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Empire Star
On a habitable moon near Tau Ceti, a young man named Comet Jo encounters a devil-kitten and sees a spaceship crash land. One of the people in the spaceship tells Jo that he has to take an urgent message to Empire Star, and dies. Another collapses to form Jewel, a compact, multicolored, multiplexed crystalline entity. Empire Star is the story of Comet Jo's journey to deliver the message, as narrated by Jewel.
92 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1966
11 people are currently reading
1390 people want to read
About the author
Samuel R. Delany
288 books2,238 followersSamuel Ray Delany, also known as "Chip," is an award-winning American science fiction author. He was born to a prominent black family on April 1, 1942, and raised in Harlem. His mother, Margaret Carey Boyd Delany, was a library clerk in the New York Public Library system. His father, Samuel Ray Delany, Senior, ran a successful Harlem undertaking establishment, Levy & Delany Funeral Home, on 7th Avenue, between 1938 and his death in 1960. The family lived in the top two floors of the three-story private house between five- and six-story Harlem apartment buildings. Delany's aunts were Sadie and Bessie Delany; Delany used some of their adventures as the basis for the adventures of his characters Elsie and Corry in the opening novella Atlantis: Model 1924 in his book of largely autobiographical stories Atlantis: Three Tales.
Delany attended the Dalton School and the Bronx High School of Science, during which he was selected to attend Camp Rising Sun, the Louis August Jonas Foundation's international summer scholarship program. Delany and poet Marilyn Hacker met in high school, and were married in 1961. Their marriage lasted nineteen years. They had a daughter, Iva Hacker-Delany (b. 1974), who spent a decade working in theater in New York City.
Delany was a published science fiction author by the age of 20. He published nine well-regarded science fiction novels between 1962 and 1968, as well as several prize-winning short stories (collected in Driftglass [1971] and more recently in Aye, and Gomorrah, and other stories [2002]). His eleventh and most popular novel, Dhalgren, was published in 1975. His main literary project through the late 1970s and 1980s was the Return to Nevèrÿon series, the overall title of the four volumes and also the title of the fourth and final book.
Delany has published several autobiographical/semi-autobiographical accounts of his life as a black, gay, and highly dyslexic writer, including his Hugo award winning autobiography, The Motion of Light in Water.
Since 1988, Delany has been a professor at several universities. This includes eleven years as a professor of comparative literature at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, a year and a half as an English professor at the University at Buffalo. He then moved to the English Department of Temple University in 2001, where he has been teaching since. He has had several visiting guest professorships before and during these same years. He has also published several books of criticism, interviews, and essays. In one of his non-fiction books, Times Square Red, Times Square Blue (1999), he draws on personal experience to examine the relationship between the effort to redevelop Times Square and the public sex lives of working-class men, gay and straight, in New York City.
In 2007, Delany was the subject of a documentary film, The Polymath, or, The Life and Opinions of Samuel R. Delany, Gentleman. The film debuted on April 25 at the 2007 Tribeca Film Festival.
Delany attended the Dalton School and the Bronx High School of Science, during which he was selected to attend Camp Rising Sun, the Louis August Jonas Foundation's international summer scholarship program. Delany and poet Marilyn Hacker met in high school, and were married in 1961. Their marriage lasted nineteen years. They had a daughter, Iva Hacker-Delany (b. 1974), who spent a decade working in theater in New York City.
Delany was a published science fiction author by the age of 20. He published nine well-regarded science fiction novels between 1962 and 1968, as well as several prize-winning short stories (collected in Driftglass [1971] and more recently in Aye, and Gomorrah, and other stories [2002]). His eleventh and most popular novel, Dhalgren, was published in 1975. His main literary project through the late 1970s and 1980s was the Return to Nevèrÿon series, the overall title of the four volumes and also the title of the fourth and final book.
Delany has published several autobiographical/semi-autobiographical accounts of his life as a black, gay, and highly dyslexic writer, including his Hugo award winning autobiography, The Motion of Light in Water.
Since 1988, Delany has been a professor at several universities. This includes eleven years as a professor of comparative literature at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, a year and a half as an English professor at the University at Buffalo. He then moved to the English Department of Temple University in 2001, where he has been teaching since. He has had several visiting guest professorships before and during these same years. He has also published several books of criticism, interviews, and essays. In one of his non-fiction books, Times Square Red, Times Square Blue (1999), he draws on personal experience to examine the relationship between the effort to redevelop Times Square and the public sex lives of working-class men, gay and straight, in New York City.
In 2007, Delany was the subject of a documentary film, The Polymath, or, The Life and Opinions of Samuel R. Delany, Gentleman. The film debuted on April 25 at the 2007 Tribeca Film Festival.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 179 reviews
June 5, 2025
According to the short bio included in my edition of Empire Star, Delany wrote the novel “over ten days in 1965 to finance his first trip to Europe.” It shows, but not in a bad way. The novel—or novella, really—has a slapdash, improvised feel, as if, like On the Road, it had been composed on a 37 meter scroll of taped-together tracing paper. And yet, there are more than enough ideas here for a novel thrice the length—some wacky, some almost heartbreaking. The story burns bright and fast and leaves a pleasant fading afterglow behind that makes me feel, somehow, as if I should be living my life differently.
June 17, 2022
“As time progresses,” Lump stated, “people learn. That’s the only hope.”
My god. Delany is too smart for his own damn good.
Comet Jo, blond-braided, left-hand-clawed, simplex-minded, and craving escape, sets forth with a message for Empire Star. What’s the message? He won’t know until he finds out.
That is his story.
A subtle smashing of the fourth wall and the fourth dimension.
Go into Empire Star knowing nothing.
It’s not that big a universe, friend.
My god. Delany is too smart for his own damn good.
Comet Jo, blond-braided, left-hand-clawed, simplex-minded, and craving escape, sets forth with a message for Empire Star. What’s the message? He won’t know until he finds out.
That is his story.
A subtle smashing of the fourth wall and the fourth dimension.
Go into Empire Star knowing nothing.
It’s not that big a universe, friend.
February 14, 2021
This novella was quite brilliant. It was a deliberately layered story. At its most simple it’s a coming of age story as a youth makes his way in the universe. Comet Jo lives on the planet Rhys which produces one product (its a simplex life!) and he’s chosen to carry a message to the Empire star. So he’s goes on an adventure making his way off world. But there is so much more, as he learns more , meets more people etc his world becomes more complex and he learns to think in a multiplex way. Multiplex is the most advanced way to be, asking questions, viewing situations from multiple points of view. I’m sure I’m making a mess explaining this. It ends up like a jigsaw, pieces falling in to place and the whole story appears to be out of time or cyclical, the beginning of the story could’ve been anywhere depending on which character you focus on. This is all in 92 pages! And the narrator describes itself as an omniscient observer named Jewel, a tritovian (presumably a non-human life form) who spends most of the story in a passive, crystallized form. And I haven’t even mentioned the slavery storyline or LUMP(linguistic ubiquitous multiplex) an artificial lifeform who often calls himself Oscar and throws around lots of literary allusions. It’s fascinating, mind bending and probably worth a second read or more.
March 17, 2021
"The truth is always multiplex."
Delany's New Wave novel is really good. It's bildungsroman, space opera and time travel. It's also about slavery told in a very clever way: you can own the slaves or be near them, but you will suffer from what it is known as "the sadness of the Lll" which is an overwhelming feeling of, well, sadness created by the Empire to protect the slaves. They are a unique workforce for building structures and terraforming planets. I liked the simplex/complex/multiplex concept and how it applies even to the reader to make sense out of the story. ⠀
⠀
I must confess that it was a challenging read. I was kinda lost at times, just like the main character and then... boom! The last two chapters put all the pieces together, or almost. I got the feeling that there are some loose ends even at the end (if there is one at all). When was the message delivered? Is everything that happened, including war, a consequence of the message being delivered? I need to talk to someone about this book. Let me know if you've read it. I'd love to hear your thoughts.
Delany's New Wave novel is really good. It's bildungsroman, space opera and time travel. It's also about slavery told in a very clever way: you can own the slaves or be near them, but you will suffer from what it is known as "the sadness of the Lll" which is an overwhelming feeling of, well, sadness created by the Empire to protect the slaves. They are a unique workforce for building structures and terraforming planets. I liked the simplex/complex/multiplex concept and how it applies even to the reader to make sense out of the story. ⠀
⠀
I must confess that it was a challenging read. I was kinda lost at times, just like the main character and then... boom! The last two chapters put all the pieces together, or almost. I got the feeling that there are some loose ends even at the end (if there is one at all). When was the message delivered? Is everything that happened, including war, a consequence of the message being delivered? I need to talk to someone about this book. Let me know if you've read it. I'd love to hear your thoughts.
January 10, 2019
I have read literally nothing like this before. It is one of the finest works of sci-fi in the genre, and I doubt I'll encounter anything like it ever again.
It starts simple: a cat-like boy with claws encounters a dying alien who asks him to take a message to the Empire Star.
It ends with scale vaster than Lord of the Rings.
Read it. Please.
It starts simple: a cat-like boy with claws encounters a dying alien who asks him to take a message to the Empire Star.
It ends with scale vaster than Lord of the Rings.
Read it. Please.
June 8, 2021
Empire Star is a novella from early in Delany's career that's always been one of my favorites. It's the story of Jewel and Comet Jo and their quest to deliver a message, but is also a cleverly and complexly plotted look at intelligence and time and space and devil kittens and all manner of other intriguing subjects. I've always felt that Delany's earlier works got short shrift because his later ones drew such serious academic attention, and recommend Empire Star for a quick, fun, and thoughtful read.
April 1, 2022
Some interesting stuff on here. The problem was, as with several Delany books I've read, was that I had absolutely no idea what was going on.
November 1, 2011
This is a complex novella, perhaps best understood by multiplex minds. I'm not sure if I fall into that category or not; I believe that at some points that I can, and I'm able to stretch my mind to accept the conclusion of this book, which I assume makes me more than a simplex, but it took an effort, and I don't think that I always stay on that plane.
Jo is right in that things are much simpler when you're a simplex. But I'm not sure that it's so hard to go back. I think that ideally, people shouldn't want to go back once they've had a taste of the world out there, but many retreat to the safety of their dens and the lack of questions that would otherwise be raised when they don't want to hear the answers.
That said, I enjoyed this novella and the way that it made my mind spin. The concept of Jewel was intriguing, especially in that she notes that she is an unreliable narrator leaving out parts of the story that a multiplex mind (not one that all readers necessarily have at all) should automatically assume and fill in. It was interesting, but it also felt like a cheat for a slightly rushed story; I've heard that Delany wrote this story in 10 days, so is it just covering for the parts that don't quite make sense? I did feel like this novella jumped in the same way that Babel-17 jumped, which I didn't much like, so be it author style or not, I don't get along well with it. But it didn't prevent my overall enjoyment of the thoughts raised by both stories.
Jo is right in that things are much simpler when you're a simplex. But I'm not sure that it's so hard to go back. I think that ideally, people shouldn't want to go back once they've had a taste of the world out there, but many retreat to the safety of their dens and the lack of questions that would otherwise be raised when they don't want to hear the answers.
That said, I enjoyed this novella and the way that it made my mind spin. The concept of Jewel was intriguing, especially in that she notes that she is an unreliable narrator leaving out parts of the story that a multiplex mind (not one that all readers necessarily have at all) should automatically assume and fill in. It was interesting, but it also felt like a cheat for a slightly rushed story; I've heard that Delany wrote this story in 10 days, so is it just covering for the parts that don't quite make sense? I did feel like this novella jumped in the same way that Babel-17 jumped, which I didn't much like, so be it author style or not, I don't get along well with it. But it didn't prevent my overall enjoyment of the thoughts raised by both stories.
February 18, 2023
Comet Jo, a young man living on a backwater planet, encounters survivors of a spaceship crash. Before dying, one of the survivors asks Jo to deliver a message to Empire Star. The other survivor turns into a crystal named Jewel and narrates the story. Jo leaves his planet with Jewel and a devil kitten and goes on a journey of self-discovery.
I liked the characters and the poetic writing but Delany packs so many concepts and themes in this novella that it felt a little convoluted. Language, perception, slavery, artificial intelligence, and even time travel is introduced. It felt like a whirlwind towards the end but it was a fascinating read. After reading this and The Ballad of Beta-2, Delany has become an author I want to keep reading more of.
3.5 rounded up to 4.
I liked the characters and the poetic writing but Delany packs so many concepts and themes in this novella that it felt a little convoluted. Language, perception, slavery, artificial intelligence, and even time travel is introduced. It felt like a whirlwind towards the end but it was a fascinating read. After reading this and The Ballad of Beta-2, Delany has become an author I want to keep reading more of.
3.5 rounded up to 4.
April 19, 2023
A circular story through space and time. Interesting writing when Delany breaks the fourth wall and the story wraps back on itself based on the gravitational force at the center of the Empire Star. Scattered with important allusions as well, namely slavery. Compact and hard hitting. Enjoyed it.
April 3, 2025
Comet Jo, Beautiful Boy (TM, as far as Samuel R. Delany is concerned), becomes embroiled in a plot to emancipate a race of almost-alien architects. On the way he his helped by the likes of his six-legged devil-kitten Di'k, a mind downloaded into a machine called Lump, a beautiful and mysterious woman San Severina, and a crystallised entity called Jewel.
This is the sort of galaxy-spanning, colourful, and downright joyous romp I love from Delany, and more than a bit reminded me of Huckleberry Finn. He packs a lot into 101 pages, and things are a tad rushed toward the end (especially as time travel becomes a factor, dovetailing characters and situations in unexpected ways), but not to any real detriment.
A little bit of SF joy.
This is the sort of galaxy-spanning, colourful, and downright joyous romp I love from Delany, and more than a bit reminded me of Huckleberry Finn. He packs a lot into 101 pages, and things are a tad rushed toward the end (especially as time travel becomes a factor, dovetailing characters and situations in unexpected ways), but not to any real detriment.
A little bit of SF joy.
December 14, 2016
This melted my brain. It felt a little like Invisible Man (no, the other one!) with its rambling sojourn/coming-of-age tale, rambunctious plot turns, and the sense that every scene is a metaphor about race and class that you may be missing. This is a delicate balance to achieve - outrageous humor and scathing commentary - but Delany carried it off brilliantly. Plus, he threw in enough self-referential winks and literary references to make you dizzy. And when he tossed in ...?? He had me at "Hello".
January 6, 2020
There’s a lot going on in this (very) readable, (very) short novella. On the surface, it’s simple: a boy has to deliver a message. At the surface level, it’s quite readable. But it’s a book that is nearly impossible to decipher, and the ending throws so many wrenches into any possible understanding so quickly that I think many re-reads would be required to appreciate the book more fully. I have mixed feelings about the ending: it’s confusing, and kind of tired, but it is interesting. But it isn’t very rewarding. It’s more like the opposite of rewarding, actually. Either way, the novella is a lot of fun until that point and certainly worth reading.
July 30, 2018
Re-reading this much-loved book to determine whether or not it's appropriate for the 9-year-old.
Yep. Perfectly appropriate. And still turns the brain inside-out the way it did when John the potter handed it to me when I was fifteen.
Edited to add: Does anyone know where a person could buy an e-book of Empire Star? Very sad to discover that the Kindle store doesn't have it.
Yep. Perfectly appropriate. And still turns the brain inside-out the way it did when John the potter handed it to me when I was fifteen.
Edited to add: Does anyone know where a person could buy an e-book of Empire Star? Very sad to discover that the Kindle store doesn't have it.
August 11, 2024
Interesting looped novella whose ending is obviously its beginning. Like in some progressive rock’s albums if you know what I mean. Not easy read despite of its length. I suppose better read it twice successively. Unfortunately the novella feels a little bit fragmentary, like a scenario for something bigger.
June 4, 2019
(Combo review - Babel-17 and Empire Star)
This review and others can be found on my blog, Black Forest Basilisks.
Delany’s prose has won me over wholeheartedly. I love the atmosphere, I love the characters, and I love how unabashedly pulpy it gets at moments. It’s a fun ride, and fans of linguistics or languages will find a lot to enjoy in Babel-17 in particular. I would personally recommend first reading Empire Star and following it up with Babel-17, as there is a bit of crossover that has greater impact if read in that order. While both contain a few clichés (a protagonist named “Comet Jo” or your typical barbarian style off-worlder), I think we can chalk that up to the time period in which it was written – there’s something to be said for writing in a style that will actually be published and make some money with a broad audience. These books were part of a wave of writing that laid the foundation for modern literary science fiction.
The writing is encrusted with flourishes and filigree, both in terms of prose and in worldbuilding. A strange dragon or lion-man here, ship navigators who must form a polyamorous three-person relationship to fulfill their duties, or genetically engineered assassins. I wish there had been a bit more background on some of these, however – I’m pretty unclear on why ships need a team of 12 orphan children as maintenance techs, for example. Fortunately, the prose carries on over and around these kinds of questions, making them easier to brush aside. Delany drops you right into the middle of his world, assuming you will catch up without an introduction.
In Empire Star, I’d also like a moment to appreciate the main character’s companion animal. It is a devil kitten. Kitten. Six legs. Horns. Sometimes vicious. Grows to the size of houses! Is generally awesome. Comet Jo, being a rather simplex being at the time, names it D’ik (devil-kitty to ‘kitty to D’ki). D’ik may not get a huge amount of screen time, but I very much enjoyed him nonetheless.
It was nice to see a woman as a protagonist, Rydra Wong, in Babel-17 – especially given that the novel was published in the 60s. As far as role models go, she’s rather impressive. Intelligent, quick, and tactical: all attributes rarely assigned to women during this era of scifi. Most importantly, she’s also flawed and human and isn’t merely a cardboard cutout of a Strong Female Protagonist. While Empire Star’s protagonist is a boy, one of the main secondary characters is another example of a fantastic woman who isn’t pigeon-holed into feminine stereotypes.
Babel-17 also does some fun things with linguistics, though most of the mechanics are behind the scenes. The overall premise deals with Rydra Wong attempting to stop terrorist attacks which are being planned over public channels using a new, unique, compact, and incredibly descriptive language. She’s always had a gift for language, and is using this to learn to communicate with the perpetrators of the attacks.
This review and others can be found on my blog, Black Forest Basilisks.
Delany’s prose has won me over wholeheartedly. I love the atmosphere, I love the characters, and I love how unabashedly pulpy it gets at moments. It’s a fun ride, and fans of linguistics or languages will find a lot to enjoy in Babel-17 in particular. I would personally recommend first reading Empire Star and following it up with Babel-17, as there is a bit of crossover that has greater impact if read in that order. While both contain a few clichés (a protagonist named “Comet Jo” or your typical barbarian style off-worlder), I think we can chalk that up to the time period in which it was written – there’s something to be said for writing in a style that will actually be published and make some money with a broad audience. These books were part of a wave of writing that laid the foundation for modern literary science fiction.
The writing is encrusted with flourishes and filigree, both in terms of prose and in worldbuilding. A strange dragon or lion-man here, ship navigators who must form a polyamorous three-person relationship to fulfill their duties, or genetically engineered assassins. I wish there had been a bit more background on some of these, however – I’m pretty unclear on why ships need a team of 12 orphan children as maintenance techs, for example. Fortunately, the prose carries on over and around these kinds of questions, making them easier to brush aside. Delany drops you right into the middle of his world, assuming you will catch up without an introduction.
In Empire Star, I’d also like a moment to appreciate the main character’s companion animal. It is a devil kitten. Kitten. Six legs. Horns. Sometimes vicious. Grows to the size of houses! Is generally awesome. Comet Jo, being a rather simplex being at the time, names it D’ik (devil-kitty to ‘kitty to D’ki). D’ik may not get a huge amount of screen time, but I very much enjoyed him nonetheless.
It was nice to see a woman as a protagonist, Rydra Wong, in Babel-17 – especially given that the novel was published in the 60s. As far as role models go, she’s rather impressive. Intelligent, quick, and tactical: all attributes rarely assigned to women during this era of scifi. Most importantly, she’s also flawed and human and isn’t merely a cardboard cutout of a Strong Female Protagonist. While Empire Star’s protagonist is a boy, one of the main secondary characters is another example of a fantastic woman who isn’t pigeon-holed into feminine stereotypes.
Babel-17 also does some fun things with linguistics, though most of the mechanics are behind the scenes. The overall premise deals with Rydra Wong attempting to stop terrorist attacks which are being planned over public channels using a new, unique, compact, and incredibly descriptive language. She’s always had a gift for language, and is using this to learn to communicate with the perpetrators of the attacks.
September 8, 2022
You’ll need some mental multiplexing ability for this one. It’s a surprisingly moving short novel useful for practicing your mental time-shifting skills. The links are all there, so pay attention.
Reading this might be good prep for “Dhalgren” in that regard. Also, there are several literary themes and devices Delany may have used here first in “Empire Star,” before appearing more robustly in that later major novel.
I read this in a volume coupled with the famous “Babel-17” but am tagging this early paperback edition of “Empire Star” because that vintage cover is so awesome.
Reading this might be good prep for “Dhalgren” in that regard. Also, there are several literary themes and devices Delany may have used here first in “Empire Star,” before appearing more robustly in that later major novel.
I read this in a volume coupled with the famous “Babel-17” but am tagging this early paperback edition of “Empire Star” because that vintage cover is so awesome.
February 23, 2025
Slow at the beginning- I made the mistake of assuming I would enjoy it far less than I did Babel-17. And then that ending tore me up!!
Delany was younger than I am now when he wrote both stories. Wow, what a master.
Delany was younger than I am now when he wrote both stories. Wow, what a master.
February 4, 2024
Fuck yeah.
Awesome and full of ah-ha moments.
Super cool
Awesome and full of ah-ha moments.
Super cool
February 5, 2010
I am a sucker for books that go in circles. It is like you are following a path and suddenly you realize it is a moebius strip. You're back where you started but everything has changed. The path that was once unknown is now freighted with meaning. That was the flower you planted. That was where you camped. That's the flower you'll plant. That's where you'll camp. That's where you'll stare up at the stars and imagine what could be, what would be.
Delany is a wonderful writer. Even when he is rushing, and he apparently wrote this in ten days, his prose leaps off the page. There is a beautiful rhythm to it. It is meant to be read aloud. There are a few places that stumble awkwardly, especially whenever he uses a word that ends in "ex," none of which, oddly for a Delany book, are "sex." Instead he is on about the simplex, complex, and multiplex. They are good words, but they do not quite fit rhythmically. I also could not cope with the name of the "Lll" people.
The story is rushed. It's only novella length and it strains against the length. Simple backwater boy goes on mysterious journey to transmit the last words of a mysterious dying alien. Everyone he talks to knows more about it than he does. Like some of his other books, Nova comes to mind, the premise and setting are hokey, but it makes a fun, exciting background for his distinctive style and exploration of ideas.
There is a character in this book named San Severina. Well, that is one of her names. I wonder if this is where Gene Wolfe got the name Severian for his own circular book. There is a undercurrent in both authors' works where circles are really helices. They loop back, but go forward, are different but the same. I'm a sucker for books that go in helices.
Delany is a wonderful writer. Even when he is rushing, and he apparently wrote this in ten days, his prose leaps off the page. There is a beautiful rhythm to it. It is meant to be read aloud. There are a few places that stumble awkwardly, especially whenever he uses a word that ends in "ex," none of which, oddly for a Delany book, are "sex." Instead he is on about the simplex, complex, and multiplex. They are good words, but they do not quite fit rhythmically. I also could not cope with the name of the "Lll" people.
The story is rushed. It's only novella length and it strains against the length. Simple backwater boy goes on mysterious journey to transmit the last words of a mysterious dying alien. Everyone he talks to knows more about it than he does. Like some of his other books, Nova comes to mind, the premise and setting are hokey, but it makes a fun, exciting background for his distinctive style and exploration of ideas.
There is a character in this book named San Severina. Well, that is one of her names. I wonder if this is where Gene Wolfe got the name Severian for his own circular book. There is a undercurrent in both authors' works where circles are really helices. They loop back, but go forward, are different but the same. I'm a sucker for books that go in helices.
December 31, 2021
"The only important elements in any society are the artistic and the criminal, because they alone, by questioning society's values, can force it to change."
A bumpkin on a backwater farming world must deliver a message to a distant world, but, in order to do so, he must change.
This little book started out as a kind of bizarre, almost nonsecenical Alice-in-Wonderland-esque, coming-out-age space opera adventure story that quickly became an exploration of themes revolving around slavery, individualism, perception, existentialism, and mental complexity. It also ends up having a lot of time travel, something I was oblivious to at first and then felt stupid for not picking up on. Characters unknowingly meet themselves on different parts of their journey, in a constant loop. It's kind of head-spinning, much more than I was ready for.
One of the themes is trying to find yourself, but realizing there's nothing to find. You don't need to go hunting for the answers, you are already the sum of your experiences. Another is the depths of one's perception, having either a simple, narrow vjew, a more complicated one, or an intensely open one. This feels something like a self-aware joke, because the book starts seemingly simple but ends but mind-bendingly complex.
A bumpkin on a backwater farming world must deliver a message to a distant world, but, in order to do so, he must change.
This little book started out as a kind of bizarre, almost nonsecenical Alice-in-Wonderland-esque, coming-out-age space opera adventure story that quickly became an exploration of themes revolving around slavery, individualism, perception, existentialism, and mental complexity. It also ends up having a lot of time travel, something I was oblivious to at first and then felt stupid for not picking up on. Characters unknowingly meet themselves on different parts of their journey, in a constant loop. It's kind of head-spinning, much more than I was ready for.
One of the themes is trying to find yourself, but realizing there's nothing to find. You don't need to go hunting for the answers, you are already the sum of your experiences. Another is the depths of one's perception, having either a simple, narrow vjew, a more complicated one, or an intensely open one. This feels something like a self-aware joke, because the book starts seemingly simple but ends but mind-bendingly complex.
April 10, 2014
I cannot fathom why this is not a Hugo or Nebula winner for Best Novella, as it certainly deserves to be. Somehow a simple yet complex story, it may mark the beginning of Delany's interest in circular logic/stories, and it's incredibly well-executed. I love his classification of rational beings a simplex/complex/multiplex, and he does a great job of explaining this concept through example throughout the book. Each time expanding what it means to be "human" when species is no longer a deciding factor.
And, as with every other Delany book I've read (except perhaps Dhalgren, which was my first of his and by far not the one with which to start), makes me wonder why he doesn't get more respect from a broader audience. He and Gene Wolfe represent the very best of literary sci-fi/fantasy, and outside of super-fans of the genre, are almost entirely unknown.
If Babel-17 is a perfect 60's SF novel, then Empire Star belongs on the reverse side of that coin of honor. If you run across a copy of the two together, do not hesitate. If you hate them, I'll pay you back personally.
And, as with every other Delany book I've read (except perhaps Dhalgren, which was my first of his and by far not the one with which to start), makes me wonder why he doesn't get more respect from a broader audience. He and Gene Wolfe represent the very best of literary sci-fi/fantasy, and outside of super-fans of the genre, are almost entirely unknown.
If Babel-17 is a perfect 60's SF novel, then Empire Star belongs on the reverse side of that coin of honor. If you run across a copy of the two together, do not hesitate. If you hate them, I'll pay you back personally.
January 15, 2010
It was an interesting read, but I'm not entirely convinced that the convoluted timelines and loops and so on actually make sense in the end. Trying to map out events and such, especially the war and where it stands in relation to everything else, usually ends up in confusion and in the end it comes off as Delaney just having fun with a clever trick instead of trying to work up a solid world and storyline.
March 21, 2023
3.5
Only my second Delany. His stuff is really frustrating, but in a way I find endearing and exciting. His writing is courageous and uninhibited, but it annoys me because I think he's written one of my favorite books, it's just not the one I'm reading.
Only my second Delany. His stuff is really frustrating, but in a way I find endearing and exciting. His writing is courageous and uninhibited, but it annoys me because I think he's written one of my favorite books, it's just not the one I'm reading.
October 17, 2017
"The only important elements in any society are the artistic and the criminal, because they alone, by questioning society's values, can force it to change."
July 12, 2025
4 Stars! I’m noticing a trend with Delany. Very weird and different books. But also interesting and fun. Almost like a cross between Heinlein and D. Adams. This one wasn’t quite as good as Babel-17 but maybe even more fun. And the ending was pretty cool with the time loop. Enjoy!
Quotes:
- “One can learn all one needs to know; or one can learn what one wants to know. But to need to learn all one wants to know, which is what the Geodesic Survey Station is doing, even falls apart semantically.” (p53)
- “Maybe that is the most important thing there is. If there is an answer to that question that's what it is, to know you're yourself and nobody else.” (p55)
- “You've had a lot of experiences recently. Order them multiplexually and they will be much clearer. And when they are clear enough, enough confusion will remain so that you ask the proper questions.” (p65)
- “The only important elements in any society are the artistic and the criminal, because they alone, by questioning the society's values, can force it to change.” (p74-75)
- “All these soldiers under Prince Nactor are going to Empire Star to kill me, unless I get there first… If I go with them, it's fairly certain I won't get there after they do. At worst we'll arrive at the same time. But I've got to contrive some way to get there first.” (p78-79)
- “Shhh. "If you ask questions that nobody can answer, - you just have to wait and see.” (p88)
Quotes:
- “One can learn all one needs to know; or one can learn what one wants to know. But to need to learn all one wants to know, which is what the Geodesic Survey Station is doing, even falls apart semantically.” (p53)
- “Maybe that is the most important thing there is. If there is an answer to that question that's what it is, to know you're yourself and nobody else.” (p55)
- “You've had a lot of experiences recently. Order them multiplexually and they will be much clearer. And when they are clear enough, enough confusion will remain so that you ask the proper questions.” (p65)
- “The only important elements in any society are the artistic and the criminal, because they alone, by questioning the society's values, can force it to change.” (p74-75)
- “All these soldiers under Prince Nactor are going to Empire Star to kill me, unless I get there first… If I go with them, it's fairly certain I won't get there after they do. At worst we'll arrive at the same time. But I've got to contrive some way to get there first.” (p78-79)
- “Shhh. "If you ask questions that nobody can answer, - you just have to wait and see.” (p88)
January 21, 2019
My fourth re-read of this book; I still love it. It's hilarious and brilliant.
This time around I picked up on something - well, three things:
This time around I picked up on something - well, three things:
July 26, 2022
Empire Star by Samuel R. Delany is one of my favorite science fiction novellas of all time.
Empire Star is an adventure, a mind-bender and one of the all-time great time travel stories.
I recommend Empire Star as a great introduction to the brilliant literary stylings of Samuel R. Delany and anyone looking for an imaginative take on sci fi time travel story telling.
Empire Star is sure to rank high on my 2022 Top 210 SciFi reads episode.
[You will also find on my channel, FIT 2B READ reviews for Delany’s Babel-17 and Nova]
I feel like I want to rename this the Ballad of Comet Jo. One of the things I really love about Delany are the unique and interesting character she creates and that includes their names, and Comet Jo is no exception.
Comet Jo is living on Rhys, a simplex world of symplex minded people orbiting a gas giant in the vicinity of Tau Ceti. It’s fair enough to think of simplex as meaning simple-minded with limited perception, though the context does not carry the same negative or demeaning implications. It just is what it is.
Jo’s life is about to be turned upside down. Or is it? Or has it already? Who knows. Delany takes the time travel theme seriously and has us wondering what is what?... and what is when.
Jo very briefly interacts with an alien, a Tritovian, from a crashing ship, who tells him to deliver a message to Empire Star. Working against Jo in this endeavor, is that he is of course of a simplex culture and a simplex mind, he’s never heard of Empire Star, what or where it is, and he doesn’t know what the message is. Working in his favor, and our favor, because they are the omniscient observer narrator of the story, the alien messenger has turned into..has assumed, a crystalline form.
The messenger, Jewel, a Tritovian in crystalized form, is literally a crystal that Jo takes with him. We learn this right from the get go. The crystallized Tritovian is a multi-colored, multi-faceted, and multiplex being. The Tritovian sustained injuries from the crash prior to meeting Comet Jo, and the transformation to crystalized form is apparently the only way to eek out any semblance of further existence. The crystalized form ensures Jewel’s continued survival but disallows any ability to volunteer helpful information or guidance. Because Jewel is along for the ride, we have our omniscient observer narrator throughout.
In order to leave Rhys, find his way to Empire Star, and deliver his message, Comet Jo will need to navigate his own reality and levels of plexity to become complex and ultimately multiplex-minded. Think of plexity as relating to how one perceives the universe and time and the potential for paradox to exist in time and place then sprinkle in an ability to be open-minded to the possibilities, and you, dear viewer, may also find yourself to think in multiplex terms, if you Grok.
Because there is plenty of reveals and discovery in this story to spoil, I’m going to direct the remainder of the spoiler-free summary to very broadly mention some of the interesting characters without giving anything away. This will serve to give you a little more entry into what this world Delany created looks like and it can also be helpful to get you comfortable heading into the reading experience.
First are the LLL. That’s right, just LLL spelled with three LLLs. LLS are beings of enormous power. They are enslaved. They must be, because they are the builders of the EMpire. THey build societies, structures, ecosystems, because of the necessity, their importance, and supposedly for their own sake, the must be. They are owned. They are protected. The great force of protection is sadness. The cost of owning an LL is extreme and crippling sadness. To even be in the presence of the LLL is heartbreaking. To own an LLL is a level beyond that. The level of crippling sadness is exponential with each additional LLL owned, so imagine for a moment, the terror that must befall the next character I’ll mention, San Severina. She owns 7 LLLs.
What would possess her to do that? Well, this is an Empire at war, and billions have died. She has eight worlds and thousands upon thousands of civilizations, societies, ethical systems, you name it to rebuild. She can’t do that without the LLL and all the sadness-cost that comes with it. Severina is also, depending on how you view time, Comet Jo’s first teacher in the ways of advancing to a multiplex existence and greater understanding of the universe. We may or may not, and have or have not seen Severina in other ways or forms in this story. Sh e however is not his only tutor.
Jo, for much of his quest, is in the company of Lump, short for, Linguistic Ubiquitous Multiplex. Lump is an artificial intelligence. Interesting to note is that Lumps consciousness is based on a LLL named Muels Aranlyde, an anagram you might be able to work out. We also meet lump as another character Oscar, which isn’t really a spoiler, but I mention it here to give you the idea of more than one representation of any character is a definite possibility and absolutely part of the fun. There are a few other characters worth noting, but who I will leave for you to discover. THe last I’ll mention here is Ni Ty Lee, a poet, who instead of following his plan to fly into the sun, finds interest in Comet Jo and Lump and stops for a minute to chat. Curious about Lee is he seems intimately aware of all Jo knows and has experienced.
As complex, or multiplex as this story and my summary may seem, the story is fun and you need not be sidetracked by anything while enjoying the ride. It’s an amazing accomplishment by Delany to make all of the confusion work and leave many questions for us to wonder about while not at all slowing down the reading experience.
The story is filled with metaphor, a more obvious is toward slavery and some of the less obvious are ones that felt more personal that I’ll refrain from mentioning as I beleive that discovering them is a significant part of enjoying this novel. It certainly was for me.
Empire Star is an adventure, a mind-bender and one of the all-time great time travel stories.
I recommend Empire Star as a great introduction to the brilliant literary stylings of Samuel R. Delany and anyone looking for an imaginative take on sci fi time travel story telling.
Empire Star is sure to rank high on my 2022 Top 210 SciFi reads episode.
[You will also find on my channel, FIT 2B READ reviews for Delany’s Babel-17 and Nova]
I feel like I want to rename this the Ballad of Comet Jo. One of the things I really love about Delany are the unique and interesting character she creates and that includes their names, and Comet Jo is no exception.
Comet Jo is living on Rhys, a simplex world of symplex minded people orbiting a gas giant in the vicinity of Tau Ceti. It’s fair enough to think of simplex as meaning simple-minded with limited perception, though the context does not carry the same negative or demeaning implications. It just is what it is.
Jo’s life is about to be turned upside down. Or is it? Or has it already? Who knows. Delany takes the time travel theme seriously and has us wondering what is what?... and what is when.
Jo very briefly interacts with an alien, a Tritovian, from a crashing ship, who tells him to deliver a message to Empire Star. Working against Jo in this endeavor, is that he is of course of a simplex culture and a simplex mind, he’s never heard of Empire Star, what or where it is, and he doesn’t know what the message is. Working in his favor, and our favor, because they are the omniscient observer narrator of the story, the alien messenger has turned into..has assumed, a crystalline form.
The messenger, Jewel, a Tritovian in crystalized form, is literally a crystal that Jo takes with him. We learn this right from the get go. The crystallized Tritovian is a multi-colored, multi-faceted, and multiplex being. The Tritovian sustained injuries from the crash prior to meeting Comet Jo, and the transformation to crystalized form is apparently the only way to eek out any semblance of further existence. The crystalized form ensures Jewel’s continued survival but disallows any ability to volunteer helpful information or guidance. Because Jewel is along for the ride, we have our omniscient observer narrator throughout.
In order to leave Rhys, find his way to Empire Star, and deliver his message, Comet Jo will need to navigate his own reality and levels of plexity to become complex and ultimately multiplex-minded. Think of plexity as relating to how one perceives the universe and time and the potential for paradox to exist in time and place then sprinkle in an ability to be open-minded to the possibilities, and you, dear viewer, may also find yourself to think in multiplex terms, if you Grok.
Because there is plenty of reveals and discovery in this story to spoil, I’m going to direct the remainder of the spoiler-free summary to very broadly mention some of the interesting characters without giving anything away. This will serve to give you a little more entry into what this world Delany created looks like and it can also be helpful to get you comfortable heading into the reading experience.
First are the LLL. That’s right, just LLL spelled with three LLLs. LLS are beings of enormous power. They are enslaved. They must be, because they are the builders of the EMpire. THey build societies, structures, ecosystems, because of the necessity, their importance, and supposedly for their own sake, the must be. They are owned. They are protected. The great force of protection is sadness. The cost of owning an LL is extreme and crippling sadness. To even be in the presence of the LLL is heartbreaking. To own an LLL is a level beyond that. The level of crippling sadness is exponential with each additional LLL owned, so imagine for a moment, the terror that must befall the next character I’ll mention, San Severina. She owns 7 LLLs.
What would possess her to do that? Well, this is an Empire at war, and billions have died. She has eight worlds and thousands upon thousands of civilizations, societies, ethical systems, you name it to rebuild. She can’t do that without the LLL and all the sadness-cost that comes with it. Severina is also, depending on how you view time, Comet Jo’s first teacher in the ways of advancing to a multiplex existence and greater understanding of the universe. We may or may not, and have or have not seen Severina in other ways or forms in this story. Sh e however is not his only tutor.
Jo, for much of his quest, is in the company of Lump, short for, Linguistic Ubiquitous Multiplex. Lump is an artificial intelligence. Interesting to note is that Lumps consciousness is based on a LLL named Muels Aranlyde, an anagram you might be able to work out. We also meet lump as another character Oscar, which isn’t really a spoiler, but I mention it here to give you the idea of more than one representation of any character is a definite possibility and absolutely part of the fun. There are a few other characters worth noting, but who I will leave for you to discover. THe last I’ll mention here is Ni Ty Lee, a poet, who instead of following his plan to fly into the sun, finds interest in Comet Jo and Lump and stops for a minute to chat. Curious about Lee is he seems intimately aware of all Jo knows and has experienced.
As complex, or multiplex as this story and my summary may seem, the story is fun and you need not be sidetracked by anything while enjoying the ride. It’s an amazing accomplishment by Delany to make all of the confusion work and leave many questions for us to wonder about while not at all slowing down the reading experience.
The story is filled with metaphor, a more obvious is toward slavery and some of the less obvious are ones that felt more personal that I’ll refrain from mentioning as I beleive that discovering them is a significant part of enjoying this novel. It certainly was for me.
December 23, 2018
This basic space adventure is a page-turner, though it starts out serious and has more and more silly parts as it goes along, so by the end it's hard to take it seriously. It follows a young man from a farming planet sent by "aliens" on a quest to deliver a message. He encounters strange characters, who almost all help him, on his travels to Earth and other stops. Slavery is at issue, and some time travel is involved, though not as thoroughly explored as, say, Robert Heinlein's classics The Door Into Summer and "By His Bootstraps." There's a good deal of humor reminiscent of Robert Sheckley or Terry Pratchett, but not consistently throughout. Nevertheless it was entertaining and I'm glad I read it.
December 27, 2020
This novella looks at slavery and its impact on enslavers and those who benefit from it, the concept of individuality, and modes of thought. This was unintentionally my 1st Delany read, and I think it was a good pick, since it's on the shorter end and the plot is fairly easy to understand. Empire Star has a wry humor to it as certain events repeat and through Lump's character (who makes literary allusions I don't understand and who thinks he's much stealthier than he actually is). The protagonist of the story is from an isolated community who doesn't know much and is sent on a mission he doesn't understand. So we're learning about his mission and this universe along with him. There's something about this story that feels very retro and pulp, in terms of the world and the questions the story's asking. Which I wasn't expecting because I've heard Delany's work characterized as incredibly dense and literary. I'm wondering in general what makes sci fi feel retro vs modern, genre vs literary, etc. The themes in this story are worth thinking on, and I may re-read since it's super short.
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