In one of the most profound and bestselling science fiction novels of all time, Samuel R. Delany has produced a novel "to stand with the best American fiction of the 1970s" (Jonathan Lethem, bestselling author of Fortress of Solitude).
Bellona is a city at the dead center of the United States. Something has happened there.... The population has fled. Madmen and criminals wander the streets. Strange portents appear in the cloud-covered sky. Into this disaster zone comes a young man—poet, lover, and adventurer—known only as the Kid.
Tackling questions of race, gender, and sexuality, Dhalgren is a literary marvel and groundbreaking work of American magical realism.
Avoid this book. For real. Don’t believe the hype.
"Picked up this book because it is heralded as a sci-fi masterpiece. In reality, it’s an aimless story filled with encounters that minimize underage sexual assault, and hyper sexualize people of colour. These themes are not used as part of the plot, they are frivolous distractions from any meaningful narrative advancement. It is a negative vibe the whole way through. _x000D_ _x000D_ After putting this book down, I found out that the author has been sympathetic to an organization that seeks to normalize the assault of minors. Dhalgren’s harmful narrative choIces seem to echo this fact, and I honestly have no idea how this thing is still in print. _x000D_ _x000D_ Read anything else."
