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Francis Sandow #2
Да умреш в Италбар
The Walker in the Valley of the Shadow
H was the name he was known by. H was unique in the galaxy, for he had the healing touch. Where there was plague, sickness, pain, H was the universal cure.
But H also had the slaying touch. Where he went death and disaster often followed. Where there had been health there would be left desolation and desert.
The talent alternated. It reversed itself — and H always warned people of this. To live in Italbar or TO DIE IN ITALBAR, that was always the question.
"Zelazny has regained his stride as a first rate writer of SF adventure." — Locus
H was the name he was known by. H was unique in the galaxy, for he had the healing touch. Where there was plague, sickness, pain, H was the universal cure.
But H also had the slaying touch. Where he went death and disaster often followed. Where there had been health there would be left desolation and desert.
The talent alternated. It reversed itself — and H always warned people of this. To live in Italbar or TO DIE IN ITALBAR, that was always the question.
"Zelazny has regained his stride as a first rate writer of SF adventure." — Locus
192 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1973
56 people are currently reading
430 people want to read
About the author
Roger Zelazny
746 books3,887 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 64 reviews
June 18, 2020
DAW Collectors #117
Cover Artist: Carl Lundgren.
Name: Zelazny, Roger Joseph, Birthplace: Euclid, Ohio, USA, (13 May 1937 - 14 June 1995)
Dropped into the middle of the action, "To Die in Italbar" opens on a scene of sabotage. A man named Malacar and his furry, mind-reading, alien companion plant bombs at a warehouse, and as a result destroy innocents as well as a horde of valuable trade goods. Meanwhile on another planet, a man named Hymack stumbles through a forest riddled with diseases. Collapsing near death, a goddess visits and heals him. The next day he wanders into the nearby town and begins performing his own miracles at the local hospital. But a switch somewhere flips, and the healing suddenly turns to infection, and giving life turns to suffering, sometimes death. The townsfolk wanting to kill him as a result, Hymack is forced to flee into the forest. When Malacar learns of Hymack and his power to infect, an idea forms, and he sets out to capture the strangely powered man for his own ill intent. There are still others, however, with different plans in mind for Hymack.
not one of his best novels, but still good.
This is the sequel to "Isle of the Dead"
The Francis Sandow series:
1. Isle of the Dead (1969)
2. To Die in Italbar (1973)
Cover Artist: Carl Lundgren.
Name: Zelazny, Roger Joseph, Birthplace: Euclid, Ohio, USA, (13 May 1937 - 14 June 1995)
Dropped into the middle of the action, "To Die in Italbar" opens on a scene of sabotage. A man named Malacar and his furry, mind-reading, alien companion plant bombs at a warehouse, and as a result destroy innocents as well as a horde of valuable trade goods. Meanwhile on another planet, a man named Hymack stumbles through a forest riddled with diseases. Collapsing near death, a goddess visits and heals him. The next day he wanders into the nearby town and begins performing his own miracles at the local hospital. But a switch somewhere flips, and the healing suddenly turns to infection, and giving life turns to suffering, sometimes death. The townsfolk wanting to kill him as a result, Hymack is forced to flee into the forest. When Malacar learns of Hymack and his power to infect, an idea forms, and he sets out to capture the strangely powered man for his own ill intent. There are still others, however, with different plans in mind for Hymack.
not one of his best novels, but still good.
This is the sequel to "Isle of the Dead"
The Francis Sandow series:
1. Isle of the Dead (1969)
2. To Die in Italbar (1973)
May 21, 2018
To Die In Italbar is yet more proof (If proof I needed) that Zelazny was incapable of writing anything that I did not love. It is hard for me to even pinpoint why or how his writing resonates so very clearly with me.
To Die In Italbar, centers around Heidel von Hymack, a man who has become a futuristic Typhoid Mary. He catches diseases -all that he is exposed to - he becomes a carrier for them. He walks around, from planet to planet, a near myth known often only as 'H' . His travels have an altruistic motive because, as well as a carrier, his blood is capable of becoming an amazingly effective antidote, to almost everything. our story begins when he is on his way to Italbar on a mission of mercy, to rescue a child and we find that he has rigorous practices in place he must go through if he is not to infect people. After saving the girl, he makes a misjudgment, people die and then blame him. Full of fury at his treatment, he accepts the label that the angry people gave him...
Meanwhile, elsewhere in the galaxy, there are other people becoming interested in 'H'. A general of a lost war sees in him a chance to redeem the alliance of worlds of which Earth -now a dead planet- was once central. A dead man who exists by virtue of machines keeping him alive, wonders if his miracle cure might reside within H.
But, at the end, it is the writing, the inventive concepts and their sheer beauty, the mixing of science and mysticism the sensitivity to human experience, these things that make Zelazny one of my favourite authors ever. I am glad I re-read this piece of classic sci-fi by one of the masters of the genera.
To Die In Italbar, centers around Heidel von Hymack, a man who has become a futuristic Typhoid Mary. He catches diseases -all that he is exposed to - he becomes a carrier for them. He walks around, from planet to planet, a near myth known often only as 'H' . His travels have an altruistic motive because, as well as a carrier, his blood is capable of becoming an amazingly effective antidote, to almost everything. our story begins when he is on his way to Italbar on a mission of mercy, to rescue a child and we find that he has rigorous practices in place he must go through if he is not to infect people. After saving the girl, he makes a misjudgment, people die and then blame him. Full of fury at his treatment, he accepts the label that the angry people gave him...
Meanwhile, elsewhere in the galaxy, there are other people becoming interested in 'H'. A general of a lost war sees in him a chance to redeem the alliance of worlds of which Earth -now a dead planet- was once central. A dead man who exists by virtue of machines keeping him alive, wonders if his miracle cure might reside within H.
But, at the end, it is the writing, the inventive concepts and their sheer beauty, the mixing of science and mysticism the sensitivity to human experience, these things that make Zelazny one of my favourite authors ever. I am glad I re-read this piece of classic sci-fi by one of the masters of the genera.
October 27, 2015
Книжката ми стана от любимите, едва на третото четене, но нещо в нея, явно, ме е накарало да я прочета повече от един път. Сигурно просто магията на автора.
Зелазни казва, че е написал тази книжка набързо и за пари. Бил единственият негов роман, който ако може би изтеглил от пазара.
Е добре, че не го е направил, защото много я обичам тази книга.
Хаос от планети и светове, познати и непознати. Някой описани пълно на една страница, други неясни, въпреки че там се случва половината действие.Редица от образи,ексцентрични, повечето второстепенни, всички недооформени нетипично за автора, оставящи огромни пространства за собствената ми фантазия. Нямащи нищо общо по между си героите се завъртат в сюжета, бавно приближавайки се един до друг за краен сблъсък.
Водят го продължение на "Островът на мъртвите", понеже главният и герой участва и тук, както и някой други неща. Според мен са го написали за да се продаде книгата. Освен Франсис Сандоу, двете нямат общо и по-добре.
April 24, 2024
Zelazny was quoted as saying that To Die in Italbar was the least favorite of the many novels he'd written. I rather enjoyed it, but who am I to argue with the master? It's a sequel to Isle of the Dead (which I also enjoyed, but which I also can't rank amongst my favorite Zelazny titles), though it's not at all necessary to be familiar with it in order to appreciate this one. It's somewhat more slowly paced than was common for Zelazny, but it all comes together fairly well in the end. It's a big idea story, with a galaxy-spanning plot that blurs the lines between magic, myth, and science, and if it lacks a little in comprehensibility it makes up for it with lovely prose and intriguing word-puzzle pictures. Curious readers should try Lord of Light, Creatures of Light and Darkness, or This Immortal first (and visit Amber, of course!), and if they're to your liking give this one a shot.
October 23, 2014
This book is preceded by "The Isle of the Dead". It's an interesting blend of SF & Fantasy. A human studies to make worlds, honing his psyche & psi powers to host an alien god. Then, one who didn't study, but just fell into a similar relationship with another god, starts making trouble. Humans are the pawns, the galaxy is the chess board. An interesting look in how power is handled.
October 10, 2019
When I first started my (re-)reading of the Zelazny canon, I checked back through my list of books I'd read (even before joining Goodreads in late 2009, I kept yearly records of the books I'd read, dating back to 1987), and made a list of the times I'd read Roger's books. The most recent Zelazny book I'd read was To Die In Italbar, just 4 1/2 years ago. Here's the review I wrote then (followed by some additional comments):
Roger Zelazny once said, "If I could kill off one book, it would be To Die in Italbar" and referred to it as his "worst novel." (According, of course, to that bastion of knowledge, Wikipedia.) That may well be, but even a crappy Zelazny novel is better than a whole lot of other things out there. This is a short novel, as many of his were, but it's densely plotted. The point of view switches often and rapidly between a myriad of characters, and I wondered how they'd all get tied together, but by the end they do. The story takes place within a completely self-sufficient sci-fi universe with many populated planets, spaceships, advanced technology, and (of course, since it's Zelazny) some quasi-magical abilities, and odd, alien characters. I was particularly taken with Shind, a telepathic companion to one of the main characters, who is never quite described, other than to say her appearance would startle and frighten other human characters. Her relationship with the main character reminded me a bit of Merlin and Frakir from the Amber books.
Yep, that pretty well sums it up. Reading in now in sequence, I would say that it does feel like a bit of a dip in quality from the works Zelazny produced just prior to this one. While not a direct sequel, it does feature an appearance by the main character from Isle of the Dead (Francis Sandow), but in a pretty minor role, almost a cameo. It's set in the same world as that book, of course, as is most obvious from the reference to the alien race of the Pei'ans. As such, it stands as a bit of an oddity in the Zelazny canon - outside of Amber, most of his books are stand-alones. One other comment on the switching of viewpoints in the narrative: Zelazny often starts a new section with a new character's point-of-view, but refers to him only as "he" rather than using a name. It necessitates a bit of a closer read, but can be very frustrating when it's not clear for a page or two which character we're reading about. Not sure why a writer, especially one of Zelazny's caliber, would choose this technique.
Roger Zelazny once said, "If I could kill off one book, it would be To Die in Italbar" and referred to it as his "worst novel." (According, of course, to that bastion of knowledge, Wikipedia.) That may well be, but even a crappy Zelazny novel is better than a whole lot of other things out there. This is a short novel, as many of his were, but it's densely plotted. The point of view switches often and rapidly between a myriad of characters, and I wondered how they'd all get tied together, but by the end they do. The story takes place within a completely self-sufficient sci-fi universe with many populated planets, spaceships, advanced technology, and (of course, since it's Zelazny) some quasi-magical abilities, and odd, alien characters. I was particularly taken with Shind, a telepathic companion to one of the main characters, who is never quite described, other than to say her appearance would startle and frighten other human characters. Her relationship with the main character reminded me a bit of Merlin and Frakir from the Amber books.
Yep, that pretty well sums it up. Reading in now in sequence, I would say that it does feel like a bit of a dip in quality from the works Zelazny produced just prior to this one. While not a direct sequel, it does feature an appearance by the main character from Isle of the Dead (Francis Sandow), but in a pretty minor role, almost a cameo. It's set in the same world as that book, of course, as is most obvious from the reference to the alien race of the Pei'ans. As such, it stands as a bit of an oddity in the Zelazny canon - outside of Amber, most of his books are stand-alones. One other comment on the switching of viewpoints in the narrative: Zelazny often starts a new section with a new character's point-of-view, but refers to him only as "he" rather than using a name. It necessitates a bit of a closer read, but can be very frustrating when it's not clear for a page or two which character we're reading about. Not sure why a writer, especially one of Zelazny's caliber, would choose this technique.
May 19, 2022
This is the second Zelazny novel I've read, the first being A Night In The Lonesome October, which I read a couple years ago and loved. My wife has told me a fair bit about his novel Lord of Light, and there seems to be a through-line connecting all 3 novels thematically. Zelazny consistently shows sympathy to those who desire a radical break from the status quo, & understands that there are good reasons one may want to risk everything with a dramatic change. However, he ultimately shies away from support; dramatic change could improve things, but could also make things much, much worse, and it's just not worth the risk. Change is either something you do personally with your friends on a small scale or, in the case of To Die in Italbar (and I'm told in Lord of Light), something which
This aspect of Zelazny's work is in many ways much clearer in A Night In The Lonesome October than it is in Italbar. While that is the message that the resolution ends up with, the book itself -- though it revolves around people wanting radical changes & struggling to achieve them -- seems far less concerned with what it's saying. Here, Zelazny is concerned with presenting a interesting characters, each pursuing their own goals, who slowly collide in a catastrophic eruption. Aside from one clunky plot point near the beginning & a very poor narrative choice near the end, I think he pulled it off quite well! The mounting tension as more people have their plans converge on the same place had me very excited, even if the payoff was not quite what satisfying. In a sense the less focused message worked to its advantage, as I didn't like the message he was going for. Over all a very competent sci-fi novel.
Would be a 4 if the ending had landed a bit better.
This aspect of Zelazny's work is in many ways much clearer in A Night In The Lonesome October than it is in Italbar. While that is the message that the resolution ends up with, the book itself -- though it revolves around people wanting radical changes & struggling to achieve them -- seems far less concerned with what it's saying. Here, Zelazny is concerned with presenting a interesting characters, each pursuing their own goals, who slowly collide in a catastrophic eruption. Aside from one clunky plot point near the beginning & a very poor narrative choice near the end, I think he pulled it off quite well! The mounting tension as more people have their plans converge on the same place had me very excited, even if the payoff was not quite what satisfying. In a sense the less focused message worked to its advantage, as I didn't like the message he was going for. Over all a very competent sci-fi novel.
Would be a 4 if the ending had landed a bit better.
May 9, 2021
Zelazny själv ska ha avskytt den här, tydligen. Men jag kan för mitt liv inte förstå varför; inte för att det är ett mästerverk i klass med hans bästa verk, inte i närheten, men den är riktigt bra för vad den är. Ett kort SF-äventyr utan något större djup, men skriven av en författare ur genrens absoluta toppskikt. Dialogen och språket är bra, i vanlig ordning, och karaktärerna tillräckligt engagerande för att hålla intresset uppe. Det enda jag egentligen kan klaga på är hur fort det går för en av karaktärerna att plötsligt gå från ett synsätt till ett annat och att det antyds en romans som inte håller, av flera anledningar. Men det är bagateller. Kort och bra, långt ifrån värd att ogillas.
December 26, 2021
Full review: https://sciencefictionruminations.com...
"Roger Zelazny described To Die in Italbar (1973) as the one novel he would “kill off” if he could! Here’s a bit of context for his condemnatory statement. In early 1969, Zelazny quit his U.S. Social Security Administration job to become a full-time writer. Yes, he wrote Lord of Light (1967) and This Immortal (1966) among many others after work! He quickly wrote To Die in Italbar in May 1969 to [...]"
"Roger Zelazny described To Die in Italbar (1973) as the one novel he would “kill off” if he could! Here’s a bit of context for his condemnatory statement. In early 1969, Zelazny quit his U.S. Social Security Administration job to become a full-time writer. Yes, he wrote Lord of Light (1967) and This Immortal (1966) among many others after work! He quickly wrote To Die in Italbar in May 1969 to [...]"
September 19, 2020
Perhaps I missed something. For my money a lesser work by a greater writer
February 22, 2023
3.5 stars
Like all Zelazny this is great. If you like him, you’ll like this. If you don’t like him, what’s wrong with you?
Like all Zelazny this is great. If you like him, you’ll like this. If you don’t like him, what’s wrong with you?
February 7, 2017
The story revolves around the journeys of a mysterious man called “H” who has a unique power that allows him to heal even the most terminal of illnesses. Another important point of view is that of Malacar Miles, a military man who is determined to find H to use the horrifying flipside of his healing power–the ability to spread diseases that H has contracted–in order to strike at Malacar’s old enemies. There is one female POV of note–a girl who works in a brothel but secretly idolizes the military prowess of Malacar and wishes to meet and help him take revenge on their mutual enemies. I loved her raw anger, but I can’t remember her name.
The story switches back and forth between points of view so often with no indication of who is the current POV that I was continuously just trying to figure out whose story I was reading. This is in part because four of the main characters are all relatively similar male points of view. What kept me going was the overarching plot and divine nature of H’s gift and the fact that he waivered back and forth between periods of healing and periods of diseasing people near him.
I also really enjoyed Malacar’s plotline. There was a deep political background to the novel through Malacar’s history of war with a planetary alliance that overtaxed and refused to accept his planet as a part of that alliance. His story grounded the otherwise fantasy-like tale of H. Malacar also had a friend of an alien race named Shind that had telepathic powers and was just truly fascinating. I would have been happy to read an entire book about Shind, who helped to give Malacar a little emotional depth.
The resolution of the novel tied up all the loose ends that I didn’t think Zelazny would even bother with. It was a bit surprising but completely satisfying. The cameo by Francis Sandow intrigued me enough to want to read Isle of the Dead (Francis Sandow #1). Sandow is a planet builder, and his story reminded me a bit of the Magratheans from The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, which is one of my favorite space-faring series.
To Die In Italbar was a quick read, although I originally only read 10 pages before putting it down. Vintage SciFi Month encouraged me to reread those pages and finish the book. I’m glad I did, because it was seriously intriguing! This was the first book I’ve read by Zelazny, and I’ll definitely be picking up more books by him. I’d recommend this novel to fans of sci-fi and fantasy that has military and religious overtones.
The story switches back and forth between points of view so often with no indication of who is the current POV that I was continuously just trying to figure out whose story I was reading. This is in part because four of the main characters are all relatively similar male points of view. What kept me going was the overarching plot and divine nature of H’s gift and the fact that he waivered back and forth between periods of healing and periods of diseasing people near him.
I also really enjoyed Malacar’s plotline. There was a deep political background to the novel through Malacar’s history of war with a planetary alliance that overtaxed and refused to accept his planet as a part of that alliance. His story grounded the otherwise fantasy-like tale of H. Malacar also had a friend of an alien race named Shind that had telepathic powers and was just truly fascinating. I would have been happy to read an entire book about Shind, who helped to give Malacar a little emotional depth.
The resolution of the novel tied up all the loose ends that I didn’t think Zelazny would even bother with. It was a bit surprising but completely satisfying. The cameo by Francis Sandow intrigued me enough to want to read Isle of the Dead (Francis Sandow #1). Sandow is a planet builder, and his story reminded me a bit of the Magratheans from The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, which is one of my favorite space-faring series.
To Die In Italbar was a quick read, although I originally only read 10 pages before putting it down. Vintage SciFi Month encouraged me to reread those pages and finish the book. I’m glad I did, because it was seriously intriguing! This was the first book I’ve read by Zelazny, and I’ll definitely be picking up more books by him. I’d recommend this novel to fans of sci-fi and fantasy that has military and religious overtones.
December 30, 2011
Roger Zelazny called To Die in Italbar his least favorite of the books he’d written.
After reading it, I’m not sure why he made that claim.
The story jumps around between multiple characters: Malacar Miles, a retired military commander-turned-terrorist who just can’t seem to let the war go; John Morwin, a telekinetic artist who once served under Malacar; Dr. Pels, a cryogenically frozen man who is just awake enough to be able to search for a cure to his condition; and a number of others, not the least of which includes Francis Sandow from Isle of the Dead and Heidel von Hymack, the plague-bearer.
Hymack has pretty much every disease, ever. He can kill people just by standing a little too close. But he can also cure the sick, if given the opportunity.
Being such an important guy, everyone seems to want a piece of Hymack.
I loved seeing all these individual stories and watching them come together on a communal focus point. It was sorta like the first season of Heroes. (You know, back when the show was awesome.)
If I had any complaints about the book, they’d be that I’m afraid the plot resolution might be unsatisfying if a reader hadn’t read Isle of the Dead first. Thankfully, I had read that book, so it worked for me. The problem is that Francis Sandow had a pretty big impact on the plot, but we didn’t get a chance to learn about why he should be so important, since we didn’t get all his character background that occurred in Isle.
All that being said, To Die in Italbar is a book that I think can be enjoyed by itself. But if you’re given the option, read Isle of the Dead first. The former isn’t technically considered a sequel to the latter, but it might as well be.
Once again, I’m impressed by Zelazny’s ability to make a great story out of 170 pages of text. Furthermore, I was greatly pleased with this book because I’d expected it to be a bit of a stinker, after reading Zelazny’s own review of it. But, hey—I guess even Zelazny can be wrong once.
After reading it, I’m not sure why he made that claim.
The story jumps around between multiple characters: Malacar Miles, a retired military commander-turned-terrorist who just can’t seem to let the war go; John Morwin, a telekinetic artist who once served under Malacar; Dr. Pels, a cryogenically frozen man who is just awake enough to be able to search for a cure to his condition; and a number of others, not the least of which includes Francis Sandow from Isle of the Dead and Heidel von Hymack, the plague-bearer.
Hymack has pretty much every disease, ever. He can kill people just by standing a little too close. But he can also cure the sick, if given the opportunity.
Being such an important guy, everyone seems to want a piece of Hymack.
I loved seeing all these individual stories and watching them come together on a communal focus point. It was sorta like the first season of Heroes. (You know, back when the show was awesome.)
If I had any complaints about the book, they’d be that I’m afraid the plot resolution might be unsatisfying if a reader hadn’t read Isle of the Dead first. Thankfully, I had read that book, so it worked for me. The problem is that Francis Sandow had a pretty big impact on the plot, but we didn’t get a chance to learn about why he should be so important, since we didn’t get all his character background that occurred in Isle.
All that being said, To Die in Italbar is a book that I think can be enjoyed by itself. But if you’re given the option, read Isle of the Dead first. The former isn’t technically considered a sequel to the latter, but it might as well be.
Once again, I’m impressed by Zelazny’s ability to make a great story out of 170 pages of text. Furthermore, I was greatly pleased with this book because I’d expected it to be a bit of a stinker, after reading Zelazny’s own review of it. But, hey—I guess even Zelazny can be wrong once.
January 22, 2020
Un altro bel romanzo breve di Zelazny.
Questo autore non mi delude mai. Personaggi ben precisi e motivati, descritti in poche righe.
Azione quanto basta e discussioni non eccessive.
Un uso interessante della telepatia e delle divinità, e delle malattie.
Una sola pecca, ma non del romanzo: uno dei personaggi chiave, anche se secondario, era apparso in un altro romanzo di Zelazny (Isle of the Dead ) che però non ho letto e pertanto una certa situazione che sembra risolta "deus ex-machina" ha certamente la sua spiegazione in quel romanzo.
3 stelle e mezza.
Questo autore non mi delude mai. Personaggi ben precisi e motivati, descritti in poche righe.
Azione quanto basta e discussioni non eccessive.
Un uso interessante della telepatia e delle divinità, e delle malattie.
Una sola pecca, ma non del romanzo: uno dei personaggi chiave, anche se secondario, era apparso in un altro romanzo di Zelazny (Isle of the Dead ) che però non ho letto e pertanto una certa situazione che sembra risolta "deus ex-machina" ha certamente la sua spiegazione in quel romanzo.
3 stelle e mezza.
June 6, 2013
A strange short novel - a novella, really (174 pp). It has that exotic take that Zelazny brings, most notable in the excellent "Lord of Light" (1968), but it doesn't have richness of character nor strength of plot-line development. There are only two main characters - H and Malacar; the rest are unrounded secondary characters, some of which light hope in further discovery - Jackara, Shind, Sandow (especially) - but this isn't fulfilled. Even the Lady is but a blue shadow in a blue paradise.
It seems Zelazny had a great idea and series of characters, but failed to develop them to any satisfaction. Although usually a claim for the opposite - where some modern SF novels come in at 1200 pages -this novella could have done with another 100 pages of craft - which - surprising after his earlier effort, is what it lacks.
It seems Zelazny had a great idea and series of characters, but failed to develop them to any satisfaction. Although usually a claim for the opposite - where some modern SF novels come in at 1200 pages -this novella could have done with another 100 pages of craft - which - surprising after his earlier effort, is what it lacks.
April 24, 2025
This is probably the first Zelazny novel that I’ve ever read, at least, that I can remember, which is a hazard at this age. Remembering, I mean, not reading Zelazny. I read a few of his short stories, most notably A Rose for Ecclesiastes, and frankly this is more like that than a full blown novel. It’s a novella or novelette, depending on the ever-shifting definitions but must say this is so packed and detailed that it reads like a novel.
A man named H goes across the galaxy alternately healing diseases and spreading epidemics. H has the ability to absorb all diseases and remain immune to them and goes from planet to planet touching people suffering from exotic or new diseases to cure them. A short time after, the diseases assert themselves in his body and he becomes a walking plague machine spreading death everywhere he goes so he usually heads for the hills or some other isolated place to keep the populations safe. There he goes into a trance that puts him in contact with a blue entity, whether a god or some kind of AI, don’t know, which can bring his diseases back under control and allow him to continue his work.
Doctor Larmon Pels is a zombie living in orbit and never able to return to a planet because he’s dead, or pretty close to it. Nuclear technology keeps him alive and he’s just ten seconds or so away from clinical death, so, if something goes wrong … Pels is searching for H because he is convinced H can cure him of death itself. Malacar Miles is the last commander of the old Earth forces that were defeated by galaxy alliances and he lives alone on the ruins of Earth. He is not happy. He wants to find H and turn him into a weapon against the alliances, reasserting Earth as the center of power. John Morwin is Miles’ best friend and former subordinate who can take dreams from sleeping clients and turn them into extraordinary sculptures. And Shind is a tribble, best I can determine, a telepathic alien who assists Miles in his search for H.
On the planet Italbar, H royally screws up. He cures a little girl but then lingers too long and introduces a planet wide plague that destroys the entire population. When he enters his fugue state, the blue entity has changed into a raging god of vengeance and H must now spread devastation throughout the stars, just as Miles and Pels converge on his position. Time for a showdown.
You are given absolutely no background on culture and worlds and alien races and histories. You have to derive all of that from context and, let me tell you, there are many, many gaps as a result. I mean, what was this war between Earth and the alliances? It’s possible that all of those gaps are filled in Zelazny’s novel Isle of the Dead because Italbar is supposed to be its sequel. Of some sort. I have not read Isle and from what I can figure the only connection between them is a character named Sandow who shows up rather oddly towards the end of this one.
And the ending is a massive deus ex machina that really brings the whole story down. It feels as hasty as Zelazny admits to it being. He wrote this quickly in 1969 to fulfill the last part of a book contract because he needed money. He’d just quit his job. The publisher shelved it and Zelazny re-did it in 1973, adding Sandow to the story. Haste makes waste.
Zelazny said this was the worst book he wrote and he wished he could kill it off. I don’t think it’s that bad. Just prepare to be puzzled.
A man named H goes across the galaxy alternately healing diseases and spreading epidemics. H has the ability to absorb all diseases and remain immune to them and goes from planet to planet touching people suffering from exotic or new diseases to cure them. A short time after, the diseases assert themselves in his body and he becomes a walking plague machine spreading death everywhere he goes so he usually heads for the hills or some other isolated place to keep the populations safe. There he goes into a trance that puts him in contact with a blue entity, whether a god or some kind of AI, don’t know, which can bring his diseases back under control and allow him to continue his work.
Doctor Larmon Pels is a zombie living in orbit and never able to return to a planet because he’s dead, or pretty close to it. Nuclear technology keeps him alive and he’s just ten seconds or so away from clinical death, so, if something goes wrong … Pels is searching for H because he is convinced H can cure him of death itself. Malacar Miles is the last commander of the old Earth forces that were defeated by galaxy alliances and he lives alone on the ruins of Earth. He is not happy. He wants to find H and turn him into a weapon against the alliances, reasserting Earth as the center of power. John Morwin is Miles’ best friend and former subordinate who can take dreams from sleeping clients and turn them into extraordinary sculptures. And Shind is a tribble, best I can determine, a telepathic alien who assists Miles in his search for H.
On the planet Italbar, H royally screws up. He cures a little girl but then lingers too long and introduces a planet wide plague that destroys the entire population. When he enters his fugue state, the blue entity has changed into a raging god of vengeance and H must now spread devastation throughout the stars, just as Miles and Pels converge on his position. Time for a showdown.
You are given absolutely no background on culture and worlds and alien races and histories. You have to derive all of that from context and, let me tell you, there are many, many gaps as a result. I mean, what was this war between Earth and the alliances? It’s possible that all of those gaps are filled in Zelazny’s novel Isle of the Dead because Italbar is supposed to be its sequel. Of some sort. I have not read Isle and from what I can figure the only connection between them is a character named Sandow who shows up rather oddly towards the end of this one.
And the ending is a massive deus ex machina that really brings the whole story down. It feels as hasty as Zelazny admits to it being. He wrote this quickly in 1969 to fulfill the last part of a book contract because he needed money. He’d just quit his job. The publisher shelved it and Zelazny re-did it in 1973, adding Sandow to the story. Haste makes waste.
Zelazny said this was the worst book he wrote and he wished he could kill it off. I don’t think it’s that bad. Just prepare to be puzzled.
July 11, 2019
To Die in Italbar (1973) by Roger Zelazny could have been a great book. As delivered, it's an under-cooked book, one with potential, yet also deep flaws.
I like the insane setup because that's one of my pet likes.
There's this guy who's a walking biohazzard, but whose danger can also produce cures for those same diseases. This hazard and opportunity is the central problem. He's got multiple people interested in him, some who want to use him as a weapon, while others want to use him for research. Of those characters, nobody is the clear hero, and all could easily become clear villains.
If this book had gotten a few more revisions, if the writer had fleshed and paced the work better, it could have rocked. As it was, it didn't so much rock as it studded and clunked. Bits and pieces were interesting, but the work to pull it all together into a compelling narrative just hadn't happened.
Fortunately, it's a short book, so the experience is over quickly.
The fluff is minimal, perhaps a little too lean.
The characters are broadly drawn, perhaps too broadly. We barely get to know them as people, but at least we understand their motivations.
This book is clearly an early work, already feeling a little aged for its publication date.
I like the insane setup because that's one of my pet likes.
There's this guy who's a walking biohazzard, but whose danger can also produce cures for those same diseases. This hazard and opportunity is the central problem. He's got multiple people interested in him, some who want to use him as a weapon, while others want to use him for research. Of those characters, nobody is the clear hero, and all could easily become clear villains.
If this book had gotten a few more revisions, if the writer had fleshed and paced the work better, it could have rocked. As it was, it didn't so much rock as it studded and clunked. Bits and pieces were interesting, but the work to pull it all together into a compelling narrative just hadn't happened.
Fortunately, it's a short book, so the experience is over quickly.
The fluff is minimal, perhaps a little too lean.
The characters are broadly drawn, perhaps too broadly. We barely get to know them as people, but at least we understand their motivations.
This book is clearly an early work, already feeling a little aged for its publication date.
October 16, 2017
My first Zelazny and I gots to say; I'm a little underwhelmed. I do understand it's supposed to be one of his weaker novels, and in all fairness, it's actually alright, there just didn't seem to be much point to it. There was a telepathic alien in it for no reason I could discern, perspectives were frequently shifted with no indication as to whose they were, and the ultimate denouement happens off camera. It was just all a bit half-arsed; easy enough to read, more or less interesting, but... and this is why I gave it two stars instead of the three it could be said to deserve... when I got to 20 pages before the end, I realised I didn't feel any particular need to finish it. I finished it anyway, but I just knew I wasn't going to learn anything and I wasn't going to be enriched by the experience. Then, after I'd read it, a few hours later, I went, hang on; what happened at the end? and I had to dig the book back out of my cupboard and skim back a little way.
I will give Zelazny another go - this was actually the edition that pairs To Die in Italbar with A Dark Travelling - but this was a bit of a poor show.
I will give Zelazny another go - this was actually the edition that pairs To Die in Italbar with A Dark Travelling - but this was a bit of a poor show.
March 18, 2021
More so than any other book this one's title just lives in my mind. No idea why but I was compelled to pick it up again and be richly rewarded. An incredible work in its scope which somehow fits on not many pages. An interwoven story of complex characters and concepts which builds towards an unexpected climax. Despite there being only two books in the series the world feels rich and it is a credit to Zelazny's writing that so much strangeness can be got across so efficiently. Worth picking up if you have read the first one or not, a great showcase of what can be achieved in science fiction.
January 4, 2025
This is my 3rd book from Zelazny, and I'm getting a clearer picture of his style and his pet themes. This book was definitely not as good as the other two I read (This Immortal and Lord of Light), but it was still worth a read. Like his other books, the story shifts around and it's hard to be sure where it's all going until you end up there. Zelazny enjoys his beings of myth and legend, his epic meetings on distant mountaintops, when "deep calls out to deep"; that theme has been present in each of the books I've read of his so far.
January 9, 2026
An OK fantasy novella, which could have been more.
Writing Space Opera as fantasy is, one one hand, A little lacking in there's no nifty technology (well, very little), and not even any aliens but one, halfway developed. On the other, it hasn't dated much.
There's A pretty centric theme of emotion defining humanity over thought, and this typically leading to death (via stupidity).
I felt the ending was rather lacking also, closing very rapidly to resolution by Deus ex machina literally: intervention by a godlike being from an alien culture that is scantily mentioned.
Writing Space Opera as fantasy is, one one hand, A little lacking in there's no nifty technology (well, very little), and not even any aliens but one, halfway developed. On the other, it hasn't dated much.
There's A pretty centric theme of emotion defining humanity over thought, and this typically leading to death (via stupidity).
I felt the ending was rather lacking also, closing very rapidly to resolution by Deus ex machina literally: intervention by a godlike being from an alien culture that is scantily mentioned.
July 7, 2017
Good stuff. Felt an awful lot like Mike Resnick's "The Dark Lady" in tone. Zelazny plays with deities well. A few unconnected people find themselves connected by a person who has the power to cure disease, but his power comes with unfortunate side-effects, and they're not all what they seem to be, including that dude. I guess that would be my spoiler-free description? Quick read. Not the best thing Zelazny ever wrote but not the worst either, and even at his worst, he's worth reading.
October 31, 2019
I first read this book in my early teens and enjoyed it. I have my copy from in the late 70’s, early 80’s. It has been calling to me to read it again.
While it was mostly forgotten, I very much enjoyed Zelazny's way of writing, his knowledge of myths and legends at a time it was not the easiest thing to look up and verify.
His characters drew me in quickly, the storyline was good. An easy read, leaving us to ponder if life is the answer or the curse.
While it was mostly forgotten, I very much enjoyed Zelazny's way of writing, his knowledge of myths and legends at a time it was not the easiest thing to look up and verify.
His characters drew me in quickly, the storyline was good. An easy read, leaving us to ponder if life is the answer or the curse.
September 15, 2022
Who is the main character? Is it H who can cure and cause illness? Is it Malacar, a war hero and the last inhabitant of Earth? Is it Shind , an alien that communicates by telepathy? Then, there are more. It is far too short to develop these characters and I did not care for any except Shind. H is at the center of a power game to settle old scores. While I have problems with the book, there is a good plot.
sf-and-fantasy-classics
June 21, 2023While this novel is stand-alone, i.e. not a sequel, the religious implications cannot be fully understood without reading "The Isle of the Dead" first. Francis Sandow, who is the main character of the former novel, and whose religious connections are thereby explained, in fact plays a major role in the denouement of this one. With this understanding, the novel is quite enjoyable, especially through Zelazny's beautiful writing style. Remembering Janus of the Roman mythology also helps.
May 1, 2025
This is probably the worst Zelazny novel that I’ve read. It’s got a few interesting ideas, but they feel disjointed and I didn’t relate to any of the characters. The writing seemed to have all of Zelazny’s weaknesses and none of his strengths. Honestly, I’m shocked he wrote his in 1973. I would have bet money that it predated LORD OF LIGHT and CREATURES OF LIGHT AND DARKNESS (not even close). 2 stars, but only because I finished it.
March 13, 2025
I enjoyed the premise of the book, about a man who has the ability to heal any disease but after a while becomes toxic to all until he meditates to cleanse his system. HE pivots from hero to villain after an incident in "Italbar." The political/social themes weren't too on-the-nose, and the climax was unexpected and though maybe a tad underwhelming. Another quick and enjoyable book by Zelazny.
December 29, 2021
This read a lot more like a Foundation novel than I would’ve liked. Lots of Big Men with Driving Obsessions in place of personalities. Maybe it would’ve worked better had I read the preceding book, but since Sandow plays only a very small role in this, I doubt it.
July 23, 2022
A lesser Zelazny work, alright in its early phases but falls apart once it becomes overly-dependent on a deus ex machina from a previous book showing up. Full review: https://fakegeekboy.wordpress.com/200...
November 17, 2017
A good story but not the best that I have ever read by Roger Zelazny. At times it became hard to discern who the main characters were and the ending seems to have been rushed.
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