Stars in My Pocket Like Grains of Sand [Deluxe Edition] [Paperback]

Samuel R. Delany (Author), Carl Freedman (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 15, 2004

Stars in My Pocket Like Grains of Sand is a science fiction masterpiece, an essay on the inexplicability of sexual attractiveness, and an examination of interstellar politics among far-flung worlds. First published in 1984, the novel's central issues--technology, globalization, gender, sexuality, and multiculturalism--have only become more pressing with the passage of time.

The novel's topic is information itself: What are the repercussions, once it has been made public, that two individuals have been found to be each other's perfect erotic object out to "point nine-nine-nine and several nines percent more"? What will it do to the individuals involved, to the city they inhabit, to their geosector, to their entire world society, especially when one is an illiterate worker, the sole survivor of a world destroyed by "cultural fugue," and the other is--you!

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Sentence by sentence, phrase by phrase, Delany invites the reader to collaborate in the process of creation. The reader who accepts this invitation has an extraordinarily satisfying experience in store."--Gerald Jonas, The New York Times Book Review

"Stars in My Pocket has been one of my favorite books and, in particular, the book that, more decisively than any other, has defined for me just what science fiction is capable of and why it is worth bothering about."--Carl Freedman, The Foreword

"A densely textured, intricately worked out novelistic structure which delights and astonishes even as it forces a confrontation with a wide range of thought-provoking issues. Stars in My Pocket like Grains of Sand . . . confirms that [Delany] is American SF's most consistently brilliant and inventive writer."--Steve McCaffery, Fantasy Review

Review

"If H. G. Wells was the Shakespeare of science fiction, Samuel R. Delany is its James Joyce. Marginalized by both fate and choice, he has inscribed those margins on the consciousness of readers of science fiction, fantasy, and literary theory." (David N. Samuelson, Professor of English, California State University, Longbeach )

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 376 pages
• Publisher: Wesleyan; 20th edition (December 15, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0819567140
• ISBN-13: 978-0819567147
• Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 1.1 x 8.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.9 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #138,160 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

53 of 57 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Sequels In My Pocket Like Grains of Fairy Dust June 17, 2000

By neurotome VINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

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!

16 of 18 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

Format:Unknown Binding

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.

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars imaginative architecture June 5, 2001

By kate pennell

Format:Unknown Binding

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.