Embassytown

Miéville, China. Embassytown. UK/New York: Pan Macmillan/Macmillan, 2011. Also audiobook by Audible and reprints, for which see Wikipedia here.[1]

The thematic and science-fictional center of the novel is "Language" and issues in linguistics.[2] Still, in the premise of the novel — part of the reason for Embassytown — and crucial for the mise-en-scène — is biotechnology: as part of the infrastructure of the habitations on the planet, and for a large variety of devices that can be seen or at least put in relationship with technologized organisms, technological commodities produced by the metabolism of organisms, entities that sound — Erlich listened to the audiobook — "biolechanical," and other instances of fusion of organic and mechanical to a degree that undercuts the distinction (or deconstructs the binary).

RDE, completing, 4June10