Rating: 
Summary: Nothing better.
Review: What quite a lot of who've given Dhalgren poor reviews don't seem to grasp is that this is NOT a straight science-fiction novel. Yes, there are many things that are never explained; no, that's not a weakness. As I read it, I KNEW we were never going to learn Kid's real name (well, full name), the significance of the list of names, what caused the strange moon/sun phenomena, what sort of creature Kid's projector generated, and scores of other things. That's part of the book's appeal: it doesn't lay everything out on a silver platter for you. You have to think about it, and if there are times when it's impossible to come to a firm conclusion, well, welcome to the real world. Things shouldn't always be simple.In any case: Dhalgren is a truly magnificent novel. After finishing it, it dominated my mind for days afterwards, to the point where I had a hard time doing anything else. It may be a bit self-conscious at times, but that in no way lessens the impact. A great novel in every sense of the word, those who can't/won't open themselves to it are doing themselves a great disservice.
Rating: 
Summary: They killed a tree for this?
Review: I have read thousands of books in my life, and have only returned four to the shelf unfinished - Dhalgren being among them. Am I missing something? As I read the book I would of course ask questions: What is the nature of this disaster? Why is the sun swollen? Why the two moons? Why does the city burn without being consumed? Why would someone go there? Why would anyone stay? Is there an advantage to living in such a place? Where did the holograms come from and what is their significance? Why is the rest of the world ignoring such an unusual phenomenon? By page three hundred none of these questions had even been touched upon. I had to give up on a story which was little more than the chronicaling of the day-to-day routine of perverted losers who choose to dwell(why?)in a destroyed (why?) city.
Rating: 
Summary: It reads better with a head full of weed.
Review: I read this book in 1975 when I was on the road with a band and I could relate to the unsettled and confusing plot and situations of the denizens of Bellona as an analogue for my own lifestyle at the time. While I don't remember the book in it's entirety (and I can't be sure that I even finished it), it made enough of an impression upon me and may have even corrupted my moral and spiritual reasoning in some subtle way. I don't expect that I will read it again (life is too short to delve into fat paperbacks more than once after the age of 40) so my memories of the book are perhaps more fond than if I had just lately shelled out 6 or 7 dollars for the thing and found it wanting. It was also some of the first gay erotic writing I ever encountered, which also piqued my interest. I had fun reading it, though I'm not sure anyone under 45 would these days.
Rating:
Summary: An masterpiece of *any* genre.
Review: I am 17, and recently finished Dhalgren. I read it over the span of five days; it was one of the most absorbing novels I have ever read. I bought Dhalgren in the sf section of my local bookstore, so let me give you some other sf novels to which it compares. The Demolished Man. More Than Human. Camp Concentration. Dune. The Left Hand of Darkness. Dhalgren is on a par with all of these. Delany pulls you deep into his epic of a city, named for a goddess of war, where nothing is as it seems and everything goes. It is heartwrenching, uplifting, and unforgettable. Read it.
Rating:
Summary: A brave, unique and totally absorbing piece of literature
Review: I first read Dhalgren over 20 years ago and few novels of any genre have had such a profound impact on me. It was the first novel by Delany that I had come across and, as much as I admire many of his other works, Dhalgren remains for me the most outstanding novel he has written. To read this book it pays to have an open mind. And the length of the novel? simply irrelevant. If you prefer or expect a structured, science orientated novel try Arthur C Clarke instead(whose earlier works I also have great respect for). Even now, after so many years the visions and the characters that Delany created in Dhalgren continue to live on in my mind. Surreal and brilliant.
Rating:
Summary: What happened here?
Review: I bought this book riding on a high of Delaney talent. I had just read Babel 17, and thought it was one of the finest, most unique pieces of Science Fiction I'd ever read. I loved the dysfunctional language, the Eyes, Ears and Nose (ghosts as the engineering crew of a starship - superb!). In fact there wasn't a thing about that novel that I disliked, then I bought Dharlgren.... What happened? Did Delaney's talent mysteriously disappear? A more self-obsessed, mindless waste of paper I don't think I've ever come across. I thought Stephen Donaldson had a tendency to verbose ramblings, but this book could be used to give a masterclass on page-wasting drivel. Maybe there are those out there who will love this, but I prefer to remember the vibrant Delaney of Babel 17.
Rating:
Summary: another '60s novel
Review: Dhalgren marks the transition of Delany from a writer of great stories to an "important" writer, worthy of academic study. It was one of the revolutionary and groundbreaking novels of its day, part of the movement captured by Harlan Ellison's "Dangerous Visions" anthologies, escaping from the rigid rules of style, plot, and subject that are still found in the "hard SF" branch of the genre even today. Yet from a distance of 25 years, what is most striking is how dated it is. What then seemed like fresh news from the counterculture now is full of jokey characters - "spades" with "basketball-sized natural" haircuts, women calling men "male chauvinist pigs", and hippie biker communal pansexual lifestyles. The first-person narrator's amnesic madness means that nothing really has to make sense. One should be impressed by the sustained lack of focus, since Delany's earlier books such as Nova and Babel-17 are crystalline in their plotting. But in such a long, long book, Tolstoian scale is replaced by episode after interchangable episode that is finally even admitted within the text 3/4ths of the way through. Of course, in modern literature, all contracts with the reader have been abrogated, and such dazed and confused loss of control over events is an authorial state to be celebrated. But the kid's status as a serious, effective poet provides opportunity for the development of some remarkable images and set pieces. The madness and strength of a dysfunctional family retaining the pretense of middle-class life in the midst of anarchy, and the biker-style "scorpions" at the upper-society garden party have a life that can't be found in most SF, while the smoke-clouded, evacuated city's atmosphere has been done much better by J.G. Ballard. There are many beautiful strings of words, too. Some readers will save this book for its many X-rated "good parts", others will find its value on entirely different pages.
Rating:
Summary: A masterpiece by the master of the English language!
Review: I was given my copy of Dhalgren four years ago by a close friend who told me,"You have got to read this book!" I took the book and read it. I was stunned. Delany's use of language and symbolism in Dhalgren conveys the feelings and actions of how a counter-culture society would exist in extreme situations. A deserted city; no day; no night; two moons and a bloated sun--are some of the bizarre happenings in the city of Bellona. Delany also delves into the hearts and minds of his characters, allowing them to express with word and deed a mirror of today's world views with a subtlety that will stun anyone who apprieciates literature. Not a book for the faint of heart, Dhalgren contains violence and very graphic sexual scenes. If you love stories that explore human nature, Dhalgren may be a book for you. It's labeled Sci-Fi only because Delany had built a name for himself as a sci-fi writer before the publication of Dhalgren with his books "Nova" and "Trouble on Triton". Dhalgren is a great read but take your time and absorb it. If you have trouble with it, put it down and come back to it later. Whatever you do, read the book cover to cover. You will not be disappointed.
Rating:
Summary: Aimless and Boring
Review: I recently read the original paperback edition of this book. It doesn't even qualify as SciFi. There is nothing futuristic about it. The cover of my old edition suggests the sun going nova and the earth about to die, but there is no mention of this in the book. The entire book revolves around a main character, "Kidd" or "the kid" who can't remember his name. He enters a city that seems to have been partially destroyed by fire, but this isn't really discussed. The sky is always overcast or hazy and nobody can ever see the sky except on two brief occaissions. One night it clears and those who look think they see two moons, but nobody is really sure. One morning the sky is clear and the sun appears gigantic in size, but nobody knows what that means. Most of the inhabitants have fled the city. Those who remain live aimlessly. When the outside world is mentioned, everything is said to be normal, but there is no contact except when somebody new arrives. Mysteriously, the utilities continue to function, although erratically, but there don't seem to be any phones. People scavenge for food and other necessities, but no one worries that they will run out. There are a few places in the book where the text is simply senseless; just words strung together that are meaningless. There is no plot, just a sort of rambling series of episodes that don't go anywhere. The last part of the book is dominated by sexual interludes shared by "the Kid" and his girlfriend and boyfriend as a threesome. If aimless drivel is what you like, go for it. Otherwise, I would recommend avoiding this stinker.
Rating:
Summary: If It Wasn't For This Book - I'd Be Living In El Paso...
Review: Having read the other reviews of this book, I find myself nonplussed. It is not a matter of "getting it" - the book is a terrificly engrossing read in which the characters have enough depth to be memorable. The applicability of SF labels and gradations of compliance to the dictates of genres are irrelevant. Volunteer to be assimilated and give it the time it needs - or don't - as you wish.
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