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About the Author
The author was born in 1942 in New York City. His acclaimed science fiction novels include ‘Babel-17’, ‘The Einstein Intersection’ and ‘Dhalgren’. He is also a noted critic of science fiction and has published two essay collections on the field.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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Customer Reviews
Even knowing the background, the central core of thought that underlies this story of an alien people trying to make a new culture on a ruined Earth, long abandoned by humanity, using human myth to make sense of their lives, the plot consistently failed to make sense.
I know many - including, apparently, Neil Gaiman - who consider this a classic of the genre, a masterpiece but it left me addled and confused and wondering just what it was others saw that I didn't. I understood the Orpheus analogy, I was able to place that into the context but even so, this seemed such a rambling, disjointed collection of random thought; beautifully written, at times even poetic, but completely baffling to me in terms of plot and purpose.
And then this. Delany's early (pre-Dhalgren) SF is very engaging. His characters are intense as is are his plot lines, and his imagery is dazzling without being confusing. Even if this novel had no plot whatsoever, you could still read it if only for the intriguing voice the Delany writes with. Yep, it's based on the Orpheus myth (as are some of his later works, which amount to far less than this novel), and Delany succeeds very well with his archetypal characters and plot line. With references to everything from Greek mythology to '60s pop culture, it is certainly thinking-person's reading, but it is also entertaining if you want a short, fun read. It's good to see this one back in print after so many "only available at an obscure used book store" years. If you want somewhere to start with Delany, this is the place, as the book is easily available and is more accessible than his later works (which I still don't like much even today). If you like this try out the harder to find stuff like Babel-17 and Nova (probably in that order, as Nova marks the highlight of Delany's career).
By the way, if you like Delany, check out the works by the lesser-known (but critically perhaps more acclaimed) New Wave author Thomas M. Disch (who's work is newly back in print, I believe).
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