Books written by Roger Zelazny
Roger Zelazny: Lord of Light
In a futuristic world somewhere in time and space, refugees from a lost Earth have established themselves as masters of an alien planet. The original pioneers have achieved immortality of the mind through a process of thought-transference into specially grown and enhanced bodies and, over the course of centuries, have come to be regarded as Gods by the descendants of their original bodies. Only in the city of the Gods has the original Earth technology survived and progressed , while the bulk of the populace lives in a medieval world. But not all the "Gods" approve of the way they have chosen, and a multi-factional civil war erupts, involving Gods, men, demons (the original inhabitants of the planet) and the very forces of nature themselves. This book is one of the most riveting of any I have ever read, and I do not limit that to the Science Fiction genre. This is one of the great works of literature. To pigeonhole this work as science-fiction/fantasy, accurate though it may be, is equivalent to labeling "Hamlet" historical fiction. It is that and so, so much more.
Lords of Light is a deeply humanistic novel examining the forces affecting the common man/woman, a secular novel questioning the mealy mouthed hypocrisy presenting itself as "true religion", a religious novel challenging the pat truisms passing themselves off as "science", it is all of these things and more. The opening is brilliant, the endings wonderful. The concepts, the plot, the characters, the setting, the ambiance, the style, the social commentary - all are magical! The narrative technique(s) are without equal. There isn't a word out of place or a weak passage anywhere in the book. It is humorous, insightful, romantic, action-packed, complex, and you won't even put it down when you finish reading it the first time.
This is politics, religion, philosophy, comedy, tragedy, and triumph of the highest caliber. It operates at many different levels, and offers something to every reader. It is an allegory an adventure a poem and philosophy lesson.
Like an abstract painting, every time you read this book something new is seen felt or experienced.
A required addition to any library.
Lord of Light:
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Roger Zelazny: The Great Book of Amber : The Complete Amber Chronicles, 1-10
Like any proper Amber devotee, I already owned all 10 books. Nonetheless, when this appeared under my Yule tree, I was overjoyed. Why? Not only because it gave me yet another excuse to re-read the series, but also because it gave me a convenient, all-in-one-piece way of hooking my friends, while letting me keep the little books here to re-read myself.
The concept of this book is very special, it is a wonderful combination of real world- fantasy- SF and it's AMAZING! It is one of the most unique and well built 'worlds' I have ever read. The characters are well developed, with real life advantages and disadvantages, with a great cynical sense of humor. The plot runs so fast that you find yourself trapped from the first moment. There is no introduction, you are thrown right into things, and the joy of finding out what the hell is going on (with the hero)is indescribable. Sub plots, politics, fights, and pure excellent action happen so fast, you find yourself reading it in one big boom, only stopping to breath in one of the author's brilliant 'what happened so far in case you got lost or confused' parts. And instead of whisking us off to some remote fairyland, he combines modern day Earth (a mere shadow world) with his infinitely rich universe. For starters, where else are you going to find MIB's (Men in Black), a fast food chain called "Kentucky Fried Lizzard Partes", teleporting Tarot cards and swordfights all in the same book!
The series is about the royal families of the universes, which underlie all other realities. Family plotting, escapades, wars, and love interests involving play out smoothly, revealing layer after layer of detail over time. Plots, counterplots are everywhere; motivations both base and lofty keep the characters complex and involving. The central characters (Corwin, a prince of Amber, and his sorcerer son, Merlin, a prince of Chaos) have powers far above human, yet they and their families' foibles are all too human and easy to sympathize with. This is an examination of power and influence far removed from the human world, although our modern (and sometimes historical) Earth figures prominently in the tales. As is typical with Zelany, deep, intelligent characters, smart dialog, brilliant and innovative use of language, and unmatched flights of imagination abound.
The superlatives, however, relate to the first series. I was intensely disappointed with the second series - not because it was all that bad (it was actually quite a lot better than most fantasy I've read recently), but because it didn't reach up to the standards of the first (difficult, I know). The fault probably lies with the simple fact that Merlin is a much less interesting character than Corwin was - and that's an understatement. He's one of those cardboard fantasy characters who become too powerful to be interesting. A lot of the attraction of the first five books lies in Corwin's complexity - neither a complete hero nor villain - and the fact that he is far from the most powerful, or even the most devious character around (although he's pretty damn good). Also, the ending to the second series has a tacked on feel, so much so that I wasn't completely sure that it was the end, and the plot is less coherent.
That said, even the second five books are still well worth reading for a welcome return to Amber.
Amber is a true original, quite different from any of its predecessors, and is the perfect example of epic fantasy with a modern twist. Its enormous plot, scope, and characters that simply are as good as fantasy gets.
The Great Book of Amber : The Complete Amber Chronicles, 1-10
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