Books like Dhalgren by Samuel R. Delany
A mysterious disaster shrouds the midwestern city of Bellona, leaving a burned block that remains intact a week later, clouds covering the sky for weeks, and a strange time dilation where one week for a person equals only a day for another. The cataclysm is confined to Bellona, prompting many residents to flee while others, drawn to the ruins, forge new lives. Among the newcomers is the Kid, a white/American Indian man who has lost his memory. He embodies the new Bellona's denizens—young, poor, mad, violent, and marginalized—who must navigate the city’s altered reality and the dual moons that appear as the sky clears. The narrative explores survival, identity, and the social fabric that reemerges in the aftermath of a city suspended between ordinary and extraordinary states.
First publish date: 1975
Genre: Science Fiction/Hard Science Fiction
Authors: Samuel R. Delany
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