Babel-17

At twenty-six, Rydra Wong is the most popular poet in the five settled galaxies. Almost telepathically perceptive, she has written poems capturing humanity's mood after two decades of war. Since the invasion, Earth has suffered famine, plague, and cannibalism—but its greatest catastrophe will be Babel-17. Sabotage threatens the war effort. Random attacks destroy warships, weapons factories, and munitions dumps, each preceded and followed by strings of sound broadcast over radio. Rydra recognizes in this gibberish a coherent message with the beauty, persuasive power, and order of language. The military calls on her to master this strange tongue and save humanity. But as she learns more, she becomes tempted to join the other side. This ebook includes an illustrated biography of Samuel R. Delany with rare images from his early career.