in the process expanding the boundaries of the entire field - with Embassytown, Miéville has crafted an extraordinary novel that is not only a moving personal drama but a gripping adventure of alien contact and war.

In the far future, humans have colonized a distant planet, home to the enigmatic Ariekei, sentient beings famed for a language unique in the universe, one that only a few altered human ambassadors can speak. Avice Benner Cho, a human colonist, has returned to Embassytown after years of deep-space adventure. She cannot speak the Ariekei tongue, but she is an indelible part of it, having long ago been made a figure of speech, a living simile in their language.

When distant political machinations deliver a new ambassador to Arieka, the fragile equilibrium between humans and aliens is violently upset. Catastrophe looms, and Avice is torn between competing loyalties - to a husband she no longer loves, to a system she no longer trusts, and to her place in a language she cannot speak yet speaks through her.

©2011 China Mieville (P)2011 Random House

Critic reviews

“A breakneck tale of suspense...disturbing and beautiful by turns. I cannot emphasize enough how terrific this novel is. It's definitely one of the best books I've read in the past year, perfectly balanced between escapism and otherworldly philosophizing.” (io9)

“Embassytown is a fully achieved work of art…Works on every level, providing compulsive narrative, splendid intellectual rigour and risk, moral sophistication, fine verbal fireworks and sideshows, and even the old-fashioned satisfaction of watching a protagonist become more of a person than she gave promise of being.” (Ursula K. Le Guin)

“Brilliant storytelling... The result is a world masterfully wrecked and rebuilt.” (Publishers Weekly [starred review])

captivating story,

the story is very captivating, and the presentation is excellent. worth listing in to in the car.

Extremely inventive and original

Slow build up to an exciting conclusion. World and civilization building take a while to get established. However it is all worthwhile in the end.

Language isn't language

Would you consider the audio edition of Embassytown to be better than the print version?

I don't see how you could reproduce Language in a book.

What other book might you compare Embassytown to and why?

Dune

Which character – as performed by Susan Duerden – was your favorite?

The Heroine

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Not really. I've become too jaded I think.

a philosophy of language

a slow build up of seemingly innocuous character and background stories leads you to a blind cliffs edge where you fall for the exquisite trap of relevation.

A bit of "work" but worth it...great narration too

I like this kind of sci-fi: re-write the rules and setting for what is possible, yet keep us "mere humans" engaged with the parallels to our own reality (politics, community, transcending barriers, etc.). This audible book was "work" for me...a few times I thought about canceling the book and taking a credit, but there was an underlying draw to the subject matter ("language") that permeated my waking hours and I'd check in for "just a bit more" and it would lead me further down the rabbit hole. You have to pay attention! I've heard China Mieville's books could be challenging, and now I know what that means. Near the beginning of the book, I actually downloaded a sample of the Kindle book and read it the old(new) fashioned way which rekindled (yup, pun) my interest in the audible book. Something about reading it slowed down my intake of info and I enjoyed lingering on the images and style of the writer. My son told me about it and I first suggested he read it, not listen...but the narrator is so darn good (I'm now a fan). I persevered and felt very much rewarded for my "efforts". Had to go back several times if, I were listening while driving, or other hands-busy-mind-free task, I didn't pay enough attention to the story. I loved the concept and the audible reward when "language" was referred to with dual sounds--first time I heard it, it game me mental goosebumps. Grand scope of a book that covers a basic problem: communication between sentient beings. Will rest my brain and perhaps check out some of China's other books.

Lucifer falling/streaking across the immer.

Wow. I finish this and I get images of Derrida writing New Weird. I feel like a postModern Genesis has been shot, screaming into space. Lucifer falling/streaking across the immer. While not a perfect novel, Miéville is scratching out fantastic literature out of whole cloth. He is taking BIG risks. He is asking BIG questions about religion, politics, language, death, life. I think he has written some genius novels and yet I don't think he is close to draining the deep wells of his imagination.

I really wanted to like this, but alas.

I have listened to The City and the City and The Kraken and have got used to John Lee. That said, given the fantastic reviews for Susan Duerden, I really wanted to give her a chance. I could not get used to her monotonous, deadpan narration. I could barely distinguish between narration and dialogue for the most part. The double voice was really interesting, but beyond that, not so much. I don't think John Lee would have been the right narrator for this story, but I did not like Susan much. So much so, I moved to the print book to finish it. I couldn't bear the thought of having to slog through 8 more hours of this monotonous rendition to get to the end of the story.

The story was a bit dark for me. The other Mievilles I've read have seemed almost farcical, this one just seemed to get dark. I was reminded of The Mote in God's Eye in the second half of the book. I did not enjoy this as much as the others I've read. The premise of the story was interesting, I unfortunately guessed what was to come before the reveal so it was a bit spoiled for me. In the end - a lot happened in a very short period. All in all, meh!

a serious work of art

Some need to have everything explained to them with alot of action and movement. This book is like stepping into a real, working culture. It doesnt explain itself, doesnt define its idiomatic expressions or its history to the visitor like a museam exhibit, It just IS and you are left to figure it out. It is like dropping yourself into a foreign country and getting to know it without an interpreter. I loved it.

Excellent, but deceptively slow to start!

As you would expect from the China Mieville book, there are some unique and original concepts being presented here alongside the life story of Avice Benner Cho who has a profound and compelling arc. It's excellently narrated by Susan Duerden.

You'll be forgiven for thinking it has a slow start - I only realised about halfway through that Mieville had been subtly exposing me to all the information I'd need later in the book. He's an expert at presenting the reader with the complex concepts surrounding his storytelling without you even realising it. You just find yourself swept along with the story.

This one won't be for everyone - it's much heavier going than something like Kraken - but is well worth it. This is fine example of hard science fiction!

Imaginative

My wife always asks me what I'm reading (listening) and I'm usually not at a loss to tell her what a book is about. This has been the case with all of Mr. Mieville's books so far, and the more so with Embassytown. One good thing about his work is that he doesn't spend any time with set-up. He doesn't go out of his way to explain things... you have to get it from context as the book moves along. Embassytown was rough going at first, but well worth the effort to keep at it.

Having said that, Mieville is one of the most imaginative authors I've read. His command of English is remarkable and he spins a great yarn. This author has a big vocabulary and he's sent me to the dictionary more than once. One small negative: He beats the heck out of the word "palimpsest" in "Perdido Street Station".... but palimpsest is a good word and Mieville uses it very well, every time.