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A Rose for Ecclesiastes
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A science fiction novelette by American author Roger Zelazny, first published in the November 1963 issue of The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction with a special wraparound cover painting by Hannes Bok. It was nominated for the 1964 Hugo Award for Short Fiction.
I was busy translating one of my Madrigals Macabre into Martian on the morning I was found acceptable.
A science fiction novelette by American author Roger Zelazny, first published in the November 1963 issue of The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction with a special wraparound cover painting by Hannes Bok. It was nominated for the 1964 Hugo Award for Short Fiction.
I was busy translating one of my Madrigals Macabre into Martian on the morning I was found acceptable.
39 pages, ebook
Published February 28, 2014
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38 people want to read
About the author
Roger Zelazny
746 books3,896 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 - 14 of 14 reviews
May 13, 2018
May 2018 reread with the Roger Zelazny Newbies Regulars group. All the stars for this classic SF novelette, a lifelong favorite since I first read it years ago as a teenager. It's free online (in text and audio form) here at EscapePod. Review first posted on Fantasy Literature:
In this classic and much-anthologized 1963 story of finding an ancient civilization on Mars, Gallinger, a brilliant linguist and poet with an abrasive personality, is part of an Earth mission to study the humanoid Martian natives. The Martians are a long-lived but slowly dying society, though Gallinger sees evidence of their past greatness in their buildings and culture.
As he studies their ancient texts, tutored by M’Cwyie, the ancient Martian matriarch, and becomes acquainted with Braxa, an attractive and gifted temple dancer, he begins to understand both the past event that has led to the decline of Martian society and their religious belief that underscores and promotes their fatalistic outlook. But Gallinger’s studies, and an unexpected turn in his relationship with Braxa, lead to a crossroads for both himself and for the Martian people.
This story is charmingly dated, both in some of its social references and especially in that it features a highly developed civilization of human-like Martians. Still, it’s a well-deserved SF classic. Roger Zelazny’s writing is wonderfully rich, full of cultural and religious allusions, immersing the reader in a world that’s both strange and strangely familiar. And Gallinger is a memorable protagonist, a proud, selfish genius who gradually learns what it means to care about someone else.
In this classic and much-anthologized 1963 story of finding an ancient civilization on Mars, Gallinger, a brilliant linguist and poet with an abrasive personality, is part of an Earth mission to study the humanoid Martian natives. The Martians are a long-lived but slowly dying society, though Gallinger sees evidence of their past greatness in their buildings and culture.
As he studies their ancient texts, tutored by M’Cwyie, the ancient Martian matriarch, and becomes acquainted with Braxa, an attractive and gifted temple dancer, he begins to understand both the past event that has led to the decline of Martian society and their religious belief that underscores and promotes their fatalistic outlook. But Gallinger’s studies, and an unexpected turn in his relationship with Braxa, lead to a crossroads for both himself and for the Martian people.
This story is charmingly dated, both in some of its social references and especially in that it features a highly developed civilization of human-like Martians. Still, it’s a well-deserved SF classic. Roger Zelazny’s writing is wonderfully rich, full of cultural and religious allusions, immersing the reader in a world that’s both strange and strangely familiar. And Gallinger is a memorable protagonist, a proud, selfish genius who gradually learns what it means to care about someone else.
May 18, 2018
Disclaimer: I read this book wrong. Don't believe me? Ask Evgeny. He read the book right (of course) and will be more than happy to demonstrate how erroneous my erroneous judgment is.
Okay. So. Stuff. Fish. Shrimp . This short story is said to be one of Zelazny's best . This scientifically proven fact scientifically (and quite obviously) proves my once glorious intellect is now irremediably and beautifully decrepit, and no longer capable of capturing the greatness of masterpieces such as this one. Which, you have to agree, is hardly my fault. I mean, I can be blamed for lots of nefarious stuff like sacrificing puny humans, but not for accelerated neuronal aging. Unless drinking three bottles of whiskyan hour a day speeds up the process, thus affecting grey cells (which I highly doubt). Anyway, long story short? I am extremely innocent.
I feel you, George.
Not only am I innocent and pure as a newborn shrimp in this matter, but I also have several very valid excuses to justify my unfounded rating for this story:
① Ican't stand don't like classic SF from the 60s very much. I only read this because a water gun was being held to my lovely little head.
② I'm allergic to stuff that happens on bloody shrimping Mars. First because the place is boring as fish (you can take my word for it, I've been there several times) and second because duh. I mean, come on! Do you seriously expect me to get all excited, stimulated and generally titillated about a planet that has no liquid water on its surface?! When I breed crustaceans for a living?! You are aware that decapods kinda sorta cannot survive out ofwhisky H2O, are you not? QED and stuff.
③ Classic SF and Misogyny and Sexism, oh my! Okay, so Zelazny isn't as bad as Heinlein or PKD, but the way he portrays women is still ever so slightly infuriating. There are no female characters in this story, there are only one-dimensional cows and bitches. And ugly ones at that. Well except from the beautiful natives with lovely red nipples and breasts [insert massive eyeroll here]. But you know what the problem with beautiful natives is? They are all cunning bitches who only want one thing: to shamelessly seduce thewhite savior poor, clueless human male and use his magic, civilization-saving penis. Evil evil, Martian women breeding cows.
④ Talking about our delightful male protagonist. He is a condescending, contemptuous, arrogant, racist scumbag. Yay. This might have been intentional on Zelazny's part, but an unlikable bastard remains an unlikable bastard, no matter how you look at it. And as much as I usually love aggravating assholes, even I have my limits and stuff.
⑤ Proselytism is not me.
➽ And the moral of this It's NotMe Zelazny It's Zelazny Me Or Is It The Other Way Around I Forget Crappy Non Review (INMZIZMOIITOWAIFCNR™) is:
Okay. So. Stuff. Fish. Shrimp . This short story is said to be one of Zelazny's best . This scientifically proven fact scientifically (and quite obviously) proves my once glorious intellect is now irremediably and beautifully decrepit, and no longer capable of capturing the greatness of masterpieces such as this one. Which, you have to agree, is hardly my fault. I mean, I can be blamed for lots of nefarious stuff like sacrificing puny humans, but not for accelerated neuronal aging. Unless drinking three bottles of whisky
I feel you, George.
Not only am I innocent and pure as a newborn shrimp in this matter, but I also have several very valid excuses to justify my unfounded rating for this story:
① I
② I'm allergic to stuff that happens on bloody shrimping Mars. First because the place is boring as fish (you can take my word for it, I've been there several times) and second because duh. I mean, come on! Do you seriously expect me to get all excited, stimulated and generally titillated about a planet that has no liquid water on its surface?! When I breed crustaceans for a living?! You are aware that decapods kinda sorta cannot survive out of
③ Classic SF and Misogyny and Sexism, oh my! Okay, so Zelazny isn't as bad as Heinlein or PKD, but the way he portrays women is still ever so slightly infuriating. There are no female characters in this story, there are only one-dimensional cows and bitches. And ugly ones at that. Well except from the beautiful natives with lovely red nipples and breasts [insert massive eyeroll here]. But you know what the problem with beautiful natives is? They are all cunning bitches who only want one thing: to shamelessly seduce the
④ Talking about our delightful male protagonist. He is a condescending, contemptuous, arrogant, racist scumbag. Yay. This might have been intentional on Zelazny's part, but an unlikable bastard remains an unlikable bastard, no matter how you look at it. And as much as I usually love aggravating assholes, even I have my limits and stuff.
⑤ Proselytism is not me.
➽ And the moral of this It's Not
January 30, 2024
Review and rating for "A Rose for Ecclesiastes" (1963), the Hugo-nominated novelette that is Zelazny's masterwork, I think. In a recent reread, I was pleasantly surprised at how well the story held up. If you've never read it or not lately, well, you should. Zelazny's intensely romantic vision of a Mars that never was. Free copy online at http://escapepod.org/2014/02/28/ep437... (text and audio).
This is my favorite Zelazny story. Times re-read over the years: many, each time with pleasure.
"The Doors of His Face, the Lamps of His Mouth" (novelette, 1965), a lively retro-Venus story, is also first-rate. It won the Nebula award in 1966. Free copy online:
https://readerslibrary.org/wp-content...
This is my favorite Zelazny story. Times re-read over the years: many, each time with pleasure.
"The Doors of His Face, the Lamps of His Mouth" (novelette, 1965), a lively retro-Venus story, is also first-rate. It won the Nebula award in 1966. Free copy online:
https://readerslibrary.org/wp-content...
April 2, 2024
„Роза за Еклисиаста“ е забележителна фантастична повест, заредена с много силни емоции и стойностни послания... Мисля че тя е една от най-добрите и очарователни творби на Роджър Зелазни, тъй като я е написал по невероятно лиричен начин. Нейният сюжет представлява мистична футуристична история на Марс, която същевременно съдържа вълнуващи препратки към страхотната поезия на Рилке и различни други произведения.
May 22, 2018
That ending...punch in the gut. I need to read more by this author. So good. 5, I am in awe, stars.
June 22, 2021
-From The Science Fiction Hall of Fame, Volume One-
Apparently Zelazny didn’t want to be left out of the classic Mars stories before we actually checked the place out and realized there’s nothing there. I’m glad he joined the party. This story is quite arrogant and condescending and written with a beautiful lyrical quality which is great because the protagonist is an arrogant and condescending poet. I love that kind of neat parallelism. I thought this story was going a few different directions before having Zelazny surprise me, and not always for the better. It’s a romantic, mysterious, and moving read; if not always satisfying.
Apparently Zelazny didn’t want to be left out of the classic Mars stories before we actually checked the place out and realized there’s nothing there. I’m glad he joined the party. This story is quite arrogant and condescending and written with a beautiful lyrical quality which is great because the protagonist is an arrogant and condescending poet. I love that kind of neat parallelism. I thought this story was going a few different directions before having Zelazny surprise me, and not always for the better. It’s a romantic, mysterious, and moving read; if not always satisfying.
December 27, 2018
Wow! This story "A Rose for Ecclesiastes" is wonderful. It deserved The Hugo and any other award people would want to throw at it. The story is about faith. What is faith and how does it influence the choice to live? Can those without faith instill faith in others?
In 1972 I bought an incredible book, The Science Fiction Hall of Fame Vol I. I still own my copy. I have been rereading the stories. Somehow, over all these years I had never read "A Rose for Ecclesiastes". The name was familiar from seeing it in the table of contents, but I did not realize I had never read it. It really stands up even 50 years after it was first published. It has been called Roger Zelazny's masterpiece and that is a well-deserved compliment.
In 1972 I bought an incredible book, The Science Fiction Hall of Fame Vol I. I still own my copy. I have been rereading the stories. Somehow, over all these years I had never read "A Rose for Ecclesiastes". The name was familiar from seeing it in the table of contents, but I did not realize I had never read it. It really stands up even 50 years after it was first published. It has been called Roger Zelazny's masterpiece and that is a well-deserved compliment.
November 22, 2025
This one remains one of Roger Zelazny’s most luminous achievements, a novella that combines lyrical prose, mythic resonance, and the sharp emotional clarity of golden-age science fiction.
It is a story that feels both intimate and epic—rooted in the internal journey of one man but stretching outward to redefine the fate of an entire civilisation. What sets it apart is its poeticism: Zelazny writes with the cadence of scripture and the fever of prophecy.
The protagonist, Gallinger, is a rare creation in SF—a poet, linguist, musician, and intellectual whose arrogance is as immense as his talent. Zelazny constructs him as both exhilarating and infuriating, a figure driven by an almost manic sense of destiny. Gallinger is the quintessential flawed visionary: brilliant enough to change worlds, foolish enough to wound them.
The Martians Zelazny envisions are not crude aliens but a dying civilisation wrapped in ritual, resignation, and melancholy. Their culture is intricate and spiritually rich, yet suffocated by fatalism. Into this world Gallinger arrives like a disruptive force—both student and defiler, admirer and adversary. His arrogance is not merely personal; it becomes cosmically significant.
What makes the story extraordinary is the way Zelazny binds mythic symbolism with character drama. Gallinger does not simply learn the Martian language; he learns their scriptures, poetry, and despair. His mastery of their sacred texts becomes the catalyst for the story’s emotional explosion. Zelazny uses language as power—literal, cultural, spiritual. Words can resurrect or destroy. And Gallinger’s tongue becomes a double-edged sword.
The romance subplot, often mishandled in traditional SF, is here deeply entwined with the story’s philosophical core. Gallinger’s relationship with the Martian woman is not merely physical or emotional; it becomes a bridge between worlds, an attempt at renewal.
Yet it is also cruelly instrumental—a fact that twists the story toward its tragic spiral.
The central tragedy of “A Rose for Ecclesiastes” is that Gallinger’s greatest insight becomes his undoing. His desire to save the Martians carries within it a strain of cultural imposition, of missionary zeal disguised as intellectual superiority.
He wants to change their fate, yes—but also to prove himself right. His brilliance blinds him to the consequences of his actions.
Zelazny’s prose is shimmering, operatic, and at times intoxicatingly dense with imagery. He writes like someone channelling ancient epics through a futuristic lens. Few works in the genre contain such rhythmic beauty. The Martian landscapes breathe like paintings; the rituals unfold with the gravity of forgotten religions.
The ending, often praised as one of the most achingly beautiful in SF, delivers a profound ambivalence. Gallinger succeeds and fails simultaneously.
The Martians find a spark of hope—but not without cost. Gallinger gains revelation—but loses equilibrium. The final image, the symbolic rose, is a gesture of both defiance and humility.
“A Rose for Ecclesiastes” endures because it captures the essence of myth-making within science fiction. It is tragic, transcendent, and defiantly poetic—a work that stands at the intersection of prophecy and regret.
It is a story that feels both intimate and epic—rooted in the internal journey of one man but stretching outward to redefine the fate of an entire civilisation. What sets it apart is its poeticism: Zelazny writes with the cadence of scripture and the fever of prophecy.
The protagonist, Gallinger, is a rare creation in SF—a poet, linguist, musician, and intellectual whose arrogance is as immense as his talent. Zelazny constructs him as both exhilarating and infuriating, a figure driven by an almost manic sense of destiny. Gallinger is the quintessential flawed visionary: brilliant enough to change worlds, foolish enough to wound them.
The Martians Zelazny envisions are not crude aliens but a dying civilisation wrapped in ritual, resignation, and melancholy. Their culture is intricate and spiritually rich, yet suffocated by fatalism. Into this world Gallinger arrives like a disruptive force—both student and defiler, admirer and adversary. His arrogance is not merely personal; it becomes cosmically significant.
What makes the story extraordinary is the way Zelazny binds mythic symbolism with character drama. Gallinger does not simply learn the Martian language; he learns their scriptures, poetry, and despair. His mastery of their sacred texts becomes the catalyst for the story’s emotional explosion. Zelazny uses language as power—literal, cultural, spiritual. Words can resurrect or destroy. And Gallinger’s tongue becomes a double-edged sword.
The romance subplot, often mishandled in traditional SF, is here deeply entwined with the story’s philosophical core. Gallinger’s relationship with the Martian woman is not merely physical or emotional; it becomes a bridge between worlds, an attempt at renewal.
Yet it is also cruelly instrumental—a fact that twists the story toward its tragic spiral.
The central tragedy of “A Rose for Ecclesiastes” is that Gallinger’s greatest insight becomes his undoing. His desire to save the Martians carries within it a strain of cultural imposition, of missionary zeal disguised as intellectual superiority.
He wants to change their fate, yes—but also to prove himself right. His brilliance blinds him to the consequences of his actions.
Zelazny’s prose is shimmering, operatic, and at times intoxicatingly dense with imagery. He writes like someone channelling ancient epics through a futuristic lens. Few works in the genre contain such rhythmic beauty. The Martian landscapes breathe like paintings; the rituals unfold with the gravity of forgotten religions.
The ending, often praised as one of the most achingly beautiful in SF, delivers a profound ambivalence. Gallinger succeeds and fails simultaneously.
The Martians find a spark of hope—but not without cost. Gallinger gains revelation—but loses equilibrium. The final image, the symbolic rose, is a gesture of both defiance and humility.
“A Rose for Ecclesiastes” endures because it captures the essence of myth-making within science fiction. It is tragic, transcendent, and defiantly poetic—a work that stands at the intersection of prophecy and regret.
March 23, 2025
"A Rose for Ecclesiastes" is a novelette by Roger Zelazny first published in the November 1963 issue of The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction with a special wraparound cover painting by Hannes Bok. It was nominated for the 1964 Hugo Award for Short Fiction and took third place.
There are several ways to acquire a copy of this story, some of them free if one is willing to read it from a computer screen. (Here: https://escapepod.org/2014/02/28/ep43... for example.) The story is also found in the Zelazny story collection The Doors of His Face, the Lamps of His Mouth and Other Stories, and it comes with other good Zelazny stories at a reasonable price (under $10 including tax and shipping) for previously owned copies. I went this route and will review the entire collection when I finish it.
An example of New Wave science fiction, it is about the first person on Mars to learn the language of Martians and describes what happens after he translated the biblical Book of Ecclesiastes into Martian for them. I am very familiar with this particular book of The Bible. I made a fairly deep study of it some years past. Next to Isaiah and Revelation, I consider this the third hardest book to understand, and perhaps the easiest one to read and think one understands without being correct. In other words, it's probably the easiest book to misinterpret its meaning. I think that's why Zelazny selected it for this story.
His character is a linguistic genius whose job is also to interpret Martian works of philosophy, culture, religion, what-have-you, into English. He had to overcome much to get the commission for this assignment. As he is working, he meets and falls in love with a Martian woman. The story is about all the complications, mostly for Martian society, that arises from this romance. And that's the total extent to which I want to spoil that story!
While I really enjoyed the premise and the way Zelazny worked it out, thus my rating of four stars, I must admit to some slight annoyances with certain Zelazny writing features. First, he name drops all over the place. To his mostly college undergraduate reader audience of the 1960s, this flashy display of erudition must have made quite the impression, hence the award nominations. But what he is up to seems rather transparent to me. Second, the cigarette smoking depictions. Shouldn't one have something more worthy to relate?
So, yes, this is a good story, and a fine interspecies romance written back in a time in society when miscegenation was still an issue for folks. But it's no longer a great story, if it ever truly was.
There are several ways to acquire a copy of this story, some of them free if one is willing to read it from a computer screen. (Here: https://escapepod.org/2014/02/28/ep43... for example.) The story is also found in the Zelazny story collection The Doors of His Face, the Lamps of His Mouth and Other Stories, and it comes with other good Zelazny stories at a reasonable price (under $10 including tax and shipping) for previously owned copies. I went this route and will review the entire collection when I finish it.
An example of New Wave science fiction, it is about the first person on Mars to learn the language of Martians and describes what happens after he translated the biblical Book of Ecclesiastes into Martian for them. I am very familiar with this particular book of The Bible. I made a fairly deep study of it some years past. Next to Isaiah and Revelation, I consider this the third hardest book to understand, and perhaps the easiest one to read and think one understands without being correct. In other words, it's probably the easiest book to misinterpret its meaning. I think that's why Zelazny selected it for this story.
His character is a linguistic genius whose job is also to interpret Martian works of philosophy, culture, religion, what-have-you, into English. He had to overcome much to get the commission for this assignment. As he is working, he meets and falls in love with a Martian woman. The story is about all the complications, mostly for Martian society, that arises from this romance. And that's the total extent to which I want to spoil that story!
While I really enjoyed the premise and the way Zelazny worked it out, thus my rating of four stars, I must admit to some slight annoyances with certain Zelazny writing features. First, he name drops all over the place. To his mostly college undergraduate reader audience of the 1960s, this flashy display of erudition must have made quite the impression, hence the award nominations. But what he is up to seems rather transparent to me. Second, the cigarette smoking depictions. Shouldn't one have something more worthy to relate?
So, yes, this is a good story, and a fine interspecies romance written back in a time in society when miscegenation was still an issue for folks. But it's no longer a great story, if it ever truly was.
July 4, 2025
This is one of the novellas that Roger Zelazny is best known for. It's not my favorite of his works, but it stands find as an adventure story. Zelazny's career started after the Space Opera period of SF was basically over, but he wrote too stories that fit into that subgenre. This is one of them. (The Doors of His Face, the Lamps of Eyes is the other.)
The protagonist, Gallagher, is an extraordinarily gifted linguist trying to capture Martian poetry before the last of the Martians (who look very human but are centuries old) dies out according to one of their prophecies. He falls in love with one of the youngest surviving Martian women and then goes crazy when she is hidden away from him. The heart of the novel focuses on his efforts to get her back. On the way, we uncover a couple of Martian mysteries which make the novel memorable. But I suspect that none of that explains why so many sf authors think this is the greatest story ever written in the genre. To understand that, you need to read the list of references that Zelazny made throughout the story which really show his literary chops as he drops names and allusions to the greats of literature, philosophy, and science in what feels like every line of the novella.
The protagonist, Gallagher, is an extraordinarily gifted linguist trying to capture Martian poetry before the last of the Martians (who look very human but are centuries old) dies out according to one of their prophecies. He falls in love with one of the youngest surviving Martian women and then goes crazy when she is hidden away from him. The heart of the novel focuses on his efforts to get her back. On the way, we uncover a couple of Martian mysteries which make the novel memorable. But I suspect that none of that explains why so many sf authors think this is the greatest story ever written in the genre. To understand that, you need to read the list of references that Zelazny made throughout the story which really show his literary chops as he drops names and allusions to the greats of literature, philosophy, and science in what feels like every line of the novella.
August 29, 2024
This classic novella gained a final star on second read. Zelazny uses more literary and cultural allusions per square inch than most genre writers of any era. Reading him is quite a treat. Read/listen for free at Escape Pod.
July 24, 2024
Definitely not your typical sci fi short story. Enjoyed reading this and would recommend to others
December 28, 2022
When a blasphemer offers a rose to a religious temple of ambigous vanity, you know something is about to come crashing down. This story has so many layers of meaning, I don’t know where to centre my thoughts. Devastating ending. A classic of timeless beauty.
May 2, 2014
Beautiful language, obnoxious narrator
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews