The Jewels of Aptor 1st Edition by Samuel R Delany, Jeff Jones ISBN 0441707068 9780441707065

Ah, the bright promise of Samuel R. Delany, aged 19, mind clear, imbued with a naturally poetic style of writing and a fabulous talent for imagery. Certainly among the top five for the prize of “Best First Novel.” ~ ~ The author states in his introduction to this edition that it is about 50% longer than the original version from Ace Double F-173. ~ ~ What was the strange impetus that drove a group of four widely-different humans to embark on a fear-filled journey to a legendary land? ~ ~ This was Earth still, but the Earth of a future terribly changed after a planet-searing disaster, a planet of weird cults, mutated beasts, and people who were not always entirely human. The four who made up that questing party included a woman who was either a goddess, a witch, or both; a four-armed boy whose humanity was open to question, and two more men with equally “wild” talents. Just Plain Great Stuff!