The Judas Rose (Native Tongue) [Paperback]

Suzette Haden Elgin (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 3, 1987 | Series: Native Tongue (Book 2)

An instant cult classic, and groundbreaking forerunner to Margaret Atwood’s A Handmaid’s Tale. Native Tongue Trilogy revealed to its audiences a frightening future world where the women of Earth are once again property.

In Volume II of the trilogy, the women have at last decided to spread the language using the Roman Catholic church. But when a handful of priests discover the plot, they move to stamp it out with their own female agent, Sister Miriam Rose. But Sister Miriam has plans of her own. . . .

--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 368 pages
• Publisher: DAW; later printing edition (February 3, 1987)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0886771862
• ISBN-13: 978-0886771867
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.1 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,449,743 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Drifts, not as focused as the first book, September 27, 2003

By 

David "I read science fiction and fantasy, bu... (LAUREL, MD, United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Judas Rose (Native Tongue) (Paperback)

A "sequel" to Native Tongue, the Judas Rose does not really follow very closely on the first book's theme, and worse, does not come to much of a conclusion. A lot of loose threads are left dangling, and don't look to the third book to pick them up again -- it's even worse.

This book also severely broke my suspension of disbelief. The basic premise is that aliens are so vastly superior to Earth civilization that mankind's self-esteem would be crushed if the general public found out how primitive and savage we are compared to other intelligent races. So crushed that our own civilization would fall apart. Umm.... huh? Yes, no doubt there would be consternation and panic if we learned that Earth was a pitiful backwater compared to alien civilizations, but it isn't as if humans have never had to deal with that concept before. Many primitive tribes were traumatized by contact with Europeans, but that was more because the Europeans were predatory colonists, rather than because the "barbarians" had their cultural self-esteem shattered by learning about gunpowder and machines and science and literature. The aliens in this book pity humans but have no desire to victimize them.

The whole idea of the public not being able to handle the truth seems based on Elgin's dominant theme -- that men are in charge, and men are almost universally strutting egotists whose fragile masculinity would be shattered if they learned they are NOT, in fact, masters of the universe.

Again, this is an interesting book, but I didn't take nearly as much away from it as I did from the first, and frankly, I found this book much more annoying.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars FROM BACK COVER, March 30, 2008

By 

Avid Reader "Jim" (Columbus, Ohio USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Judas Rose: Native Tongue II (Native Tongue 2) (Paperback)

IN LANGUAGE LIES POWER!

And on a future Earth where genetically bred linguists hold the key to the planet's economic survival because only they can serve as translators between human and alien traders, language has, indeed, become the way to power. But what this future Earth's male-dominated society does not yet realize is that ordinary women as well as linguist can wield this weapon of the mind.

And while mankind vies to claim its place in an alien ruled universe, womankind strives in a unique battle back on Earth, spreading the knowledge of Laadan, the secret language of women. For in laadan lies women's one hope for regaining their freedom - and for saving all humankind!

5 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Worthy sequel, June 1, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: The Judas Rose (Native Tongue) (Paperback)

This is a worthy sequel to "Native Tongue". It is perhaps a little less innovative than the first volume, but carries on quite convincingly.