Product Description

The balance of galactic power in the 31st century revolves around Illyrion, the most precious energy source in the universe. The varied and exotic crew who sign up with Captain Lorq van Ray know their mission is dangerous, and they soon learn that they are involved in a deadly race with the charismatic but vicious leader of an opposing space federation. But they have no idea of Lorq's secret obsession: to gather Illyrion at source by flying through the very heart of an imploding star.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #119503 in Books
• Published on: 2001-01-11
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 224 pages

About the Author
SALES POINTS * #37 in the Millennium SF Masterworks series, a library of the finest science fiction ever written * 'Bizarre and imaginative' Sunday Times * 'Samuel R. Delany, as of this book, is the best science fiction writer in the world' Algis Budrys * 'Delany at his peak -- all flash and filigree, a master of movement and excitement' Science Fiction: The 100 Best Novels * 'Not only one of the most important SF writers(but a fascinating writer in general who has invented a new style' Umberto Eco

Customer Reviews

Taste the Grit
For a book written in the late sixties, Nova is surprisingly fresh. It hasn't got the tin foil suits and atomic cars feel of much early SF. Perhaps it is Delany's sense of style and outlandish imagination that give it such a modern feel.

In an age of blockbusters and trilogies I was also surprised by how much it packed into such a tight space. There is nothing wasted and yet we are left feeling a 'depth' of world - Nova is vibrant, textured and multi-levelled.

It is slow to get started, with several changes of perspective and a couple of extended flash backs, but as the 'team' begins to explore various worlds in fairly typical quest style, the pace hots up. Delany reminded my of a sort of hip Jack Vance at this point.

Delany has an eye for detail that can be both engaging and frustrating. There is a great deal of focus on small body movements - he cupped his hands in this way, held is belt in that way, swept his hair back, sat like this. Sometimes it anchors the scene, sometimes it interferes. At one point, Delany almost explains himself through the words of one of the characters (a budding author himself) - character is expressed through action - the purposeful, the habitual and the gratuitous.

Nova is scruffy - not the cover (although sitting on it didn't help) but the characters and the world. There is a sense of dust, frayed ends, bare flesh, bad table manners, which gives much of Delany's work a bohemian, almost barbarian, feel.

Nova is grand world building without the grandiosity that frequently accompanies modern attempts. It is stylish, exuburent, arrogant, witty, learned, colourful and crude. It is essential reading.

Much more than space pirates.
This is a meticulously crafted book with the most satisfying conclusion I've ever read. The plot is a simple one: good guys and bad guys racing for the goodies - but the plot is just the stuff that happens while the author explores his characters and themes. The story is pretty good, but this is a clever piece of writing which should be read for the subtexts. Eg: one of the characters, Katin, is obviously someone with whom the author identifies, much like Rydra Wong in Babel-17 but not nearly as likeable; at times Delany's prose style is wearying, but just as I start finding it too pretentious, someone tells the pretentious Katin to shut up! The book is short enough to read in a day, but I suggest taking time with it, allowing the subtexts to absorb, to fully appreciate the last sentence.

Short, Subtle and thought-provoking
This book reminded me a lot of 'Heart of Darkness' by Joseph Conrad. Both novels are short ('Nova' is barely over 200 pages), but both are expertly constructed down to the word level, leaving all kind of resonance in the reader's mind. Both also contain double layers of narrative that reward repeated readings.
The plot is fairly simple; an experienced captain hires a crew to go after the most profitable fuel source in the galaxy and this quickly becomes a race as we learn that the Captain's enemies are not far behind.
However the main thrust of the book is the interplay between the two of the crew, Mouse and Katin. They're two people who come from very different places and have contrasting views on what their lives mean and where the galaxy is heading and it is through their actions and discussions combined with the quest that brings this book to a very satisfying conclusion. Definitely the kind of book that you have to read twice to really appreciate, 'Nova' is the first Delany book I've read, but I now definitely intend to read a lot more.