Partial thoughts on Embassytown

[sawyl]

Despite only being half way through China Miéville's Embassytown, I've already managed to have three or four discussions about its central ideas — I'm pretty sure that something is wrong with some of the fundamental details, but I'm not yet sure whether these are essential plot points or just a set of necessary assumptions required to build an intriguing world.

Ultimately, I'm not not sure that the answers to my questions matter: I love the book for its intelligence, its provocative ambition, and the joyful way it plays with the ideas its world chucks up, and I expect I'll continue to love it regardless of what may happen in the second half.