A, B, C

Starred review from June 1, 2015
SFWA Grand Master Delany’s collection of three early works is essential not just for the classics it contains but for the author’s riveting 40-page afterword (as well as his shorter but equally entertaining preface). “The Jewels of Aptor,” Delany’s first published novel, is an entertaining postapocalyptic fantasy adventure in which a young poet named Geo and his friend Urson go on a quest for the high priestess of the goddess Argo. In the shortest work, “The Ballad of Beta-2,” a student tries to discover what happened to a failed galactic expedition. In the final novel, “They Fly at Çiron” (one of Delany’s earliest works, later substantially revised and eventually published in 1993), the titular fantasy-realm village is attacked by the army of a cruel prince, though one soldier questions their actions. All of the novels are excellent and must-reads for anyone interested in science fiction, and the additional autobiographical notes in the afterword add a wealth of material for Delany’s fans.

A reissue of Delany's (Through the Valley of the Nest of Spiders, 2012, etc.) first three novels is accompanied by a new preface and afterword by the author that welcome the reader into the works and offer broader reflections on art, writing, and life.This omnibus volume contains The Jewels of Aptor, The Ballad of Beta-2, and They Fly at Ciron, each one a relatively short novel that explores different territories of science fiction and fantasy. Aptor and Beta-2 were originally published in the 1960s; Ciron has a more circuitous history (detailed by Delany in an accompanying note), being a failed attempt at a second novel that later appeared in various heavily revised incarnations. Aptor reads like a swashbuckling fantasy adventure set on a "monstrous Island" where the remains of a technologically advanced civilization crumble under decadence and power struggles. Beta-2 follows an academic whose analysis of an old ballad takes him to an isolated set of spaceships inhabited by the relics of a mysterious and violent past. Ciron throws the reader into the bloody conflict brought to an idyllic village by a conquering army set on consolidating an empire. Despite their differences, the novels are all engaging reads with vivid, likable characters and satisfying plots. They entertain, confident in the power and pleasures of solid storytelling, while also unabashedly tackling various ideas, both troubling and idealistic, about society and culture with rigorous intelligence. Delany's preface and afterword are substantial and enjoyable; far from being mere treats for the committed fan, they are fascinating in their own rights and offer some of the most interesting writing in the book. COPYRIGHT(1) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.