A, B, C: Three Short Novels contains the first three novels of Samuel R. Delany’s long and illustrious career.
The Jewels of Aptor is a science-fantasy story about a seafaring quest that sets out to find powerful magic jewels on a mystical, forbidden island where unimaginable danger lies.
The Ballad of Beta-2 is about a future academic searching for the true story behind an interstellar voyage, a journey over multiple generations that ended in tragedy.
They Fly at Çiron is a fantasy about the clash between a marauding army and a peaceful village at the foot of a mountain from which a race of winged people oversees both sides.
Presenting these three novels in this omnibus volume for the first time, along with a new foreword and afterword by the author, A, B, C showcases Delany’s masterful storytelling ability and deep devotion to his craft.
“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.”
—Kirkus Reviews
“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). . . . 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.”
—Publishers Weekly, starred review and PW Picks Book of the Week
“The most interesting writer of science fiction writing in English today.”
—The New York Times Book Review
“He is a world-maker, and in his work idea-spinning and storytelling are aspects of one another.”
—Reginald Shepherd, Poets & Writers
“In his novels, criticism, [and] letters, Samuel R. Delany left an indelible mark upon the last century, and there's little doubt he'll continue to do the same in the present one.”
—Elizabeth Hand, The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction
