The Jewels of Aptor

I have no idea what Delany's writing process was, but if you told me that he got really high, rode the Pirates of the Caribbean a few times, watched some silent horror films, read A Canticle for Leibowitz, and was like, "I have an idea for a story!" I would readily 100% agree that this is clearly how The Jewels of Aptor came about. This book is worth reading if you are a Delany fan, or just like weird, older science fiction books that keep you guessing. The book is one of Delany's first novels, if not the first, and has an off-kilter, unpolished quality about it. Sometimes the settings are hard to imagine, and the ultiamte explanation of why the villain did what we did was pure mid-century psychological gobbledy-gook. (And was the person I think was the villain actually the villain? This book abounded with sleeper agents, double agents, and triple agents.) However, all that being said: This book was fun to read. It was a strange hybrid of fantasy, science fiction, and horror, and it had some unforgettable - and just downright whacky - moments. Even if not every plot point made total sense, if you're fine just going along for the ride, it's just a quick, enjoyable read.