Dilvish, the Damned [Mass Market Paperback]

Roger Zelazny (Author)

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback
• Publisher: Del Rey Books (November 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0345901754
• ISBN-13: 978-0345901750
• Product Dimensions: 6.6 x 4.1 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #809,231 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A rousing swords and sorcery tale, April 1, 2002

By 

MISTER SJEM "sonofhotpie" (CALIF BAY AREA United States) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Dilvish, the Damned (Mass Market Paperback)

Zelazny is best known for his AMBER series, as well as LORD OF LIGHT. DILVISH is a compilation of several short stories that Zelazny wrote so each section is broken into different chapters. The pace moves well enough but not as is expected today in the typical 1000 page fantasy epic.

That said there are several fantastic elements in these stories which I rarely find in later fantasy novels so, for that alone, the reading is worth it.

Remember, his best tale would be the first five books of AMBER and DILVISH, THE DAMNED is somewhere between pretty good and good, but not great, like Amber.

Moorcock's pulp stories, which were later put into slim novels, is similar in pacing to that of DILVISH, THE DAMNED.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Damned Good!, March 13, 2002

By 

Psychedelic Cowboy "psychedelic_cowboy" (Burbank, CA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Dilvish, the Damned (Mass Market Paperback)

I recommend that you read this book first before you read the Changing Land-which also features the adventures of Dilvish.

The is a very uneven book, no doubt because it is a collection of short stories and fill-in chapters ranging from 1967 to 1982. Still, it has its moments particularly in the two longest chapters, Tower of Ice and Devil and the Dancer. Here, Zelazny was at full power, and I whipped through the book, which had been slow going up to that point. Dilvish is best enjoyed like Conan or Elric-- not for literary style or depth, but for sheer action, adventure and imagination. Of course, I came to like Black, the metal horse from Hell, best of all. He reminds me of Spock in a way. I usually end up saying that a Zelazny book leaves me wanting more, and that was the case this time. Luckily there is more-- The Changing Land.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Damned if you do and damned if you don't, June 7, 2003

By 

events3 - See all my reviews

This review is from: Dilvish, the Damned (Mass Market Paperback)

This is one of my all-time favorite works of fiction!

The story concerns Dilvish the Damned's quest for revenge. The backdrop to the story is this: Jhelerak, formerly a white magician who challenged Hohorga the Maleficient and was defeated, has lapsed back into evil after Dilvish's ancestor, Selar, killed the Maleficient One.

Much later Dilvish prevents Jhelerak from sacrificing a young woman and Jhelerak turns Dilvish's body to stone, sending his soul to the deepest Hell the dark mage can manage. Centuries later, Dilvish sells his soul to the supernatural creature Black in return for escape and getting vengence on Jhelerak - an aim which has become Dilvish's obsession. Just as Jhelerak was completely changed by the actions of the Maleficient, Dilvish riding a black mount "from hell" and equipped with the blackest of magics, the Awful Sayings and the eyes of a demon, returns for vengence. Although a work of "high adventure" the book is filled with philosophical considerations combined with bits of humor ["The Devil with them all, Dilvish the Damned" says one anti-Hero referring to the possibility that gods and devils might simply be alter-egos of one another! And "'Damned if you do and damned if you don't,' said Dilvish the Damned, dismounting" referring to Dilvish's tendency to risk his life for damsels in distress].

Somewhat similar to (but better than) Jirel of Joiry or Elric of Melnibone, this is well worth the read.