Babel-17 has a lot I look for in a sci-fi novel – adventure, some great twists, and a Sapir-Whorf informed exploration of agency and the relationship between language and thought. The protagonist, Rydra Wong, is a well known poet and, here, ship’s captain investigating an unusual linguistic phenomenon, Babel-17, being used by Invaders in attacks on Alliance targets. There are strange weapons, spies, strange stretches of space, ‘pirates’ / salvagers, and a fantastic diverse crew. This is not my first Delany book and certainly won’t be my last. 

Content warnings: war, violence, gun violence, death, murder, medical content