Neveryóna
Second novel in Samuel R. Delany's Return to Nevèrÿon series.
Neveryóna: Or, The Tale of Signs and Cities is a sword and sorcery novel by American writer Samuel R. Delany. It is the second book in the four-volume Return to Nevèrÿon series.
The story follows fifteen-year-old Pryn, who is unusual in her society because she can read and write. She is the great-niece of an unrecognized genius of Nevèrÿon—a woman who created both the loom and the spindle. However, because she never discovered that wool produced the best and strongest cloth, others receive credit for her inventions. Pryn’s journey takes her through the revolutionary movement led by Gorgik, including its internal conflicts, and also into the homes of wealthy conservatives. In the first half, Pryn stays in Neveryóna, an affluent suburb of Port Kolhari, as an uneasy guest of Madame Keyne, a wealthy merchant first met in the earlier story “The Tale of Potters and Dragons.” Keyne is funding a crackpot counter-rebel group trying to stop Gorgik’s project. In the second half, Pryn travels south and is taken in by the powerful Jue Gruten family, who represent more dangerous aristocratic forces also seeking to end the rebellion. The webs of power here are so complex that Pryn can barely grasp them, though she learns she can fight them one incident at a time. She manages to free a single slave whom the Earl tried to use as a scapegoat, and both she and the reader gain a clearer picture of what Gorgik faces.
Between these two parts, Pryn spends time with a kind but limited peasant family in the small town of Enoch. These people represent the working classes Gorgik must somehow enlist to succeed. The name “Enoch” appears in several of Delany’s non-Nevèrÿon works, notably *The Mad Man* (1994); in Genesis, Enoch is the first city built by man, named after Cain’s son. In Delany’s work, Enoch is never a large city but a very old, small one that has forgotten its own origins. These people have the least sense of their history, and their reasonable wants work against their own best interests. The only role they can imagine for Pryn among them is that of the town prostitute.
- type
- Novel
- author
- Samuel R. Delany
- series
- Return to Nevèrÿon
- genre
- Sword and sorcery
- nationality
- American
- known_for
- Second volume of the Return to Nevèrÿon series
Quick Facts
- Author
- Samuel R. Delany
- Cover Artist
- Rowena Morrill
- Country
- United States
- Language
- English
- Series
- Return to Nevèrÿon
- Genre
- Sword and Sorcery
- Publisher
- Bantam Books
- Release Date
- 1983
- Media Type
- Print (Paperback)
- Pages
- 385 pp
- Isbn
- 0-553-01434-X
- Dewey
- 813/.54 19
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
The novel focuses on fifteen-year-old Pryn, who is extraordinary in her culture because she can read and write. Pryn is the great niece of an unsung genius of Nevèrÿon, a woman who invented both the loom and the spindle; because she did not discover that wool made the best cloth, credit for her work tends to be given to others. Pryn’s travels take her through the revolutionary forces of Gorgik’s campaign and into the homes of wealthy conservatives.
In the first half, Pryn stays in Neveryóna, an upper class suburb of Port Kolhari, as a guest of the wealthy merchant Madame Keyne, who is financing a group of counter rebels opposing Gorgik’s project. In the second half, Pryn travels south and is taken up by the powerful Jue Gruten family, who represent aristocratic forces wanting to end the rebellion. She manages to free a single slave named Norema from their grip, though the Earl had not used that slave as a scapegoat in the way previously described.
Between the two parts, Pryn spends time with a peasant family in the small town of Enoch, a name that appears in Delany’s non-Nevèrÿon work and is mentioned in Genesis as the first city built by man. These people have the least sense of their own history.
Reader's Guide
Neveryóna expands the Return to Nevèrÿon series by deepening the exploration of revolutionary and conservative forces in a fantasy setting. The novel uses Pryn’s literacy as a marker of her uniqueness and as a lens to examine power, class, and historical memory. The contrast between the wealthy conservatives—Madame Keyne and the Jue Gruten family—and the peasant family in Enoch illustrates the social strata Gorgik’s rebellion must navigate. The novel also introduces the theme of forgotten origins, both in the character of Pryn’s great aunt and in the town of Enoch, which has forgotten its own history. By showing Pryn’s limited but meaningful act of freeing a single slave, the story suggests that resistance can occur in small, individual actions even against overwhelming systems of power.
Did You Know?
- Pryn is the great niece of an unsung genius who invented both the loom and the spindle.
- The town of Enoch appears in Delany's non-Nevèrÿon work, notably in The Mad Man.
- Madame Keyne first appeared in the third story, 'The Tale of Potters and Dragons.'
- The novel is the sixth and longest tale in the Return to Nevèrÿon series.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Neveryóna?
Neveryóna: Or, The Tale of Signs and Cities is a sword-and-sorcery novel by Samuel R. Delany. It serves as the second installment in his four-volume Return to Nevèrÿon series.
Who is the main character of Neveryóna?
The story centers on Pryn, a fifteen-year-old girl who stands out in her community because she can read and write. She is the great-niece of a woman who invented both the loom and the spindle but was never properly credited for those creations.
Why was Pryn's ancestor overlooked by her society?
Although the woman created the loom and the spindle, she failed to realize that wool yielded the strongest and finest cloth. As a result, others took credit for her inventions and she remained unrecognized as a genius of Nevèrÿon.
What is Gorgik's role in the novel?
Gorgik leads a revolutionary movement that Pryn becomes entangled with during her journey through Nevèrÿon. His uprising forms a major thread of the plot alongside Pryn's personal quest.
Where does Neveryóna fit in Delany's bibliography?
It is the second of four books in the Return to Nevèrÿon cycle, following the first volume and preceding the third and fourth. The novel blends sword-and-sorcery adventure with themes of literacy, misattributed credit, and social revolution.
More in Novels by Samuel Delany 1-24
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