Roger Zelazny
Roger ZelaznyRoger Zelazny (1937 - 1995)
Perhaps best known for his Amber series, this leader of "New Wave" science fiction created engrossing and imaginative fantasy characters and worlds. He will be missed.
Just finished reading Dream Master; thought it was highly overrated (especially since winning the Nebula). His "ideas" never took off for me; they felt half baked, like a raw turkey dinner (yikes!) His writing is beautiful, though; like long fluid, haunting poems. Images danced in my head. I read Deus Irae a while back (first intro to Zelazny) --which he co-wrote with Philip K. Dick -- and I think that novel just fell flat on its face; just when the "pilgrimage" was getting interesting the authors pulled the rug out and ended the book on a pathetic note. Hastily written stuff by two giants (over ten years it took!) His prose though.... Wow...
If you want a taste of the best of Zelazny, read Nine Princes in Amber. Follow that with the next four books in the series. Doorways in the Sand was good too. Zelazny is at his best when the book is between 100-200 pages, but the story would take another writer 500+ pages to write.
Agreed. Zelazny's work was pretty profound when I first read Nine Princes in Amber a few years back. Gotta be careful not to burn out, though - his protagonist, the sort of grumpy, bad-ass anti-hero he uses in his books is pretty much the same character in all of them.
If the Amber novels are a bit too much to work through, my other personal favorites are "To Die in Italbar" (very unique universe IMO - I wish he did more work in it other than Isle of the Dead), "Lord of Light", and, for something rather wacky, "Creatures of Light and Darkness." The latter, by the way, contains the slightly-infamous 'Agnostic Prayer.'
-- JosephRiesen
Agnostic's Prayer:
Insofar as I may be heard by anything, which may or may not care what I say, I ask, if it matters, that you be forgiven for anything you may have done or failed to do which requires forgiveness. Conversely, if not forgiveness but something else may be required to insure any possible benefit for which you may be eligible after the destruction of your body, I ask that this, whatever it may be, be granted or withheld, as the case may be, in such a manner as to insure your receiving said benefit. I ask this in my capacity as your elected intermediary between yourself and that which may not be yourself, but which may have an interest in the matter of your receiving as much as it is possible for you to receive of this thing, and which may in some way be influenced by this ceremony. Amen.
Creatures of Light and Darkness ©1969 Roger Zelazny
Check out his short story, "For a Breath I Tarry," published in 1966. Yow. It puts all of IsaacAsimov's robot junk to shame.
One of my all-time favorite authors; others have agreed in tangible form:
HugoAward Winner
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