Memoirs of a Spacewoman by Naomi Mitchison

Science fiction - particularly on TV, but also in many books, often chooses, often choose the easy way out when humans have to communicate with new species - either everyone already speaks English for no apparent reason, or there is a handy translating device which simply needs to be switched on.

Which brings me to the subject of communication. This is, of course, a simplification - several pages are devoted to her attempts to understand, and then her experiences of, the radiates' thought processes and the implications they have. After communicating with the star shaped entities she refers to as radiates, and how, instead of thinking in terms of a choice between two distinct possibilities or options, she now thinks in terms of five options (corresponding to the radiates number of appendages) and is unable, until the effect wears off, to make a simple yes or no choice. To attempt to bridge that gap, Mitchison shows Mary's own thought processes being affected by those of the creatures. Mitchison is well aware that alien thought patterns are likely to be incomprehensible to humans.

Though their biology may not be fully explained - the story is, after all, told from Mary's point of view and we can only know as much as she does - there is always a process of attempting to understand their various characteristics, why they may have evolved in such a manner, and how they interact with their environment, including other species.Īnd their thought processes? Definitely not just exaggerated human personality traits. Few are humanoid and many bear no relation to any known life-form. The aliens Mary encounters are no humans with different coloured skin, either physically or psychologically. As one of the 'explorers' - which are closer to being a culture or society than a mere occupation - she travels into space on assignments to gather information about the inhabitants and geological make up of various planets. The premise is simple enough: Mary, the title character and narrator, is an expert in 'communication' - a type of telepathic interaction. Mitchison has succeeded where many others have failed in creating other worlds and life forms which are truly alien, and along the way posing some searching questions about our own species.

Despite its quirks of style and structure, that accolade is highly deserved. Memoirs of a Spacewoman is often considered an under-recognised science fiction classic.

Memoirs of a Spacewoman by Naomi Mitchison