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Samuel R. Delany
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Trouble on Triton: An Ambiguous Heterotopia Paperback – May 15, 1996

by Samuel R. Delany (Author), Kathy Acker (Contributor)
4.1 4.1 out of 5 stars 89 ratings
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Interplanetary war, capture and escape, diplomatic intrigues that topple worlds.

In a story as exciting as any science fiction adventure written, Samuel R. Delany's 1976 SF novel, originally published as Triton, takes us on a tour of a utopian society at war with . . . our own Earth! High wit in this future comedy of manners allows Delany to question gender roles and sexual expectations at a level that, 20 years after it was written, still make it a coruscating portrait of "the happily reasonable man," Bron Helstrom ― an immigrant to the embattled world of Triton, whose troubles become more and more complex, till there is nothing left for him to do but become a woman. Against a background of high adventure, this minuet of a novel dances from the farthest limits of the solar system to Earth's own Outer Mongolia. Alternately funny and moving, it is a wide-ranging tale in which character after character turns out not to be what he ― or she ― seems.

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Previous page
  1. Print length
    326 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Wesleyan University Press
  4. Publication date
    May 15, 1996
  5. Dimensions
    5.5 x 0.75 x 8.75 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    081956298X
  7. ISBN-13
    978-0819562982
  8. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Published back-to-back in 1975 and 1976, respectively, these works involve an apocalyptic society on the verge of collapse and a utopian society at war with Earth. LJ's reviewer dubbed Dhalgren an "important novel" (LJ 3/15/75).
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

"Delany's most controlled, and therefore his most successful, experiment to date . . . Triton is a novel of manners –– those of a rich and complex society in which the avowed highest good is the free expression of each individual's personality."―Gerald Jonas, New York Times Book Review

"An excellent novel. The author has created an innovative and fascinating culture."―Orca

"Delany's most controlled, and therefore his most successful, experiment to date . . . Triton is a novel of manners –– those of a rich and complex society in which the avowed highest good is the free expression of each individual's personality."―Gerald Jonas, New York Times Book Review

"Delany has been the cutting edge of the SF revolution for more than ten years . . . [He] may turn out to be as important a writer as Pynchon."―Mother Jones



"This is classic Delany that maintains a cutting edge of sheer platinum. Delany sets his interrogation of the myth and politics of a central culture within an infinitely richer galaxy of interwoven margins. The dazzle always illuminates: the novel offers vision-altering thrills on the order of paradigm shifts or sex at its most rapturously cataclysmic."―Earl Jackson, Jr., author of Fantastic Living: The Speculative Autobiographies of Samuel R. Delany

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Wesleyan University Press; First Edition (May 15, 1996)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 326 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 081956298X
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0819562982
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 13.3 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.5 x 0.75 x 8.75 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.1 4.1 out of 5 stars 89 ratings

About the author

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Samuel R. Delany

Samuel R. Delany

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Samuel R. Delany’s science fiction and fantasy tales are available in Aye and Gomorrah and Other Stories. His collection Atlantis: Three Tales and Phallos are experimental fiction. His novels include science fiction such as the Nebula-Award winning Babel-17 and The Einstein Intersection, as well as Nova (now in a Library of America anthology) and Dhalgren. His four-volume series Return to Nevèrÿon is sword-and-sorcery. Most recently, he has written the SF novel Through the Valley of the Nest of Spiders. His 2007 novel Dark Reflections won the Stonewall Book Award. Other novels include Equinox, Hogg, and The Mad Man. Delany was the subject of a 2007 documentary, The Polymath, by Fred Barney Taylor, and he has written a popular creative writing textbook, About Writing. He is the author of the widely taught Times Square Red / Times Square Blue, and his book-length autobiographical essay, The Motion of Light in Water, won a Hugo Award in 1989. All are available as both e-books and paperback editions. His website is: www.samueldelany.com.

Photo by Alex Lozupone (Own work) [CC BY-SA 4.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)], via Wikimedia Commons.

Customer reviews

4.1 out of 5 stars
4.1 out of 5
89 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

gt surber
5.0 out of 5 stars Study of Sexulity for the broad minded
Reviewed in the United States on August 4, 2019
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Review: “Trouble on Triton: An Ambiguous Heterotopia” by Samual Delaney

“Trouble on Triton” is an old book having been written in 1972. But the sci-fi part is amazingly on point for 2019. For example, Delany has a virus changing human DNA. The weapons of mass destruction are ant-gravity, which hasn’t yet been accomplished. But 1972 was long before the digital era and the advent of cyberwar concepts. The parallels between anti-gavity and cyber war effects are that both are devastating without soldiers, bullet, guns or battlefields. The description of carnage after an anti-gravity attack is graphic and accurate and would apply to the after effects of both anti-gravity and cyberwar, if you include the actions of the survivors of cyberwar.

But the real value of this book is sex. There is not one graphic sex scene in the entire book. What we get is an amazing study of attitudes, actions, mores, emotions, effect of memories, unrequited love, effects of socio-economic status, hetero vs homosexuality, causal sex, detailed scenarios of preludes to and the after effects and affects of sex.

One of the most amazing scenes is the long description of an elaborate, expensive dinner date told from the viewpoint of the host, an ex male prostitute who had always been on the receiving end, trying desperately to navigate the paying side of such an affair. The ending is almost anticlimactic in action, but hard hitting on reflection. I will not give it away.

Yes, this book is not suitable for children, most of whom under 12 would be bored stiff. There are lessons here for teens and for adults about sex. And this is most likely why the book has survived 47 years and still being read and republished.

The book is well written and well paced. And for those individuals with an extremely open mind, well worth the read. Those with puritanical views are best advised to find something else to read.
12 people found this helpful
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scs
4.0 out of 5 stars Great visionary
Reviewed in the United States on July 9, 2013
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Considering when this book was written, the social mores and arrangements (based on free choice) are expansive. interesting concepts about war. Thought the main character was egocentric, confused, and a jerk. Like the worlds that he paints though.
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Average Wyo dude
3.0 out of 5 stars Crazy. Fun. Weird.
Reviewed in the United States on May 21, 2011
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I read this book for a thesis paper for a class at college. It was in a word: odd. I liked how Delany describes a futuristic society. He definately makes for an interesting reading. I liked how it was all over the place and I couldn't believe what the main character Bron does at the end of the story. I feel sorry for Bron because he doesn't ever find what he is looking for. A good if long read. Not for the faint of heart either. There is cursing and explicit sex throughout. So don't give it to kids. I would reccomend reading it over a long period of time.
2 people found this helpful
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Schadenfreudelicious
5.0 out of 5 stars Still one of the most important sci fi books
Reviewed in the United States on August 1, 2022
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Amazing that a book published almost 50 years ago still remains as relevant today. Seamlessly combines visionary ideas about science and future societies with deeply personal exploration of gender, identity, and love. And, of course, the brilliant writing we expect from Delany. Every sci fi fan - and anyone interested in the question of what it means to truly love another person - should read this book.
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Jamie V.
5.0 out of 5 stars Still a fascinating read!
Reviewed in the United States on May 1, 2011
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When this book was first published in 1976 as 'Triton', I had just finished reading Delany's 'Dhalgren' and was eager to read more from this thought provoking author. I was taken away and gifted copies of this book to my more evelope-pushing friends. Now some 35 years later, I decided it was time for a re-read. Was it realy that good, or was I simply young and easy to amuse?

If you've ever read anything by Samuel Delany, this book will be no surprise, rather a teasing piece of future fiction filled with fascinating social commentary. The art by which Delany leads his audience through his erotic veiled landscapes, filled with subtile reaction and thought provoking situations, distinguishes itself in not banging the reader over the head, rather building a natural seeming series of events and interactions which lead the reader deep into logical extrapolations of a possible human future. Sounds heady, and it is at times, but, if you just let yourself surf on these gentle waves, you'll never wish to come ashore again.

A very fine piece of literature, not to be missed. I still love it!
9 people found this helpful
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Robert Brown
4.0 out of 5 stars today the world trade center fell. Delaney showed how
Reviewed in the United States on September 12, 2001
In the light of the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center
today, I was immediatley reminded of "Triton", and the way the
war was fought in that book. The attack on the gravity
generators on Triton was similar in many ways to what happened
today in New York City. I have not identified the here and now
with a Sci Fi novel so strongly since Chernople blew up and I was
reminded of Lester Del Rey's "Nerves"! ...
6 people found this helpful
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J. Rasmussen
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in the United States on September 12, 2015
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Now for something different ...
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Alison Kirby Record
3.0 out of 5 stars Trouble on Triton
Reviewed in the United States on May 28, 2014
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A good book but not as interesting as most of his other books. He's a great writer and this book reveals that. It just didn't hold my interest as much as I expected.
One person found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

Darren Hennig
5.0 out of 5 stars Have not read yet - but looking forward to it!
Reviewed in Canada on October 19, 2023
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I got this book for an upcoming trip I am taking, and wanted a nice "escape" during off times. Looking forward to it. It has been rated as an interesting and somewhat novel approach to looking at modern and near-future states of being and utopian vs dystopian world views. Looking forward to it! Thanks

FYI - came well packed, very quickly shipped and in mint condition as new. As promised.
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SW
4.0 out of 5 stars Remarkable novel that anticipates brilliantly recent debates
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 14, 2016
Verified Purchase
Did you notice the recent spat in the UK press over feminist Germaine Greer and transgender issues. She questioned whether a male-to-female transgender individual could ever really become a real woman? She was slammed. If you are interested in these issues (whatever side of that debate you feel you are on) and want a brilliant creative take on them, then you will love this book.
Written 40 years ago, this book is staggeringly prescient of those issues and gives a far more subtle and intelligently ambiguous look at the whole subject than recent public debates in the UK.
Gender/sex politics aside it has the usual Delany literary tricks and games and poses the essential question of whether humanity can ever have utopia.
One person found this helpful
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