History Literature / Embassytown

DesignatedHero, narrator, and [[ThePioneer pioneer]] Avice Benner Cho was born in the colony of Embassytown, on the planet Arieka, located at the very edges of the known universe. There, humans live alongside [[StarfishAliens profoundly weird aliens]] called the [[NamedAfterTheirPlanet Ariekei]] (or "Hosts"), who are noteworthy for their [[StarfishLanguage baffling language]] known as [[CapitalLettersAreMagic Language]]. By [[HandWave some unspecified mechanism]], Language can only be understood by the Ariekei if it is spoken by two speakers who share one mind. As such, only genetically-engineered identical twins known as Ambassadors can communicate directly with the aliens.

* ShoutOut: To Creator/GeorgeRomero's ''Film/NightOfTheLivingDead'' and ''Film/DawnOfTheDead1978'', which the besieged Embassytowners see as metaphors for their own predicament [[spoiler:as Embassytown comes under siege by the addicted Ariekei]]. [[FutureImperfect They also believe]], perhaps inspired by Romero's name, that these films are "early Roman" or "late Georgian."

* ShoutOut: To Creator/GeorgeRomero's ''Film/NightOfTheLivingDead'' and ''Film/DawnOfTheDead'', which the besieged Embassytowners see as metaphors for their own predicament [[spoiler:as Embassytown comes under siege by the addicted Ariekei]]. [[FutureImperfect They also believe]], perhaps inspired by Romero's name, that these films are "early Roman" or "late Georgian."

* AngstySurvivingTwin: With all the perfectly cloned twins running around, it isn't long before someone loses their better half. Ambassadors who lose one of their doppels are said to be cleaved, such as [[spoiler:Bren, who used to be [=BrenDan=]. [[spoiler:A rash of suicides sees many Ambassadors reduced in this way, most notably when Vin of [=CalVin=] hangs himself after realizing that the colony and the whole civilization of the Hosts is doomed.]]

* AngstySurvivingTwin: With all the perfectly cloned twins running around, it isn't long before someone loses their better half. Ambassdors who lose one of their doppels are said to be cleaved, such as [[spoiler:Bren, who used to be [=BrenDan=]. [[spoiler:A rash of suicides sees many Ambassadors reduced in this way, most notably when Vin of [=CalVin=] hangs himself after realizing that the colony and the whole civilization of the Hosts is doomed.]]

* BizarreAlienPsychology: The Ariekei can't even conceive of a language produced by a single voice without sentience behind it, meaning they have no written language, hand gestures, or symbolic language; and, despite learning the language, humanity can't even begin to communicate with them until someone stumbles across the trick of having identical twins speak in two-part harmony -- and not just naturally born identical twins, but doppels, twins genetically engineered, specially trained, and mechanically enhanced to be even more identical. When a pair of folks who ''aren't'' identical twins show up who nevertheless seem to be able to communicate, the result begins to drive the aliens mad.

* CompellingVoice: The Ariekei who hear [[spoiler:[=EzCal's=]]] voice have no choice but to follow their orders.

* TheEmpath: Ariekei have a limited ability to detect not emotion but sentience; Language not only requires two voices speaking in harmony, but two minds thinking in harmony behind it. A machine speaking otherwise perfect Language is unintelligible, yet recordings preserve the effect. [[spoiler:If the harmony is somehow imperfect, the result is a kind of cognitive dissonance which can act as an addictive drug to Ariekes listeners. In the case of [=EzRa=], where the two speakers are compatible and yet despise one another, the effect is especially pronounced.]]
* AGodAmI: [[spoiler:Cal was always power-hungry, looking to expand the power of the Ambassadors and take the senior position for himself. With the Oratees now dependent on him to feed their addiction following his bonding with Ez, Cal discovers the addicts must also obey his orders, and he is quick to embrace his new role as god drug. By the time his reign ends, he has come to adorn himself in royal purple with gold trim.]]
* HandSignals: The Ariekei cannot understand these, as it is not verbal communication of Language, which is the only way they can communicate. [[spoiler:This plays an important role in the climax: Ariekei who have torn out their "fanwings" are no longer capable of speaking or hearing Language, and are thus forced to discover new methods of communication. It takes them a long time to even comprehend they are communicating to each other with physical signals, and the realization of this is what allows them to learn how to communicate in ways other than Language and thus, how to lie.]]

* TeethClenchedTeamwork: Deconstructed. Many outwardly peaceful relationships turn out to be far less placid beneath the surface. [[spoiler:Several Ambassadors actually can't stand each other, but are forced to maintain a public facade of being one seamless individual. Bren ruminates that he might have only realized he hated his doppel Dan years after his death, but the friction was there all along.]]

* AliensSpeakingEnglish: Discussed with regard to the various exots (aliens), some of who are very good at speaking English, even uncannily so. Subverted with the native Ariekei or Hosts, who are incapable of even recognizing any language other than [[CapitalLettersAreMagic Language]] to be intelligent communications. However, [[spoiler: the trope is abruptly fulfilled during the climax when the Ariekei become capable of abstraction]].

* AngstySurvivingTwin: With all the perfectly cloned twins running around, it isn't long before someone loses their better half.

* MeaningfulName: '''A'''vice '''B'''enner '''C'''ho, protagonist of a story about language and meaning.

* TitleDrop: Relentless, since the title refers to an embassy town called Embassytown. See especially [[spoiler:the last page]].

* WeWillUseWikiWordsInTheFuture: Ambassadors' names are written in this manner -- [=JoaQuin, MagDa, CalVin=], denoting their dual nature as (supposedly) one shared mind in two bodies. Each half of the name refers to one of half of the Ambassador pair.

** Gets turned into a bilingual StealthPun as well. How do you enter the immer? You '''immer'''se. People who spend most of their lives aboard starships travelling from place to place, like Avice, aren't spacers, they're '''immer''sers.
* BizarreAlienPsychology: The Ariekei can't even conceive of a single isolated mind, and, despite learning the language, humanity can't even begin to communicate with them until someone stumbles across the trick of having identical twins speak in two-part harmony. When a pair of folks who ''aren't'' identical twins show up who nevertheless seem to be able to communicate, the result begins to drive the aliens mad.

* SmallTownBoredom: Avice leaves Embassytown to escape its bland smallness, returning only reluctantly.

* DifferentAsNightAndDay: [[spoiler:New Ambassador [=EzRa=]]], despite their job description requiring them to be identical: [[spoiler:one is short and stocky, the other tall and thin, one outgoing, the other introverted, and one selfish and weak-willed, the other much more dedicated]].

* AliensSpeakingEnglish: Discussed with regard the various exots (aliens), some of who are very good at speaking English, even uncannily so. Subverted with the native Ariekei or Hosts, who are incapable of even recognizing any language other than [[CapitalLettersAreMagic Language]] to be intelligent communications. However, [[spoiler: the trope is abruptly fulfilled during the climax when the Ariekei become capable of abstraction]].

* AliensSpeakingEnglish: Subverted, because the Ariekei are incapable of even recognizing any language other than Language to be intelligent communications. However, [[spoiler: the trope is abruptly fulfilled during the climax when the Ariekei become capable of abstraction]].

** "The girl who ate what was given to her."
** [[spoiler:"Before the humans came we didn't speak"]]

** Gets turned into a bilingual StealthPun as well. How do you enter the immer? You '''immer'''se.

* DifferentAsNightAndDay: [[spoiler: [=EzRa=]]], despite their job description requiring them to be identical.

* LanguageOfTruth: Lying is impossible for the Ariekei, who cannot comprehend counterfactuals. As such, Language consists exclusively of statements of fact.
* MayDecemberRomance: [[spoiler: Avice and Bren]], eventually, though their relationship may be less "romance" than "shacking up before the end of the world."
* MeaningfulName: '''A'''vice '''B'''enner '''C'''ho.

* OrganicTechnology: Everything the Ariekei do is accomplished with biotech as uncanny as they are, including Bizarrchitecture.

* RidiculouslyHumanRobot: Robots or 'automas' may have advanced enough 'turingware' to seem to have human responses and thought processes, but generally it's a facade. Played with in the case of Ehrsul. The most powerful stand-alone A.I. in Embassytown, she has a human enough personality that Avice comes to see her as her best friend, though Avice also wonders constantly if things Ehrsul says and does are true personality or the product of elaborate subroutines. However, when [[spoiler: the Ariekei flip out, Ehrsul develops a literal case of HeroicBSOD and is incapable of processing the new norm, revealing to Avice that she was a fairly inhuman, limited entity all along.]]
* ShoutOut: To George Romero's Night of the Living Dead and Dawn of the Dead, which the besieged Embassytowners see as metaphors for their own predicament. They also believe, perhaps inspired by Romero's name, that these films are "early Roman" or "late Georgian."
* SingleMindedTwins: When Ambassadors are created - carefully engineered zygotes split to make identical twins - only the ones properly in tune with each other are able to speak Language that the Ariekei can understand. They have implanted link-tech and never go far from each other, becoming stressed and anxious if separated by as much as a corner, and are consistently referred to as the same unit.

* TwinThreesomeFantasy: An automatic consequence of bedding an Ambassador: The only thing better than sex with twins is sex with twins who reflexively think and behave as one person.

* HandSignals: The Ariekei cannot understand these, as it is not verbal communication of Language, which is the only way they can communicate. [[spoiler:This plays an important role in the climax: Ariekei who have torn out their fan-wings are no longer capable of speaking or hearing Language, and are thus forced to discover new methods of communication. It takes them a long time to even comprehend they are communicating to each other with hand signals, and the realization of this is what allows them to learn how to communicate in ways other than Language and thus, how to lie.]]

* HandSignals: The Ariekei cannot understand these, as it is not verbal communication of Language.

* NeverLearnedToRead: As Language can only be understood when spoken with a mind behind the voice, none of the Ariekei are capable of reading or even understanding the concept of the written word. [[spoiler:Averted in the climax when many of the Ariekei learn to the meaning of signs and symbols.]]

* NeverLearnedToRead: As Language can only be understood when spoken with a mind behind the voice, none of the Ariekei are capable of reading or even understanding the concept of the written word. [[spoiler:Averted in the climax when many of the Ariekei learn to understand signs and symbols.]]

* NeverLearnedToRead: As Language can only be understood when spoken with a mind behind the voice, none of the Ariekei are capable of reading or even understanding the concept of the written word. [[Averted in the climax when many of the Ariekei learn to understand signs and symbols.]]

* NeverLearnedToRead: As Language can only be understood when spoken with a mind behind the voice, none of the Ariekei are capable of reading or even understanding the concept of the written word.]]

* NeverLearnedToRead: As Language has no signifiers, none of the Ariekei are capable of reading or even understanding the concept of the written word. [[spoiler: Averted in the climax when most of the Ariekei become capable of abstraction. ]]

* CompellingVoice: The Ariekei who hear [=EzCal's=] voice have no choice but to follow their orders.