Reviews

Aye, and Gomorrah: And Other Stories by Samuel R. Delany

cameronbcook's review

I read half and listened to half. Both experiences good!

Delany should be a household name. He is the best science fiction writer I've ever read.

mireanthony's review

adventurous medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character

3.5

This is a short story collection. Some of the short stories are very good, some are pretty dull, and the book as a whole lands somewhere in the middle overall. I'm considering gifting a copy of this collection to my dad for Christmas, and I've added another Samuel R. Delany book (Babel-17) to my reading list because of Aye, and Gomorrah.

Here are the stories in this collection I found most interesting and compelling: 

1. "The Star Pit". This is longer than I generally prefer in a short story, more of a novella really, but that length was necessary to build a world and a setting that I thought was really interesting and valuable in the larger context of scifi. Focuses on the human cost of space exploration, and does so in a way that resonates with issues of race and sexuality. A good primer for the rest of this collection.
2. "Aye, and Gomorrah...". This might be my favorite from this collection. Focuses on issues of desire and sex work, and is framed as a cyclical story that serves to reinforce a sort of dual transience of being a spacer and being genderqueer-- outside the dominant gender norms. Some people would probably find this story transphobic but it really resonated with my own experiences.
3. "Driftglass". This is a story about racism, classism and capitalism, and about the human toll of both, but it is also about the experience of continuing to live and find joy amidst it all. Also, it's about people who have been surgically modified to be able to breathe underwater. I think you could easily make a compelling full length novel based on what has been presented in this story.
4. "We, In Some Strange Power's Employ, Move on a Rigorous Line". This is about individuality vs society, and it's unusual in my eyes in that it doesn't come down with any certainty on one side or the other. The household of cultists clearly have their problems, fight amongst themselves, are seen as regressive by the main character's coworkers, and yet he maintains some sense of admiration for them that makes it impossible to dismiss them completely. 
5. "High Weir". This story feels like the prototype for that Stargate SG-1 episode "The Fifth Race", and the similarities there prevent me from digging any deeper into its thematic or metaphorical meanings, but I did really enjoy it. 

I definitely enjoyed these enough to want to add this book to my own bookshelf, and I'll probably buy myself a copy at some point. As introductions to authors' works goes, I think short story collections are a good starting point, and I think Delany is covering some important themes in interesting ways that are still resonant in 2022. I first picked up this book because the title spoke to me, and because in looking into what it was about I saw someone describe it as being about displacement, not being able to go home again. There is a quote at the very beginning, after the dedication, which reads: 

Aye, there was destruction.
My God! Oh, my God!
And burning. And death and the sounds of death and burning.
Was Sodom destroyed?
Aye, and Gomorrah to six miles around it. The river beneath it boiled in the streets. The mountains vomited rock on the orchards. And no one now can live upon the place.
Oh, my city! What city may I found? Where must now I go to make me a home?

he_slaughtered's review

adventurous funny lighthearted mysterious reflective sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

samuel r. delaney’s work is continuously immaginative and alive. somehow he manages to construct whole expansive and culturally rich worlds in far reaching planets and societies to right here on earth in just a few sentences. it’s always so beautiful and exceeds my expectations every time. what all fiction should be like, sci-if or otherwise. 

ellasm's review

adventurous challenging reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

lleullawgyffes's review against another edition

inspiring reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

wmhenrymorris's review

I admit it: there were some stories I just didn't get. But on the whole this exactly the type of gonzo 60s-era sci-fi writing that helped define the field -- imaginative, literary, inscrutable, pushing the boundaries of language, an emphasis on attitude and pyrotechnics over plot, not afraid to alienate the reader. Some good stuff.

bruc79's review

3.0

Uma história interessante

enoughgaiety's review

3.0

I wish I could give this 3.5 stars, or maybe even 3.75. It grew on me drastically toward the end. Longer review later, hopefully, but for now:

Favorite story:
--"High Weir" (unsurprisingly: reminiscent of some of my favorite Le Guin stories)

Also a big fan of:
--"Driftglass"
--"Dog in a Fisherman's Net"
(A pairing with interesting resonances.)

Really liked some of the ideas but not all of the execution:
--"Aye, and Gomorrah..."
--"We, in Some Strange Power's Employ, Move on a Rigorous Line"
--"Night and the Loves of Joe Dicostanzo"

Deeply divided on:
--"The Star Pit"
--"Time Considered as a Helix of Semi-Precious Stones"

Neutral/kind of forgettable:
--"Cage of Brass"
--"Omegahelm"
--"Among the Blobs"
--"Ruins"

Slogged to get through:
--"Corona"
--"Tapestry"
--"Prismatica"

craig_tyler's review

4.0

3 and a half stars.

italo_carlvino's review against another edition

adventurous challenging reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

Delany is up there with Calvino and Morrison as one of my absolute favorite authors of all time.