Are there any Samuel R. Delany fans here?

[Fire Walk With Me]

He tends to get short shrift in the science fiction lists, yet he almost stands alone in his writing. (I haven't read any of his non-fiction).

I'll go so far as to say that I'm looking forward to reading everything of his that I can get my hands on.

[mike_c]

1. yes....

I particularly like Dhalgren, which I occasionally re-read, just because.

[librechik]

2. theres' a DUer whose handle is Dahlgren

you might look him up

[Fire Walk With Me]

5. I've noticed that DUer, but typically don't PM anyone until I've had conversation

in a few threads. Thanks! Glad that others have known his work.

[Jed Dilligan]

3. I enjoy his work

I knew him for a brief period when I was a kid. The guy has a lot of presence. He gave copies of the Neveryon books to my Dad in which he had corrected all the typos with wite-out and ballpoint.

[Lerkfish]

4. sure, I like his work.

[pitohui]

6. sometimes a difficult read

however, i have to say that his story "aye, and gomorrah" must be one of the finest, if not the finest, science fiction stories ever written

certainly up there on the top 10 lists in my view

powerful then, powerful today

[Fire Walk With Me]

7. Here's a link to an online edition if anyone's interested.

http://www.scifi.com/scifiction/classics/classics_archive/delany3/delany31.html

[pitohui]

8. oh you are my hero of the day! thank you!

i don't know why but that story just says so much to me and always has, there are stories you first read as a teen and they are not the same later, but that one is just so powerful

[Babel_17]

9. Hi :)

I guess you've read Nova and Babel-17? They're both "easy reads" for anyone familiar with SF and yet have a lot to offer.

Dhalgren, for its time, was much more of a challenge. But today's readers should have an easier time handling the complex style.

Triton would fall somewhere in between, I'd say.

Been a looooong time since I've picked them up.

Delany also has a legion of fans for his fantasy novels.

Babel-17 can be seen as speaking to the way logic and language has been twisted to suit the needs of the Bush administration in regards the invasion of Iraq. We'll probably eventually see the sort of body modifications he touches on (IIRC a guy gets a pop-up mechanical cuckoo implanted).

The science behind the fiction of Babel-17 fell somewhat out of favor but now seems to be back in.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sapir-Whorf_Hypothesis

[pitohui]

10. i liked triton

i need to get off my duff and read these others, it isn't like they are little known, it is more like i've been v. lazy

[Fire Walk With Me]

11. Hi! :-)

I haven't read Babel 17, although it's the next title on my list (the otherwise excellent LA library system, which will shuttle books from any location to any other, only has it in Hebrew...)

Thanks for the input on it. I liked Nova, and Triton even more. Dhalgren I'll have to read over at some point, to get a better overview and sense of direction. Brilliant stuff.

[mzteris]

12. you HAVE to read his

autobiography - it explains so many of his "quirks".

My favorite has to be Stars in My Pocket Like Grains of Sand.

I like how Dahlgren was written, but some of the story line, not so much.

In fact, as much as I love SRD - he is one of the few whose book I've actually destroyed to keep anyone else from ever reading it. I found it *that* disturbing.


Titan. Babel. Neveryon series - interesting stuff.