5 h 56 minAudiobook15 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at cost
Audiobook edition · 5 h 56 minPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
What if the remnants of a lost world hold the power to shape what people believe?
In The Jewels of Aptor, travelers cross water toward a strange land in search of precious stones. Around them lies a world broken by catastrophe, where the remains of old technology survive as rumor and something close to magic. The jewels are bound up with power and belief, giving the journey stakes beyond the search itself.
Samuel R. Delany brings science fiction and fantasy together in an adventure driven by ancient secrets and the hunger for knowledge. Beneath the quest lies a struggle over how people use belief to gain power. His first novel pairs the energy of adventure fiction with prose that reaches for vivid imagery and rhythm.
What you’ll discover
- A world after catastrophe Explore a broken landscape where people live among the remnants of a lost age.
- The journey toward Aptor Follow travelers across water in pursuit of jewels tied to power and belief.
- Technology close to magic Encounter old powers that survive through rumor, blurring the boundary between knowledge and mystery.
- Belief as a weapon Consider how faith becomes a means of power rather than a quiet private matter.
- An ambitious early voice Discover Delany’s youthful energy in prose alive to imagery, rhythm, and the possibilities of adventure.
Who will love it
This book suits readers who love sea voyages, lost civilizations and strange creatures, and anyone who enjoys poems, riddles and old rituals woven into an adventure.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- Old poems open dangerous doors
- The rescue mission invites doubt
- Urson carries an unspent burden
- Simple explanations guide uncertain travelers
- Shelter can conceal another threat
- Trust does not require complete certainty
- Helping can become a desire to control
- Poems and dreams reveal hidden patterns
- Appearances never tell the whole story
Who’s who
- GeoA young poet and student of old rituals who joins the voyage for work and learns more than he wants about power.
- UrsonA giant sailor with a hot temper and a haunted past, fiercely loyal to Geo and carrying three gold coins.
- SnakeA silent four-armed boy and a skilled thief who speaks into minds and wants to be understood.
- ArgoA veiled high priestess and the living goddess of Leptar, she sails to Aptor to find her kidnapped sister.
- JorddeThe tall first mate who holds a grudge against Urson and seems to want Snake and certain sailors silenced.
- IimmiA sailor and fellow student of rituals who survives the sea and offers a simple rule for judging the facts.
- The CaptainA weary, honest ship's master who obeys the priestess and worries about his lost crew.
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- Hardcover
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- Large print paperback
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- Large print hardcover
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The Jewels of Aptor
by Samuel R. Delany · 1962
A poet, a giant sailor and a four-armed thief sail for Aptor to steal a jewel from a dark god's statue.
Easy read2–5 hours to read16 languages
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In short
A girl sits on a beach, sick at heart from a film of a four-armed boy being hurt, and a man in a dark robe tells her to look around and learn why people do such things. That scene opens The Jewels of Aptor, and it sets the question the whole book follows: why do people act as they do?
The Jewels of Aptor at a glance
- Reading time
- About 3 h 35 min2 h 50 min fast, 4 h 15 min slow
- Length
- 50,600 words
- Library level
- Easy short sentences, plain words
- First published
- 1962by Samuel R. Delany
Reading time at 238 words a minute (fast 300, slow 200). How long the classics take to read · Updated
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
A poet and a giant meet a priestess
The story begins at a harbor in Leptar at evening. The captain and his mate, Jordde, talk quietly about the ten men they lost at Aptor. They wonder about the veiled woman who gave the order to sail there and came back without a scratch.
On the same docks, two friends argue. Geo is a young poet who has run out of money. Urson is a huge sailor who wants wine. In their scuffle a small figure snatches Geo's purse and bolts. The thief is a boy with four arms. A cold, clear voice calls for him to stop, and he freezes, then walks back like a puppet.
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Which edition is right for me
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas of the whole book in about 15 minutes. A good first look, or a refresher.
Details
- First published
- 1962
- Language
- English
- Reading time
- 3 h 50 min
- Level
- Easy read
Cite this edition
Delany, Samuel R. The Jewels of Aptor. Library of Alexandria, 2026, libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-jewels-of-aptor.
Delany, S. R. (2026). The jewels of Aptor. Library of Alexandria. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-jewels-of-aptor (Original work published 1962)
Delany, Samuel R. The Jewels of Aptor. Library of Alexandria, 2026. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-jewels-of-aptor.
@book{delany2026jewels,
author = {Delany, Samuel R.},
title = {The Jewels of Aptor},
publisher = {Library of Alexandria},
year = {2026},
url = {https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-jewels-of-aptor},
note = {First published 1962}
}
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What is The Jewels of Aptor about?
A poet, a giant sailor and a four-armed boy sail with a priestess to the island of Aptor. They must steal a jewel from a dark god's statue and rescue a kidnapped sister, and strange dangers meet them on the way.
Who is Snake in The Jewels of Aptor?
Snake is a silent boy with four arms and a gift for hearing thoughts. A thief at the start, he speaks into minds in broken words and becomes a key friend and a source of doubt.
What are the jewels in The Jewels of Aptor?
They are three glowing stones of old science. They can burn things and fog or steer people's thoughts, and the characters fear them. Their power tempts everyone who holds them.
The author
Samuel R. Delany
1942–? · American science fiction writer
Samuel R. Delany is an American science fiction writer and critic, among the most honored figures in the field, with multiple Hugo and Nebula Awards to his name. The Jewels of Aptor, his first published novel, announced a startlingly original young talent.
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