Hoban is one of DAn's favorites, and I was interested in discovering why. Riddley Walker is a very difficult book to read; it is told in a pidgin bastardization of English that must be read phonetically and is therefore not friendly either to translation or to non-native English-speaking readers. The story is set in a post-nuclear-armageddon future, where traveling puppeteers tell the story of "Eusa". The novel is complex and difficult to follow, but rewarding, particularly as the pieces come together at the end. I'm interested in reading some of Hoban's work in conventional English. I haven't read Delany, but I suspect that Riddley Walker is something of a "poor man's" Dhalgren. [If you get the new American edition, do not consult the glossary. In my opinion, that would entirely ruin the book.]