Customer Reviews

Lord Demon

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(9)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

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.

"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.

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!

Zelazny was one of the field's premier science fiction and fantasy writers from the mid-sixties to the nineties, giving us some truly unique visions and always told in his own voice, a voice colored around the edges by cynicism and a touch of humor, but mainly couched in a sense of legend and archetype. This book begins in very typical Zelazny fashion, introducing us to the world of literal demons, mainly drawn from Chinese legends. And the introduction will grab you; its setting and concept are very well drawn and captivating.

The story is told from the point of view of Kai Wren, also known as Lord Demon and the Godslayer, so named as the only demon to ever defeat a god in their long running war. But as we meet him, we find an artisan and something of a hermit, who has spent the last 120 years designing and fashioning a magical bottle, who has feelings for his human servant (something demons aren't supposed to have). When his servant is murdered by some scrub demons during a routine run to Earth for pizza, Kai is galvanized to action, first to obtain revenge on the perpetrators, and later, as just who the real brains behind the murder becomes more and more of a puzzle, he finds himself working as an investigator, slowly developing friendships with other humans and demons as he gathers information.

If the starting scenario had been consistently carried through the entire book, this might have been a very good novel. Unfortunately, after about page 70 or so, it deteriorates into very ordinary developments, as the demons are more and more portrayed as having very human qualities and vices and several rather pointless additions are made to the initial idea. The old idea of alternate universes accessed by 'gates' becomes one of the main plot movers (even if a couple of these universes are populated by hangers and socks its still not very original), most of the 'gods' are only sketchily drawn and seem remarkably weak to be gods, and most of the 'puzzle' the average reader will figure out long before Kai Wren does. The final battle is certainly not Zelazny in his prime, as it is a complete cop-out, a retreat to 'this is fantasy, anything goes', and will severely disappoint the reader.

I don't know whether the above problems are those of Zelazny not having time before his death to completely flesh out his story idea and correct perceived problems or are those of having the novel completed by Jane Lindskold with her own ideas that don't mesh very well with Zelazny's original concept. But the net result, while still very readable and good for some mild entertainment, does not compare to the marvelous tales an earlier Zelazny gave us, from Lord of Light and This Immortal to Jack of Shadows.

All of the right Zelazny stuff is wired into this book, but somehow "Lord Demon" comes across as a museum diorama rather than a living, breathing adventure fantasy.

It's got Zelazny's standard superhero, who resembles Sam in "Lord of Light." The minor difference here is that Kai Wren, Lord Demon is a god-slayer, whereas Sam was a god who slew the occasional demon.

Zelazny incorporated the Hindu pantheon into "Lord of Light." He used a mystical Chinese background for "Lord Demon."

"Lord of Light" is a fantasy classic, maybe Zelazny's best work. "Lord Demon" is---well, it's still Zelazny (plus Lindskold) which means it's well-researched and full of exotic, non-Western concepts. There are interesting creatures galore---good, bad, and scrub demons; a Chinese magician and his daughter; a few gods and godlets; dragons; Fu Dogs (actually lions in Chinese religious symbolism); even a stray Sidhe.

Kai Wren is a glassblower as well as a god-slayer, and his bottles can contain whole universes.

Unfortunately, the creators of Kai Wren's own universe forgot to add the oxygen.

Hardly anything breathes on its own in "Lord Demon," or reacts with the other elements of this book. The Fu Dogs are given long, overly-cute stretches of text that do little to move the plot forward. There are pointless visits to the 'Hanger Plane' and the 'Sock Drawer Plane' that do nothing but serve as poignant reminders of previous journeys with Zelazny through the Shadow worlds of Amber.

Hard-core Zelazny fans, go ahead and read "Lord Demon." An occasional paragraph may ignite that old feeling of nostalgia. I experienced a definite pang during Kai Wren's first encounter with the scrub demons.

New Zelazny readers, start with "This Immortal" or "Lord of Light" or "Creatures of Light and Darkness." The latter book, first published in 1969 was inspired by ancient Egyptian mythology, and in turn has inspired a horde of imitators but none as good.

"A Night in the Lonesome October" (1993) displays Zelazny's talent for the darkly comic. The book is narrated by a dog named Snuff and its hero is Jack the Ripper (really!)

If you'd like to read an excellent Chinese mythology-based fantasy (complete with Fu Dogs), try Barbara Hambly's, "Bride of the Rat God."

As others have pointed out, Lord Demon starts out in a manner fitting of Zelazny. The ideas and the style, the writing, are everything one could want. Truth be told, the first several chapters through, that nostalgic feel of classic Zelazny was so strong, I could have wept. Okay maybe that's a bit too dramatic, but you get the idea.. :P

In any case, there was suddenly a point when it hit, that the book just lost it and went downhill. It was actually quite a noticeable division. The last part in particular was hastily thrown together, far too many easy outs, and simply badly executed.

I'm tempted to blame all that on Lindskold, but its probably unfair to pass judgement in such a blanket fashion, especially since Zelazny did write some pretty bad (IMHO) books towards the end... So I guess I'll just leave it as a book with a beginning that was a joy to read and an ending that does it quite an injustice.

Zelazny fans should still read it though, because there is some good stuff in there, more than enough to remind us of how much poorer the world is with his passing.

It's a great book. It should have been better. Roger should have lived to write it. But we have what we have, and it's still a bottle of intoxicating stuff that will make your head spin and have you checking the feng shui in your house. Where was a friendly demon with a healing power when we needed one? One quibble, however: as an evil villain myself I felt that the 'bad guys' were given an unfair shake. We visionaries are always vilified. *sigh*

What can I say, I'm a BIG fan of Zelazny - However, this book is NOT really a Roger Zelazny Novel.
The books starts like a classical novel by the master: Kai Wren, a Demon, also called "Lord Demon" because he's the only demon to ever kill a god in a one on one combat, finds that his personal servant has been murdered. The murder investigation causes him to suspect that there is more than meets the eye to this affair, and that the entire Demon-God status quo is in danger.
What I love about this book, and all of Roger Zelazny's book, is that there's a new "mythology" in them. The worlds described in his novels are filled with their own legends, their own creatures and
myths. Nevermind that so many of those are repeated again and again in these novels ("Lord Demon" reminded me a lot of Amber's second series - books 6 to 10).
For example, in "Lord Demon", Kai Wren is also a bottle maker. However, his bottles aren't just bottles: they take centuires to complete and can
have an entire universe contained inside them!

If it's all so great, why did I give the book only 3 stars?
Well, the book starts really well, but then it loses all of its momentum, it turns into a definite non Zelazny novel (Dimensions of socks? Dimensions of Coat Hangers? COME ON!!!), and the end is stupid, not to mention boring. I'm sure if Zelazny wrote it from beginning to end it would've been a masterpiece - as well as a
beginning of an awesome new series. But the way it is right now, the book promises a lot, but does not keep its promise.
My final verdict: read it, but expect to be highly disappointed halfway through the book. However if you're a Roger Zelazny fan - read it, you'll probably still love (most of) it.

In this bottle we have the last few drops of the real stuff. There's not much, and it's precious. The author's last days were spent on it, and there are tears mingled with the strong stuff. There should have been more laughter and less sorrow. Have a drink on Roger! We won't see HIS like again.

I've read quite a lot of Zelazny's books and I read this one with some trepidation, since as I understand this Zelazny hadn't finished the book before his untimely death.

The book is quite good. Zelazny unfolds a rich and magical universe, as always, tinged with Chinese mythology, monsters and magic.

However, not all is good. The book lacks depth and some way, and the ending somehow seems too simple, too abrupt for a book whose plot unwinded through 3 planes of existance.

Again, this is not a bad book, quite the contrary. However, it could have been much better.