I believe the author's note explains some of the dementia I experienced throughout the novel—it was the result of the author doing too much "whittling".
From the first sentence through about chapter two, I felt as if the words were mesmerizing me, that I was experiencing each word, sentence, and picture painted in complete fullness. That wore off—I'm not sure what it was...
The W.H. Auden excerpt from his poem 'HORAE CANONICAE' makes it clear that Delany's novel was realized within that poem; or, at least it sure is a well-fitting shoe.
I felt as if though I was not getting a clear picture of everything going on in the novel; that confusion was being borne to sort out later in the sequels; that their was after the initial chapters a certain pervading abstractedness. The sequels may have sorted things out; and I am interested enough in The Dead City to read them.
I very much liked the idea of the forest people—made up of giants, little people, and even odder mutations from the radiation, such as Tloto—living apart from a horrid society of aquarium-slaves and bourgeoisie.
I also was impressed with Telphar, the city which builds and maintains itself. I was very pleased to find the same type of anarchist ideals flowing here that flow as a cool, refreshing, and very much awakening stream in the novels of Dick, Heinlein, Wilson, et cetera.
As stated, Toromon is an Empire, and the Queen a bitch. War was the solution to their self-fulfilling economic crisis. It's an old story... Gads at that poisoned fish and the death it reeked!!
It just struck me that the intensity and at times fog-like abstractedness that comes and goes may be explained by the following wikipedia quote on Delany:
"Delany has published several autobiographical/semi-autobiographical accounts of his life as a black, gay, and highly dyslexic writer."
As this was my very first Delany novel, I find that I am intrigued by what other other-worldliness may be penned by a "highly dyslexic writer" whose vision is set upon the future.
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