OK, I'm going to do something I don't usually do -- nominate two books. I honestly don't expect either of them to get "through" the process, but I'm looking at this month as a chance to introduce my friends to two of my favourite, but VERY different, series. So if even one of you takes advantage and tries one of them, I'll feel like I've succeeded.
First up, CJ Cherryh's classic Alien Contact science fiction book,
Foreigner. This is the first book in what is now a 20 book series that explores the themes of language and biology as language. The whole concept of alien language and the risks of thinking you actually understand when you don't. But taken beyond just the differences, say, between one of the Latin languages and a First Nations language, but where the alien language lacks the basic concepts of "friend" and "love" because they are biologically non-existent. And the consequences of that, and how to address those consequences and control them. I've found this both a fascinating series, and one which has forced me to look beyond my own preconceptions when dealing with different cultures.
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Originally Posted by Goodreads
The first book in C.J. Cherryh's eponymous series, Foreigner begins an epic tale of the survivors of a lost spacecraft who crash-land on a planet inhabited by a hostile, sentient alien race.
From its beginnings as a human-alien story of first contact, the Foreigner series has become a true science fiction odyssey, following a civilization from the age of steam through early space flight to confrontations with other alien species in distant sectors of space. It is the masterwork of a truly remarkable author.
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AmazonUS: $2.99
AmazonCA: $9.99CAD
The audio book is narrated by Daniel Thomas May, and it's excellent.
AudibleUS: 1 Credit or $7.49 WhisperSync
AudibleAU: 1 Credit
The book is available in Overdrive, but the ebook is sadly
not available in Australia. However, I will personally buy our two Australian regulars a copy of the US book and make it available to them in a format they can read if they have issues getting it and it's selected.
Length: 431 pages.