Customer Reviews

This Immortal

5 star:		(18)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

If I were to pick a single science fiction author who was the essence of speculative fiction in the 1960's it would be Roger Zelazny. And while he continued to produce quality work, it was this period when both his quality and his intensity were at a peak that few authors ever reach. This Immortal (AKA Call Me Conrad) is his first novel (closely tied with The Dream Master). It remains a masterpiece four decades after winning a Hugo award and in many ways it defined the themes that haunted Zelazny's writing for years to come.

Zelazny is fascinated with a certain form of divinity - not the kind that 'is and has always been,' but with intelligent creatures that somehow 'graduate' from a more normal, mundane state. In this novel the hero is Conrad Nimikos, a Greek, born on Christmas Eve, one leg shorter than the other, and altogether too much hair. In Greek terms, he was one of the kallikanzaroi, mischievous satyrs who exist to irritate both the human and the divine. Zelazny never tells us how old Nimikos is, but he has lived long enough to have had several names and seen the Earth suffer a nuclear war and start to pick up the pieces.

We were saved by the intervention of the Vegans who helped relocate the remnants of Earth's population throughout space and saw to the survival of those who chose to remain. This was a mixed blessing, since the Vegans seems to want to turn Earth into a resort. Nimikos fought that eventuality (under another name) but has merged into the current social framework as the caretaker of the world's antiquities and treasures. Recently married, he is called from semi-retirement to be the guide for a Vegan journalist who might be writing a book, or looking for better places to put a resort, or something equally nefarious. This will be an ill-starred journey, with many wishing Cort Myshtigo (the Vegan) a quick and unpleasant end, as they travel over a world both barren and beautiful, where danger can take epic proportions.

And that's the trick of this particular book. Nimikos no sooner leaves his beloved Cassandra when we realize that this is an Odyssey we have been invited on, and everywhere we look Greek legends will appear just in time to cause unexpected torments and provide opportunities for Herculean efforts. Even though this is a story told in wry fashion, Zelazny manages to use it to explore the meaning of grief. Sorrow for lost friends, loved ones, and an abiding sense of loss for an Earth that at the time of its writing was only showing faint glimmerings of it's future challenges. This is a poignant book where Zelazny manages an exquisite balance between attitude and affection.

Small wonder that the book has been in print since its writing. Or that a host of other writers will confess to having been influenced by it. The layering of action, myth, and symbol that became a Zelazny hallmark began with this story. And it is hardly an insult to say while many of his books are as good there are none that are clearly better (well, I do have a soft spot for Isle of the Dead).

Humans have reason to hate themselves even more than they hate the Vegans. The Vegans are basically tourists, lingering among the ruins of the last non-radioactive territories on Earth. The historical Three Days of War occurred between human and human, or rather between dirty bomb and dirty bomb. The back cover of "This Immortal" ironically states "Welcome to Earth (Pop. 60,000)." (Later in the text, we learn that Earth's population is more like four million).

"This Immortal" (1966) was Zelazny's first SF novel, and it shared the Hugo Award for Best Science Fiction Novel of the Year with Frank Herbert's "Dune," so it is no lightweight post-Apocalypse adventure story. In fact, I think the best way to understand "This Immortal" is to read Lawrence Durrell's chronicles of the Greek Isles, most especially "Prospero's Cell" and "Reflections on a Marine Venus"---or better yet, read Percy Shelley's "Prometheus Unbound," which is referred to more than once in this novel.

Like Shelley's Prometheus, Zelazny's hero, Conrad Nimikos is mankind's potential savior. Like Prometheus, he suffers and almost self-destructs in trying to save his chosen people (the humans who remained on Earth). Instead of stealing fire from the gods, he sets out to steal back Earth from the Vegans.

At an earlier stage in his career (nobody knows quite how old he might be), Nimikos was a terrorist. Now he has lost some of his destructive impulse (his hubris), and sets out to protect the Vegan, Cort Myshtigo in order to discover the alien's true purpose in touring Earth's remaining monuments.

The real mystery of "This Immortal" is not so much the Vegans' intentions toward Earth as it is the true identity of Conrad Nomikos. His mistress, Cassandra playfully refers to him as a 'kallikanzaros' (this is where I had to refer to my Durrell), which a Greek term for a little cloven-hooved satyr, who causes mischief of every kind. Conrad is a huge man, superhumanly strong, but he is also incredibly ugly and walks with a limp.

Did he at one time have a cloven hoof?

Like the kallikanzaros, Conrad is a trickster, and deceives Vegans and humans alike into thinking his previous incarnation, the terrorist leader 'Karaghiosis,' has died in a boating accident.

Once more turning to Durrell, we learn that 'Karaghiosis' is a stock character in Greek drama--in fact, "the embodiment of Greek character...based on the idea of the impoverished and downtrodden little man getting the better of the world around him by sheer cunning. Add to this the salt of a self-deprecating humour and you have the immortal Greek."

So Nomikos-Karaghiosis-Prometheus is the embodiment of 'the immortal Greek,' who might or might not be--according to a hint at novel's end, plus references to the kallikanzaros--the Great God, Pan.

Conrad himself refers to "Prometheus Unbound" as "Percy B's dud epic," but then, all of Zelazny's heroes tend to be self-deprecating.

Zelazny has succeeded in capturing the spirit of a people and place in "This Immortal." I think his Hugo was well-deserved.

This Immortal is a novel set on post-apocalyptic Earth sometime well into the future. The Earth's total population is around 4 million souls-an apt term as a sizable portion of those left are "mutants" of on sort or another. Conrad Nomikos, the protagonist of the novel has a particularly interesting mutation-he's several hundred years old and, insofar as he can tell, an immortal.

The bulk of the population wasn't killed off in the war-they've emigrated to other planets. What few choice locations are left on earth are owned by an alien race-the Vegans-much despised by those left on the planet.

Nomikos "leads" a movement called the Returnist's-folks who want people to move back so that earthlings can reclaim their planet from the Vegans. "Leads" is in quotes as Conrad would rather be sailing and, while he actually sympathizes with Returnist goals in general, he nevertheless has very ambivalent feeling about the Vegans in general.

Pressed into service as a guide for a very influential Vegan touring the planet, Conrad is buffeted by several forces pulling at him in different directions. Not sure what's going on, he set's out to try to keep the Vegan alive while he tries to get at what he's up to. Needless to say, from here on out the stuff is pretty much always hitting the fan, so to speak.

This was Zelazny's first major novel. It is a truly great concept and the overall execution is well done-but it is a first effort. The characterizations are uneven. The story rambles a bit in places, the ending's a bit weak. Nevertheless, the genius that would later dominate the sci-fi world is clearly in evidence here, and my opinion is that to truly appreciate Zelazny's place in sci-fi history, you absolutely need to start here. It wont be his best work you'll read, but it is an essential work. And, on the whole, it's still a classic and a very good story.

I guess I should post a spoiler warning here for those people who haven't read these books yet-though I don't think a Zelazny book can be "spoiled." I recently reread This Immortal. I was really impressed. Especially considering this is Roger's first novel. It is in a first person narrative-which seemed strange since so many of his books are all written in third person. But anyway, the book itself is incredible. I can see why it garnered so many awards. The post-apocalyptic themes are mixed with alien culture, futuristic politics, Greek mythology, derring-do and even a mystery to solve.

It is a great blend of fantasy and science fiction. The main character, Conrad Nimokos, Karagee, etc., etc., etc., is an immortal who may or may not be Pan, Dionysus, or some other figure from mythology (with the shortened leg I kept expecting Hephastus). The supporting characters are all quiet good, and it is interesting given the length of this short novel how much I came to care for these characters and their welfare. Hassan is the noble eastern assassin. Much like Yama in Lord of Light you come to respect and admire him as much as the main character. The two have a long history and are both formidable warriors. Their inevitable duel with slings is a great bit of writing. I love how Hassan insists on calling Conrad, "Karagee." Some characters I was initially suspicious of-the Vegan Myshtigo, and the poet Philip Graver, end up as heroic figures.

I had a huge lump in my throat, and bits of tears in my eyes, as I read Phil's final words to Conrad. Phil is a particularly interesting study. As a man of "half-talent," and more acclaim than skill as a writer, one wonders if Zelazny was doing some soul searching here. There is plenty of that, as Zelazny's pattern of musing over philosophy, religion, politics and art is well established here.

As far as the action goes, there is the above mentioned duel, a battle royale between Conrad and a combat robot, a fight between Hassan and The Deadman-- which is cleverly won, and an escape from tribal half-men. Throw in a voodoo ceremony and you begin to wonder how Roger fit it in to 190 pages. But he did, and it reads like a good symphony plays.

Highly recommended!

Humans have reason to hate themselves even more than they hate the Vegans. The Vegans are basically tourists, lingering among the ruins of the last non-radioactive territories on Earth. The historical Three Days of War occurred between human and human, or rather between dirty bomb and dirty bomb. The back cover of "This Immortal" ironically states "Welcome to Earth (Pop. 60,000)." (Later in the text, we learn that Earth's population is more like four million).

"This Immortal" (1966) was Zelazny's first SF novel, and it shared the Hugo Award for Best Science Fiction Novel of the Year with Frank Herbert's "Dune," so it is no lightweight post-Apocalypse adventure story. In fact, I think the best way to understand "This Immortal" is to read Lawrence Durrell's semi-autobiographical novels on the Greek Isles: most especially "Prospero's Cell" and "Reflections on a Marine Venus"---or better yet, read Percy Shelley's "Prometheus Unbound," which is referred to more than once in this novel.

Like Shelley's Prometheus, Zelazny's hero, Conrad Nimikos is mankind's potential savior. Like Prometheus, he suffers and almost self-destructs in trying to save his chosen people (the humans who remained on Earth). Instead of stealing fire from the gods, he sets out to steal back Earth from the Vegans.

At an earlier stage in his career (nobody knows quite how old he might be), Nimikos was a terrorist. Now he has lost some of his destructive impulse (his hubris), and sets out to protect the Vegan, Cort Myshtigo in order to discover the alien's true purpose in touring Earth's remaining monuments.

The real mystery of "This Immortal" is not so much the Vegan's intentions toward Earth as it is the true identity of Conrad Nomikos. His mistress, Cassandra playfully refers to him as a 'kallikanzaros' (this is where I had to refer to my Durrell), which is a Greek term for a little cloven-hooved satyr, who causes mischief of every kind. Conrad is a huge man, superhumanly strong, but he is also incredibly ugly and walks with a limp.

Did he at one time have a cloven hoof?

Like the kallikanzaros, Conrad is a trickster, and deceives Vegans and humans alike into thinking his previous incarnation, the terrorist leader 'Karaghiosis,' has died in a boating accident.

Once more turning to Durrell, we learn that 'Karaghiosis' is a stock character in Greek drama--in fact, "the embodiment of Greek character...based on the idea of the impoverished and downtrodden little man getting the better of the world around him by sheer cunning. Add to this the salt of a self-deprecating humour and you have the immortal Greek."

So Nomikos-Karaghiosis-Prometheus is the embodiment of 'the immortal Greek,' who might or might not be---according to a hint at novel's end, plus references to the kallikanzaros---the Great God, Pan.

Conrad himself refers to "Prometheus Unbound" as "Percy B's dud epic," but then, all of Zelazny's heroes tend to be self-deprecating.

Zelazny has succeeded in capturing the spirit of a people and place in "This Immortal." I think his Hugo was well-deserved.

This was one of Zelazny's first full-length novels, and it already shows him as a confident author in complete control of his materials, and with many of the themes that were to inform his novels during the rest of his very productive career. Zelazny went on to write 50 books, including novels, collections of short stories, and even several collections of poetry, but many of the elements he became so well known for are present here.

The protagonist is more than human in many ways--he doesn't age--but with a self-effacing, wise-cracking, self-deprecating sort of humor, a character type that was to become his favorite. The "Methuselah" trait added a surrealistic quality to an otherwise somewhat cynical, quite reality-grounded, character. Zelazny had the ability to paint quick, incisive but also subtle protraits of his characters in a few telling lines, but also devotes entire paragraphs to describing their psychology and appearance too. And his interest in myth, legends, and ancient history is shown in the many references to ancient Greece, the protagonist being Greek too.

That having been said, I had one minor quip, which is that except for the characters of Hasan the assassin and Conrad, most of the other main characters weren't really drawn that well. You didn't really get to know them and they remained obscure all through the book. I found this odd considering Zelazy is usually pretty good with characterization.

Similar to his book, Damnation Alley, Earth is a post-nuclear wasteland, a formerly vibrant but now devastated civilization, which the more advanced and peaceful Venusians find fascinating as a case study in primitive intelligence and culture gone wrong. Some of them even want to turn the earth into sort of a freakish post-Apocalyptic resort, such as the visiting Venusian or Vegan scholar in the story.

In addition to the above elements, add in a few more imaginative characters, such as a deadly Arabic hired assassin who prides himself on his professionalism and still has his scruples; robot "golems" that are used as martial arts training partners; mutated, 40-foot long, half-snake, half-crocodile creatures; giant bats; massive earthquakes that sink several islands in the Aegean; and a couple of secret terrorist plots and political intrigues, and you have a pretty good idea of the story. Obviously, Zelazny had fun creating and thinking up all these ideas for the book and it shows, as this early novel still remains one of his finest works, and it was certainly deserving of the Hugo that it won.

This Immortal is a good read, with plenty of Zelaznyesque brio. I wouldn't say it's not as good as his other Hugo winning novel, Lord of Light: indeed, by comparison, it seems a bit slight. For instance, I found the ending a distinct anti-climax. It's still a book you ought to read, mind you. It did win a Hugo, in a tie with Frank Herbert's Dune.

The storyline concerns Conrad Nomikos, one of about 4 million people still living on Earth centuries in the future, after a Nuclear war, and after the bulk of the population has gone to the stars to work for the advanced, civilized, Vegans. Conrad and some of his friends had years before been involved in the "Returnist" movement, urging people to return to Earth, and resisting the Vegans' moves to buy up the best Earth real estate. Nowadays, the situation is a stalemate, with Earth's exile population preferring not to return, but with the Vegans' not buying any more of Earth either. But Cort Mishtigo, a high status Vegan, has come to Earth to tour some of the ancient sites. Conrad, who seems to have some mysterious past identities that go back a long way, is recruited to guide Mishtigo, and to protect him from assassins. He is in danger because the more radical Returnists believe that his "tour" is a pretext for evaluating more real estate, in advance of a renewed Vegan buying campaign. Conrad is unsure of Cort's motives, and anyway unhappy with the idea of murder. The novel consists, then, of Cort's tour, and a number of well-done battles between Conrad and a variety of monsters and mutants. The fight scenes, and the descriptions of the mutants (based on Greek mythology), are really good. It's only the eventual revelation of the Vegan motives that's a bit pat and anti-climatic.

Lest I be seen to damn with faint praise, I should reiterate that this is great fun to read, and very skilled and clever. Conrad is a fairly standard Zelazny hero, wisecracking and self-deprecating. The dialog crackles throughout, and the other characters are nicely limned. Conrad's dilemma is believable: the conflict between his professional desire to protect his client (along with his personal distaste for murder) and his loyalties to Earth and the Returnists against the Vegan domination of Earth is well handled. And the various set-pieces and fight scenes are exciting and original. And the ultimate message of the book, about proper stewardship of our planet, and who deserves to be stewards, is clearly seen, and resolved with irony and honesty.

This novel tied for best science fiction novel of the year (1966), splitting the Hugo with Dune. Dune is impressive and expansive. This novel is not on the same scale, but it is very good. Far better than the vast majority of Hugo and Nebula award winners that I have read, in fact.

The story follows that of Conrad, an immortal previously known by many other names, one of which was an infamous terrorist. Hence, alternate title "... And Call Me Conrad". On first glance, it appears to be a standard post-apocalyptic tale of the Earth with a small population (in the low millions) and numerous radioactive areas and mutants running around. A prosperous and highly advanced alien race has taken in any humans that want to leave (turning them into 2nd class citizens hired for menial labour), and they are buying up all the choice land on Earth itself as vacation spots.

Those are the nuts and bolts of the story, but they aren't really important. Zelazny has the ability to write intellegent science fiction/fantasy without making the average reader feel stupid, or making himself sound pretentious/arrogant (unlike, for instance, Samual Delany). It is a little confusing at first, but everything sorts itself out by the end - there are Earth factions squabbling, an alien travelogue-writer whose true intentions are unknown, and some Greek mythology thrown in for good measure (because Conrad is Greek, it doesn't come out of the blue). In a lesser book, the profusion of stories would be overwhelming (especially at 240 pages or so), but Zelazny balances them all in a thoroughly enjoyable manner.

The end does suffer a bit from some Deus ex Machina plot twists, which robs this book of its 5th star. They are not really that bad, but they aren't very satisfying in what is otherwise a well thought out and interesting tale.

The Earth has been mostly depopulated as humans have discovered more sophisticated and comfortable cultures elsewhere in the universe. Much of its infrastructure was destroyed during "The Three Days," and most of the mainland areas are still "hot." Genetic mutations have caused the birth of creatures previously thought to be only myth. Now Earth is a strange and dangerous place, fit only as a tourist attraction and a vacation spot for the Vegans.

But some people still love Earth, including long-lived Conrad Nomikos, Commissioner for the Arts. Conrad hates the Vegans, so he isn't happy that he's been assigned to be the tour guide for Cort Mishtigo, a rich Vegan who may be planning to buy up more of Earth. But even more interesting than Mishtigo's plans for Earth is the nature of Conrad himself. Who is he?

This Immortal is a gorgeous novel and Conrad Nomikos makes a great hero, similar to Corwin from Zelazny's later Amber Chronicles. Conrad's love of Earth and, particularly, for his Greek heritage is full of beauty and passion:

You will pass, but the hills of Greece will remain, will be unchanged, with the smell of goat thigh bones burning, with a mingling of blood and wine, a taste of sweetened almonds, a cold wind by night, and skies as blue-bright as the eyes of a God by day. Touch them, if you dare... That is why I am refreshed whenever I return, because now that I am a man with many years behind me, I feel this way about the entire Earth. That is why I fought, and why I killed and bombed...

I listened to This Immortal on audio (Brilliance Audio) and fell in love with narrator Victor Bevine whose deeply resonant voice captured perfectly the strength and depth of Conrad, the tenderness of Conrad's wife Cassandra, the alienness of the Vegan, the gentle deadliness of Hasan the Assassin, and even the zealous geekiness of George, the scientist whose curiosity and ambition makes him willing to experiment on his own friends, pets, and unborn child.

The end of This Immortal wraps up a bit too quickly -- I wanted to stay longer with Conrad on our devastated planet. I hope everything turns out okay...

This is one of Zelazny's best books, and one of the best works of science fiction I've read. It shares some elements with his other variations on world mythology, but there are differences, too. The Greek myths are alluded to, more than embodied, capturing more of their mood than their specifics. The protagonist is complex and intriguing, even by Zelazny's high standards. It all adds up to a great book, and my paperback is worn enough to prove it.