Lord Demon [Hardcover]

Roger Zelazny (Author), Jane Lindskold (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 3, 1999

Now grown soft with peace, the demon Kai Wren must seek vengeance for the murder of his devoted human servant--but to do so, he must regain that which once made him Lord Demon. A worthy follow-up to the acclaimed "Donnerjack."

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Roger Zelazny (1937-1995) was a wizard of the pen: he won six Hugos and three Nebulas and is revered by science fiction and fantasy readers. Lord Demon is his last novel, the second of two projects unfinished at his death. Jane Lindskold, his partner and a fantasy author herself, completed it from some manuscript, a few notes, and conversations she'd had with him. Fans are often skeptical of posthumous collaborations: "It's not real Zelazny"--but Lord Demon comes darned close. It deserves space beside the Amber series, The Dream Master, and Lord of Light. As Zelazny once said of another novel: "It has all my favorite things--blood, love, fire, hate and a high ideal or two."

Lord Demon is vintage Zelazny: a "scientific" fantasy built on favorite themes (the necessity of knowing oneself, of taking risks, and of accepting the vulnerability that comes with feeling passionately), drawing on East Asian, Irish, and hero's quest myths, and featuring his signature protagonist: erudite, smart-mouthed, detached, homicidal when roused but more often immersed in art, poetry, and the creation of alternate realities; unexpectedly kind to the weak and deeply romantic in his approach to women. The bad puns and wildly whimsical turns the story takes are also characteristic.

Fans will hear echoes of Amber: Kai Wren and his demon colleagues represent Chaos; the gods live in Origin, imposing their will to order the planes of existence; the powerful demon He of the Towers of Light has sculpted his home to resemble Origin, and approaching it is much like walking the Pattern; and so on. What's unique is what Kai Wren learns in Lord Demon. The immortal doesn't fail, nor does he return triumphant to marry and rule his folk. This hero and the author finally accept the limits of superpower and the pleasures in being "only human." ---Nona Vero

From Publishers Weekly

Zelazny left two novel manuscripts unfinished when he died in 1995. One was Donnerjack, which Lindskold (Brother to Dragons, etc.) completed for 1998 publication. This is the second. Zelazny is best known for characters who, in between waging interdimensional battles and building planets, still have time to be very human. Lord Demon, also called Kai Wren, and sometimes Godslayer, follows that familiar model. Once the greatest of his kind, Kai, along with the other demons, was banished from their homeland 5000 years ago by the gods. The demons found a way to Earth, specifically China, where they rebuilt their lives. For the last few millennia, Kai has withdrawn from demon society, focused on constructing splendid magical bottles infused with his chi. Now his human servant and best friend has been murdered. Assuming the crime is merely one born of an old grudge, Kai doesn't take it too seriously. That is, until he's betrayed and stripped of his ability to manipulate chi energyAreducing him to the merely human in a new war among demonkind. Fighting back means dangerous alliances and sticking his neck out as he hasn't done for thousands of years. Most dangerous of all, however, is the possibility that Kai is just a pawn in a plot that passed him by years ago. Though the novel is slow to get moving, once the fight is on, it doesn't let up. The narrative weaves a fine line between tragedy and humor, sometimes slapstick, as Kai gathers a ragtag band of Chinese sorcerers and shape changers and Pekinese dogs. Lindskold effectively captures the voices of Zelazny's wise-cracking characters and continues the expert blending of magical and mundane that makes his work so enjoyable. This novel is fine Zelazny, and a fine tribute. (Aug.)
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: Avon; First Edition edition (August 3, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0380973332
• ISBN-13: 978-0380973330
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (32 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #868,764 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Final treasure from the Lord of Light, March 11, 2005

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LVX "rosy-cross" (North America) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Lord Demon (Mass Market Paperback)

I was a bit surprised to read some of the scathing comments that other reviewers have posted about "Lord Demon," and from the general trend of these reviews I suppose myself to be among the minority of Zelazny fans who thoroughly enjoyed this book. So be it. "Lord Demon" was fresh and original Zelazny fiction, full of warmth and wit and all of the other goodness that readers have come to expect from this master of letters. Zelazny was never an author to churn out endless carbon-copy reworks of the same tired themes, and once again he succeeded in breaking out of his own mold when he wrote this book. In fact, I suspect that many of the negative reviews about "Lord Demon" are rooted in the fact that this novel, like so much of Zelazny's fiction, is completely different from anything else that he's ever written. This book is not "Nine Princes In Amber," which is appropriate enough since Zelazny already has a book by that name!

Kai Wren is something of a self-imposed exile among demon-kind, concentrating most of his time and energy on the creation of fabulous (and potently magical) art glass. When a beloved human servitor is murdered by lowly "scrub" demons, however, Lord Demon's thirst for vengeance draws the lonely recluse back into demonic society and politics.

Yes, the reader sees much of what is coming long before Kai Wren catches on. Big deal. The story is told primarily from Kai Wren's perspective-- that is, from the perspective of an ancient and powerful being, confident in his own immortality and therefore blinded by arrogance-- so it shouldn't be too surprising that the reader often sees things that Lord Demon is incapable of comprehending, for all of his terrible power and ancient wisdom. The author's POINT is that Kai Wren is maddeningly overconfident and frequently underestimates his foes. Of course Kai Wren is oblivious to things that would come instinctively to lesser beings! When you, the reader, see Kai Wren walking blindly into danger, it adds depth to his character and heightens the novel's suspense. In fact, professional writers even have a name for this type of literary device: "foreshadowing."

I also see many reviews complaining about the "planes of hangers and socks." Ridiculous, yes, but also vintage Zelazny humor! I have a feeling that these reviewers haven't read much other Zelazny fiction, for his sense of humor always tended to run toward the absurd-- one of my favorite Zelazny short stories, "Unicorn Variations," is about beer-swilling, chess-playing mythical beings, and who could forget the 'Alice in Wonderland' bar scene from Zelazny's 'Amber' series? Personally, I thought The Walker's one-line explanation of the hangars and socks was hilarious, and a single quote from a novel hasn't made me laugh out loud like this in a long, long time!

Is "Lord Demon" Zelazny's best novel? Probably not. But Roger Zelazny's genius was such that even his second-tier efforts tower above most other fantasy and sci fi yarns! With "Lord Demon," Roger Zelazny delivered exactly what his fans have come to expect: a well-told tale about extremely human characters, told with wit and warmth, and offering a touching lesson or two along the way. You may even see a reflection of your own mortality in the dark eyes of Kai Wren-- Lord Demon.

17 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Last, Lingering Taste of Roger Zelany, August 4, 1999

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Bruce Trinque (Amston, CT United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Lord Demon (Hardcover)

"Lord Demon" is, I understand, the final posthumous book of the great Roger Zelazny, completed by his friend and companion Jane Lindskold. It is a novel which fits well within the classic Zelazny mold, set in a world of the quasi-rationalized supernatural. This time the mythological background is Chinese, but I think if you did a DNA analysis of "Lord Demon" you would find strains of "Lord of Light" and probably "Jack of Shadows" in its ancestry. I would not select it as among the very best of his works -- Zelazny's best are dazzling -- but "Lord Demon" is fun to read and the usual Zelazny themes are dancing around. If you're a Zelazny fan, I think you will like it. And if you have never read him before ... well, it's not a bad introduction at all.

15 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Absolutely wonderful - invokes memories of Lord of Light!, October 30, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Lord Demon (Hardcover)

I must admit that I was skeptical of this book. I didn't care much for Donnerjack, and I was afraid that this book would be disappointing - but...IT WAS ABSOLUTELY SENSATIONAL! This book is so vibrantly Roger Zelazny, I almost cried when it was over. If you're a Zelazny fan, please read this - it will make you feel as if the great master himself is standing before you, reciting yet another masterpiece. Jane Lindskold did a marvellous job. Ms. Lindskold thank you for keeping his spirit alive - wish we could have a sequel of the adventures of Kai Wren!