Embassytown
by China Miéville · first published 2011
58% recommend29% neutral13% critical
Why HN recommends it
Science fiction about language and truly alien aliens: a species with two independent voices that can only use similes. Suits readers who want thought-provoking, philosophical sci-fi beyond the usual space opera.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
Embassytown: a city of contradictions on the outskirts of the universe. Avice is an immerser, a traveller on the immer, the sea of space and time below the everyday, now returned to her birth planet. Here on Arieka, Humans are not the only intelligent life, and Avice has a rare bond with the natives, the enigmatic Hosts - who cannot lie. Only a tiny cadre of unique human Ambassadors can speak Language, and connect the two communities. But an unimaginable new arrival has come to Embassytown. And when this Ambassador speaks, everything changes. Catastrophe looms. Avice knows the only ho
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…Arthur C. Clarke. If you're up for some thought-provoking stuff, "Stranger in a Strange Land" by Heinlein. Not the easiest read but your carve-out basically rules out "The Moon is a Harsh Mistress". "Embassytown" by China Mieville. EDIT: I forgot "Hyperion" by Dan Simmons.
on “Ask HN: What are the best Sci-Fi books you've ever read?” ↗This is more a question, in terms of Sci-Fi are people familiar with China Miéville? Perdido Street Station, Embassytown, and The City and the City are classics, Perdido Street Station might be the best fiction I have ever read. Dark stuff
on “Ask HN: What are some great books that are relatively unknown in the US?” ↗For another sci-fi novel dealing with language, I'd recommend China Mieville's Embassytown.
on “Notation as a Tool of Thought” ↗People generally mention Snowcrash when Bicameral Mind is mentioned, for a good reason - they explore bicameralism in humans and computers. Not usually mentioned is China Mieville who wrote Embassytown where an alien species with literally two heads that speak independently in similes evolve to use metaphor.
on “The “bicameral mind” 30 years on (2007)” ↗Embassytown by China Mieville. Great world-building and thought provoking. Humanity has created an embassy on a planet of giant mantis-like aliens who have a unique perspective on language. Their language is tied…
on “Ask HN: Which are the most interesting books you have read in 2022?” ↗…relatively little-known but excellent Pollen. I read some Iain Banks recently at the behest of an old friend who I introduced to science fiction over 15 years ago, but didn't find it particularly engrossing. Embassytown by China Miéville was an excellent and pithy meditation on the nature of communication, albeit longer than I would have deemed necessary.
on “Neuromancer, 30 years old this month” ↗The Essential Rene Guenon (meta-tradition). Last and First Men by Olaf Stapledon (Spinoza-inspired scifi). Embassytown by China Mieville. Past Master by R.A. Lafferty. Aesop's Fables by Roger L'Estrange, 1715 3rd ed. in 2 volumes, ~900 pages total, otherwise it's an abridged edition. Heraclitus complete fragments
on “Ask HN: What is the most influential not-technology book(s) you have ever read?” ↗Thirding The Culture series (I've only read Matter, but I loved the setting) and adding Embassytown by China Miéville.
on “Sci-Fi Novels You Should Read” ↗…would contend that the genre has moved on in a stylistic sense, but is still pretty robust: Jeff VanderMeer (The Southern Reach trilogy, Finch); Ann Leckie (The Imperial Radch trilogy); China Miéville (Embassytown) are three I can think of immediately.
on “Brian Aldiss has died” ↗…late Iain M. Banks' Culture series, Alastair Reynold's "Revelation Space" series, Neal Asher's Polity series, Cixin Liu's trilogy, many of Peter Hamilton's books and even authors such as China Miéville (Embassytown).
on “Something Is Broken in Our Science Fiction. Why Can’t We Move Past Cyberpunk?” ↗> First time in awhile I've felt that the aliens were really alien, some great ideas in there. If anyone is looking for very alien aliens, give Embassytown by China Miéville a read.
on “The Most Abandoned Books on GoodReads (2019)” ↗I'd highly recommend Embassytown. The interpreter has to deal with a species that has two heads that communicate seemingly independently - bicameral mind indeed!
on “The Origin of Consciousness in the Breakdown of the Bicameral Mind (1976)” ↗It's a big category. In the last year, two of my favorite reads were Children Of Time and it's sequels (Adrian Tchaikovsky) and Embassytown (China Mieville). I also really enjoyed reading the Lilith's Brood series (Octavia Butler). All three of these present a more nuanced look at humanity's interaction with alien intelligence
on “Mathematicians Found 12,000 Solutions to the Notoriously Hard Three-Body Problem” ↗Definitely read Embassytown by China Mieville. I'll second the Cixin Liu rec (though his series is divisive), and also recommend Philip K Dick.
on “Interviewing Tim Sweeney and Neal Stephenson” ↗Embassytown, also by China Miéville, is traditional sci-fi and really good as well.
on “Sci-fi books that you may never have heard of, but definitely should read” ↗