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Comment by xrd | Hacker News Reader

My ten year old son loves sci-fi. And, it sounds like many of Delany's stories deal with adult-ish subject matter (of a sexual nature). I know he has a complicated history as a gay man in America, and I'm interested in knowing if there are good stories for young adults? My son can handle complicated things, but as his dad I want to be cautious as well.

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I read Dhalgren at 14 and I would definitely not recommend that. I'd avoid the Nevèrÿon books as well, while they are among my favourites, their themes are very adult.

Babel-17 and Nova are probably both good places for him to start. They are both pretty interesting stories.

The short stories in Driftglass were pretty good, and relatively tame. Read them at 13 or 14.

The sex in Tales of Neveryon is basically off-screen, with heavy allusions.

It would be a bit like recommending he read Finnegan’s Wake. I don’t think he’d get very much out of it without a lot of context and he is unlikely to find it an enjoyable experience. I think Delany can fairly be described as an acquired taste.

I’d strongly recommend you look into Lois McMaster Bujold’s work. Her books have some complex themes and he’s likely to enjoy them a lot more.

Have you considered sending him some of Nnedi Okorafors Binti series? You might also think Iron Widow by xiran jay zhao (giant mechs vs aliens), anything by marie lu, aurora rising by amie kaufman & jay kristoff, invictus by ryan graudin

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