Samuel R. Delany

This is one of the furthest-out-there science fiction books I have ever read. It presupposes fundamental shifts in human culture, especially gender relations. Hlepful hint: Delany uses "woman" and "she" to refer to male-identifying humans. "He" is only used when referring to a male-identifying human object of desire. Our cultural fascination with locating political perspectives on a left-right spectrum is satirized with a system that classifies them by color. The protagonist goes on an odyssey that, by means not entirely explained, threatens the order of several societies. I had the privilege of posing a question to Mr. Delany; he described the novel as a reflection of notions of difference in contemporary America, based I imagine on his identity as a gay Black male. If you want the same old thing, pass this by. If you want a cold-water bath in sci-fi, give it a read.… (mer)

This is such an interesting book. If you try and canter through it, chasing the plot, you'll ride straight by all of the interest it holds. Taking it that way, a feeling of the book being something ofan aimless ramble is understandable and could lead to frustration in those who enjoy this type of reading. It can feel like there is something missing that should be compelling one through the novel. But this really rewards taking one's time. It comes across as quite an indulgent work on Delaney's part, both stylistically and because he wants to give you the whistle-stop grand tour of this setting taking in as many ideas, places and cultures as possible, then, in turns he also wants to show us the minutiae of how his characters exist in it through their interaction with each other and all of the said devised cultural and physical realities. It really pays to indulge these parts of the book in kind, allowing yourself to build a place for your mind amongst the books six thousand or world's such that when the promised narrative beats are reached, they are all the more engrossing - the inevitable coming together of the mutual "perfect erotic objects" Marq Dyeth and Rat Korga, some distance into the book; the dragon hunt; the concluding chapter and epilogue. These are where Delaney's style feels strongest and are a joy to read. The other frustration with this novel that can't go unencumbered is that it was originally part one of two, but Delaney has confirmed that the second part will not be written. Whilst the book stands alone perfectly adequately, the last quarter really gives the impression of teetering on the verge of even greater things to come so it's a shame we'll never see it.… (mer)

One of the most imaginative sci-fi novels i've ever read..

I only bought it because i was looking for a book i read about 30 years ago that i can't remember the title of and thought this may have been it, but it wasn't. But i'm certainly not disappointed to have picked up the wrong book.

There's all kinds of sub-genres in sci-fi and i'm not really sure where this one would fit. It's mostly a deep dive into linguistics, as in how words and language are used and the meanings they convey, and Samuel does a wonderful exploration throughout the book.

It also takes in the future body modification - some interesting things going in this book, and does bring to mind some amazing potential within current science for the future body mod industry. The real future is certainly going to be interesting.

Anyways, well worth a read, and definitely worth it's place in the 'SF Masterworks' series of books.… (mer)