A group of interrelated stories taking place in an ambiguous distant past setting that on the surface resembles sword-and-sorcery. As always, Delany works his magic by drawing you in with vivid sensory immediacy, and then opening up uncountable doors of thought into language, semiotics, politics, economy and technology. The first in an addictive and haunting series, it also forms, along with many of his other works, part of a larger work he calls Some Informal Remarks Toward the Modular Calculus. If that intimidates you, don't worry about it. Enjoy the story and take time to reflect on all the thoughts it invites. You can go back and read the appendices later.