This is a bizarre little book even by Delany's terms. It's the tale of an evil prince out to destroy the edenic communities which surround him. It's fantasy mostly, and a great bit of fable. When you've read all the great Delany, pick it up. Ciron and its surrounding environs .
Aliens try to control other cultures on some sort of bad STAR TREK desert-scape.
There's plenty to hold interest, but this is for die-hard Delany fans mainly. All of this material really and truly has been done by other authors with more finesse. Telphar and surrounding environs . The earth has been ravaged by a nuclear holocaust. This was Delany's first novel, published when he was only 19.