48 of 52 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Sequels In My Pocket Like Grains of Fairy Dust, June 17, 2000
I thought about the question for about one year, and I've come to the conclusion that "Stars" is my favorite book of all time. It has tremendous appeal as science fiction, escapism, political and gender theory, satire of modern-day cultural conflicts, and traditional character-driven fiction; and it is a 'novel' in the strict sense. So people looking for any of those things won't be disappointed.
But what I frequently hear from people whom I've persuaded to read this book is that it, somehow, caused them to open their perceptions; to feel that there were more ways of thinking, of feeling, of living than they had previously known. This is Delany's specialty; he did it first in "Dhalgren" but he does it best here, and in this respect no other author can match him. And this is a great talent and a great gift and why Delany will still be read when William Gibson has disappeared down the road that swallowed up Murray Leinster (two of my favorite SF authors, by the bye, and no offense intended.)
Naturally, when something is this good it immediately goes out-of-print. I'd recommend letting Amazon find you a copy - they found me a perfect mint condition first-edition hardcover for $31. I can't recall when I've been so happy about anything.
Oh, and the sequel. Science fiction fans around the world are awaiting it with some annoyance - he did publish the first chapter in 1997 in some academic journal (memory tells me the Journal of Contemporary Fiction, but memory could be way wrong), but it more frustrated and delimited than satiated that desire for closure to the story of Marq Dyeth, Rat Korga, Velm, Nepiy, the Thants, the Xlv, and the mysterious and sinister Web that snares them all. It's anybody's guess if he'll ever finish it, but I certainly hope he does!
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14 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
This Book Blew My Mind and I Loved It, November 8, 2001
By A Customer
This review is from: Stars in My Pocket Like Grains of Sand
I had no idea what I was getting into when I first read this book. It was given to me as a gift 15 years ago and I knew nothing of Delany at the time. But I had never before (and have never since) read such a richly complex and beautifully written book in my life. Few sci-fi stories manage to generate a feel deeper than a thinly veiled metaphor for the world around us. This book does. I have waited eagerly for 15 years for the sequel which never came (and as rumor has it never will). If Delany never finishes this story, it will be a terrible loss. I recommend it highly - but beware, the story goes places most of us have never gone and may not wish to go.
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10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
imaginative architecture, June 5, 2001
This review is from: Stars in My Pocket Like Grains of Sand
This is a book which gets inside your head and changes somehow the imaginative architecture of your mind. It is fascinating also on a theoretical level, social level as well as pure, joyful aesthetics. 'Stars' is also a book which shows what immense potential there is when staid, generic codes of sf are broken. I loved it, was amazed and will return to it every few years.... So like every other lover of this novel, I regret Delany's decision (?) not to write a sequel.
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