The Jewels of Aptor by Samuel R. Delany
"The Jewels of Aptor" is the debut novel by science fiction author Samuel Delany, set in a post-apocalyptic world over fifteen hundred years after a catastrophic atomic war. The story follows Geo, a poet and scholar, and his friend Urson, a sailor, as they navigate the docks of Leptar in search of work. Their lives take a dramatic turn when they encounter a four-armed mutant named Snake, who steals Geo's purse but is thwarted by the priestess Argo. She reveals the existence of powerful artifacts known as the jewels of Aptor, which can influence thoughts and are central to her quest to rescue her daughter and thwart an impending invasion of Leptar.
As they embark on a perilous journey to Aptor, they confront a range of adversities, including treachery from within their crew and encounters with mutants, products of Aptor's dangerous experiments. The narrative explores themes of power, sacrifice, and the interconnectedness of life and death, culminating in a confrontation with ancient forces that challenge the characters' understanding of their world. Ultimately, the novel highlights the moral dilemmas surrounding the use of power and the potential consequences of humanity's actions. "The Jewels of Aptor" invites readers to reflect on the balance of existence amid chaos and transformation.
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The Jewels of Aptor
First published: 1962
Type of work: Novel
Type of plot: Science fiction—post-holocaust
Time of work: The thirty-sixth century
Locale: Leptar and Aptor, two nations of a future Earth
The Plot
The Jewels of Aptor, Samuel Delany’s first novel, opens with a poet and scholar named Geo and his sailor friend Urson wandering the docks of Leptar, a nation existing fifteen hundred years after a massive atomic war. Geo and Urson are looking for work on a ships crew. Snake, a four-armed mutant, steals Geo’s purse. Snake flees, but the sharp voice of the priestess Argo stops him. She is standing on the gangplank of a nearby ship, and she makes Snake give back Geo’s purse. While questioning Snake, she discovers that he possesses a milky pearl, a match to her own. These are two of the three jewels of Aptor, powerful instruments that can modify and control thoughts.
Argo asks the men to sail with her to Aptor, the realm of technology and the dark god Hama. She wants them to help save her kidnapped daughter, also named Argo, the incarnation of the white goddess Argo. The priestess Argo also hopes to capture Aptor’s remaining jewel, thereby preventing an invasion of Leptar. Leptar captured its first jewel when Aptor invaded Leptar five centuries previously. The second jewel came into Argo’s possession during Aptor’s abduction of her daughter. Later, Snake stole this jewel from Argo, during the first, disastrous attempt to save her daughter.
The trio accepts the priestess offer, and the ship sets sail. Tensions soon develop between Jordde, the ships first mate, and Geo’s friends. Jordde already hates Urson because Urson had stirred up fights on other ships. For mysterious reasons, Jordde also dislikes members of the previous landing party on Aptor, including Snake and Iimmi, a young university student.
During a fight with Jordde, Geo, Snake, and Urson fall overboard. Rather than drowning, they mysteriously awake on Aptor’s beach, along with Iimmi, whom Jordde threw overboard in a faked accident. Geo now has Argo’s jewel, so they now possess two jewels of Aptor.
The four set off to find Hamas temple. They encounter many mutants, the results of Aptor’s experiments with atomic energy. The worst of these is a ravenous shape-shifter that they defeat by leading it through a ruined atomic generator. This act results in Geo losing his arm and the jewels.
The four recover with a group of blind priestesses of Argo. These priestesses turn out to be evil, shape-shifting bat creatures devoted to human sacrifice. They desire the jewels so that they can acquire power. The four escape and discover that Jordde is in league with these priestesses.
A mysterious water being returns the jewels to Urson. Soon thereafter, the four meet the elder Argo, the goddess incarnates grandmother, who directs them to the Temple of Hama. There Geo learns that Hamas high priest wants the jewels removed because of their corruptive power.
With all three jewels, the four adventurers, joined by the young Argo, meet the mysterious sea creatures who saved them from drowning and kept the jewels from the bat priestesses. The sea creature leader explains that they are the oldest race on Earth and have watched over humanity for aeons. They ask for the jewels, which they believe are too powerful for humankind. Geo refuses to surrender the jewels, but when the five return to the ship, Jordde fights with Urson for possession of them. The first mate and Urson fall from the gangplank into the sea, and the jewels are lost forever.
At the end, Geo, Iimmi, and the young Argo, their minds opened by the horrors of their adventure, have a vision of the universes great harmony and interconnectedness while peering at Aptor’s beaches. The balance of life and death is illustrated as the ultimate theme of the novel.
Bibliography
Barbour, Douglas. “Cultural Invention and Metaphor in the Novels of Samuel R. Delany.” Foundation 7/8 (March, 1975): 105-121.
Broderick, Damien. Reading by Starlight: Postmodern Science Fiction. New York: Routledge, 1995.
Dornemann, Rudi, and Eric Lorberer. “A Silent Interview with Samuel R. Delany.” Rain Taxi Review of Books 5, no. 4 (2000).
Fox, Robert Elliot. Conscientious Sorcerers: The Black Postmodernist Fiction of Leroi Jones, Amiri Baraka, Ishmael Reed, and Samuel R. Delany. New York: Greenwood Press, 1987.
Sallis, James. Ash of Stars: On the Writing of Samuel R. Delany. Jackson: University Press of Mississippi, 1996.
Tucker, Jeffrey Allen. A Sense of Wonder: Samuel R. Delany, Race, Identity, and Difference. Middletown, Conn.: Wesleyan University Press, 2004.
Tucker, Jeffrey Allen. “Studying the Works of Samuel R. Delany.” Ohio University College of Arts and Sciences Forum 15 (Spring, 1998).