The Judas Rose

by Suzette Haden Elgin

Book Overview

An instant cult classic, and groundbreaking forerunner to Margaret Atwood's "A Handmaid's Tale." Native Tongue Trilogy revealed to its audiences a frightening future world where the women of Earth are once again property. In Volume II of the trilogy, the women have at last decided to spread the language using the Roman Catholic church. But when a handful of priests discover the plot, they move to stamp it out with their own female agent, Sister Miriam...

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0886771862
• ISBN13: 9780886771867
• Release Date: February 1987
• Publisher: Daw Books
• Length: 363 Pages
• Weight: 0.40 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 4.2" x 6.9"

Customer Reviews

FROM BACK COVER

IN LANGUAGE LIES POWER! And on a future Earth where genetically bred linguists hold the key to the planet's economic survival because only they can serve as translators between human and alien traders, language has, indeed, become the way to power. But what this future Earth's male-dominated society does not yet realize is that ordinary women as well as linguist can wield this weapon of the mind. And while mankind vies to claim its place in an alien ruled universe, womankind strives in a unique battle back on Earth, spreading the knowledge of Laadan, the secret language of women. For in laadan lies women's one hope for regaining their freedom - and for saving all humankind!

A great book by a distinguished linguist and feminist author

Her is the premise of the book: Alien superior! It was only coincidence that every Alien civilization we encountered was so advanced beyond the civilizations of Earth that we looked like pathetic savages scrabbling in the dirt by comparison. And I know that in time we will begin to come upon worlds whose peoples are far behind or at best equal to ours. It is impossible for Earth to be the most backward inhabited planet in the known universe. However all of us at the top knew what would happen if the apparent skew toward Alien superiority were to become known to the Terran populations. That way lay hysteria and panic, or worse; that way lay the fate of the dinosaurs. The policy of total deception was implemented at the highest levels, with the fullest understanding that anyone showing the smallest sign of potential for betraying the situation would be killed at once; there would be no exceptions, not even in the White House. WHATEVER HAD TO BE DONE TO KEEP THE PEOPLE OF EARTH EROM KNOWING, IT WOULD BE DONE."

Worthy sequel

This is a worthy sequel to "Native Tongue". It is perhaps a little less innovative than the first volume, but carries on quite convincingly.