The Einstein intersection (Sphere science fiction) (original 1967; edition 1977)

I think I need to read this one again.
Delany's writing is weird, but I must admit I am fascinated. ( )

Interesting voice for the main character who is a mutant living in a far future post-human world. It was confusing at times and there were some long philosophical discussions that I did not get. I kept reading it until the end, that's a plus, but I don't think I will read it again. I probably missed a lot that would become clear in a rereading, but it is just not interesting enough to bother. ( )

There are a couple of Delany books I really like but this is not one of them. I prefer "SF" and this is "Fantasy". To many good books in the pile to waste my time on this one. Did not finish. ( )

Delany, Samuel R. Einstein Intersection. 1967. Introduction by Neil Gaiman. Wesleyan University Press, 1998.
Reviewers have never known quite what to do with Delany’s early novels, and I am no exception. In the late 1960s, everyone knew that Delany was an original talent who was taking science fiction in a new literary direction. He was the newest of the New Wave. His gender-bent combination of myth, poetry, pop culture, and science fiction tropes sent the literary taxonomists to their aspirin bottles. There are epigraphs from Delany’s own journals, Bob Dylan, and John Ruskin. Was anyone but Delany reading Ruskin then? Cover artists pictured protagonist Lobey encountering a Minotaur. But reading the novel it is hard to picture Lobey as the clean-cut blond Tab Hunter lookalike we see on the cover. (The cover of the Wesleyan edition is an exception.) Lobey is part of a community of mutant kids scaring each other with campfire stories, many of which are true. How far each of them depart from human norm is never clear. In the end, though, as in all Delany’s early novels, the hero is an artist seeking self-knowledge. All the novels are portraits of the artist as a young man, with an asterisk. 4 stars. ( )

A Fabulous, Formless Darkness

I first encountered Samuel Delaney's books in 1975 - my third year of college - when my roommate handed me a copy of [b:Dhalgren|40963358|Dhalgren|Samuel R. Delany|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1532735651l/40963358._SY75_.jpg|873021]. At that time in my life, and at that stage in our country's history, it was about the coolest, hippest thing around as far as I was concerned, except maybe for Thomas Pynchon's [b:Gravity's Rainbow|415|Gravity's Rainbow|Thomas Pynchon|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1414969925l/415._SY75_.jpg|866393], which I had earlier obtained from the same source. Thank you, Greg!

The Einstein Intersection reads as a young, gifted writer's first book - a journey of the young man toward his place in the world. But it also prefigures a lot of what science fiction would become in later decades, moving away from the "old school" of Asimov, Heinlein, Bradbury toward today's diverse writers who comment more on the evolution of society than on advancement in scientific marvels.

The novel (whose working title was "A Fabulous, Formless Darkness") concerns an alien race that has occupied earth long after humanity has departed as a result of some sort of environmental catastrophe. The alien race not only takes up residence, it adopts the biological form and cultural background of humanity, apparently in an effort to adapt to the new landscape. This adoption of new forms includes taking on human mythic stereotypes (taken from 1960s - era pop culture). The aliens repurposing humanity's skin are not a perfect fit, however: they don't easily adopt a two-gender body, for example. Importantly, the result is a new culture on earth whose members don't quite feel that they "belong" here. In this way, the novel is about what it means to fit in, and what it means to be "different."

Very lyrical and engaging, it's still a good read today. As an interesting contrast, take a look at [b:The Broken Earth Trilogy: The Fifth Season, The Obelisk Gate, The Stone Sky|38496769|The Broken Earth Trilogy The Fifth Season, The Obelisk Gate, The Stone Sky|N.K. Jemisin|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1530531199l/38496769._SX50_.jpg|60137524] for insight on where The Einstein Intersection?> took the world. ( )