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The Jewels of Aptor
One of the most universally acclaimed first novels in science fiction--by the man who become one of the most stellar writers in the genre's history. On the orders of Argo, the White Goddess, an itinerant poet and his three companions journey to the island of Aptor. Their mission: to seize a jewel from the dark god Hama and bring it back home. With this precious stone Argo...more
Paperback, 229 pages
Published
March 1st 1978
by Ace Books
(first published 1962)
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So, I woke up this morning (February 28th) with the plan to fit one more book into February, and ended up not getting the chance to read until around 7 pm. -_- So, I figured I should go for something short, that I had read before, and I picked up The Jewels of Aptor by Samuel R. Delany.
I had read this book once before, about four years ago, and honestly, didn’t remember much about it. I figured it was a good bet, though, seeing as Samuel R. Delany is one of my all time favorite authors. I was r...more
I had read this book once before, about four years ago, and honestly, didn’t remember much about it. I figured it was a good bet, though, seeing as Samuel R. Delany is one of my all time favorite authors. I was r...more
Delany is one of my favourite living writers, one of my favourite writers full stop in fact. This is his first novel and was published when he was only twenty. Although it’s probably the weakest of his books, it’s still an enthralling and engaging work of fiction. I first read it when I was about 17 years old and for some reason didn’t like it. I found the story confusing. But after this re-reading I am baffled as to why I thought that. Analog described it in a review as ‘gorgeously implausible’...more
In a few ways, this reads like a first novel. In a few ways, this reads like a Delany novel. It's never fully in one camp or the other, and that's part of the charm. It's a fun little adventure with a little theology and brain science thrown in. Very much akin to Babel 17 in that manner, although Babel 17 showed Delany playing with language a little more.
The other comparison point for Delany readers is Nova. both are first and foremost adventure novels. The only difference being that Nova is con...more
The other comparison point for Delany readers is Nova. both are first and foremost adventure novels. The only difference being that Nova is con...more
The novel describes a post-apocalyptic civilization a number of centuries after an atomic "big fire". The action occurs on two islands or continents, one with a dark age civilization. Leptar, where the highest technology are sailing ships and swords; the other the radioactive island Aptor populated by mutant flora and fauna as well as humanoid 'scientist' populations who have kept or rediscovered the old knowledge and technology, two opposing groups forming priesthood like enclaves, keepers of t...more
First line: "Afterwards, she was taken down to the sea."
I decided to actually start reading some of my collection of pulp novels (which I mostly collect for the covers).
I didn't realize this was his first novel, but it makes sense--he certainly came a long way in the 22 years between this one (1962) and Stars in My Pocket Like Grains of Sand (1984).
The tone of the story is kind of a combination of H. Rider Haggard and Motel of the Mysteries: part gruesome adventure story and part archaeology of...more
I decided to actually start reading some of my collection of pulp novels (which I mostly collect for the covers).
I didn't realize this was his first novel, but it makes sense--he certainly came a long way in the 22 years between this one (1962) and Stars in My Pocket Like Grains of Sand (1984).
The tone of the story is kind of a combination of H. Rider Haggard and Motel of the Mysteries: part gruesome adventure story and part archaeology of...more
-Un gran viaje empieza con un primer paso, por muy dubitativo que sea.-
Género. Ciencia-Ficción (con toques fantásticos, sin la menor duda).
Lo que nos cuenta. En un mundo que hace mucho tiempo sufrió un apocalipsis y en el que de los restos de la civilización ha comenzado a desarrollarse una nueva sociedad y cultura, Geo (joven poeta), Serpiente (un mutante mudo de cuatro brazos) y Ursus (un gigante hedonista), acompañan a una sacerdotisa en un peligroso viaje hacia Argo para hacerse con el res...more
Género. Ciencia-Ficción (con toques fantásticos, sin la menor duda).
Lo que nos cuenta. En un mundo que hace mucho tiempo sufrió un apocalipsis y en el que de los restos de la civilización ha comenzado a desarrollarse una nueva sociedad y cultura, Geo (joven poeta), Serpiente (un mutante mudo de cuatro brazos) y Ursus (un gigante hedonista), acompañan a una sacerdotisa en un peligroso viaje hacia Argo para hacerse con el res...more
Samuel Delany is in my top 5 favorite SF writers - & there's much more to him than that. He might've been around 19 when he wrote this so it's pretty damned precocious but his later writing's so much 'better' that I have to acknowledge this as somewhat 'immature'. Brilliant, but obviously written by someone who has a long way to go. Delany's one of those people who sets just about anybody's stereotypes on their heads by being such a free thinking, strong minded individualist.
I remember read...more
I remember read...more
Generally a passable sci-fi novel; I enjoyed reading it, and although the characters were rather generic, some of the ideas were quite good. As "Jewels" was the debut work by one of sci-fi's most important authors, it was interesting from that standpoint as well.
That said, it was only okay. The only other book I've read by Delany is "Dhalgren," which is a masterpiece, so this was somewhat underwhelming. There are glimpses of the stylistic genius that elevates his later prose above so much of the...more
That said, it was only okay. The only other book I've read by Delany is "Dhalgren," which is a masterpiece, so this was somewhat underwhelming. There are glimpses of the stylistic genius that elevates his later prose above so much of the...more
Things we used to worry about but don't so much anymore, No. 1: Nuclear Holocaust.
This book was a fast vacation read in the vein of Planet of the Apes, although you can see in the writing chip already gearing himself up for the writing of his magnum opus, Dhalgren, with the muscular characters always always walking around and these jewels that allow the narrative to go in virtually any direction at any time.
This book was a fast vacation read in the vein of Planet of the Apes, although you can see in the writing chip already gearing himself up for the writing of his magnum opus, Dhalgren, with the muscular characters always always walking around and these jewels that allow the narrative to go in virtually any direction at any time.
I like this little book more than I probably should, but it's the perfect intersection of pulp and philosophical science-fiction. Delany plays so many clever games with limited perspective and elided narration to investigate epistemological limits, and I love him dearly for it. I wish I, too, could write a book like this in one month!
I found this book OK once the characters and the mission had been established. Some interesting post~apocalypse ideas here but I found the writing a bit odd in places. I wasnt sure if it were typos or idiosyncracies of Delany's style. Apparently thats typical of Delany and things only get stranger.
An OK book, but not really a keeper.
An OK book, but not really a keeper.
A decent read. Very slow moving but tends to pick up as it goes on. Plot is a bit wobbly in parts but I liked the general idea; the dual convictions within each of us; the fact that power corrupts (as does religion). Very good considering the author wrote it when he was only 20/
Oct 13, 2009
Erik Graff
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
Delany fans
Recommended to Erik by:
no one
Shelves:
sf
This, Delany's first book, is the first of his books that I read. Later, my favorite high school teacher, Jim Gottreich, in the midst of reading Delany's Dahlgren, scared me off from following the author's subsequent, more literary work.
delany's first published novel is just terrible! so he had clay feet (clay fingers?) at age 18 or so, that's a relief.
some of the words glow and the story was never boring enough to make me stop reading it
a lot more on the hard side of sci-fi, but still absolutely excellent.
I have multiple editions of this book, currently I have two copies.
You come away from the book, and especially its ending, feeling like the author is starting to grapple with themes and ideas which he apparently develops through subsequent novels. Here the repeated themes of duality eventually wind up coming out of the characters' mouths, which made it all very chatty with explanations and discussion.
Still, I thoroughly enjoyed the writing and devoured the whole thing trying to figure out what was going on and how it all connected together.
Still, I thoroughly enjoyed the writing and devoured the whole thing trying to figure out what was going on and how it all connected together.
Nov 13, 2007
Jamie
marked it as to-read
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
sci-fi-fantasy,
on-hiatus
Found a used copy of Samuel R. Delaney The Jewels of Aptor yesterday. I will buy pretty much anything by Delaney, and am interested to read this, his first novel. (Written at the age of 19, grrr... Stupid geniuses.) I've found his other early stuff to be a bit clunky, his overflowing of ideas fitting awkwardly into the characters and plots, but it's always worth it. Nobody writes like Delaney.
It was his first novel--some obvious problems that stem from that--but otherwise a good effort. I like that it tried to take the genre in a different direction from other pulp being written in the early 60s.
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Samuel Ray Delany, also known as "Chip," is an award-winning American science fiction author. He was born to a prominent black family on April 1, 1942, and raised in Harlem. His mother, Margaret Carey Boyd Delany, was a library clerk in the New York Public Library system. His father, Samuel Ray Delany, Senior, ran a successful Harlem undertaking establishment, Levy & Delany Funeral Home, on 7t...more
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Jul 22, 2007 06:47pm