okay embassytown by china miellville is coming to it's conclusion and reads like william burroughs in space, it's an extravagant fiction yet entirely believable, as the hordes of hosts are driven towards self destruction and violence from their eden like existence after human contact and the diplomatic attempts to communicate. i really hope this wins the booker prize or something, it will give science fiction a well deserved acknowledgement as a literary form, rather than a fringe one. it's a complex story and starts with an intricate look at language, communication, symbology and what it would mean in context of an alien civilization and the ramifications of when a well meaning mission can go terribly wrong. quite brilliant, although if i had one critism, it would be the editing of the book, something not quite scanning, but it's a minor commebt and does not take away anything from the story. i can't wait to find out what happens although i don't want it to end.