Ja, nieśmiertelny

by Roger Zelazny

Wyludnioną planetę zamieszkują resztki prawdziwej ludzkości oraz zbieranina groteskowych i niebezpiecznych półludzi, centaurów i innych mutantów. Największe zakusy na opustoszałą planetę mają władcy wszechświata - Veganie.

Genres: Science Fiction, Fantasy, Fiction, Hugo Awards, Post Apocalyptic, Speculative Fiction, Science Fiction Fantasy

185 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1966

About the author

Roger 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).

Reviews

[Algernon · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Do you not see a convergence of life and myth, here, during the last days of life on this planet?"

Somewhere between "Heart of Darkness" and "Tales of the Dying Earth", Roger Zelazny found once again a story to tell about ordinary people acting like Gods in the desolate aftermath of a world war. "Lord of Light" may be my favorite book in Zelazny's catalogue, but "This Immortal" comes real close on its heels. Instead of exploring the intricacies of the Hindu Pantheon, this time the author goes for the classical Greek mythology.

"What is wrong with being born on Christmas?"
"The gods, deem it a bit presumptuous. For this reason, children born at that time are not of human blood. They are called the kallikanzaroi. Ideally, they look something like those guys with horns and hooves and all, but they don't have to. They could look like me, my parents decided – if they were my parents. So they left me on a hilltop, to be returned.

Born under a bad sign, Conrad tries to make the best of the hand Fate has dealt him. Either through a godlike intervention or as a by-product of radiation from a nuclear war that has destroyed the planet, Conrad has become an immortal, a sort of Earth spirit that has refused to abandon his home when the rest of the human survivors of the cataclysm have fled to the stars, to become refugees on the planets ruled by the more advanced Vegan civilization.

With his mutant genes, Conrad has inherited also some of the sly intelligence of his ancestor Odysseus, enabling him to switch identities and trick databases from pinpointing his real age. Known at various times as a kallikanzaroi, a terrorist, a mutant, a changeling, Nomikos, Karaghiosis, Ozymandias ("I walked on through the mess time makes of greatness.") , Conrad is at the beginning of the story ignoring dire warnings from his girlfriend Cassandra ( "I have a feeling," she said, "that you are heading into some sort of danger." ) and embarks on a mission for the planetary government, on which he serves as Commissioner of Arts, Monuments and Archives. He is supposed to guide a VIP alien from Vega on a tour of the Old Earth ruins: ancient Egypt, Greece, Rome, etc...

"Who is Cort Myshtigo?"
"Vegan actor, journalist. Important one. Wants to write about what's left of Earth. So I've got to show it to him. Me. Personally. Damn!"

Cort Myshtigo may have a secret agenda for inspecting the Earth – either to develop it as a tourist resort for rich Vegans or to recommend abandoning the planet altogether. Conrad and the rest of the humans who refused to go into exile, some of them also hiding supernatural powers, are too poor to to survive without Vegan handouts, yet too proud to become third rate immigrants for the aliens. So they roll down the red carpet for Cort Myshtigo and assign Conrad to find out what the deal truly is.

The Vegans would like to get the home world problem off their hands. Sure, they want to visit it. It is instructive, sobering, humbling, and downright frightening for them to come here and see what can be done to a world.

The journey through the broken down Earth, filled with Hot spots of radiations, mutant beasts and myths roaming the deserts of North Africa and the rocky hills of Peloponnese is instructive, sobering, humbling and downright frightening for the reader, too. Conrad discovers that an assassin or two has infiltrated his party and is forced to act as the alien's bodyguard even as he decides if it would not be better to kill the damn tourist himself. There's a lot of action in this short story, and wily tricks played by the Greek on his companions ( "Born to knot a tiger's tail, that is the saying for people such as you." ), but in the end the novel becomes an elegy for what was lost in the collective madness of our human race.

The forces of final disruption were already goose-stepping amidst the ruins, arms upraised ...

Conrad / Nomikos / Karaghiosis may look as ugly as sin to an outsider, but he has the power of the earth running through his blood. Like Antaeus he draws strength from the land and he may yet guide us towards an Earth reborn. I don't want to spoil the outcome of his confrontation with home grown terrorists, alien spies and reawakened mythological bests, but I recommend you try this intense post-apocalyptic story for yourself.

[Jim · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a lot of fun to read & one of my favorite books of all time. Post apocalyptic earth is being toured by an alien, whose species helped save us after we mostly blew up our home. The tour guide, Conrad, who tells the story from his POV & most of the trip is through a surreal blending of SF & diverse mythology brought to life by radiation. It's short, quirky, & simple on the surface, but there are offhand references, names & partial quotes that make this story a bit of a treasure hunt. They also enhance the meaning of so many simple phrases & often lend it a poetic feel. It reads best you are well read in the classics & mythology.

It doesn't hurt to know something of Zelazny. If you've never read his work before, I wouldn't suggest starting with this one. Probably the Amber series, starting with Nine Princes in Amber is the best.

One of the best guides to this story is contained in NESFA's Power & Light, the second of their "Complete Works of Roger Zelazny". There the editors have published the novel in its original form in 2 parts, a novella. Besides some words from Zelazny himself, they have also included explanations at the end of each which explain many (most?) of the references. They did quite a good job of it. In expanding this to a novel, Zelazny didn't really add all that much to it - nothing that matters too much.

If anyone ever wants to do a group read of this, please let me know. I would absolutely LOVE to.

[Stuart · Rating 5 out of 5]

This Immortal: Flamboyant New Wave SF with Greek mythic overtones
Originally posted at Fantasy Literature
Roger Zelazny was one of the darlings of the New Wave in the 1960s, mainly with short stories, but his first novel This Immortal tied for the inaugural Nebula Award in 1966 with none other than Frank Herbert’s Dune, arguably the greatest SF novel ever. So how could this slight 174-page Ace paperback (David, if you will) rival a Goliath like Dune?

It’s the story of Conrad Nomikos, a man in charge of maintaining the ancient ruins of classical human civilization on a post-holocaust Earth scarcely-populated by humans, mutants, and fearsome mythical creatures, mainly as tourist attractions for the alien blue-skinned Vegans (no, they’re not opposed to animal products). He reluctantly accepts an assignment to show the sights of old earth to a Vegan journalist named Cort Myshtigo who is writing a book on human civilization.

However, from the start there are a number of suspicious aspects, as a number of tour members have associations with a rebel human group called the Rad Pols (Returnists), determined to wrest control of the Earth back from the Vegans. Moreover, the bodyguard Hasan is also a well-known assassin and it becomes clear that he has been hired to kill the Vegan for political reasons.

However, Conrad himself conceals a very mysterious past, and some suspect him of being Karagiozis, a revolutionary Greek who fought against the Vegans as a terrorist. He also seems to have very detailed knowledge of events hundreds of years in the past, as well as superhuman strength and fighting skills. Who is this mysterious figure, and why is he acting as a tour guide to the Vegans? Is he opposed to the Vegans or not? What are their plans for Earth?

This Immortal reminds me very much of another New Wave SF book I read recently, Samuel R. Delany’s 1967 Nebula winner The Einstein Intersection. They both feature devastated far-future Earths roamed by mutants and adventurers, and strong and overt references to Greek myths like Orpheus and Eurydice and the satyr god Pan. The prose is playful, lush with bizarre imagery and casual literary references, and flits from scene to scene with abandon. Like Delany, Zelazny was not satisfied with SF as practiced by Golden Age writers like Heinlein, Clarke, or Asimov. He wanted to inject a healthy infusion of literary allusions and allegory to the tumultuous social upheavals of the 1960s. College students were interested in Asian mysticism, psychology, mythology, alternative lifestyles, and were at the same time reacting against the Vietnam and Korean Wars, the Establishment, and most of all the constant threat of nuclear destruction at the touch of a button.

However, unlike the undisciplined self-indulgence of The Einstein Intersection, the storyline and characters of This Immortal were extremely well developed, especially the narrator Conrad. In particular, I liked his complex relationship with Hasan the Assassin, as they find themselves on opposite sides regarding the Vegan Myshtigo, but maintain a code of honor that is unshakable. And the more we learn about Conrad’s past and the politics surrounding the Vegan’s plans for Earth, the more we understand what is at stake. There are several passages describing Conrad’s conflicted thoughts about Earth’s fate and his role in it, sometimes proud and defiant, other times resigned and pessimistic:

It is our country. The Goths, the Huns, the Volgars, the Serbs, the Francs, the Turks, the Vegans have never made it go away from us. People, I have outlived. Athens and I have changed together, somewhat. Mainland Greece is mainland Greece, and it has not changed for me. Try taking it away, whatever you are, and my people will stalk the hills, like the chthonic avengers of old. You will pass, but the hills of Greece will remain, unchanged.

Later in the novel, the night before Conrad is slated to duel Hasan the Assassin over the fate of the Myshtigo, they share a pipe of some alien substance that relaxes and Conrad’s resolve to fight the Vegans weakens:

The struggle seemed ridiculous. We would lose it in the end. It was written that humanity was to be the cats and dogs and trained chimpanzees of the real people, the Vegans. And in a way, it was not such a bad idea. Perhaps we needed someone wiser to watch over us, to run our lives. We had made a shambles of our own world during the three days [a limited nuclear exchange], and the Vegans had never had a nuclear war. They operated a smoothly-efficient, interstellar government, encompassing dozens of planets. Whatever they did was aesthetically pleasing. Their own lives were well-regulated, happy things. Why not let them have the Earth? They’d probably do a better job than we had ever done. And why not be their coolies too? It wouldn’t be a bad life. Give them the old ball of mud, full of radioactive sores, and populated by cripples. Why not?

However, he quickly shakes this off, recalling:

But I had lost my Cassandra, my dark witch of Kos, to the mindless powers which move the Earth and the waters. Nothing could kill my feelings of loss. It seemed further away, somehow insulated behind glass, but it was still there. Not all the pipes of the East could assuage this thing. I did not want to know peace. I wanted hate, I wanted to strike out at all the masks in the universe. Earth, water, sky, Taler, Earth gov and office, so that behind one of them I might find that power which had taken her and make it too know something of pain. I did not want to be at one with anything that had harmed that which was mine, by blood and by love. For just five minutes even, I wanted to be Karagiozis again, looking at it all through cross-hairs and squeezing a trigger. Oh Zeus of the hot red lightings, I prayed, give it to me that I may break the powers in the sky.

It’s a great novel, utterly different from Dune and yet fully deserving to share the stage. I listened to the audiobook narrated by Victor Bevine, and his deep and rich voice is the perfect vehicle for the world-weary philosophical musings of Conrad.

[Ivana Books Are Magic · Rating 5 out of 5]

This Immortal (aka ...And Call me Conrad) is a science fiction novel that manages to be subtly philosophical, delightfully funny and wonderfully poetical. Written from the protagonist's a point of view, this novel is set in the future in which the human race is dominated by aliens known as Vegans.

The protagonist/narrator is Conrad, a man who has lived for a very long time and is immortal for reasons unknown. Conrad's long life isn't fully explained, it might be a consequence of a mutation or just a mystery. There is also a possibility, hinted in the novel, that Conrad is the Greek god Pan. Like many of Zelanzy's protagonist, Conrad poses super human abilities. In many ways, Conrad reminded me of Corwin from the Amber chronicles- a reluctant sort of Byronic hero.

This Immortal shared 1966 Hugo award with Dune by Frank Herbert. Dune went on to become the best selling science fiction novel and This Immortal seems to have remained in its shadow. It's a shame for it really is a fine novel. Undoubtedly, This Immortal is quite a different novel from Dune. It's much shorter than Dune and the plot is not as developed. Moreover, the world building is not nearly as complex. However, this novel has a lot to offer to its reader. It is a novel that can be read both as fantasy based on Greek mythology and science fiction (if you prefer to rationally explain the super powers and monsters with radiation and mutation). Conrad is a charming and eloquent narrator, a rogue protagonist with an old soul, the type Zelanzy will develop more fully in his other works and novels. In addition, there is a philosophical aspect to this novel. Like many great science fiction novels, This Immortal questions what it is to be human. Contrasted with an alien life form, our narrator has an opportunity to comment on humanity. Who is better suited to fight for humanity and reflect on it than a man who is centuries (if not more) old?

...“I’ve always been impulsive. My thinking is usually pretty good, but I always seem to do it after I do my talking—by which time I’ve generally destroyed all basis for further conversation.”

On overall, I quite enjoyed this novel even if the plot was somewhat predictable. This Immortal would be worth reading for humour alone, even if for nothing else. It is abundant in clever lines worthy of Oscar Wilde. Perhaps not as good as Zelanzy's Lord of Light or The Chronicles of Amber, but what book is? A five star read for sure.

[Craig · Rating 5 out of 5]

This Immortal was Zelazny's first novel and tied with Dune for best of the year the year it appeared. It's a true classic. It showcases all of Zelazny's strengths: mythic influences, lyrical writing, memorable characters, and a fast-paced plot with so many twists and turns and surprises that the reader is left amazed at how he made such a hodgepodge of points into a brilliant and cohesive narrative. It's an expansion of And Call Me Conrad, which remains a great short version in its own right. I first read it years ago and listened to this fine recording on a recent long trip; it holds up just as well today!

[Becky · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wish that I could give this book a higher rating, I do. But as it is, I think that "It was OK" sums it up perfectly for me.

This was my very first Zelazny, and it may not have been the best one to start with. But I just love post-apocalyptic books, and I had wanted to read this one since I heard that it was one. I won't let the fact that this didn't get a higher rating turn me off of Zelazny though. :)

There were a few things that made this book less than great for me.

First, I was under the impression (probably misguided) that this would be a kind of "touring the blasted wasteland of the post-nuclear world with a member of the alien Overlord race, who may or may not be trying to wipe out the survivors -- and Conrad is the only one standing in the way" book. That's what I got from the description on the back of the book, anyway:

What with the Three Days of War and decades of Vegan occupation, Earth isn't doing too well these days. Indeed, all that seems to be left for us is selling off our heritage to the blueskins bit by bit. That's why Conrad Nomikos, Minister of Culture, Arts and Monuments, is tagged to play the part of native guide when one of these superior beings pays a visit to our backwater planet - and finds himself acting as the haughty alien's bodyguard as well.

But should he? He says that the purpose of his visit is to write a travelogue, but it is entirely possible that the real reason the Vegan is here is to write finis to the Human race.

So, I was kind of surprised to find that this is very much in the background for most of the story. It seems that a lot of other, barely related, themes take over the story.

This book is very heavy on the Greek symbolism and mythology (this being one of the themes that I feel took over the story), and perhaps it's just me, but I didn't feel like it was very accessible to someone who is not well-versed in Greek history and mythology. Granted, I know that this is a short-coming on MY part, because I do not expect authors to dumb down or over simplify their work to cater to lazy people who refuse to learn something. But I do have a basic knowledge and understanding of Greek history, and I still did not get a lot of the references. *shrug*

It could still be entertaining to some, even without all the classical references being 100% understood, but probably not in the way it was intended. And this was kind of distracting for me. I feel like I read a book with every other sentence written in invisible ink.

Even the dialogue made me feel that way. I love dialogue. It's great for advancing the story, explaining plot, getting to know the characters... so much can be done with it. If it's done well. But I just had a really hard time with the dialogue in this book.

I can usually follow dialogue pretty easily, but here, the lead-off speaker would be named, and then everything that follows would be sans-speaker. I had to re-read dialogue sometimes two or three times because the same speaker would go twice in a row, or the one whose turn it was wouldn't say anything and the conversation wouldn't make sense because my internal score-keeper was thrown off.

But even aside from that confusion, a lot of the conversation seemed to assume that the reader knew what the character knew. Terms are just thrown out there with no explanation. Cryptic sentence fragments would be answered with even more cryptic monosyllabic replies. There was no history given for a lot of the organizations or political bodies, but the dialogue would continue on as if anyone listening had a full understanding of it.

Moving on, another of those take-over situations occurred in Greece, where a tribe essentially kidnaps the group and says "Hey, we're going to eat you, but since we're reasonable scary cannibals, not only am I going to explain everything right up front like a bad James Bond villain, but I will then, to further my comparison to a bad James Bond villain, offer to let you earn your freedom by fighting our biggest, scariest cannibal dude." Huh? I don't get it. A lot of action takes place afterward, and it was interesting, but I don't really see how it relates to the story. It was funny though.

Conrad, the main character, was too distant and mysterious for me. The only time that he felt really human when he thought that his wife had been killed in an earthquake. I don't know what his motivation is, still. It seems that he is trying to preserve Earth by making it undesirable to the Vegans, but I don't know because he just seems to not give a rat's rear about it one way or the other. Being the Vegan's tour guide/bodyguard, he was nobly trying to prevent any harm from coming to him -- unless and until he could find sufficient incentive not to.

Anyway, it just seemed like there were two or even three stories being told, and I just missed the connection. Since the book seems to get such good reviews from so many people, I am fully prepared to accept the fact that it is probably me that couldn't see the forest for the trees, so to speak. By all accounts, this book is better on second reading, so perhaps I'll give it another shot after earning a degree in Greek History! ;)

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s embarassing that this is my first read of Zelazny. I’d always pictured his work as quirky fantasy, not something that would appeal to my decades long affinity for hard sci fi over the decades. But I am more open to fantasy now, and, besides, this one is science fiction, and a delightful one at that.

The setting is a post-nuclear apocalyptic Earth where the remaining humans, numbering only in a few million, are divided between those who live a utopian life under the support of an advanced alien race from Vega and those who inhabit the wastelands under primitive conditions. Our hero, Conrad, heads up a government division devoted to preservation of human cultural sites and artefacts which is granted a lot of power because of the the prospect of economic benefits from tourism. He gets tapped by his boss to organize an inspection of cultural resources and ecological status around the world for an important alien named Myshtigo, starting with Egypt.

He hopes to discourage the Vegans from involvement and interference in the work of restoration and rehabilitation of Earth. In organizing the tour, he is concerned with the potential of a diplomatic disaster and retributions if Myshtigo gets injured or killed by dangerous mutant wildlife or remnants of the anti-Vegan revolt among the surviving “wild” human settlements. Conrad is surprised by how much he likes the Vegan and is torn by conflicting motivations when he begins to suspect that members of his own security may be part of a plot to kill him.

It slowly emerges that Conrad has many secrets about his past. Because of genetic treatments, he has the privilege of indefinite long life and special physiological advantages that contributes to his superior warrior capabilities. He has had important roles with the rebel movement under different identities over hundreds of years of history. In sum, he approaches demi-god status. And at one point when he learns that his home island where he lives with his love Cassandra is sunk like Atlantis by an earthquake, his berserker rage is on the order of that of Roman gods, taking most of his party to restrain him from destroying everyone in sight.

Conrad’s first person account makes for a wonderful and fun read, with philosophical and humorous interludes paced by classic heroic action sequences. Supposedly Zelazny intended there to be ambiguity over whether this is “realistic” science fiction tale of post-apocalypse recovery or a fantasy of a superhero enacting mythic themes as the god Pan. Either way, it was a well written, engaging, and satisfying tale for me. Time for more Zelazny!

[Stephen · Rating 5 out of 5]

6.0 stars. I just re-read this classic by Roger Zelazny and I was very impressed. Not quite as good as Lord of Light (then again how many books are), but still a smart, well written and original science fiction story combining elements of post-apocalyptic science fiction, alien travelogue and mythic fiction.

BRIEF PLOT SUMMARY:

Many hundreds of years following a devastating nuclear war call "The Three Days," the Earth has a population of only four million and is infested with a variety of mutated lifeforms (some of which resemble mythological creatures and monsters). Humanity has joined the civilization of the Vegans, a race of blue-skinned aliens who now own much of Earth's real estate and have set up "vacation resorts" in order to tour the ancient attractions of Earth.

The story is told by Conrad Nomikos (aka Konstantin Kallikanzaros and many others) a man of "indeterminate" age with a very colorful past that he'd rather not talk about. Conrad is asked to give a tour to of Earth ruins to a Vegan VIP who may have an ulterior motive for taking such a tour. The rest is a superb ride that is all Zelazny.

Zelazny's imagination is amazing, his writing is excellent and Conrad is a great character. Bottom-line, this is a true classic, a great story and a lot of fun.

Winner: Hugo Award for Best Science Fiction Award (tied with Dune)(1966)

[Oleksandr Zholud · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first novel by Zelazny and for such it was quite successful – it won (tie-in with Dune) Hugo in 1966. It was read as part of Earth Day Challenge by Hugo & Nebula Awards: Best Novels Group. I re-read it in December 2023 as part of the monthly reads in the same group.

The mankind almost killed itself in a 'Three Day' nuclear war and now remnants of the population work for advanced alien civilization that made a tourist attraction and museum out of Earth. There is a great sentence, which encapsulates what happened: Armageddon has come-not with a bang, but a checkbook.

Our protagonist is the Commissioner of Arts, Monuments and Archives for the planet Earth, a sinecure he himself created. He is full of secrets, for once he is much older than his documents show and he isn’t entirely human. An alien request him for a tour. A journey of a strange company across places of ancient civilizations, where new strange beings emerged, follows. It is a solid early anti-colonialist fiction with an aloof alien, who visits to watch 'these savages and their artifacts'.

While his style hasn’t settle yet, it is easy to see his future themes, both fantasy (Nine Princes in Amber) and SF (Lord of Light) in this work. A classic example of what was called a New Wave in SF. Recommended.

“What are they doing?” asked Myshtigo. It was the first time I had seen him genuinely surprised.
“Why, they’re dismantling the great pyramid of Cheops,” I said.
After a time Red Wig asked it.
“Why?”
“Well now,” I told her, “they’re kind of short on building materials hereabouts, the stuff from Old Cairo being radioactive—so they’re obtaining it by knocking apart that old piece of solid geometry out there.”
“They are desecrating a monument to the past glories of the human race!” she exclaimed.
“Nothing is cheaper than past glories,” I observed. “It’s the present that we’re concerned with, and they need building materials now.”

[Peter Tillman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Zelazny in mythic romance mode, protag Conrad protecting his new bride Cassandra from the foggy foggy dew....

Great stuff, and an immediate resonance for this reader, even after many decades away. Published in an era when a complete novel was often well under 200 pp., or what today would be a long novella. Bravo!

Stalled at about p. 100, where I ceased (momentarily) to care about the Radpol irredentists. Hey, if Terrans are happy in their new homes, working for Vegans, how is this different than any other diaspora? Those are (basically) irreversible, though individuals may return to their ancestral homes. Why should I care?

Because there's a GREAT FIGHT SCENE coming up between Hasan & Conrad! If memory serves....

OK, this one works much better than it should. I guess I'll add a SERIOUS SPOILER notice .
1) Two testosterone-frenzy fights between Conrad (or whoever) and Hasan the Assassin. Both are exciting and well-written but COMPLETELY UNNECESSARY. Although fun to read, for fight-story fans.

2) The first fight was because Cassandra, Conrad's new wife, was killed in an earthquake (long story). Except: SHE WASN'T, and reappears to shoot the Black Beast of Thessaly with Conrad's elephant gun, "smiling faintly". Good timing, what? NOT ONE WORD of explanation as to where she'd been.

3) Well, you get the idea, Logical plotting and structure weren't high on Zelazny's priority list. Fortunately, he was one HELL of a storyteller, and the thing just hits you with Total Mythic Force!

I don't think this is the best place to start, if you are new to Zelazny. That would be "A Rose for Ecclesiastes", another Hugo winner. But this one's right up there.

History: first published (abridged) as a two-part series in F&SF, OCT-NOV 1965. Won Hugo for best novel, 1966. This was his first novel!

[A. Raca · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bilimkurgu, mitoloji, Yunanistan, aslında konu tam benlik.
Ama çeviride sanıyorum bir sıkıntı var.
....
Mitoloji ögeleriyle bezenmiş bir bilimkurgu kitabı. Bu yıl hepsini okuyarak kaşınmış bir insan olarak Dante, Homeros, Joyce'dan bahsedince 'heh,' dedim 'seni yalnız bırakmıyor bunlar!' :))
Her Kos sahillerinden bahsettiğinde eski pandemisiz günleri özledim. Biraz da Kios, Lesvos falan yazsaydı dedim. Dertlerim şimdilik bu kadar, kitaba dönersek;

Nükleer felaketler sonucu dünyanın bilindik halinden eser kalmamış, insan nüfusu çok az, başka gezegenlere göç edilmiş.
Karakterimiz Conrad ise ölmek üzere olan dünyada ölümsüz bir insan (Atinalı ayrıca). Kendini dünyayı korumaya adamış.
Vega gezegeninden gelen gazeteciye dünyayı gezdirme görevi alıyor. Ve bu mavi ırkın dünya üzerindeki amacını çözmeye çalışıyor.

🖖

[RJ - Slayer of Trolls · Rating 4 out of 5]

Roger Zelazny's first novel invokes Greek mythology in a future setting that is not quite post-apocalyptic despite taking place long after a nuclear war on Earth; it leans more toward "Dying Earth" than "Mad Max." Many traits that would become indicative of Zelazny's style in the future are present here, including snappy dialogue, a Byronic hero, plot twists that may or may not make sense, and plenty of ambiguity. Mostly though the book is loads of fun, and the Zelazny formula has a fresh feeling that wasn't always present in his later works.

[Manny · Rating 3 out of 5]

What Roger Zelazny did best was short stories, but he certainly wrote a lot of novels too. There was a period in the late 60s when his formula was to take a classic set of myths, and rework them as SF. He did Hindu and Buddhist mythology in Lord of Light (very good), and the Egyptian gods in Creatures of Light and Darkness (dull).

This Immortal is an SF retelling of the Hercules legend, and quite decent. It doesn't have the epic scope or the poetry of Lord of Light, but the Hercules character is sympathetic (he is also the narrator), and the story moves along nicely.

[Данило Судин · Rating 4 out of 5]

Лише перечитавши цей роман, я усвідомив цікаве співпадіння: в жовтні йому виповниться 60 років!
Втім, вперше я його прочитав приблизно 25 років тому, коли я ще був школярем.
Так, останні кілька років дозволяю собі перечитування творів, які вразили в юності. Деколи це на користь творам, деколи — ні. Цього року я перечитав Камю ("Стороннього" та "Чуму") — і був вражений їх глибиною, яку пропустив шолярем, а також Воннеґута ("Механічне піаніно") — і був розчарований.

З Желязни справа була ризикованою. Я вже перечитував його цикл про Амбер — і ледь здолав перший том ("Дев'ять принців Амбера"), але на другому ("Рушниці Авалону") я здався і збентежився: як підлітком я міг захопитися цим твором?!

"Цього безсмертного" я брав до рук з острахом: а раптом і тут все буде зле? Хоча я вже мало що пам'ятав. Тільки образ головного героя, постапокаліптичну Землю та те, що дія відбувається в Греції. Але твір запам'ятався мені, перш за все, атмосферою: дещо сумною і меланхолійною, але водночас сонячною і грецькою. Твір, де міфологія оживає!

Що ж... З одного боку, твір не розчарував. З іншого, він не вразив. Як би дивно це не звучало, але це затишна постапокаліптична фантастика. Затишна, бо загалом особливо нічого не відбувається, що збурювало б сильні емоції. Оскільки я не мав якихось особливих очікувань (нагадаю, що я "прийшов" бо меланхолійну, але сонячно-грецьку атмосферу ожилих міфів), то і не був розчарованим.

Але твір виявився доволі простим в техніці виконання. В Желязни є декілька фірмових прийомів:
1) відсилки / пасхалки / великодки;
2) ретелінг міфологічних / класичних сюжетів.

Чи піднімає Желязни складні ідеї (як його сучасники, наприклад, Дік, чи Бредбері, чи Волтер Міллер молодший)? Не зовсім. Я б сказав, що сила творів Желязни не в тому новому, що він хоче сказати, скільки в перекомбіновуванні вже відомого читач(к)ам. Якщо їм це невідомо, то більша частина "магії" зникає.
І тому я розумію, чому в підлітковому віці я був більше враженим. Тоді я розгадував відсилки/пасхалки і думав: "Ого, оце я розгадав авторський задум!" В мене було відчуття, що автор ставиться до мене з повагою: пишучи роман він вважав, що я справлюся і сам розгадаю всі відсилки! Зараз цей прийом — сам по собі! — не вражає. Якщо за цими відсилками стоїть дискусія чи полеміка — інша справа! Втім, Желязни використовує ці образи та символи просто як "слова". Це економить йому час і сили в поясненні, що це за герой, локація чи подія. Назва вже дає об'єкту "минуле", яке не обов'язково в тексті прописувати.

Тому в цьому романі ми зустрінемо давньогрецьких Прокруста, Діану, Ясона, Кассандру, але й Дос Пассоса (письменника, який на момент написання роману був живий!) та навіть Рамзеса (простого прораба в Єгипті) тощо. Деколи вони відповідають своєму імені, деколи — просто для колориту.

Але атмосфера! Ось це в творі затягує. І, звісно ж, метафора руїн, які потрібно не стільки реконструйовувати чи перетворювати в щось нове, скільки приймати їх такими, як вони є — і жити в них як в своєму домі. Несподівано це думка дуже суголосна "Грибу наприкінці світу" Анни Цзин. І виявляється, що Желязни випередив свій час років на 50 ("Гриб..." вийде в 2014).

Саме ці образи і атмосфера досі причаровують. І тому це чудовий атмосферний твір — якщо не задумуватися про сюжет та пасхалки. Чисте емоційне читання!

В цьому плані твір витримав випробування часом. І це радує!

І сталося це завдяки перекладачу — Денису Дьоміну, який ретельно та уважно підійшов до оригіналу, розгадав всі відсилки і до деяких залишив коментарі! Тому в цьому плані українському Желязни пощастило!

[Bülent Ö. · Rating 3 out of 5]

6,5/10

Dünya nükleer felaketler yüzünden yıkılmış harabe olmuş, insanlar başka gezegenlere göçmüşler hayatlarından da memnunlar. Yeryüzünde sadece değişime uğramış hayvanlar ve insanlar var, o yüzden hem tehlikeli hem de gizemli bir yere dönüşmüş. Bu durum onu başka gezegenlerin ırkları tarafından turistik bir durak olarak algılanmasına sebep olmuş. İnsanlar tarafındansa çok önemsenmeyen tarihi bir miras.

Hikayemiz Dünya'yı gezmek isteyen bir Vegalı (Vega gezegeninden gelen bir ırk) ve ona refakat eden bir ekibin etrafından şekilleniyor. Romanın baş kişisi bu ekibin lideri ve Dünya'daki tarihi mekanlardan sorumlu Conrad Nomikos. Hikayenin başında anlaşıldığı üzere ölümsüz, bu da onu işinde doğal olarak uzman yapıyor. Onun ölümsüzlüğü başka insanlar tarafından sezilen ama kanıtlanamayan bir olgu. Kendisi de gizliyor zaten.

Vegalı Dünya'yı gezerken ekibin başına gelmeyen kalmıyor, hepsi ölümle yüz yüze geliyor, en çok da Conrad. Siyasi meseleler yüzünden planlanan suikastler, güreşçi robotlar, değişim geçirmiş insanlar, devasa yaratıklar... Bu kısımlar büyük bir heyecanla okunuyor ve hızla kitabın sonuna geliniyor ama...

Bu karmaşa okur olarak beni rahatsız etti. Kitap, kullandığı temalar ve dil itibariyle hızlı değişimler gösteriyor. Ana bir tema olmaması da kitaba dair bir okuma tavrı geliştirmenizi engelliyor.

Sanki fantastik temalar işe koşmak istiyor yazar ama bir yandan da bilimkurgu sosu eklemek istiyor. Kabadayı bir tavırla "karar ver artık" diyecek değilim, böyle yazmak istemişse yazarı yargılayamam ama bu hız ve çeşitlilik kitabın akılda kalıcılığını azaltıyor.

Mesela Vega hükümetinin dünyanın bir çok bölgesini satın alması ve insanları Vega'ya kabul ederken onları mülteci konumuna düşürmesine dair siyasi rahatsızlık ve bu rahatsızlıktan doğan gizli bir örgüt var ama hikaye bunun üzerinde pek durmuyor.

Conrad ölümsüz ama neden, nasıl? Bunu anlatmak zorunda değil diyelim, peki kitabın sonunda ortaya çıkan işlev dışında bu ölümsüzlüğün kitaba katkısı ne?

Conrad'ın eşine duyduğu sevgi kitabın başında yoğun ama... Bir dakika tamam tamam her şey aydınlığa kavuştu. Conrad'ın Yunanlı olmasından anlamalıydım, ya da sürekli Yunan efsanelerine gönderme yapmasından.

Bu kitap Oydsseus destanının ya da evinden uzaklaşan kahramanın bin bir badire atlatarak yeniden eve dönmesinin zayıf bir tekrarı. Peki bir Yunan mitini bir bilimkurgu kitabına nasıl taşıyıp o efsanevi yaratıkları nasıl geri getireceğiz? Nükleer bir felaket sonucu Dünya harabeye dönerse ve bu küllerin içinden tavuklar mutasyon geçirip Anka Kuşu gibi ortaya çıkarsa bu destan için gerekenler hazırdır. Kitapta Anka Kuşu falan yok tabi ama değişime uğramış köpekler, timsahlar, yarasalar ve hatta ördekler var. İnsansılar, vampirler, zombiler bile var.

Conrad da güçlü kuvvetli, akıllı bir kahraman, hepsini alt edebilecek yetilere sahip. İşlem tamam. Kitap boyunca kahramanlıkla ilgili onlarca konuşma yapan Conrad açık açık formülü veriyor aslında:
"Pekala, Hasan, seni şanslı kerata,' dedim. Şu anda bir adet kendin-yap'lı Kahramanlık Modeli kazanmış durumdasın, canavarı da bedava. İyi şanslar." s. 140

Hatta kahramana eşlik eden roman kişileri bile bir formül üzere kurulmuş. Bu formül de açık açık dillendiriliyor Moreby tarafından:
"Eh, bizim de elimizde bir ozanın dili, iki amansız savaşçının kanı, çok seçkin bir bilim adamının beyni, ateşli bir siyasetçinin safralı karaciğeri, ve bir Vegalının ilginç renkteki eti var -" s. 136

Her ne kadar onlara kişilik verilmemişse de bu ekipte kadınlar da var: Ya erkeğe bağımlı ya da sinsiler. Klişe!

Aslından yazarın, yaptığı mitsel-cover'ı bu denli gözümüze sokması (her ne kadar ben geç anlasam da) kitaba bir mizah duygusu katıyor. Conrad da çok şakacı ve iğneleyici bir roman kişisi. Bu yüzden okurun bu karmaşanın içinden eğlenmiş çıkması olası.

Daha bahsedecek çok şey var ama ben de anlatırken karıştırdım, affedin, sizi kitaba dair karmaşık duygularla bırakıyorum.

Çeviri ve düzelti eki:

Kitabın çevirisi şahane, Sönmez Güven'in eli dili dert bulmasın. Sadece bir bariz hata gördüm "radio"nun "telsiz" yerine "radyo" şeklinde çevrilmesi gibi.

Bayıldığım yerlileştirmeler vardı:
"Trip and break your neck."
"Umarım boynun altında kalır." s. 138

"Therefore, we must plan an escape, else we will be served up on a chafing dish."
"Dolayısıyla, ya bir kaçış planı düzenleriz, ya da akşam yemeğine köftelik kıyma oluruz." s. 138

Procrustes kicked him several times, and me once for good measure.
Procrustes onu birkaç kez, hatırım kalmasın diye beni de bir kez tekmeledi. s. 153

Bu güzel karşılıkların yanında anlamadığım bir yerlileştirme vardı:
Hasan adındaki roman kişisi Conrad'ı (çok) eskiden beri tanıyor ve ona Conrad yerine Karacı diyor. Bunu anlamamıştım. Conrad o uzun ömründe bir çok isim almıştı ama Karacı ne demek? Özgün metne baktım: Karagee

Neden Karacı diye çevrilmiş anlamadım. Hasan, Conrad'la ilk karşılaştığında Conrad'ın adı Karaghiosis'miş, çevirmen bu ismi Karagozis şeklinde Türkçe'leştirmiş, olabilir, güzel bir karşılık.
Özgün metinde Karagee, Karaghiosis'in kısaltılmış hali muhtemelen. Dolayısıyla Karacı gibi Türkçe'si de anlamlı bir karşılık yerine Karagi kullanılabilirdi.

Off, buna mı taktın diyebilirsiniz, "işim gücüm yok" diye karşılık veririm.

Kitabın düzeltisi de çok iyiydi, sanırım sadece üç yerde yanlış yazımla karşılaştım. Şu anki yayınevlerinin Metis gibi nitelikli yayınevlerini örnek alması gerek. Bu kitap 17 yıl evvel böyle tertemiz yayınlanmış ama şimdi "büyük" dediğimiz bir çok yayınevi (örneğin İthaki), son okuma yapmadan yayınlayabiliyor bazı kitaplarını.

Milliyetçi ek:
"Karagozis eski Yunan gölge oyunundaki bir karakterin adıdır, Avrupa'nın Punch ve Judy oyunlarındaki Punch gibi. Kılıksızın ve soytarının tekiydi." s. 84

Yahu pes! Kahveye, baklavaya bizim dediniz, hadi neyse ama güzelim gölge oyunumuzu kaptırmayız!

[Ira (SF Words of Wonder) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Check out my full, spoiler free, video review HERE. Amazing premise, characters and writing but the ending fell just a bit short for me. The earth has been devastated by some sort of nuclear event, the humans and animals still on the planet are mutated due to the radiation. An alien race from Vega, called Vegans are fascinated that humans managed to pretty much wipe themselves out and use earth as a tourist destination. Our main character Conrad is tasked with taking an important Vegan on a tour of earth but knows there are some mysterious intentions behind his façade. This was a captivating read all the way through the 190 pages, I thoroughly enjoyed the book but the abrupt ending is what kept this from being a 5 star read for me. You should check it out.

[Ola G · Rating 5 out of 5]

10/10 stars

My full review on my blog.

Drat! Zelazny did it again! Or, to be precise, he did it in 1966 for the first time – winning a Hugo Award for his debut novel This Immortal in a tie in with Herbert’s Dune. Dune is known by almost everyone. It has a new, beautiful edition lovingly done by Folio Society, several movies based on its premises, etc. And what about This Immortal? It’s not even the most popular of Zelazny’s books, or best known – these titles probably go to the Amber series, or Lord of Light. I put This Immortal on my TBR list only after I found that Zelazny himself considered this novel as one of his favorites.

[...]

It’s a small, unprepossessing book less than 200 pages long (precisely 174 pages). Compared with most modern books it almost seems like a novelette, not a full-fledged novel. But don’t be misled by its length. One important thing about Zelazny is that he was first a poet. He excelled in short forms, and the majority of his novels is rather succinct. However, in no way does it affect their value or their deeply ingrained poetry. Zelazny was a master of words.

And this is exactly the case of This Immortal. The book was the first in a series of Zelazny ‘s very successful and original attempts at reinterpreting myths – from Greek mythology through Hindu and Buddhist, to Egyptian. The new spin, the new life Zelazny gave those myths underscores the importance of the story itself – in a very structuralist fashion. I’m sure Claude Lévy-Strauss would have been thrilled :).

[...]

It’s a great little story, fantastical and whimsical, with a tasty bit of social commentary. A real treat for Zelazny’s fans, and I’m not at all surprised it won the Hugo. You will enjoy it even if you’re not interested in Greek mythology. But for those who are, like me, This Immortal is a perfect read: there are countless allusions to the classical and pop culture, there are the new renderings of different Greek myths, there is wit and poetry and that bit of self-aware irony which over the years became Zelazny’s trademark.

There’s really nothing quite like someone’s wanting you dead to make you want to go on living.

It’s also a groundbreaking novel in some aspects; I can’t think of anybody who wrote sf or fantasy that way before Zelazny; his influence can be easily detected in many contemporary works, in the unique perspective where the story itself has the power to shape and change events.

Maybe it’s more difficult to find fault in a book so short, or maybe it just doesn’t have any – either way, I didn’t. It’s a crazy ride, dreamlike, phantasmagoric, chimerical and capricious like Conrad himself. It’s not for everyone; the reader is drawn into the book on equal rights with the author, invited to explore and discover, to create his own meanings – and that means it’s a demanding read as well. But if you decide to play along, the ultimate reward is more than worth it.

[Jeraviz · Rating 2 out of 5]

A pesar de que la trama a priori parecía interesante y que la nota media entre mis amistades era de 4.33 estrellas, no he conseguido conectar en ningún momento con la narración de Zelazny.

Por lo pronto, mezcla demasiados temas a la vez: conflicto nuclear, visitas turísticas de extraterrestres azules, un vampiro, mitos egipcios y griegos, desastres naturales... pero todo ello descrito desde el punto de vista del protagonista con una capa de indiferencia que no me ha permitido conectar. No dudo de la calidad literaria de Zelazny pero es el típico "no eres tú, soy yo". Tal vez en otro momento me hubiera gustado más. Me ha dado la sensación de que este libro esconde una historia con muchas capas pero que no he sabido ver.

Esta novela compartió el Premio Hugo de 1966 con Dune y, sin quitarle mérito literario, creo que la segunda ha sabido ser más accesible al gran público y actualizarse con el paso de los años.

[Dan · Rating 4 out of 5]

As you can tell from the title, This Immortal is about an immortal. The Earth is in bad shape after a three day nuclear exchange and most people have fled Earth for Vega where they are second class citizens. Conrad, the immortal of the title, is tasked with escorting a Vegan on a tour of various Earth ruins, accompanied by several other people, most of which want the Vegan dead and the Earthlings on Vega to come home.

Despite the length of time it took me to read this, I liked it a lot. The characters were interesting, especially Conrad and Hasan, the assassin tasked with killing the Vegan. The odd relationship beween Conrad and Hasan was probably my favorite part of the book. The ending was also a surprise, which is the highest honor I give a book these days.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

Πόση γοητεία μπορεί να εξασκήσει ένα βιβλίο γραμμένο το 1966, σε έκδοση του 1999, σε έναν αναγνώστη καθόλου εξοικειωμένο με επιστημονική φαντασία;
Εκ των υστέρων απαντώντας : πολλή γοητεία.
Το βιβλίο έπεσε σχεδόν τυχαία στα χέρια μου.
Το προόριζα για δώρο αλλά είπα να του ρίξω μια ματιά πριν το δώσω.
Εκείνο που μου τράβηξε περισσότερο την προσοχή ήταν το εξώφυλλο του : μια εικόνα αμυδρά γνωστή.
Κοίταξα τις εκδόσεις : Τρίτων.
Ο τίτλος ήταν διττός : "This Immortal" ή "... And Call Me Conrad" και δεν είχε καμία σχέση με τον ελληνικό τίτλο. Δεν διάβασα τον πρόλογο, για να μη χαλάσω τις εκπλήξεις. Η περιέργεια μου είχε κορυφωθεί.
Ο ήρωας του συγγραφέα, ο Κόνραντ, είναι ένας Έλληνας που έχει ταξιδέψει στο χρόνο, παραμένοντας αθάνατος. Μαχητής, έξυπνος, με άσβεστη μνήμη, υπέρμαχος αξιών, αλλά και λαϊκός, μοναχικός, συναισθηματικός και είρων. Αγαπά τα ερείπια μιας κατεστραμμένης Γης, αρνούμενος να συμβιβαστεί με το παρόν. Οι κυρίαρχοι είναι πλέον οι Βεγανοί, εξελιγμένα όντα που ζουν στον πλανήτη τους και έχουν αποικίσει και γειτονικούς πλανήτες. Για αυτούς η Γη, με γοητευτική ιστορία αιώνων, παίζει το ρόλο θέρετρου, στα μέρη που έχουν απομείνει και δεν έχουν υποστεί ολοκληρωτική καταστροφή από τη ραδιενέργεια.
Καθώς προχωρούσε η ανάγνωση, γύριζα προς το εξώφυλλο όλο και συχνότερα, στίβοντας το μυαλό μου, για το τί μου θυμίζει η εικόνα. Ο γρίφος λύθηκε σχετικά γρήγορα : το κτήριο της Βουλής! Και κάτω κάτω με ψιλά γράμματα "Vegans go home". Έκανα κάτι γέλια!
Ένας γεννημένος Αμερικανός, από Πολωνό πατέρα και Ιρλανδό-Αμερικανίδα μητέρα, γράφει το 1966 ένα βιβλίο, με Έλληνα ήρωα και πολλά ιστορικά και μυθολογικά στοιχεία, χωρίς να έχει πατήσει ποτέ το πόδι του στην Ελλάδα. Βάζει κάτω ένα χάρτη με τους δρόμους της Αθήνας και γράφει μια σκηνή στην πόλη.
Διαθέτει πλούσια φαντασία και γραφή ποιητική, συναισθηματικός αλλά πολλές φορές απαισιόδοξος και σκοτεινός, άλλοτε πάλι με χιούμορ και πειρακτική διάθεση.
Το βιβλίο απέσπασε το βραβείο Νέμπουλα εκείνης της χρονιάς. Σηματοδότησε την πορεία του Ζελάζνυ που είχε ήδη ξεκινήσει από το 1962 και συνέχισε ακούραστος και δημιουργικός, ακόμη και όταν είχε καρκίνο και έκανε κρυφά χημειοθεραπείες. Πίστευε ότι πρέπει να ζεις τη στιγμή και να χαίρεσαι τη ζωή χωρίς ανούσια ερωτηματικά και προβληματισμούς.
Στη σελίδα 117, δια στόματος του ήρωα του, Κόνραντ ή Κωνσταντίνου, λέει για την Ελλάδα.
"Είναι η πατρίδα μας. Οι Γότθοι, οι Ούννοι, οι Βούλγαροι, οι Σέρβοι, οι Φράγκοι, οι Τούρκοι και τελευταία οι Βεγανοί, ποτέ δε μπόρεσαν να μας την πάρουν. Η Αθήνα κι εγώ έχουμε αλλάξει κάπως, μαζί. Η γη της Ελλάδας όμως είναι πάντα η γη της Ελλάδας και δεν αλλάζει. Προσπάθησε να την αλλάξεις, όποιος κι αν είσαι, και οι κλέφτες μου θα πάρουν τα βουνά και τους λόφους, σαν τους χθόνιους εκδικητές των αρχαίων καιρών. Εσύ θα σβήσεις, αλλά οι λόφοι της Ελλάδας θα μείνουν, χωρίς ν' αλλάξουν, με τη μυρουδιά του καμένου κατσικίσιου κρέατος, με ανακατωμένο το κρασί και το αίμα, με μια γεύση από γλυκά αμύγδαλα, έναν δροσερό αέρα τη νύχτα και ουρανούς γαλάζιους όσο και τα μάτια των θεών την ημέρα. Άγγιξέ τα, αν τολμάς".

[Kevin Lopez (on sabbatical) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Roger Zelazny was a mad, beautiful genius. He was (and remains, 25+ years after his passing) the only author who could ever think up - not to mention successfully tell! - such a batshit crazy story as This Immortal, and do it with so much wit, humor, and verve; packing it with heart-pounding action, mythological allusion, and insanely inventive, high-flown science-fictional concepts; and then totally sticking the landing! And - and!- bringing it all in in under two-hundred damn pages! The guy was a magician, some species of wizard or magus, is the only explanation I can conjure (yes, yes, pun intended; I know it was low-hanging fruit but I couldn’t resist!).

This Immortal, if my intel is correct, split the Hugo Award for Best Novel with none other than Frank Herbert’s record-breaking bestseller Dune, which many fans of sci-fi would probably balk at, before incredulously asking, “wait, what’s This Immortal?” As for me (blasphemy of blasphemies!—flutter the dovecoats!!) I can see exactly why the Hugos decided that This Immortal deserved to be recognized and honored on an equal footing with Dune (them not knowing at the time, of course, that Dune would go on to become the Bible of science fiction, sales-wise). And though they may be retroactively face-palming, I for one think that Zelazny’s This Immortal belongs on the same level as Dune, or of any of the other classic sff novels that are consistently ranked in all the Top (insert arbitrary number here) lists.

Now, if this isn’t your first time reading Zelazny, you should definitely read one of his other books before jumping into this. My first Zelazny recommendation is always Lord of Light. It’s probably his strongest work (This Immortal was Zelazny’s FIRST novel!! Can you believe that?? I can’t!) Lord of Light is a different sort of story, and it has the more controlled style of a more experienced writer. It shares with This Immortal, though, the same affinity for ancient mythological references and themes. Whereas Lord of Light focuses on Hindu and Buddhist mythoi, This Immortal takes on Greek myth, legend, and folklore. And Zelazny pulls off both with unsurpassed excellence and aplomb.

Admittedly, I had some reservations after the first ten or twenty pages of this book, thinking to myself, “what the #%&@ is going on here??” But holy Moses!—I will never doubt Zelazny again. I put myself in his hands here, and he delivered - in a big way.


Five out of five stars for blowing my damn mind. Again.

[Kalin · Rating 4 out of 5]

How could you not love Zelazny, for gems like these:

Phil (...) had not always been the wielder of the bladeless sword without a hilt

Or:

As Commissioner of Arts, Monuments and Archives, I received special considerations. I got The Suite: Number 19.

It wasn’t exactly the way I’d left it. It was clean and neat.

The little metal plate on the door said:

This suite was the headquarters of Konstantin Karaghiosis during the founding of the Radpol and much of the Returnist Rebellion.

Inside, there was a plaque on the bedstead which read: Konstantin Karaghiosis slept in this bed.

In the long, narrow front room I spotted one on the far wall. It said: The stain on this wall was caused by a bottle of beverage, hurled across the room by Konstantin Karaghiosis, in celebration of the bombing of Madagascar.

Believe that, if you want to.

Konstantin Karaghiosis sat in this chair, insisted another.

I was really afraid to go into the bathroom.

(To appreciate the latter, you should know that the first person narrator is--or used to be, at some point of his rather long life--said Konstantin Karaghiosis.)

Great erudition, great action scenes, great word-fu, great fun, and not too much of that all-pervading sense of loss which all-pervades many of Zelazny's later books ... what's there not to love?

[Иван Величков · Rating 5 out of 5]

Първият роман на Зелазни и един от моите най-любими(не че не ги харесвам всичките, дори съвместните). Чудесна история, развиваща се в бъдещето. Главният герой е подложен на редица изпитания, повтарящи до някъде херкулесовите подвизи. Принуден е да стане екскурзовод на едно извънземно, чиято раса "помага" на изостаналото загиващо човечество. Има мутирали чудовища, канибали, сатири, пророчества, разглобяване на пирамиди, меланхолични извънземни и роботи бойци.
Авторът се закача много леко с древногръцките произведения, прави няколко реверанса към други класики и митологии. Героите му(и второстепените) са много добре развити. Светът, след няколко ядрени конфликта и не само, е страшно жив и ярък. Финалът е като в древногръцка драма...
Като порасна искам да стана Роджър Зелазни, друго не мога да кажа.

[Bart · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF at 55%

The writing felt stale, artificial & lifeless. Aliens that were just blue humans. The mystery whether Conrad is a god or not didn't interest me. Psychologically not convincing. Typical stuff of nuclear radiation that gives rise to mutated beasts. Random vibe at times.

Seems like it is well loved though. Some praise its poetic language. I didn't really see that, even though the prose is not bad. Overall, it never connected with me. I felt the same about Lord of Light.

Either way, Conrad is no Corwin - now that was a character I instantly connected with.

[Nate · Rating 3 out of 5]

Conrad, an immortal (demigod?) signs on to take a vegan (the planet, not the diet)
On a guided tour of a post-apocalyptic earth.
The vegan’s purpose is mysterious and some people fear that the vegans want to buy earth (which still has some nice tourist attractions). Conrad has sworn to protect the alien from friend and foe alike.
This was a good read, lots of action with monsters and mutants, it’s a bit of an age of heroes revival. The world building and character are well done considering it’s a pretty short book. It seems intentionally ambiguous exactly how long Conrad has been kicking around, there’s a lot of references to Greek mythology that insinuate he may have known the pantheon of Olympian gods.
If you like the Greek myths you’ll definitely be into it, I was glad that I recently read mythos by Stephen Fry because Zelazny doesn’t hold your hand on his references.

I knew this was a Hugo winner but when I learned that it tied with dune I was a bit surprised and it definitely influenced my expectations going in.
That said there’s no comparison, the books are very different though Dune has reached dizzying heights of popularity in the general zeitgeist, this immortal isn’t known well outside of science fiction readers.
Zelazny has an interesting style, he often draws from myth and religion. This is the fourth book I’ve read from him and I haven’t been disappointed yet.

[Selma Šljuka · Rating 3 out of 5]

Konačno je i Zelazny stigao na red za čitanje i ne znam zašto je pvo prva knjiga koju sam završila, ali... Jako simpatična knjiga, kratka ali nadasve zanimljiva. Vjerovatno može i 4* al sigurna sam da ću pročitati i nešto bolje pa... Al dopao mi se. Baš...

[Althea Ann · Rating 3 out of 5]

It shared the Hugo with Dune the year it came out. While it was an entertaining book (I think it was Zelazny's first novel), it is NOT as good as Dune. Sorry.

[sologdin · Rating 1 out of 5]

I can usually understand why a text wins a Hugo--but not here. What starts as pausanian travelogue for an extraterrestrial ends up apollonian struggle with neo-mythical creatures arising out of a nuked wasteland. Random adventures in wilderness, hints of deep past, never realized. Pointless encounters like an RPG. Narrator may be a mutant or a demigod; it's all very nebulous. But either way, who cares? Ultimately and expressly affirms feudal property tenure over revolutionary politics. Barf.

[fromcouchtomoon · Rating 4 out of 5]

The post-apoc setting and myth-building is fantastic enough to drown out the tiringly stoic and macho tone of the otherwise funny protagonist, but the overreliance on deus ex machina (I know, I know, I get the point in this "is it fantasy? is it sci-fi? is it myth?" novel, but still) and the cheesy and prolonged character wrap up dulled what could have been a perfect little novel.

[Alazzar · Rating 5 out of 5]

[Originally read September 20-21, 2010]

I should start by noting that I didn't read the full version of this novel -- instead, I read the abridged one that first appeared in two parts in the Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction. This is the actual version which won the Hugo Award, and as much as I would have liked to find the full version, my library system didn't have it, so I had to settle for the abridged one, found in Volume 2 of the Collected Stories of Roger Zelazny: Power and Light.

All that being said, I just finished the book, and I'm tired, but I still pulled myself out of bed and turned the computer on so I could write this review. 'Cause damn it, Zelazny was so good that he's worth the extra bit of effort.

I'm not really sure what to say about this book. If you'd asked me if I liked sci-fi half a year ago, I would have told you to take your phaser and shove it up your (_(_). (Set phasers to: buns!) Ok, I may not have been that aggressive about it, but the idea of spaceships and aliens didn't really appeal to me. Then I started reading Zelazny's brand of SF, starting with Lord of Light, The Doors of His Face, the Lamps of His Mouth, and now this. I can now say I'm a sci-fi fan, and it's all Zelazny's fault.

I think the important thing about Zelazny's brand of SF is that it's not about the blasters, or the spaceships, or the bizarre alien races. It's about people. It's about how they interact with other people, who may or may not be human. It's about what could happen if the Earth were a little different, or if we were on a planet that was just a little different than Earth. I guess it's more subtle SF, and that's what makes it good.

Zelazny once again creates a story that makes no goddamn sense to me for the first five pages, but becomes a work of art by the end. (And then, when I'm finished, I read those 5 pages again and suddenly all is clear.) While it's true that all of his protagonists seem to have some amount of similarity, I'm OK with that, because I like the archetype: an intelligent, powerful guy who sticks up for what he believes in and won't take crap from anybody. But he's also got a soft side, on occasion.

Conrad is made even more memorable than some of Zelazny's other characters simply because of his physical appearance. Two differently colored eyes, a fungus on his cheek that looks like a "map of Africa," a right foot that wears a reinforced boot because that leg is too short, and some other details I'm probably forgetting. Conrad just doesn't look like your standard hero, and that's part of what makes him so interesting.

Although I was left a little unsure of exactly what's going on throughout the book, by the time the denouement rolled around, I was quite pleased with how things worked out. Mind you, that's not a spoiler, because I like happy endings just as much as the tragic ones. So it could be either, and you won't know until you read it. =P

All in all, a great book. If you've read it before but haven't read the version from Power and Light, I'd recommend doing so -- Power and Light (once again, the 2nd volume in the Collected Stories of Roger Zelazny) has some awesome notes at the end of the story that just give it even more layers of delight.

Oh, and did I mention that Zelazny once again blended SF with fantasy and mixed in a heap of mythology (this time Greek)? 'Cause he did. And it was awesome, just like it was in Lord of Light.

RIP, Roger. Thanks for all the great stories.

[Re-reading September 21-24, 2013]

Still an awesome book. Still love Conrad.