Samuel R. Delany’s The Einstein Intersection won the Nebula Award for Best Novel in 1967 and was a finalist for the Hugo in 1968. What can I say, I didn’t get it. I wanted to like it based on other reviews and feedback I’ve heard but it jumped around and I just couldn’t follow. Maybe I’d have followed more reading it than listening to the audiobook, although I liked the narrator. It read as more fantasy/myth than sci-fi to me and got 2 stars.
Book Stats
- Title: The Einstein Intersection
- Author: Samuel R. Delany
- Narrator: Stefan Rudnicki
- Genre: Science Fiction, Fantasy, Mythology
- Publication Date: 1967
- Pages: 142
- Est. Reading Time: 5 hours
- My Rating: 2/5 Stars
- Buy Now: Amazon
The Einstein Intersection: Plot Summary
In a far-future Earth, humanoid aliens have taken up residence among the leftover artifacts of humanity and retell stories from “our ghosts called Man”. The protagonist, Lo Lobey, sets out on a mythic quest for his lost love, Friza. Along the way, he discusses his “differences” from the rest of society and gets various advice and stories for how to proceed.
The Einstein Intersection: My Thoughts
Like I said, I didn’t really understand this book. Part of it is the mythology aspect where it’s intentionally vague like myths become after parts of the story are lost/changed over time but was still just weird. I’ve also seen Lo Lobey is loosely based on Orpheus but I don’t know the story of Orpheus and Eurydice very well so that doesn’t help.
My favorite part was when Lobey gets a job herding dragons, I think they’re giant lizards mutated by radiation that wiped out humans, since it was easier to follow and entertaining. Not sure how it links to the rest of the story though besides a way to get Lobey from point A to B and tell some stories around the campfire on the way. Probably more fantasy than sci-fi, but who doesn’t want to ride a giant lizard/dragon?!?
Science vs. Philosophy
The title, “The Einstein Intersection”, is a reference to Einstein’s Theory of Relativity connecting to Kurt Gödel’s Constructible Universe. They discuss this at one point in the book as the balance between science/technology and philosophy/feeling. Again, I didn’t fully understand it but was a major theme throughout the book on how Lobey’s different from others. It’s also interesting that Delany originally titled the book A Fabulous, Formless Darkness but the original publisher, Ace Books, changed it. I have to say I like his title better and would have matched the overall book better than the small part about Einstein.
Favorite Quote
“I was too tired to eat, too hungry to sleep. With the paradox, both sleeping and eating left the category of pleasure where I’d always put them and became duties on this crazy job I’d somehow got into.”
– Samuel R. Delany, The Einstein Intersection
I’ve definitely felt this way before! It comes at the end of Lobey’s first day herding dragons and I found it funny/relatable.
The Einstein Intersection: Final Thoughts
I’m glad this was a short book/listen or I probably wouldn’t have finished it. It is nice to mark off as part of my quest to read all the Hugo and Nebula Award Winners though!
Have you read The Einstein Intersection by Samuel R. Delany? Did you understand it? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below!
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