Stars in My Pocket Like Grains of Sand

Samuel R. Delany

Jan 2014 · Open Road Media

About this ebook

In this far-future classic, sexual attraction is a science, gender is a whole new construct, and information is both precious and perilous . . .

With a burst of radiation to the brain, an angry young man is transformed into a dim-witted slave—suitable only for the most brutal work. But the tragedy of Rat Korga is the prologue to the story of Marq Dyeth, an “industrial diplomat,” who travels from world to world in this exciting, sprawling future, solving problems that come with the spread of “General Information.” The greatest fear in this future is Cultural Fugue, a critical mass of shared knowledge that can destroy life over the surface of an entire world in hours. In this dizzyingly original novel, information is perilous, but without it a human is only a rat in a cage.
 
Campbell Award winner Jo Walton described this science fiction landmark as being “like pop rocks for the brain. . . . Things sparkle and explode all over, and it’s not entirely comfortable but it is quite wonderful.” This classic read predicted the Internet and is packed with themes that still resonate today.
 
This ebook features an illustrated biography of Samuel R. Delany including rare images from his early career. 

Ratings and reviews

This novel has an amazing appeal as science fiction, escapism, political and gender theory, a satire of modern-day cultural conflicts, and traditional character-driven fiction; it's a bit dense if you're not used to this style of literature, but everyone I've persuaded to read this has always come away from the book believing that there are new ways to think and approach life.

The Shakespeare of sci-fi.

About the author

Samuel R. Delany published his first novel, The Jewels of Aptor, at the age of twenty. Throughout his storied career, he has received four Nebula Awards and two Hugo Awards, and in 2008 his novel Dark Reflections won the Stonewall Book Award. He was inducted into the Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame in 2002, named a Grand Master by the Science Fiction Writers of America in 2014, and in 2016 was inducted into the New York State Writers Hall of Fame. Delany’s works also extend into memoir, criticism, and essays on sexuality and society. After many years as a professor of English and creative writing and director of the graduate creative writing program at Temple University, he retired from teaching in 2015. He lives in Philadelphia with his partner, Dennis Rickett.