Dhalgren
-
-
3.9 • 31 Ratings
-
-
- $11.99
Publisher Description
Nebula Award Finalist: Reality unravels in a Midwestern town in this sci-fi epic by the acclaimed author of Babel-17. Includes a foreword by William Gibson.
A young half–Native American known as the Kid has hitchhiked from Mexico to the midwestern city Bellona—only something is wrong there . . . In Bellona, the shattered city, a nameless cataclysm has left reality unhinged. Into this desperate metropolis steps the Kid, his fist wrapped in razor-sharp knives, to write, to love, to wound.
So begins Dhalgren, Samuel R. Delany’s masterwork, which in 1975 opened a new door for what science fiction could mean. A labyrinth of a novel, it raises questions about race, sexuality, identity, and art, but gives no easy answers, in a city that reshapes itself with each step you take . . .
This ebook features an illustrated biography of Samuel R. Delany including rare images from his early career.
Customer Reviews
Lasting Impact
I read this book in grade school. It was a difficult read, and I didn't understand allot of the themes. Now forty-some years later, I still remember the book and the sun baked landscape of the city and its inhabitants. Every now and then I flirt with the idea of taking a trip back to the city, meet the kid, and experience of the odyssey with mature eyes.
Inconsequential Garbage
Initially I was intrigued, but that didn't last. Incredibly boring book lacking any redeeming qualities. Lots of sex occasionally made it interesting - but even that part was lifeless and dull. This book is not ABOUT anything, consisting only of ramblings and rantings, leading nowhere. I am having a hard time understanding why I read the whole thing - I wish someone had told me how bad it was before I started, and I would have saved $10 and the weeks of suffering it took to get through this. An embarrassment to the genre of science fiction.
I give up
This is one of those Finnegans-Wake type novels that are impossible to understand. I actually stayed with Finnegan to the end, but this one is beyond hope. I quit after about 20 pages.