I have mixed feelings about this novel, but, at its core, I enjoyed how Delany thought about language in his novel, particularly how language can define and limit the speaker and their understanding of the world around them. With that said, the novel is very much a product of its time (e.g., some insensitive approaches to certain cultures and peoples), though, at the same time, it had its surprisingly progressive moments (e.g., body modifications and the casual acceptance of queerness).

I did struggle a fair bit with how the story was told. I think this is more a me problem, though, which is that I was not a fan of Delany’s writing style. However, I also think there was a major issue with pacing in this novel, so the flow of the plot read strangely to me.

I think I would have more nuanced thoughts about this novel if I had a stronger background in linguistics, because I have no doubt there’s plenty to be said about what was left out from this novel.