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ellasm's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
lleullawgyffes's review
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
wmhenrymorris's review against another edition
I admit it: there were some stories I just didn't get. But on the whole this exactly the type of gonzo 60s-era sci-fi writing that helped define the field -- imaginative, literary, inscrutable, pushing the boundaries of language, an emphasis on attitude and pyrotechnics over plot, not afraid to alienate the reader. Some good stuff.
enoughgaiety's review against another edition
3.0
I wish I could give this 3.5 stars, or maybe even 3.75. It grew on me drastically toward the end. Longer review later, hopefully, but for now:
Favorite story:
--"High Weir" (unsurprisingly: reminiscent of some of my favorite Le Guin stories)
Also a big fan of:
--"Driftglass"
--"Dog in a Fisherman's Net"
(A pairing with interesting resonances.)
Really liked some of the ideas but not all of the execution:
--"Aye, and Gomorrah..."
--"We, in Some Strange Power's Employ, Move on a Rigorous Line"
--"Night and the Loves of Joe Dicostanzo"
Deeply divided on:
--"The Star Pit"
--"Time Considered as a Helix of Semi-Precious Stones"
Neutral/kind of forgettable:
--"Cage of Brass"
--"Omegahelm"
--"Among the Blobs"
--"Ruins"
Slogged to get through:
--"Corona"
--"Tapestry"
--"Prismatica"
Favorite story:
--"High Weir" (unsurprisingly: reminiscent of some of my favorite Le Guin stories)
Also a big fan of:
--"Driftglass"
--"Dog in a Fisherman's Net"
(A pairing with interesting resonances.)
Really liked some of the ideas but not all of the execution:
--"Aye, and Gomorrah..."
--"We, in Some Strange Power's Employ, Move on a Rigorous Line"
--"Night and the Loves of Joe Dicostanzo"
Deeply divided on:
--"The Star Pit"
--"Time Considered as a Helix of Semi-Precious Stones"
Neutral/kind of forgettable:
--"Cage of Brass"
--"Omegahelm"
--"Among the Blobs"
--"Ruins"
Slogged to get through:
--"Corona"
--"Tapestry"
--"Prismatica"
italo_carlvino's review
adventurous
challenging
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Delany is up there with Calvino and Morrison as one of my absolute favorite authors of all time.
lizshayne's review
4.0
Delany is fascinating, I can't believe it took me so long to get to his fiction. He's one of the masters of thoughtful sci fi.
waterbender's review
5.0
This is a collection of short stories. I've only read the short "Aye, and Gomorrah" specifically, but I love it. It makes me cry every time. It's exceptionally beautiful. Probably one of my favorite sci-fi pieces ever, and I love to come back to it every now and then. I think I first read it in 2013 and although I've always adored sci-fi, this short story really opened me up to all of the ideas and feelings sci-fi can capture. It is so strange and beautiful and wonderful. Nothing in the genre had ever felt so deeply personal and hard to explain before.
michaelstearns's review
5.0
Read most of these stories in his earlier collection, Driftglass, and was wowed by the range and intensity of the pieces. The Nebula-winners are the ones that stand out in memory, but all of the stories are terrific and strange and wonderfully wrought.