Nova — Samuel R. Delany

Having previously read Babel-17 i was very much hoping this was just as good: so i did have very high expectations and it certainly had a lot to live up to.

So, yes, i did set out rather biased when i began to read this book, and while i have to say that it didn’t quite meet with my expectations with regards to Babel-17, it was still a very enjoyable read.

Samuel certainly has his own style, very arty, very high brow, and also very imaginative: Nova holds it’s place as one of the books which gave birth to the cyberpunk genre.   But where Babel-17 felt like a timeless read, Nova did feel a little dated to me, like it’s from the 1960’s or something.

But dated or not, it certainly has earned a deserving place in the “SF Masterworks” series.

Samuel’s Page

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Babel-17 — Samuel R. Delany

Babel-17 -- Samuel R. DelanyOne of the most imaginative sci-fi novels i’ve ever read.

I only bought it because i was looking for a book i read about 30 years ago that i can’t remember the title of and thought this may have been it, but it wasn’t.   But i’m certainly not disappointed to have picked up the wrong book.

There’s all kinds of sub-genres in sci-fi and i’m not really sure where this one would fit.   It’s mostly a deep dive into linguistics, as in how words and language are used and the meanings they convey, and Samuel does a wonderful exploration throughout the book.

It also takes in the future body modification — some interesting things going in this book, and does bring to mind some amazing potential within current science for the future body mod industry.   The real future is certainly going to be interesting.

Anyways, well worth a read, and definitely worth it’s place in the “SF Masterworks” series.

Samuel’s Page

#scifi #sfmasterworks #bodymods #samuelrdelany