Category: Book reviews

China Miéville is a socialist who hates Tolkien. He’s also a little scary looking. His books are worth reading, though, even if you’re a reactionary who loves Tolkien. I’ve read two of his novels, The City and the City and Embassytown. The former has an intriguing setting (two cities that share the same space, where residents of… Continue reading Translators in Space, part III: Embassytown

The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell “Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground without your Father’s permission.” (Matthew 10:29) In the not-too-distant future, an observatory in Puerto Rico picks up some chorales broadcast from the Alpha Centauri system. In response, a party of Jesuits… Continue reading Translators in Space, part 2

My first blog post! Went to see the film Arrival the other day and was predictably gratified by the centrality of a linguist/translator. A pretty good film, but if emotional violin music and soft-focus footage of babies make you cry, be prepared to exit the theater wiping your eyes and sniffling, to the alarm of… Continue reading Translators in Space