#25: Nova by Samuel R. Delany

I didn't plan it this way, but I'm glad my 25th book--halfway there--was by Samuel R. Delany, who I discovered, more or less, this year and has quickly become one of my favorite sci-fi authors.

Nova is another one of his award-winning novels from the 60s; the last one he wrote, after a prolific bout of writing, before falling silent for a number of years. And I would have to rank it, along with his Stars In My Pocket Like Grains of Sand, as one of my favorite sci-fi novels.

This one features a rag-tag spacefaring crew under the sway of a half-mad captain who has the seemingly crazy idea of flying straight into the heart of a nova. As usual Delany is brimming with ideas and includes his usual, rather curious motifs (an obsession with chewed fingernails, rope belts, people who only wear one shoe). But this sweeping space epic also includes brushstrokes from the hunt for the Holy Grail and the Tarot.

In doing some research into the history of Nova, it seems that the book was rejected for serialization in a leading sci-fi magazine of the time because it features a black protagonist and several other multi-ethnic characters. A real shame, as I found it to be a great read.

Somehow, in my 40s, I have begun to embrace hot foods, rare meat, and the previously-scorned "hippie-fi" of the 1960s. I find Delany's writing highly engaging and full of unique ideas, with the added benefit, in this case, of Nova being flat-out fun high adventure. Recommended.

I read this from a big lot of Delany I bought off of ebay, and I am sure I will grab another out of the stack.