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For a Breath I Tarry
Taking place long after the self-extinction of Man, "For a Breath I Tarry" recounts the tale of Frost, a sentient machine ("...a silver-blue box, 40x40x40 feet,... featured in whatever manner he chose.") Though Man has disappeared, his robotic creations (and their creations in turn) continue to function.
Along the way, the story explores the differences between Man and Machine, the former experiencing the world qualitatively, while the latter do so quantitatively. "A machine is a Man turned inside-out, because it can describe all the details of a process, which a Man cannot, but it cannot experience that process itself as a Man can." This is illustrated by a conversation Frost has with another machine named Mordel.
Along the way, the story explores the differences between Man and Machine, the former experiencing the world qualitatively, while the latter do so quantitatively. "A machine is a Man turned inside-out, because it can describe all the details of a process, which a Man cannot, but it cannot experience that process itself as a Man can." This is illustrated by a conversation Frost has with another machine named Mordel.
68 pages, Paperback
First published September 1, 1966
9 people are currently reading
856 people want to read
About the author
Roger Zelazny
745 books3,884 followersRoger Joseph Zelazny was an American fantasy and science fiction writer known for his short stories and novels, best known for The Chronicles of Amber. He won the Nebula Award three times (out of 14 nominations) and the Hugo Award six times (also out of 14 nominations), including two Hugos for novels: the serialized novel ...And Call Me Conrad (1965), subsequently published under the title This Immortal (1966), and the novel Lord of Light (1967).
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 66 reviews
September 1, 2024
I've already forgotten how I discovered this short story existed, but I picked it up because I'm writing a book about the manifestation of consciousness in AI, and here, published in the year I was born (and I'm old) was a story about just that. I felt I should read it.
It's a curious mixture of dry sci-fi, fairy tale, meditation on what it means to be human, and at the very end, it's strangely touching.
The only Zelazny I've read before was the Amber books, which I loved back in the 80s. The quality does tail off as the series continues though.
Anyway - I'm not sure this had anything new to say, but it said it well, and back in the 60s it was probably very forward thinking.
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January 15, 2016
I picked this up because it was a Hugo candidate and because i liked the title.
I would recommend it to anyone who wants to find out you don't need hundreds of pages in order to write a great story. This novella is set on Earth after the last Man has died. His creations remain in the form of Artificial Inteligence automatons.
From this point, Zelazny goes to explore the limitations of A.I. and the definition of humanity.
The ending is very satisfactory, with the lines from what I discovered to be a poem by A. E. Housmann. I will put it here, for I don't think it constitue a spoiler:
From far, from eve and morning
And yon twelve-winded sky,
The stuff of life to knit me
Blew hither: here am I.
Now -- for a breath I tarry
Nor yet disperse apart --
Take my hand quick and tell me,
What have you in your heart.
Speak now, and I will answer;
How shall I help you, say;
Ere to the wind's twelve quarters
I take my endless way.
I would recommend it to anyone who wants to find out you don't need hundreds of pages in order to write a great story. This novella is set on Earth after the last Man has died. His creations remain in the form of Artificial Inteligence automatons.
From this point, Zelazny goes to explore the limitations of A.I. and the definition of humanity.
The ending is very satisfactory, with the lines from what I discovered to be a poem by A. E. Housmann. I will put it here, for I don't think it constitue a spoiler:
From far, from eve and morning
And yon twelve-winded sky,
The stuff of life to knit me
Blew hither: here am I.
Now -- for a breath I tarry
Nor yet disperse apart --
Take my hand quick and tell me,
What have you in your heart.
Speak now, and I will answer;
How shall I help you, say;
Ere to the wind's twelve quarters
I take my endless way.
August 6, 2020
A wonderful Hugo nominated (1967) short, and one of the best I've read from Zelazny, who has quite a few great shorts in addition to his magnificent full length writings. In a post apocalyptic world, where the last human died millennia ago, an AI takes on a great, centuries long experiment to discover what it is to feel and experience human emotions. Apparently it does so out of boredom, at least initially. The story has a decidedly philosophical flavor, though never becoming dry or pedantic, and raises some truly thought provoking issues about the nature of man and his (perhaps doomed) relationship to AI.
December 31, 2024
"You might say he was a machine with a hobby. He had never been ordered *not* to have a hobby, so he had one. His hobby was Man."
---
Prior review, January 2nd 2022:
A post-apocalyptic story turned creation myth.
---
Prior review, 31st of december 2020:
With it being New Year’s Eve and all, I was reminded of this story, because it felt like I’d read this a few times before around this time. I just checked and apparently I first read it in March of 2017, re-read it January second of 2018, and didn’t read it all in 2019 or 2020. So I figured it was time again to re-read this.
This really is a wonderful story. You have the robots carrying on after mankind has died out just like in There Will Come Soft Rains, where they almost revere the extinct race as some kind of gods, with a growing desperation to learn more about mankind. What is the nature of man? What does it mean to be conscious?
It’s a wonderful story that still feels so resonant, all these decades later.
---
ORIGINAL REVIEW, MARCH 2 2017:
This is one of the best short stories I've ever read. It has aged extremely well. It explores the definition of humanity, the limits of A.I. and the (re-)birth of humanity. I recommend it to all fans of the post-apocalyptic genre, fans of science fiction, fans of fantasy, fans of books, fans of breathing.
---
Prior review, January 2nd 2022:
A post-apocalyptic story turned creation myth.
---
Prior review, 31st of december 2020:
With it being New Year’s Eve and all, I was reminded of this story, because it felt like I’d read this a few times before around this time. I just checked and apparently I first read it in March of 2017, re-read it January second of 2018, and didn’t read it all in 2019 or 2020. So I figured it was time again to re-read this.
This really is a wonderful story. You have the robots carrying on after mankind has died out just like in There Will Come Soft Rains, where they almost revere the extinct race as some kind of gods, with a growing desperation to learn more about mankind. What is the nature of man? What does it mean to be conscious?
It’s a wonderful story that still feels so resonant, all these decades later.
---
ORIGINAL REVIEW, MARCH 2 2017:
This is one of the best short stories I've ever read. It has aged extremely well. It explores the definition of humanity, the limits of A.I. and the (re-)birth of humanity. I recommend it to all fans of the post-apocalyptic genre, fans of science fiction, fans of fantasy, fans of books, fans of breathing.
August 5, 2020
A brilliant novelette that aged well. It focuses on a computing machine's quest to understand the nature of Man, an extinct species. Nobody gets killed, there's no actual action or an army of robots and yet it makes you think and feel. A thing of beauty.
May 28, 2023
An interesting novelette about a robot's study of (now extinct) humans and his efforts to become one. A bit different to the usual offerings with this theme. I really liked the world building in this story.
January 20, 2013
Short and to the point, this story is very good and has aged well, despite being nearly 47 years old. It describes a robot named Frost in a post-apocalyptic wasteland, trying to learn more about humanity, which had already been extinct for millennia. I could describe it, but this quote from the story will tell you everything you need to know about it.
"Regard this piece of ice, mighty Frost. You can tell me its composition, dimensions, weight, temperature. A Man could not look at it and do that. A Man could make tools which would tell Him these things, but He still would not know measurement as you know it. What He would know of it, though, is a thing that you cannot know."
"What is that?"
"That it is cold."
I recommend this short novel to any fan of old science fiction.
"Regard this piece of ice, mighty Frost. You can tell me its composition, dimensions, weight, temperature. A Man could not look at it and do that. A Man could make tools which would tell Him these things, but He still would not know measurement as you know it. What He would know of it, though, is a thing that you cannot know."
"What is that?"
"That it is cold."
I recommend this short novel to any fan of old science fiction.
March 12, 2014
I just re-read this novelette for the umpteenth time. It is one of my very favorite novelettes by one of my favorite authors.
As with much of Zelazny's stories there is a touch of spirituality in them. He pulls much of his ideas from mythology and scriptures.
In this story it is almost a retelling of creation (Genesis 1-3) and the Book of Job.
It's been 10,000 years since man has become extinct and Frost is a machine that controls the northern hemisphere of earth while Beta controls the southern hemisphere. Their function is to constantly rebuild the earth.
At one time all of the machines reported to Solcon a machine that orbits the earth but during a brief respite or malfunction, Divcon has been created and lives in the bowels of the earth and sends his own machines out to circumvent Solcon's orders until the machines in the southern hemisphere are controlled by Divcon. Solcon and Divcon work against one another although both have the same mission.
Frost wants to know more about man since in the end that is who they continue to serve and eventually joins into a kind of Faustian bargain with Mordel another smaller machine who serves Divcon. Frost bets that he can become a man but if he fails he agrees to leave Solcon's service and go to serve Divcon for eternity in the depths of the earth.
As with much of Zelazny's stories there is a touch of spirituality in them. He pulls much of his ideas from mythology and scriptures.
In this story it is almost a retelling of creation (Genesis 1-3) and the Book of Job.
It's been 10,000 years since man has become extinct and Frost is a machine that controls the northern hemisphere of earth while Beta controls the southern hemisphere. Their function is to constantly rebuild the earth.
At one time all of the machines reported to Solcon a machine that orbits the earth but during a brief respite or malfunction, Divcon has been created and lives in the bowels of the earth and sends his own machines out to circumvent Solcon's orders until the machines in the southern hemisphere are controlled by Divcon. Solcon and Divcon work against one another although both have the same mission.
Frost wants to know more about man since in the end that is who they continue to serve and eventually joins into a kind of Faustian bargain with Mordel another smaller machine who serves Divcon. Frost bets that he can become a man but if he fails he agrees to leave Solcon's service and go to serve Divcon for eternity in the depths of the earth.
January 29, 2018
I absolutely loved this novella (novelette? I've seen it listed as both). I won't give any spoilers, but the plot seemed familiar to me because of the focus on AI and their ability/ inability to feel, especially with the creation of Sophia the robot. However, the way this is written makes it completely new since man isn't involved in the process of robots trying to uncover the intricacies of the human condition. I also love that this was written before AI got too advanced. I would highly recommend this to anyone. It will make you think!
August 9, 2020
A pretty interesting short story that tackles the concept of humanity as a whole, and what makes human a human. All this despite not having any human within the setting: they're long, long gone.
I absolutely loved the back and forths between the characters on the topic of what makes logic sense at any given situation, especially as far the loopholes about rules went. Got to love a completely straight-faced emotionless and fast paced squabble.
I absolutely loved the back and forths between the characters on the topic of what makes logic sense at any given situation, especially as far the loopholes about rules went. Got to love a completely straight-faced emotionless and fast paced squabble.
July 20, 2021
I can’t believe Zelaney made me care about a giant metal cube. And in a story that lasts on 68 pages. What a master of sci fi...
May 19, 2024
Robot garden of Eden, but without all the temptation, only curiosity. Or at least, that's how I perceived it.
October 25, 2020
A brilliant short story about consciousness.
May 28, 2022
Magnifique. Une intelligence artificielle veut devenir un homme. Un texte court et synthétique, percutant
Je vous le conseille !
Je vous le conseille !
September 21, 2021
Every so often I like to read something from the classic grandmasters of SFF, and Zelazny has always been a favourite of mine. This came up during a conversation with a friend, so I just jumped on it.
What to Expect
After the extinction of man, the machines he has set in place are trying to rebuild and maintain the earth. They have differing opinions, though, on what man might have wanted.
In the midst of this, one of them becomes obsessed with understanding man, and how those who created logic were superior to it. In a true Zelazny fashion, even though this is a novelette you can read in an evening, it's packed with layers of meaning and complexity: on the nature of art, of experience vs knowledge, of trying to understand and quantify our world, and human nature in general.
What I liked
Zelazny is truly a grandmaster, and this very quick read shows that. It's dense, yet extremely readable; it makes you think, while enjoying and caring about machines.
What to be aware of
It is a product of the time it was written (the 60's), with views about machines and artificial intelligence that might seem dated. Some readers, I'm sure, might also object to the use of 'man' for humankind.
But going beyond these, the themes are timeless just as human nature and its pursuit of art are.
Felix's Review
Felix, I'm sad to say, didn't get this. I guess abstract works of meta-literature are a bit beyond him, and perhaps I should leave him with the comedies and detective stories.
Summary
If you haven't read this or if it's been a few years, and if you enjoy the more philosophical type of SFF, this is definitely a novella worth a try (like most of Zelazny's works).
Enjoying the reviews, but wondering who the heck is that Felix fellow? Glad you asked! He's the protagonist of the Togas, Daggers, and Magic series, an historical-fantasy blend of a paranormal detective on the background of ancient Rome.
Assaph Mehr, author of Murder In Absentia: A story of Togas, Daggers, and Magic - for lovers of Ancient Rome, Murder Mysteries, and Urban Fantasy.
What to Expect
After the extinction of man, the machines he has set in place are trying to rebuild and maintain the earth. They have differing opinions, though, on what man might have wanted.
In the midst of this, one of them becomes obsessed with understanding man, and how those who created logic were superior to it. In a true Zelazny fashion, even though this is a novelette you can read in an evening, it's packed with layers of meaning and complexity: on the nature of art, of experience vs knowledge, of trying to understand and quantify our world, and human nature in general.
What I liked
Zelazny is truly a grandmaster, and this very quick read shows that. It's dense, yet extremely readable; it makes you think, while enjoying and caring about machines.
What to be aware of
It is a product of the time it was written (the 60's), with views about machines and artificial intelligence that might seem dated. Some readers, I'm sure, might also object to the use of 'man' for humankind.
But going beyond these, the themes are timeless just as human nature and its pursuit of art are.
Felix's Review
Felix, I'm sad to say, didn't get this. I guess abstract works of meta-literature are a bit beyond him, and perhaps I should leave him with the comedies and detective stories.
Summary
If you haven't read this or if it's been a few years, and if you enjoy the more philosophical type of SFF, this is definitely a novella worth a try (like most of Zelazny's works).
Enjoying the reviews, but wondering who the heck is that Felix fellow? Glad you asked! He's the protagonist of the Togas, Daggers, and Magic series, an historical-fantasy blend of a paranormal detective on the background of ancient Rome.
Assaph Mehr, author of Murder In Absentia: A story of Togas, Daggers, and Magic - for lovers of Ancient Rome, Murder Mysteries, and Urban Fantasy.
October 12, 2013
Not bad for a quick afternoon read. The motifs are starting to recur, and of course I still don't quite follow the idea that robots could become man (mostly because I don't believe in a consciousness that came from data transmission), but, as with all science-fiction, this raised interesting ideas.
Frost, like Asimov's Bicentennial Man, learned his way towards manhood. This obviously needs some examination, and I think anyone wishing to make a coherent conception of the human identity needs to answer this question: Is new human Frost a continuation of the old robotic Frost? Could this be a case of cloning (and then imparting a memory)? And what started all these? Was it not Frost's curiosity- an undoubtedly human trait?
Frost, like Asimov's Bicentennial Man, learned his way towards manhood. This obviously needs some examination, and I think anyone wishing to make a coherent conception of the human identity needs to answer this question: Is new human Frost a continuation of the old robotic Frost? Could this be a case of cloning (and then imparting a memory)? And what started all these? Was it not Frost's curiosity- an undoubtedly human trait?
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 5, 2021
A very short story about an AI in a post-human world, trying to understand what has been lost.
A fantastic SF short. How anybody can cram this many ideas about the differences between human and artificial intelligence, religion and finding meaning into so few words - and do so with such flair and humour, is beyond me. Proper genius.
A fantastic SF short. How anybody can cram this many ideas about the differences between human and artificial intelligence, religion and finding meaning into so few words - and do so with such flair and humour, is beyond me. Proper genius.
July 1, 2024
They called him frost.
Read
May 20, 2025Impressionnant
September 6, 2015
Since Samuel R. Delany's epic and challenging Dhalgren destroyed my reading goal for the year, I'm catching up on some short stories and novellas to try to get back on track. Thank God I did -- this may be my most favorite sci-fi short story ever!!!
Man ceases to exist, but his Machines remain. The Machines revere Man as their creator and recognize that Man had abilities "beyond logic" that they could never possess, and so were superior beings. One Machine seeks to find out as much as possible about Man, and eventually, to become one.
A beautiful Origin story turned on its head, with Man as God and Machine as Man. The Nature of Art, and Life itself. The robot-to-robot dialogue alone is priceless. THIS passage, a veritable "Who's on First" for robots, paraphrased slightly:
"Those large plants..."
"Redwood trees."
"And the green ones are...?"
"Grass."
"Yes, it is as I thought. Why have we come here?"
"Because it is a place which once delighted Man."
"In what ways?"
"It is scenic, beautiful..."
"Oh."
...
"...I have constructed analogues of the human sensory equipment, so that I may see and smell and taste and hear like a Man. Now, direct my attention to an object or objects of beauty."
"As I understand it, it is all around you here... What do you see, hear, taste, smell?"
"Everything I did before, but within a more limited range."
"You do not perceive any beauty?"
"Perhaps none remains after so long a time."
"It is not supposed to be the sort of thing which gets used up."
...
"How do you--feel?"
"I test out at a normal level of function."
"Here comes a sunset, try that.... what was it like?"
"Like a sunrise, in reverse."
LOLOL!!!
Man ceases to exist, but his Machines remain. The Machines revere Man as their creator and recognize that Man had abilities "beyond logic" that they could never possess, and so were superior beings. One Machine seeks to find out as much as possible about Man, and eventually, to become one.
A beautiful Origin story turned on its head, with Man as God and Machine as Man. The Nature of Art, and Life itself. The robot-to-robot dialogue alone is priceless. THIS passage, a veritable "Who's on First" for robots, paraphrased slightly:
"Those large plants..."
"Redwood trees."
"And the green ones are...?"
"Grass."
"Yes, it is as I thought. Why have we come here?"
"Because it is a place which once delighted Man."
"In what ways?"
"It is scenic, beautiful..."
"Oh."
...
"...I have constructed analogues of the human sensory equipment, so that I may see and smell and taste and hear like a Man. Now, direct my attention to an object or objects of beauty."
"As I understand it, it is all around you here... What do you see, hear, taste, smell?"
"Everything I did before, but within a more limited range."
"You do not perceive any beauty?"
"Perhaps none remains after so long a time."
"It is not supposed to be the sort of thing which gets used up."
...
"How do you--feel?"
"I test out at a normal level of function."
"Here comes a sunset, try that.... what was it like?"
"Like a sunrise, in reverse."
LOLOL!!!
September 7, 2017
In the distant future humanity is no more and the only things that exist are Machines who continue to maintain the world. Enter into this landscape a Machine, Frost, who wants to know everything about human beings. So, he searches for human remains, books, artifacts, art, places of beauty, and tries to comprehend, and in many ways, become human.
This is a short story that tries to answer the question, what does it mean to be human. It is a brilliant thought experiment and experience. Well written and thought provoking, a journey into art, and beauty, and emotions and all that makes us human. A must read...
This is a short story that tries to answer the question, what does it mean to be human. It is a brilliant thought experiment and experience. Well written and thought provoking, a journey into art, and beauty, and emotions and all that makes us human. A must read...
January 1, 2013
I'm not sure if I have read a short story that is as powerful as this one was. Zelazny creates a beautiful story in a way that a simple line can grip you with such intense emotion. This story is incredible, and I find myself unable to find the words for it.
July 10, 2014
This is one of the best short stories I have ever read. A wonderful examination of what it means to be human.
August 16, 2018
虽然一切的人性弱点终将重新占领地球，审判日也终会到来，但在那之前，趁现在只有你我，趁生命气息弥留，请握紧我的手。末日感十足的浪漫。
April 7, 2021
Een erg rijk en gelaagd verhaal (dat wellicht beter een roman had kunnen zijn in plaats van een novelle). Het is duidelijk sf zoals sf is bedoeld: om vragen te stellen over de wereld en het mens-zijn. Zelazny stelt in dit verhaal vooral epistemologische, fenomenologische en esthetische vragen vanuit zijn duidelijk Romantische (als in de filosofische stroming) overtuiging. Het verhaal begint 10.000 jaar na een (nucleaire) apocalyps die de mens heeft doen uitsterven, nadat de mens echter intelligente robots/machines heeft gemaakt om de mens weer een keer te doen herrijzen en intussen de wereld te bouwen. Frost, de hoofdpersoon-robot probeert uit te zoeken wat het is om mens te zijn en boven het puur rationele van zijn eigen denken uit te komen en zoekt als het ware 'het sublieme' dat alleen de mens kan ervaren. Het verhaal heeft grotendeels de vorm van een drama-dialoog wat echter goed past bij de filosofische inhoud. Ondanks de zwaardere inhoud is het in een luchtige stijl geschreven, waardoor het goed leesbaar is.
Vier sterren en niet vijf vanwege mijn persoonlijke voorkeur voor verhalen die wat meer sfeer hebben, wat bij sf zelden het geval is. De verwoording van deze review is deels gebaseerd op de zeer interessante bespreking van dit verhaal op de podcast Elder Sign van Claytemple Media.
Vier sterren en niet vijf vanwege mijn persoonlijke voorkeur voor verhalen die wat meer sfeer hebben, wat bij sf zelden het geval is. De verwoording van deze review is deels gebaseerd op de zeer interessante bespreking van dit verhaal op de podcast Elder Sign van Claytemple Media.
May 24, 2019
I wish the creators of Netflix's Love Sex and Robots had considered animating this 1966 novella (or "novelette" as such works were called back then.) It's a 68 page story of a self aware robot, what we would call an "AI" today, who is diverted from its assigned task of rebuilding a shattered and unpopulated Earth to a consideration of what it means to be human. Frost, as the AI is dubbed is so efficient that in his downtime he studies the artifacts of humanity and endeavors to see if he can understand humans by becoming more like them. Frost becomes involved in a most effective robot simulation of a Devil's Bargain, betting that he can become human, if he fails he will submit himself to the power of Divcom, the AI who lives beneath the earth. Zelazny has been one of my favorite writers for more than 50 years. This intelligent and economical story is ample demonstration of that talent.
May 31, 2025
Nominated for the Hugo Award for Best Novelette in 1967, this is my first Roger Zelazny and I get the hype. I really struggle to put this story into words. It's original. I normally can put comparisons to things like "Oh it's iRobot meets Debby Does Dusseldorf", but I can't really do that with this one. It's a weird inside out reversal of Adam and Eve if they were giant god-like machines in a post apocalypse Earth. I guess that's the closest I can get. I really enjoyed it and it’s a good introduction, I’m assuming, to Zelazny.
August 23, 2025
http://whatsread.pp.ua/work/10320
Непогана повість, яку я прослухав в аудіоваранті (можливо в друкованому вигляді вона зачепила б мене більше, хоча начитка теж була хороша).
Солтком і Дивком ведуть боротьбу між собою за панування на Землі, один в небі на орбіті, інший глибоко під землею. Думаю, алюзія зрозуміла. Але вони обидва - творіння людства, а саме людство вже давно перестало існувати. Та могутнім ШІ до того нема діла, у кожного з них свій план, як зробити Землю ще більш гарною для людей. Діють вони теж не безпосередньо, а через своїх роботизованих слуг якими керують їх творіння - Фрост та Бета. Якось Фросту стало цікаво пізнати, а що то таке бути людиною? В книзі багато тез на цю тему. Так врешті на світ з'явилися нові Адам та Єва. Щоправда до вигнання з раю не дійшло, історія закінчується до цього 🙂.
Непогана повість, яку я прослухав в аудіоваранті (можливо в друкованому вигляді вона зачепила б мене більше, хоча начитка теж була хороша).
Солтком і Дивком ведуть боротьбу між собою за панування на Землі, один в небі на орбіті, інший глибоко під землею. Думаю, алюзія зрозуміла. Але вони обидва - творіння людства, а саме людство вже давно перестало існувати. Та могутнім ШІ до того нема діла, у кожного з них свій план, як зробити Землю ще більш гарною для людей. Діють вони теж не безпосередньо, а через своїх роботизованих слуг якими керують їх творіння - Фрост та Бета. Якось Фросту стало цікаво пізнати, а що то таке бути людиною? В книзі багато тез на цю тему. Так врешті на світ з'явилися нові Адам та Єва. Щоправда до вигнання з раю не дійшло, історія закінчується до цього 🙂.
May 19, 2020
I read this originally for a science fiction literature class, and afterwards could never remember the name. Trying to describe the storyline leaves the feeling of a weird fever dream. Every time I remembered, the title would slip away from me again. I read this to my husband to prove to myself it was real. An odd story that sticks with you in the corners of your mind. I loved it.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 66 reviews