Nova by Samuel R Delany

 Nova is a science fiction novel written in 1968. It is a space opera with comments on race, sexuality, languages and superstition.

The story is about a group of people setting up on a mission to get Illyrion from the center of a star going Nova. It's the 30th century and humanity has colonised a vast amount of the galaxy. The galactic economy depends on access and use of Illyrion, which is a super heavy, but stable element.  Small quantities of Illyrion can fuel starships and entire cities for decades. There are conflicts between different regions in the galaxy which aim to get independence from earth and allies. Possession of Illyrion would definitely tilt the balance on anyone's favour.

Lorq Von Ray has recruited a group of men and women to go on an impossible mission. But the reward will be worth every sacrifice.  Not only will he help the Pleiades federation and outer colonies get economic independence from the Draco empire but most importantly he will finally get revenge from the man he hates the most: Prince Red heir of the Red family, owners of Red - Shift Limited, producers of components for space drives.

Though the plot of the story is rich and interesting, I found this to be a character-driven novel. Delany's description of both main protagonists Lord Von Ray and Mouse (a cyborg stud for Von Ray) is brilliant. The whole Illyrion mission can be thought of personal quests for both. Both men are so different in terms of origins, race, interests but they end up together, one trying to help the other. Also at some point I sensed subtle sexual undertones in their interactions but no more. There were also some insinuations between Mouse and Katin, another interesting character.

Some things I enjoyed in Nova:

. Characters being of different races and origins. Race wasn't an issue at all in the story but I liked Delany's short but informative descriptions of the characters and how the world be built looked like an ideal we may pursue in the present. 

. Characters being polyglot. 

. The transition between different dialects of English. The main character is able to easily switch between standard English and the Pleiades dialect. 

. Some lightweight science. Delany's explains how rare Illyrion is in nature and how it is created in Novas's extreme temperatures. We also get an explanation of how someone could flight through the centre of a Nova!

. Delany's beautiful prose. There is a passage I loved when a character, Idas, explains what Illyrion means to him. Short after, Katin, gives lecture on history and chemistry of the heavy element,  Idas shakes the reader with a personal account on how Illyrion has impacted his life and his family's.