The galaxy-wide Guild of Xenolinguists handles all cross-cultural communications by sending agents abroad to learn new languages and program translation computers. The travails of novice linguists animate these 11 stories as they face much more than simple translation work, taking on alien parasites and viruses, a mysterious and violent star-faring race, dolphin instructors, and large tyrant ants. As cultures and languages collide, first contact quickly becomes a matter of morality, galactic politics, death, and war.
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Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
Nebula-winner Finch's many fans as well as SF readers who have yet to encounter her work will welcome this collection of 10 short stories and a novella that showcase her unique contribution to the genre. Making excellent use of her graduate work in linguistics, Finch creates the Guild of Xenolinguists (later called lingsters), a formal organization devoted to translating the languages of other worlds. Much as Asimov did with the Three Laws of Robotics, Finch creatively examines the conflicts stemming from adherence to the guild's strict rules. The stories span a wide range, from First Was the Word, a brief tale setting the stage for the development of the guild, to the moving A World Waiting and A Flight of Words, which present their protagonists with morally difficult situations—tortured prisoners, conflicting religious beliefs, abortion—that hold significant contemporary resonance. A thoughtful foreword by New Wave luminary Ian Watson and an engaging afterword by Finch (Birds) discuss the linguistic theories that underlie the fiction. (Sept.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Review
“This is an insightful look at the real experience of going into space, an adventure gritty and wondrous.” —Gregory Benford, author, Galatic Center Saga series
“Finch appropriates cyberpunk notions for feminist ends, and the resultant mix alters both feminist science fiction and cyberpunk.” —Robin Roberts, author, A New Species
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
15 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A blend of strong plot and technological insight.,
By Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Guild of Xenolinguists (Hardcover)
In most science fiction novels the challenges and impossibilities of inter-species communication is overcome by the presence of a 'universal translator' - or just not mentioned. So, its intriguing to see a novel based around communication challenges - and presents a story surrounding the Guild of Xenolinguists, which helps sentient species overcome cross-communication challenges. A Guildmember is trained for years in both linguistics and culture - and these short stories center around Guild challenges and achievements, offering up detailed and complex story lines perfect for any serious science fiction collection seeking a blend of strong plot and technological insight.
Diane C. Donovan California Bookwatch
9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Language & communication,
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: The Guild of Xenolinguists (Hardcover)
As a conference interpreter,mainly working for international bodies, I found this book really hit the nail on the head: language, and the words that make one up, are just the first step, the key that allows you to move to the heart of the matter, communication. To communicate you need to understand the culture, the background and the mind-set of the "other", and to pass on a message or transfer a concept you must be sure you have formulated it according to the "other"'s parameters. This is what the lingsters do. Interpreters of course don't need or use drugs to "interface", after all we are dealing with terrestrial languages, but the whole concept of Alien languages and cultures is intriguing and fascinating. The lingster ethics are also spot on: confidentiality, no judgement, no personal involvement. I love science fiction in general but this book in particular: I will certainly look out for more and recommend it to colleagues. For sci fi fans who are not linguists: the book is a good read whether you are interested in languages or not.
6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
the definitive stories,
By
This review is from: The Guild of Xenolinguists (Hardcover)
This unites the groundbreaking series Finch has been building for over two decades. If you ever wondered how hard it would be, yet how stimulating, to communicate with aliens--this is for you.
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