Showing posts with label Ann Leckie. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Ann Leckie. Show all posts
Friday, October 18, 2019
Thursday, November 19, 2015
Another Word for World, by Ann Leckie
Future Visions: Original Science Fiction Inspired by Microsoft, 2015; ~14,000 words
Rating: 4, Recommended Recommended By: SFEP
Ashiban's attempts to negotiate peace with the Sovereign of Iss get off to a bad start when someone shoots down their flyer. They try to evade pursuit, having no idea which side staged the attack.
Rating: 4, Recommended Recommended By: SFEP
Ashiban's attempts to negotiate peace with the Sovereign of Iss get off to a bad start when someone shoots down their flyer. They try to evade pursuit, having no idea which side staged the attack.
Mini-Review (click to view--possible spoilers)
Pro: At the start, Ashiban wants to negotiate a peace deal, and for most of the story, she just wants to find help, but by the end, she's found a new purpose, and so has the Sovereign.
The story develops Ashiban and the Sovereign's limits gradually. By the time they meet the settlers, we're not surprised that they get little respect and no support, with the same result from the Gidantans.
The background has been set for the fact that the Terraforming Council is the real government on the planet, and that Ashiban's people have been talking to the wrong people all along, owing to a translation error, so it's mildly satisfying when that turns out to be true.
It's nice to see a story that recognizes that computer translations systems have inherent problems. And it's very nice that the conclusion is that the Sovereign and Ashiban are going to focus on making better translators--not on stirring up a war or anything like that.
Con: A whole generation is a long time for a translation error to persist. There should have been some number of bilingual children able to clarify things. There's always someone who's super-enthusiastic about learning the other language, reading the papers and the literature, etc.
The story develops Ashiban and the Sovereign's limits gradually. By the time they meet the settlers, we're not surprised that they get little respect and no support, with the same result from the Gidantans.
The background has been set for the fact that the Terraforming Council is the real government on the planet, and that Ashiban's people have been talking to the wrong people all along, owing to a translation error, so it's mildly satisfying when that turns out to be true.
It's nice to see a story that recognizes that computer translations systems have inherent problems. And it's very nice that the conclusion is that the Sovereign and Ashiban are going to focus on making better translators--not on stirring up a war or anything like that.
Con: A whole generation is a long time for a translation error to persist. There should have been some number of bilingual children able to clarify things. There's always someone who's super-enthusiastic about learning the other language, reading the papers and the literature, etc.
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