Lord of the Fantastic: Stories in Honor of Roger Zelazny

College of Mystery #1 - Lethe

by Martin H. Greenberg (Editor), Fred Saberhagen (Introduction), Thomas F. Monteleone

From the first appearances of Roger Zelazny's short fiction in the early 1960s—remarkably original stories such as the memorable A Rose for Ecclesiastes, many of which are now recognized as classics—it was clear that a dazzling new genius had burst into the field of speculative literature.

Over the years, that shining talent burned brighter in novels such as Lord of Light, The Dream Master, and Creatures of Light and Darkness...works whose lyrical prose, masterful plotting and unique blend of timeless myth with cutting-edge science won Zelazny the acclaim of readers and critics alike—as well as six Hugos and three Nebulas. In the groundbreaking Amber books, he turned to fantasy, creating one of the most beloved series of all time.

Sadly, Roger Zelazny was taken from us too soon. But his genius blazes on—not only in his own enduring fiction, but also in the work of fellow authors influenced by his example and touched by his friendship. Now twenty-five of those writers—including some of the most acclaimed names in SF and fantasy—come together to pay tribute to Roger Zelazny with original stories evoking the magic and wonder of his own best work.

Genres: Fantasy, Science Fiction, Fiction, Short Stories, Anthologies, Science Fiction Fantasy, Contemporary

480 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published September 1, 1998

About the author

Martin Harry Greenberg was an American academic and speculative fiction anthologist. In all, he compiled 1,298 anthologies and commissioned over 8,200 original short stories. He founded Tekno Books, a packager of more than 2000 published books. In addition, he was a co-founder of the Sci-Fi Channel.

For the 1950s anthologist and publisher of Gnome Press, see Martin Greenberg.

Reviews

[Jim]

When Roger Zelazny died in 1995, it was a shock to the world, including many of his friends. He was a healthy, active man & never complained about the cancer that ate him up so quickly. Over the years it's become apparent that he touched a lot of authors' lives & this book is a tribute to him. Each author has a short afterword about how Zelazny touched their lives. If you're a fan of any of these authors &/or Zelazny, this is worth reading. If you've never heard of any of them, this is a great introduction to some of the very best.

Unfortunately, the stories I liked the least were early in the book, but they generally got better as they went along.

Fred Saberhagen's introduction was interesting. As a friend & co-writer, he knew Zelazny well. I don't think I learned anything new, but it was fun & interesting.

LETHE by Walter Jon Williams was too long, but had an interesting point to it, especially in light of recent discoveries about memory. The March 2012 issue of Wired Magazine had an article called The Forgetting Pill Erases Painful Memories Forever. I think Williams could & should have made his point more succinctly, but it was worth reading even if it does take up too much of the book. Several other authors could have had story instead. Not an auspicious beginning. 3 stars.

THE STORY ROGER NEVER TOLD by Jack Williamson was a far better tribute to Zelazny. It was short, quirky, stars Zelazny, & might explain why he wrote the way he did. 5 stars.

THE SOMEHOW NOT YET DEAD by Nina Kiriki Hoffman is a wonderful SF horror story. Like any good horror or Zelazny story, it haunts me, leaves me wondering & thinking about it. This is just a slice of what else is there. 5 stars.

CALLING PITTSBURGH by Steven Brust isn't my favorite but it wasn't bad. It just smacks a bit too much of 'Cowboy Feng's'. 3 stars

IF I TAKE THE WINGS OF MORNING by Katharine Eliska Kimbriel has a quote that I had to add to GR:When will we learn we are Human first, and that all other names are merely changes of clothing? Marvelous! As for the story itself, it was pretty good. 4 stars.

KI’RIN AND THE BLUE AND WHITE TIGER by Jane M. Lindskold An interesting love story well told. 4 stars.

THE ERYX by Robert Sheckley was creepy, but thankfully I liked it better than Sheckley & Zelazny's collaborations. 4 stars.

SOUTHERN DISCOMFORT by Jack C. Haldeman II was a fun idea with a fairy in it. 4 stars.

SUICIDE KINGS by John J. Miller was touching & well done on several levels. 4 stars.

CHANGING OF THE GUARD by Robert Wayne McCoy &Thomas F. Monteleone was a very good story, but the afterwords were even better. Both share some good stuff about Zelazny, but Monteleone really shows us the human side. 5 stars.

THE FLYING DUTCHMAN by John Varley airplane travel can be hell & a horror. Wow. No afterword about Roger, though. 4 stars.

NINEKILLER AND THE NETERW by William Sanders was great. Gods make great comedy & the afterword was excellent, especially for those of us who remember that bar in its heyday.

CALL ME TITAN by Robert Silverberg was a perfect requiem for Zelazny & more fun with old gods. 5 stars

THE OUTLING by Andre Norton was good, a typical Norton short, a morality story. Enjoyable. 4 stars.

ARROYO DE ORO by Pati Nagle is a murder mystery. It was well written, but nothing special. 3 stars.

BACK IN “THE REAL WORLD” by Bradley H. Sinor an interesting Indian & Vietnam tale focusing on living with death. 4 stars.

MAD JACK by Jennifer Roberson was fun & sad & wonderful. I wish I could say more, but I can't without a spoiler. 5 stars.

MOVERS AND SHAKERS by Paul Dellinger is a neat story with a A Night in the Lonesome October feel to it. The afterword is funny & well worth reading. 5 stars.

THE HALFWAY HOUSE AT THE HEART OF DARKNESS by William Browning Spencer is a wonderful story about future addiction & commercialism. 5 stars.

ONLY THE END OF THE WORLD AGAIN by Neil Gaiman is about Larry Talbot from Zelazny's 'Lonesome October' sort of. The afterword explains that & much more. Fantastic, 5 stars. The afterword deserves another 5 stars. Gaiman concludes with, "...There are many of us who would not have begun to write, if we had not read Roger’s stories: the bastard writer-children of Roger Zelazny are a huge and motley group, with little else in common. I’m proud to be one of them." Wow! What a testament to the man.

SLOW SYMPHONIES OF MASS AND TIME by Gregory Benford has this delightful quote in it, "Any technology distinguishable from magic is insufficiently advanced.” a fun turn of Clark's phrase. A pretty good story, although a bit long for what it contained, I thought. 4 stars.

ASGARD UNLIMITED by Michael A. Stackpole started off pretty good, but nothing too special, then swapped ends & became great. 5 stars.

WHEREFORE THE REST IS SILENCE by Gerald Hausman was excellent, especially if you've read Wilderness which is the book referenced in this, a story about Zelazny where fact & fiction blend as easily & naturally as Zelazny blended SF & fantasy. Super! 5 stars

If you average up the stars, it's a 4 star book, but as a collection it is greater than the sum of its parts. As a testament to Zelazny, it deserves the highest rating possible.

[Gala]

Тут дуже багато хороших авторі та хороших оповідань, але чи не більше заних мені сподобалися перед- та післімови авторів на шану Желязни. В них так багато теплих та тужливих слів що я плакала мале не після кожного.

[Reader]

I read a lot of Roger Zelazny when I was younger and was a big fan.
I am not a fan of this book of short stories written to honour him. Collections of short stories are full of hits and misses. There were too many misses for me to finish the book.

[Jacob Guy Segalov]

Nice collection on stories, some better than others.
• Lethe – so many ideas and philosophical questions. Seems like a great episode of Black mirror. 7/10
• The story Roger never told – I thought that the agents are from Amber or other Zelazny's story. 7/10
• The somehow not yet dead – Wonderful little story that capture Zelazny's spirit ( or ghost 😊). 9/10
• Calling Pittsburg – There is a thin line between profiling and racism.
• If I take the wings of morning – Nice try to adept Hopi myths. 6/10
• Ki'rin and the blue and white tiger – You can easily believe that Zelazny loved this story (Another adaptation of ancient mythology). 8/10
• Eyrx – Good pace, lovely anti-hero. 9/10
• Southern discomfort – Wickedly funny. 10/10
• Suicide kings – Original, smart, pinches the heart of every Zelazny's fan. 10/10
• Changing the guard – A match everyone would like to see. 8/10
• The flying Dutchman – Mediocre episode of Twilight zone. 5/10
• Ninekiller and the neterw – One of Zelazny's trademarks is the banality of the divine. This story is representative of it. 9/10
• My name is Titan – My favorite piece by Silverberg. 9/10
• The outling – Predictable but has a flow. 7/10
• Arroyo de Oro – Good detective story. Kept expecting something fantastic to happen. 8/10
• Back in the "real world" – Serious subject, delt with respect. 7/10
• Mad Jack – Don't get it. 4/10
• Movers and shakers – It was fun guessing who the characters are. Love to read longer version. 10/10
• The halfway house in the heart of darkness – Unfortunately too close to life. 9/10
• Only the end of the world again – Zelazny + lovercraft = Gaiman. 9/10
• Slow symphony of mass and time – So slow. Good idea, bad execution. 5/10
• Asgard Unlimited – Cool twist on old theme. 9/10

[Joy H.]

Added 7/20/12.
FROM THE GR REVIEW: "... twenty-five ... writers -- including some of the most acclaimed names in SF and fantasy -- come together to pay tribute to Roger Zelazny with original stories evoking the magic and wonder of his own best work."

See the following review by Jim:
http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...
Jim's review contains an excellent reading list of the short stories (included in this collection) written by the authors who were influenced by Zelazny..

The GR book description describes Zelazny's writing with the following words:
=======================================
"Over the years, that shining talent burned brighter in novels such as Lord of Light, The Dream Master, and Creatures of Light and Darkness...works whose lyrical prose, masterful plotting and unique blend of timeless myth with cutting-edge science won Zelazny the acclaim of readers and critics alike..."
=======================================

I wrote the following at my group in July 2012:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
So far I've read only one of the short stories: "Only the End of the World Again", written by Neil Gaiman. It was about a werewolf, as far as I could figure out. I didn't get it. Not much plot. Pretty gory stuff! (What was that part about "under the sea", in italics, all about? A dream? What did it mean?) (I didn't understand the meaning of the title either.)

NOTE: Jim of my group explained the parts I didn't understand. I then wrote the following:

Jim, I've studied the links you provided to help me better understand the short story by Neil Gaiman about Larry Talbot the Wolf Man (werewolf). I was vaguely aware of "The Wolf Man" movie (1941) but didn't realize that the name of the Wolf Man was Larry Talbot.

I also now understand the title of Neil Gaiman's short story, "Only the End of the World Again". It's a reference to Zelazny's novel A Night in the Lonesome October. Wiki explains: "... should the Openers succeed, then the Great Old Ones will come to Earth, to remake the world in their own image". http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Night_...

Also, I now understand the part about "under the sea". It was a reference to "a malevolent entity trapped in an underwater city", as explained in a Wiki article. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cthulhu

As you say, the reader must understand the references in order to appreciate the story.

I read the short story, "The Outling", by Andre Norton, which you recommended (from the Lord of the Fantastic short story collection). I found that story easier to understand, about a half-human, half-wolf child trying to survive among humans. As you said in your review, it's a "morality story". It brings out one's sympathies as the child tries to be loyal while risking his own life."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

8/6/12 - I read another short story from this book. The title of the story is "Lethe". Lethe is a technique which enables man to live forever by programming his mind and genes. Reproduction is done differently. The concept is fascinating but I couldn't get into the story. I skimmed a bit but never finished. I will struggle on to find a story in the book which is more my level.
NOTE: Below is what Jim wrote about the story "Lethe":
LETHE by Walter Jon Williams was too long, but had an interesting point to it, especially in light of recent discoveries about memory. The March 2012 issue of Wired Magazine had an article called "The Forgetting Pill Erases Painful Memories Forever". I think Williams could & should have made his point more succinctly, but it was worth reading even if it does take up too much of the book. Several other authors could have had story instead. Not an auspicious beginning. 3 stars.
I too thought the story was too long If it could have been boiled down, I might have been able to digest it. -Joy

[Princessjay]

1. LETHE - Walter Jon Williams. 2 STARS. Humans who split themselves into clones, then shared memories and adventures vicariously... Interesting idea, but execution struck me as occasionally tedious and annoying.

2. THE STORY ROGER TOLD - Jack Williamson. 1 STAR. I'm at a loss as to how this piece of...speculative fiction...could have gotten published.

3. THE SOMEHOW NOT YET DEAD - Nina Kiriki Hoffman. 4 STARS. A whimsically strange tale of how colonists could change to adapt to a new planet.

4. CALLING PITTSBURGH - Steven Brust. 2 STARS. Full of inexplicable references to poker, played for astronomical stakes. Perhaps may be more enjoyable had I more insider knowledge?

5. IF I TAKE THE WINGS OF MORNING - Katharine Eliska Kimbriel.

[Tom]

I am re-reading this book, yet again. Since Zelazny is my favorite author, I had to check out this tribute book. And since I was looking to find new science fiction authors, this seemed like an excellent place to look. I enjoyed the book very much. Most of the stories are in the same vein as Zelazny, in some way or another. Most are good, many are very good. "Lethe", the leading short story by Walter John Williams, is excellent, and will get your mind cranking on the philosophy of loss. Linskold's "Ki'rin and the Blue and White Tiger is also excellent, a mix of mysticism and fantasy. The tribute sections - after each story the author tells how he knew Zelazny - show a wonderful man taken from us way too early.

[Mattr]

To mark myself as a total helpless case, this book moves me to the edge of tears. Zelazny's parting - and the things that his friends said of him - hits home for me, with the sense of his influence clear in every story. His impact on his fellow writers in style, thought, and emotion is shown here. It felt to me like the entire spectrum of Roger Zelazny's works - from his experimental novels to deep space, human spirit to the madness of deities - was given eulogy by the hands of others to prove that a great artist can be gone but not forgotten.

[Snail in Danger (Sid) Nicolaides]

I forget why I got this from the library originally ... looking for more stories by Katharine Eliska Kimbriel after reading something of hers in another collection, perhaps? Anyway, it has an impressive lineup, but I'm just not in the mood to read a short story collection and deal with the need for rapid focus/mood/setting shifts. I read the stories by Steven Brust, Walter Jon Williams, and Jack Williamson, but the rest will have to wait.

[Adam]

My biggest problem with this collection is that I think my favorite of the short stories may have been the first one, so it was a bit front loaded. But there were some other very good ones, and it was a nice breath of fresh Zelazny-esque air in a world that is sadly deprived of Zelazny. I would strongly recomment it to anyone even nearly as Zelazny obsessed as I am, and would happily hand it to someone who just wanted some good short stories to read.

[Katharine Kimbriel]

Lots of great stories in here. I really enjoyed the mythology of Jane Lindskold's tale. My end-of-the-world-beginning-of-the-next-world tale is in this collection.

[Noah Rozov]

I've read Robert Sheckley's The Eryx. Story of 1998.