I was introduced to RZ's work as a youngster finding Lord of Light, Creatures of Light and Darkness then the Chronicles of Amber in the late 70's. I have recently re-read all of these and rediscovered why I had been so entranced by his works. His writings helped me to view the many different dogmas (and not just religious but corporate and governmental) that are in the world without actually being blinded by their rhetoric. One of the most vivid memories I have of his writing is a scene from Lord of Light where one man comes to his neighbor to complain about the smells coming from his property only to find that he is collecting his feces to lessen his 'karmic burden' because soon, he will install the newest prayer device...a toilet.
Zelazny is my most favorite author, and I think his greatest skill by far, the skill that has never been rivaled by any writer, was his skill at blending the mythic and the mundane. Which probably comes from the fact that Zelazny wrote noir protagonists in non-noir stories. I think the greatest example of this ability is "Lord of Light". In Lord of Light, there is a constant show of contrast between the great mythic events of the war against demons, the divine acts, the powerful philosophies, and the mundane grittiness of conflict, the human nature of these false gods and the selfishness of the religious movers and shakers. In one scene Yama, the god of Death, comes to capture or kill the protagonist Sam. Yama first battles an invulnerable swordsman, then experiences a dream-quest against the angels of the world. Then he reaches Sam and Sam baits him into a long dialogue while standing on quicksand. In another, the gods battle against an army of demons, with great feats of magic, conjuring of the elements, and so on. This mythic battle ends with a sucker punch. Lord of Light is the novel where a long thought-out musing on the nature of divinity gets cut short and described as poetic fascist crap. But it is present in many other novels. In "This Immortal" it is the contrast between the chthonic presence of Conrad Nomikos, and his very grounded revolutionary plans and bodily desires. In "Jack of Shadows" it is the contrast between Jack's immortal, primordial power and soul-searching, and his pettiness.
Zelazny has always been one of my favorite authors. Thank you for the great review. The stream of consciousness style is perfect for his works. My most recent re-read was his novel “One Night in Lonesome October”
You make an interesting point about the effect of rapidly changing technologies. I have enjoyed Zelazny's work for a long time and I've pretty much read most if not all of his novels. I've seen it in the world as we know it. From an era of rotary phones and black and white television, we've warped into an almost global internet/information tsunami environment. Just one example is the change brought about by the current cell phone culture. They shouldn't even call them cell phones any longer; they're portable computational devices that can perform hundreds of functions...including making phone calls. As a septuagenarian, I find myself confused and upset by what I perceive as an intrusion of the current tech that most younger people see as "normal." When I go out to dinner with a party and see the majority instantly produce a cell phone as we sit down to what to my mind should be a social interaction, it troubles me; as if the parties at the table are almost tangential to the "global comm network." That addiction to "the real world" takes away from what I and my generation see as "the real world." I can't fully understand the younger persons around me...and I know they can't really understand me. The social networks no longer link up. It's distressing. (The "change effect" doesn't just apply to technology, btw. I'm almost 72 years old, got hooked on science fiction in the late 1950's. And the changes in that genre, especially the growing "inclusion/melding" of sci-fi and fantasy over the years has definitely affected what I liked, but now find cliched, and what I initially hated but have now warmed to...strange alteration of the mind there.) Thank you for your insights...and I'm rereading the Amber novels for like the ninth time right now.
Ищу оригинал moonless in Byzantium и не могу. Наткнулся на это видео случайно, пока искал сборник. Так приятно видеть столько людей, которые восхищаются творчеством Желязны. Так завидно смотреть на книгу🥲
Well well. I hadn't sought out Zelazny due to an unfortunate mix up with another author I read as a teenager. I was surprised you seemed to respect him so much... until I realized you weren't talking about Piers Anthony. How did I get them confused? I have no idea! LOL I guess I need to check out the REAL Roger Zelazny; )
@@Kalanadi That's probably it, back in the day browsing through Half-Priced Books (which was literally two blocks from our apt 🖤) and seeing shelves crammed with paperbacks of both authors. I won't be reading any more Anthony either; once was enough ^_^ Have a wonderful day!!!
I have read Lord of Light, but it was before I started making videos. It's one I'd like to revisit, because I didn't understand that much of it the first time!
I liked Zelazny. I enjoyed the Lord of Light because it was based on hindi gods and goddesses. I have A Rose for Ecclesiastical with a beautiful cover by Hannes Bok in an old F&sf magazine, which I bought from a second hand book shop for 10p. Very good condition.
That cover by Hannes Bok is mentioned quite a bit in this collection - apparently it was a dream come true for Zelazny to get a Bok cover. He bought it later!
I discovered Zelazny via my grandmother/the Amber chronicles when I was a kid in the early 90s, and while my scifi/fantasy (and unfortunately, general literary) consumption slowed down dramatically as an adult, I still think it's worth noting that he has a stylistic flair that is unlike anything I had encountered before then or anything I've encountered since. He has such a distinct voice in any kind of setting, and while that kind of thing can conceivably threaten to work against an author in a meta sense, for Zelazny, I've found that, as you seem to suggest in this video, it makes his work a sort of comfort food for me. Every few years I get the urge to throw on some audio version or other of Lord of Light (which is how I found this video, actually, when it came up in a CZcams search for that novel), and it's amazing how delicious that reading remains decades later. From the lengthy description of the sort of set piece where the confrontation between Yama and Rild takes place to Tak's recollection of dancing with Ratri in times past with the attached note "...and it is a difficult thing to be an ape and to have such memories," there is so much stylistically, completely unattached to the actual narrative or content, that still draws a smile as if I were reading/hearing it for the first time. He apparently had more of an impact on me than I even realized at the time I went through a number of his novels back in the 90s, as I can recall recommending him to friends as a young adult, and couple of them saying that his influence on my voice was pretty clear. I took it as the highest praise even though I'm not certain it was intended as such haha. It's a shame he doesn't enjoy the status of some of his contemporaries. I've still not read the Song of Fire and Ice series, but I can recall friends who were fans of it describing it to me (in excruciating detail) when the show was coming out, and when they were trying to persuade me to read and/or watch, and the descriptions recalled the Amber series in my mind. When I did eventually begin to watch the series, I became compelled to search for Martin's name along with Zelazny's, and discovered that the influence did indeed exist, and was very direct. Every now and then I'll hear rumblings about an adaptation of the Amber chronicles that never ends up being realized. As a result, I've since learned to temper my expectations in that regard. While I'm nervous about how underwhelming such an adaptation might look when/if it actually happens, my excitement for how many more people might be exposed to Zelazny's work as the result of such a production outweighs that trepidation. Even learning about the prop script for a Lord of Light movie that was used in a CIA operation during the Iran hostage crisis gave me a sort of sense of loss - I couldn't help but wonder if something from it couldn't be salvaged for more earnest purposes. My short story recommendation for you (or anyone) who hasn't already read it is Unicorn Variations. I can't recall much about the other works contained in the volume aside from the titular short story, but that one is one of my all-time favorites. While fantasy readers who are also chess nerds will get more value from it than the average bear, I was not a chess player of any kind back when I first read it, and still immediately fell in love. I even had the cover art (by Warhola) for a softcover print of it blown up and printed/mounted in the size of a small poster over a decade ago, though I still haven't found anyplace appropriate to hang it haha. I'm content just to own it. Anyway, it's one of the most charming, entertaining and memorable short stories of the genre that I've ever read, and without spoiling anything about its contents (especially since this is already an obnoxiously long comment), I'll just say that for anyone who enjoys Zelazny's writing style, it's abundantly present - beyond the inclusion of a unicorn. Enjoy, and thanks for the video! I wasn't aware of this collection until now, and may just pick it up.
A late Zelazny short story (1986) that I like very much is the 24 Views of Mount Fuji, by Hokusai -- you've probably read it as it won a Hugo -- which is one where you can refer to the inspiration more directly by looking at the prints themselves. Have you tried re-reading it?
"For a breath I tarry" favourite short story by Zelazny
I was introduced to RZ's work as a youngster finding Lord of Light, Creatures of Light and Darkness then the Chronicles of Amber in the late 70's. I have recently re-read all of these and rediscovered why I had been so entranced by his works.
His writings helped me to view the many different dogmas (and not just religious but corporate and governmental) that are in the world without actually being blinded by their rhetoric.
One of the most vivid memories I have of his writing is a scene from Lord of Light where one man comes to his neighbor to complain about the smells coming from his property only to find that he is collecting his feces to lessen his 'karmic burden' because soon, he will install the newest prayer device...a toilet.
Zelazny is my most favorite author, and I think his greatest skill by far, the skill that has never been rivaled by any writer, was his skill at blending the mythic and the mundane. Which probably comes from the fact that Zelazny wrote noir protagonists in non-noir stories.
I think the greatest example of this ability is "Lord of Light". In Lord of Light, there is a constant show of contrast between the great mythic events of the war against demons, the divine acts, the powerful philosophies, and the mundane grittiness of conflict, the human nature of these false gods and the selfishness of the religious movers and shakers.
In one scene Yama, the god of Death, comes to capture or kill the protagonist Sam. Yama first battles an invulnerable swordsman, then experiences a dream-quest against the angels of the world. Then he reaches Sam and Sam baits him into a long dialogue while standing on quicksand.
In another, the gods battle against an army of demons, with great feats of magic, conjuring of the elements, and so on. This mythic battle ends with a sucker punch.
Lord of Light is the novel where a long thought-out musing on the nature of divinity gets cut short and described as poetic fascist crap.
But it is present in many other novels. In "This Immortal" it is the contrast between the chthonic presence of Conrad Nomikos, and his very grounded revolutionary plans and bodily desires. In "Jack of Shadows" it is the contrast between Jack's immortal, primordial power and soul-searching, and his pettiness.
Very good review, please post more! Thanks!!
Zelazny has always been one of my favorite authors. Thank you for the great review. The stream of consciousness style is perfect for his works. My most recent re-read was his novel “One Night in Lonesome October”
Finally an adequate description of Zelazny. Thank you.
You make an interesting point about the effect of rapidly changing technologies. I have enjoyed Zelazny's work for a long time and I've pretty much read most if not all of his novels. I've seen it in the world as we know it. From an era of rotary phones and black and white television, we've warped into an almost global internet/information tsunami environment. Just one example is the change brought about by the current cell phone culture. They shouldn't even call them cell phones any longer; they're portable computational devices that can perform hundreds of functions...including making phone calls. As a septuagenarian, I find myself confused and upset by what I perceive as an intrusion of the current tech that most younger people see as "normal." When I go out to dinner with a party and see the majority instantly produce a cell phone as we sit down to what to my mind should be a social interaction, it troubles me; as if the parties at the table are almost tangential to the "global comm network." That addiction to "the real world" takes away from what I and my generation see as "the real world." I can't fully understand the younger persons around me...and I know they can't really understand me. The social networks no longer link up. It's distressing.
(The "change effect" doesn't just apply to technology, btw. I'm almost 72 years old, got hooked on science fiction in the late 1950's. And the changes in that genre, especially the growing "inclusion/melding" of sci-fi and fantasy over the years has definitely affected what I liked, but now find cliched, and what I initially hated but have now warmed to...strange alteration of the mind there.) Thank you for your insights...and I'm rereading the Amber novels for like the ninth time right now.
"Jack of Shadows" a short novel is really good.
Will have to get this!
great stream of blablabli style, love it
Ищу оригинал moonless in Byzantium и не могу. Наткнулся на это видео случайно, пока искал сборник. Так приятно видеть столько людей, которые восхищаются творчеством Желязны. Так завидно смотреть на книгу🥲
Doors of His Face, the biggest fish story in science fiction!
He Who Shapes, about half of The Dream Master.
Well well. I hadn't sought out Zelazny due to an unfortunate mix up with another author I read as a teenager. I was surprised you seemed to respect him so much... until I realized you weren't talking about Piers Anthony. How did I get them confused? I have no idea! LOL I guess I need to check out the REAL Roger Zelazny; )
Well, I guess they were contemporaries and both wrote fantasy so.... :-P I won't be reading anything by Anthony though!
@@Kalanadi
That's probably it, back in the day browsing through Half-Priced Books (which was literally two blocks from our apt 🖤) and seeing shelves crammed with paperbacks of both authors. I won't be reading any more Anthony either; once was enough ^_^ Have a wonderful day!!!
Doors of His Mouth, etc is the greatest "you should have seen the one that got away" story ever.
Have you read Roger Zelazny's "Lord of Light," and or done a video on it?
I have read Lord of Light, but it was before I started making videos. It's one I'd like to revisit, because I didn't understand that much of it the first time!
I liked Zelazny. I enjoyed the Lord of Light because it was based on hindi gods and goddesses. I have A Rose for Ecclesiastical with a beautiful cover by Hannes Bok in an old F&sf magazine, which I bought from a second hand book shop for 10p. Very good condition.
That cover by Hannes Bok is mentioned quite a bit in this collection - apparently it was a dream come true for Zelazny to get a Bok cover. He bought it later!
I discovered Zelazny via my grandmother/the Amber chronicles when I was a kid in the early 90s, and while my scifi/fantasy (and unfortunately, general literary) consumption slowed down dramatically as an adult, I still think it's worth noting that he has a stylistic flair that is unlike anything I had encountered before then or anything I've encountered since. He has such a distinct voice in any kind of setting, and while that kind of thing can conceivably threaten to work against an author in a meta sense, for Zelazny, I've found that, as you seem to suggest in this video, it makes his work a sort of comfort food for me. Every few years I get the urge to throw on some audio version or other of Lord of Light (which is how I found this video, actually, when it came up in a CZcams search for that novel), and it's amazing how delicious that reading remains decades later. From the lengthy description of the sort of set piece where the confrontation between Yama and Rild takes place to Tak's recollection of dancing with Ratri in times past with the attached note "...and it is a difficult thing to be an ape and to have such memories," there is so much stylistically, completely unattached to the actual narrative or content, that still draws a smile as if I were reading/hearing it for the first time.
He apparently had more of an impact on me than I even realized at the time I went through a number of his novels back in the 90s, as I can recall recommending him to friends as a young adult, and couple of them saying that his influence on my voice was pretty clear. I took it as the highest praise even though I'm not certain it was intended as such haha.
It's a shame he doesn't enjoy the status of some of his contemporaries. I've still not read the Song of Fire and Ice series, but I can recall friends who were fans of it describing it to me (in excruciating detail) when the show was coming out, and when they were trying to persuade me to read and/or watch, and the descriptions recalled the Amber series in my mind. When I did eventually begin to watch the series, I became compelled to search for Martin's name along with Zelazny's, and discovered that the influence did indeed exist, and was very direct. Every now and then I'll hear rumblings about an adaptation of the Amber chronicles that never ends up being realized. As a result, I've since learned to temper my expectations in that regard. While I'm nervous about how underwhelming such an adaptation might look when/if it actually happens, my excitement for how many more people might be exposed to Zelazny's work as the result of such a production outweighs that trepidation. Even learning about the prop script for a Lord of Light movie that was used in a CIA operation during the Iran hostage crisis gave me a sort of sense of loss - I couldn't help but wonder if something from it couldn't be salvaged for more earnest purposes.
My short story recommendation for you (or anyone) who hasn't already read it is Unicorn Variations. I can't recall much about the other works contained in the volume aside from the titular short story, but that one is one of my all-time favorites. While fantasy readers who are also chess nerds will get more value from it than the average bear, I was not a chess player of any kind back when I first read it, and still immediately fell in love. I even had the cover art (by Warhola) for a softcover print of it blown up and printed/mounted in the size of a small poster over a decade ago, though I still haven't found anyplace appropriate to hang it haha. I'm content just to own it. Anyway, it's one of the most charming, entertaining and memorable short stories of the genre that I've ever read, and without spoiling anything about its contents (especially since this is already an obnoxiously long comment), I'll just say that for anyone who enjoys Zelazny's writing style, it's abundantly present - beyond the inclusion of a unicorn.
Enjoy, and thanks for the video! I wasn't aware of this collection until now, and may just pick it up.
Fine!!
A late Zelazny short story (1986) that I like very much is the 24 Views of Mount Fuji, by Hokusai -- you've probably read it as it won a Hugo -- which is one where you can refer to the inspiration more directly by looking at the prints themselves. Have you tried re-reading it?
Wow 😮 I’m first 🤩