Dhalgren Audiobook By Samuel R. Delany cover art

Dhalgren

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Dhalgren

By: Samuel R. Delany
Narrated by: Stefan Rudnicki
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In Dhalgren, perhaps one of the most profound and best-selling science fiction novels of all time, Samuel R. Delany has produced a novel that rivals the best American fiction of the 1970s.

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. And into this disaster zone comes a young man - a poet, a lover, and an adventurer - known only as the Kid.

Tackling questions of race, gender, and sexuality, Dhalgren is a literary marvel and a groundbreaking work of American magical realism.

©1975 Samuel R. Delany (P)2016 Blackstone Audio, Inc. Adventure Black Creators Genre Fiction Literary Fiction Psychological Science Fiction Scary
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This is a thoughtful and great piece of literature. I don't typically like stories with explicit sex and vulgar language in it. I don't know why but Samuel Delany and William S. Burroughs are exceptions for me. It is as though those parts of their books blend in with the.parts I focus on and enjoy.

A great book

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The writing style, subject matter, characters and setting create a vision of confusing beauty and palpable terror. A precious gem and my new all time favorite novel

Absolutely enthralling and insane.

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I kept hoping it would get better. Even the graphic sex within the first 5 minutes was uninteresting. 1 hour in and I have no idea what this is about. I can’t take another.

Excruciatingly Boring

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This novel is unique. I say that having read lots of novels. Delany takes us to a fictional city where something has happened. No one knows exactly what has happened. The laws of physics are not as applicable here as elsewhere. The main character is already struggling with his own perception of reality, and when you add the circumstances of the "autumnal city" to the mix, things get really bizarre. If you are looking for a linear plot, look elsewhere. If you don't mind having your brains scrambled a bit, and finding yourself amazed at the final pages, go for it. If you don't think you like SF, don't worry. This is SF, but it is so far removed from the traditional conventions of SF that lots of SF people trashed this book when it came out. Yet it is his most popular book, and with good reason. It is probably his most remarkable book, but he is a remarkable writer, so it's hard to say.

Magnum opus

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Gritty, surreal, poetic imagery that teases with questions that are never quite answered, a kaleidoscopic epic of a narrative as seen from the eyes of a schizophrenic amnesiac.

What a ride!

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Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes. It is experimental literature that has worn the test of time. If we shall fall for the fallacy of credentialism, Umberto Eco, Theodore Sturgeon, David Bowie, endorse this delicate fragile, imperfect yet bold unabashed and honest work.If it ain't for you then you don't have a place in Bellona.Go somewhere else.As for the rest of us, you are welcome here.Look, you'll know right away if this is not for you. Don't expect anything from Dhalgren. It is more suggestive than expressive. If you expect anything, be prepared for disappointment.However, if you take it as it comes, if you say yes, you are in for a treat. This is something unlike anything that came before it.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Dhalgren?

Sex with trees, the banality of prose. The beauty of it.

What about Stefan Rudnicki’s performance did you like?

His deep cadence plays well with the essence of this peculiar and noteworth work..

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

What you see is incomparable to what you think.

Any additional comments?

This is a landmark work that while imperfect, its contrivances suggests so much it must not be overlooked.All you have to do it let it.

Yeasayers say yes. Naysayers say no.

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The first 400 pages or so might as well be a different book altogether... The entire ambience of mental post-apocalypse is stewing mistily and anxiously forward in saavy and original metaphor up until after the disturbing encounter with "George Harrison" and the departure of Lania. Once past the meeting of Kidd in-house with Newboy, however, the book begins to degrade into almost insufferable banality... whereas previously, banality had been juiced through with foreboding, arresting verbal figures and arch but subtle social and psychological commentary, now it's just methodical description of extremely uneventful transactions, sexual encounters without great import or integration into the discovery or sensibility of the characters, random thefts and walking about... in short the book itself performs the rise and fall of the late 60s/ early 70s counterculture, from seduction to elation to decadence, then degeneration, then meaningless lost ambling...

Exquisite, Brilliant, Evocative...until 2nd half

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A difficult read, full of blase violence, pederasty, and ends where comfort intersects with horror. it was powerful, sickening, and prescient. bit also the first time I've encountered pansexuality actually shown in literature.

Not for the faint, n words abound pederasty too.

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I think the audio book is by far the best way to experience the book. The reader is clearly an accomplished performer and is excellent at acting out the scenes.
To enjoy this book you have to understand that:
The author purposefully frustrates the reader to create a psychological effect. As you experience the book, you come to enjoy these frustrations and understand their purpose. You also understand that your frustration is part of the story, intentional, and is actually GOOD writing, not bad writing or the author doing something in error.
This book is not action filled. It is about relationships, subtlety, and other such things.
This book legitimately plays out the reality of a how an inner city American community might function in response to an apocalyptic event.
The book is a work of art in the way of mastering show don't tell.
Know that the author is a person of color and this was written in the late 60's, so the radicalized language is a product of it's time. Also, the author specifically intended to name people of color at the time because science fiction was completely white washed.
CW: rape, underage sex, racialized violence

Easily one of my favorite books of all time

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Would you try another book from Samuel R. Delany and/or Stefan Rudnicki?

Samuel R Delany's Sci-Fi books are great. However Dhalgren is not really a sci-fi book. It is an exploration of experimental prose and poetry. Don't get me wrong, there are moments of genius in the chaos.

What was the most interesting aspect of this story? The least interesting?

There are a handful of powerful scenes in the book that are highly realistic. In fact, it is believed that some of the content has been adapted from Delany's own personal experiences. This would not be surprising.The weakest aspect of Dhalgren is it's length. If the book was cut in half, it would be more mainstream.

Any additional comments?

Overall Dhalgren is worth your time if you are a general lover of the written word, who is looking for something a little bit different, maybe even slightly insane.

Not for casual readers

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