Lord of the Fantastic: Stories in Honor of Roger Zelazny [Paperback]

Various (Author), Martin H. Greenberg (Editor), Fred Saberhagen (Introduction)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 1998

From the first appearance of Roger Zelazny's short fiction in the early 1960s, it was clear that a dazzling new genius had burst into the field of speculative literature. Over the years, that shining talent burned brighter in novels such as Lord of Light, The Dream Master, and Creatures of Light and Darkness... and the groundbreaking Amber books. Sadly, Zelazny was taken from us too soon. Now twenty-five writers -- including some of the most acclaimed names in SF and fantasy -- come together to pay tribute to him with original stories evoking the magic and wonder of his own best work.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Roger Zelazny (1937-1995) was a magnificently inventive fantasy writer. He wrote about time, imagination, morality, philosophy, religion, politics, and storytelling. Many of his best books are out of print at present (though the Amber series is being reissued by Avon), but Lord of the Fantastic is a worthy tribute to his multifaceted genius.

Greenberg, a legendary editor of fantasy anthologies, has collected 22 short stories from some of the best writers working today. Walter Jon Williams writes an achingly sad tale of love, loss, and memory; Robert Silverberg a funny tale of what happens when mythic godslayers outlive their opponents. Gregory Benford mixes space opera with astrophysics in a frenetic chase across the galaxy; Steven Brust's lone gambler goes up against an alien in a very high-stakes card game. And Jack Haldeman tells of a trouble-making fairy who's enjoying exile running a bait and beer shop somewhere south of the Mason-Dixon Line.

Most authors include a reminiscence of Zelazny in a brief afterword; the introduction and final piece are stories about Roger from two collaborators, Fred Saberhagen and Gerald Hausman. This collection of well-written, thought-provoking tales will inspire old and new fans to read and reread his works. --Nona Vero

From Publishers Weekly

This worthy festschrift in honor of the late, great SF writer Roger Zelazny (1937-1995) contains 25 pieces of short fiction, some of them pastiches of Zelazny's work and others of them applications of the various authors' visions to prominent Zelazny themes. The most common of these themes is how closely the world of myth and legend is allied to our own (considered in such Zelazny classics such as Lord of Light, Eye of Cat and his Amber series), so the anthology is dominated by fantasy with a mythic or folkloric background. The authors include a number of big guns, among them Robert Silverberg, Andre Norton, Neil Gaiman, John Varley and Gregory Benford. Nobody performs less than well, and all have contributed personal notes on their experience with Zelazny, who possessed both an admirably lucid prose style and, apparently, an equally admirable freedom from personal crotchets. Aficionados of his work, as well as those curious about the man himself, will find this volume richly rewarding.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 373 pages
• Publisher: Harper Voyager (September 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0380787377
• ISBN-13: 978-0380787371
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,531,321 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

28 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Friends of Roger, March 16, 1999

By 

William Sanders (Oklahoma) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Lord of the Fantastic: Stories in Honor of Roger Zelazny (Paperback)

I was one of the contributors to this book, which was originally to be titled FRIENDS OF ROGER. I still wish it had been . . . although a book by all of Roger's friends would be a very thick one; I don't believe there was anyone who knew him personally who didn't love him - and I think everyone who knew and loved his writing felt they had lost a friend when he died.

I won't comment on my own story, but there are plenty of others of outstanding quality, well worth the price; John Varley's is my pick for best of the bunch, with Walter Jon Williams in there pretty close . . . but really, you could hardly go wrong just opening this book at any one of the stories and beginning there.

The cover is, admittedly, butt-ugly; and this should have been a hardback - as much money as Roger made for Avon in his lifetime, you'd think they could do a little better by his memory - but never mind; the contents more than make up for the exterior.

If you are one of those (us) who cherish Roger's memory, buy this book as your expression of appreciation for his memory. Or if you're just looking for a lot of damned good reading . . . .

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A fine tribute to a fantastic writer, June 27, 2005

By 

John C. Fiala (Colorado, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Lord of the Fantastic: Stories in Honor of Roger Zelazny (Paperback)

Lord of the Fantastic doesn't contain any of Roger's Zelazny's work. Instead, it's a big wake being held in his honor, where various writers stand up, tell a story they think Roger would have liked, and then share some of their history with him. The stories are good, and the memories add a bittersweet tinge to the collection.

A few stories that stuck in my mind:
"Calling Pittsburgh", by Steven Brust, is an interesting piece about a gambler trying to win back ownership of the earth, piecemeal, from the aliens that now own it. The only problem is, you're not a good gambler unless you can figure out from how your opponent is acting whether he's bluffing or not.
"Southern Discomfort", by Jack C. Haldeman II, is about a fairy kicked out of her homeland for playing mean pranks. All she has to do to come back is to perform one unselfish deed, but she likes it here.
"The Flying Dutchman", by John Varley, is a nasty piece about how sometimes you really can't ever get home again. But maybe you can make a connection in Cleveland?
"Ninekiller and the Neterw", by William Sanders, is an adventure piece set in Egypt, featuring a pilot who is forced down in the middle of the desert with a archaeologist who is more than he seems. Luckily, his dead Grandfather hangs around to warn of trouble.
"Call Me Titan", by Robert Silverberg, is a short piece about one of the original Greek titans escaping his prison to get revenge on Zeus. But where do you find the king of the gods in 1998?
"The Halfway House at the Heart of Darkness", by William Browning Spencer, deals with a new form of addiction in the future - if virtual reality can be anything you want to dream of, why ever leave it? And what if rehabilitating you was illegal?
"Only the End of the World Again", by Neil Gaiman, is another of his short brilliant pieces. This one involves a Mr. Larry Talbot, late of Innsmouth, Mass.

That's only a few of the stories, and not even all of the best. Heck, even the worst stories in this collection are pretty good - Martin Greenberg is a good editor of collections, but in this volume he's really pulled off a fine job. This is undoubtedly helped by the fact that every one of these authors were inspired or helped by Roger Zelazny, and came up with their best to honor him.

My verdict: Well worth the time and trouble to read, both for the marvelous stories and for the peeks at how one man has cast his shadow over so much of the science fiction and fantasy landscape.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Worth it....we miss you Zelazny., October 3, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Lord of the Fantastic:: Stories in Honor of Roger Zelazny (Mass Market Paperback)

I enjoyed this book, and although not EVERY story was great, they were very good. I think that it makes a fine book by itself, and a great book in memory of the late Roger Zelazny. This is a must have for Zelazny fans.