Customer Reviews

Manna From Heaven

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This book was eagerly anticipated by fans of Zelazney's 'Amber' fiction, because all of the 'Amber' short stories had been out of print for years. "Manna From Heaven" places all of the 'Amber' short stories-- along with a number of Zelazney's other uncollected pieces-- together under a single cover.

If the 'Amber' stories were ALL that this edition offered, I'd still give the book three or four stars. What a joy to discover that "Manna From Heaven" is FULL of quality fiction by Roger Zelazney, and that many of the other stories in this book even manage to surpass its 'Amber' material! I've read several anthologies of Zelazney's short stories, and I've enjoyed them all, but "Manna From Heaven" EASILY takes the cake!

Aside from the 'Amber' shorts, which were great by the way, I particularly enjoyed "Kalifriki of the Thread" and the title story, "Mana From Heaven" [sic]. These stories were so good that I was surprised not to have seen them collected elsewhere. (Makes you wonder what other Zelazney goodies may still be lying around in the vault???). Naturally, some of the tales in this collection are more compelling than others, but not a single story falls flat. Each carries its own weight. This is unusual enough for any collection of short stories, but as a fan of Roger Zelazney's work, I was also intrigued by the fact that these selections represented a fair cross section of his work as an adult author-- several of the short stories in this volume were from Zelazney's later years, but "Manna From Heaven" also includes a couple of wonderful unpublished pieces from Roger's pre-fame college days!

I would recommend this collection for all readers, whether they're already fans of Zelazny's work, or merely readers who enjoy a well-crafted short story. There's truly something for just about everybody between these two covers.

Roger Zelazny has been gone for nearly ten years. During that time I am not the only reader who has scoured fanzines, websites, second-hand book stores, and occasionally friends' libraries for anything I could find of his that I had not already read. Here is is, Manna from Heaven. Who but Roger Zelazny writes so beautifully as he ascribes personality and character to natural formations, machines, or even physical principals? Having included the most amazing plot twists, he writes fluidly to mindbending conclusions. Although I've already read some of the short stories in Manna, there is enough new material in the collection to allow me to feel the sheer joy of reading something new and wonderful by Zelazny. I rated Manna From Heaven at five stars because it is his work, and feels like it. Some of the tribute fiction written in his honor is good reading, especially as it gives one the clear opportunity to evaluate those other writers in comparison to the master. Of course, nobody else comes close. Reading Manna From Heaven was a rewarding experience. There is a downside, however. I used to realize how silly it would be to hope for more new stories or books from Roger Zelazny. Now I'm not so sure... some of his characters have made difficult returns...

Like most Zelazny fans, I was very pleased to find a "new" collection of Zelazny stories available for purchase. The "post-_Chronicles_ Amber shorts are both difficult and expensive to find individually. Had I known _Manna.._ was coming out, I could have saved about $ 30.

The "non-Amber" stories in the book, IMHO, varied greatly in quality. I can certainly understand why some of them have been reprinted so infrequently. On the other hand, some Zelazny is better than no Zelazny, so I would still recommend purchasing this collection.

Ron Bliss

Ron Bliss

This book of short stories is a mixed bag, but well worth reading if you've enjoyed Zelazny's other work. Zelazny is the author of the Amber series, which I've read and reviewed here in the past. The stories in Manna From Heaven are drawn from work he published between 1964 and (posthumously) 1996. It concludes with five short pieces that take place in the Amber universe.

In the introduction, writer Steven Brust glows and gushes about Zelazny's genius, praising his ability to "simultaneously confuse and reassure" the reader. I know just what he means! OK, I don't feel quite like Zelazny was a genius, but I have immense respect for his talent, and I get what Brust is saying. I have to admit that a few of the short pieces (they range from a third of a page to 37 pages in length) left me shaking my head, glancing back at various passages, and generally asking "wha'appen?" But I found most of them enjoyable, anyway. It's the journey, and Zelazny isn't afraid to let his readers lose the path and try to find it again.

"Epithalamium" was a fun piece in which we meet an elderly Alice, sent back through the looking glass; I also liked "The Furies," in which three eccentric but oddly gifted individuals join forces to track a fugitive across the planets and capture him... all from the comfort of home.

The concluding Amber pieces were a brief but melancholy last look into this universe sprung from Zelazny's imagination. Each story was interesting and enjoyable, especially "Coming To A Cord," which is told from the perspective of an intelligent, animate, uh, length of string. The Amber stories left me a bit melancholy, though. It was clear that Zelazny had more to say about Amber and its counterpart world, Chaos, and there are hints here at new intrigues, twists and turns that the author would never have the chance to explore. And that is our loss.

Good book, sure answers a lot of questions that were left unanswered in Zelazny's last Amber novel, as well as expanding on a few side stories that seemed like they were left on the editing floor from that same novel. The balance of the book is traditional Zelazny, always leaves you wanting more....alas, I imagine this is truly the last from him. RIP RZ

While this book contains a few short (some very VERY short) stories I had not read before, most have already appeared in other volumes of stories (such as the Kalifriki of the Thread stories and the title story). This volume has some significance in that it was edited and put together posthumously. I was someone disappointed in the quality of editing in this book, noting numerous typographical and spelling errors.

The title of this collection of short stories is very apt for those of us who long ago devoured all Roger Zelazny's novels and better-known shorts, and began looking around (in growing desperation) for our next fix. Copyright 2003, "Manna from Heaven" runs to about 240 pages and includes five (very) short stories from the Amber series, plus another 17 miscellaneous shorts ranging in length from one page to 37. There is also the brief prologue from the original edition of "Trumps of Doom" (one of the Amber series), which was previously available only in a limited edition of that book.

"Blue Horse, Dancing Mountains" briefly shows us Corwin some time after the cosmic showdown depicted in "The Courts of Chaos", when he declined the throne of Amber, engaged in an epic hellride on a sentient horse (reminiscent of Dilvish the Damned's Black). "Hall of Mirrors" carries this storyline forward a long way, with Corwin and Luke meeting in Castle Amber, only to find themselves under an enchantment and forced to duel to the death. "The Salesman's Tale" focuses on Luke, while he waits for Corwin's return and their fated clash. "The Shroudling and the Guisel" describes Merlin's unexpected meeting with an old flame (the shroudling of the title) and a virtually indestructible monster (the guisel) which has been sent to kill him. Last but not least, "Coming to a Cord" is told from the point of view of Frakir, Merlin's sentient strangling-cord, and takes up the story when Merlin's own guisel, homing in on the sorcerer who tried to assassinate him, oozes out through a mirror in Castle Amber itself. This story ends with a characteristic Zelazny aside, which serves very well to sum up the whole Amber series. "What do you think is going on, anyway?" Some horrible Wagnerian thing, I told him, full of blood, thunder, and death for us all. "Oh, the usual," Luke said. Exactly, I replied.

The other 17 stories are a mixed bag, covering a full three decades from the mid-1960s right up to Zelazny's death in 1995. The ones that impressed me most were "Come Back to the Killing Ground, Alice My Love", "Mana from Heaven", "Godson", and to some extent "The Furies" and "Kalifriki of the Thread" - although I have a feeling that I had read them all previously (with the possible exception of "Godson"). All five of those are good, solid tales written with genuine Zelazny ingenuity and flair, but for my money "Come Back to the Killing Ground..." is easily the best. A sequel to "Kalifriki of the Thread", it features a professional killer and troubleshooter who has domesticated a cosmic string. Very few writers other than Zelazny - perhaps none at all - could seamlessly combine the genres of serial murder, fantasy, detection, and science fiction so convincingly in a mere 37 pages. Those who read and appreciated "The Dream Master" may see a development of its themes in "Come Back to the Killing Ground..." "Mana from Heaven" (not a misspelling, rather a pun) is another fascinating adventure, about an undercover sorcerer who suddenly finds, when confronted by a pillar of fire, that his cover has been blown. But he doesn't know which of his colleagues wants him dead - and asking around could prove instantly fatal.

The remaining dozen stories are less satisfying, although some of them have the ring of genuine Zelazny. Others seem more like more or less tentative experiments. However, if you like Zelazny - or science fantasy and SF - you will find this book worth the investment of time and money.

In my mind I seperate this book into two sections.

The 6 Amber stories at the end of the book, I rate five stars. Any fan of the the first AND second Amber series will want to know what Zelazny had in mind following the last book of the second series. You can see his plans to possibly write a third series and where it would have headed.

The other stories, I rate two stars. I enjoyed the first two stories "Godson" and "Manna From Heaven", but after that I found the most of remaining stories very weak and unenjoyable. But your milage may vary.

One of the only places to find many of the short works by this wonderful author. Definitely an enjoyable read!

I was impressed with Zelazny's ability to make short stories great stories. I knew from reading the Great Book of Amber that he could write a spot-on novel; Manna From Heaven confirms his ability to turn one page into a whole universe...