What do you think?
Rate this book
Shadows & Reflections
'Shadows & Reflections' is the Roger Zelazny tribute anthology you've been waiting for. Here are stories that are not just inspired by Roger Zelazny, but stories set in universes created by Roger Zelazny. Finding 'Shadows & Reflections' is like discovering a new Zelazny collection full of old friends that you thought you'd never see again. You'll find stories set in many of your favorite universes: Lord of Light, Isle of The Dead, Madwand, Creatures of Light and Darkness, and Jack of Shadows, to name only a few.
George R.R. Martin introduces the anthology and Roger's daughter, Shannon Zelazny, provides an afterword. Both provide insight into the wonderful and complex man that Roger Zelazny was.
Contributors include Steven Brust, Kelly McCullough, Mark Rich, Jane Lindskold, Gio Clairval, Edward J. McFadden III, Steve Perry, Gerald Hausman, Warren Lapine, Theodore Krulik, Lawrence Watt-Evans, Michael H. Hanson, and Shariann Lewitt.
Also included as a special treat is a very rare Roger Zelazny story.
This anthology was edited by Roger's son, Trent Zelazny, a Nightmare Award winner, and Warren Lapine, who has been nominated for both the Hugo and World Fantasy Awards. You will not soon forget this outstanding anthology.
Roger Zelazny was a science fiction and fantasy writer best known for his ten book series the Chronicles of Amber. He was a six time Hugo Award winner and a three time Nebula Award winner. He published more than 50 novels in his lifetime. His first novel, This Immortal, won the Hugo for best novel, a shorter version of the book entitled "...And Call Me Conrad" had already won the Hugo Award for best novella. Lord of Light, his second novel, won the Hugo Award and was nominated for the Nebula Award. In 1970, Nine Princes in Amber, the first of his ten book Amber series, was published. This series would garner him an international following. He died in 1995 at the age of 58. Zelazny's impact on the science fiction and fantasy landscape cannot be overstated as he influenced many of today's top selling authors.
George R.R. Martin introduces the anthology and Roger's daughter, Shannon Zelazny, provides an afterword. Both provide insight into the wonderful and complex man that Roger Zelazny was.
Contributors include Steven Brust, Kelly McCullough, Mark Rich, Jane Lindskold, Gio Clairval, Edward J. McFadden III, Steve Perry, Gerald Hausman, Warren Lapine, Theodore Krulik, Lawrence Watt-Evans, Michael H. Hanson, and Shariann Lewitt.
Also included as a special treat is a very rare Roger Zelazny story.
This anthology was edited by Roger's son, Trent Zelazny, a Nightmare Award winner, and Warren Lapine, who has been nominated for both the Hugo and World Fantasy Awards. You will not soon forget this outstanding anthology.
Roger Zelazny was a science fiction and fantasy writer best known for his ten book series the Chronicles of Amber. He was a six time Hugo Award winner and a three time Nebula Award winner. He published more than 50 novels in his lifetime. His first novel, This Immortal, won the Hugo for best novel, a shorter version of the book entitled "...And Call Me Conrad" had already won the Hugo Award for best novella. Lord of Light, his second novel, won the Hugo Award and was nominated for the Nebula Award. In 1970, Nine Princes in Amber, the first of his ten book Amber series, was published. This series would garner him an international following. He died in 1995 at the age of 58. Zelazny's impact on the science fiction and fantasy landscape cannot be overstated as he influenced many of today's top selling authors.
242 pages, Hardcover
First published June 26, 2017
61 people are currently reading
107 people want to read
About the author
Trent Zelazny
38 books120 followersTrent Zelazny was an American author of crime, horror, and fantastical fiction.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
February 24, 2018
First off, some general comments:
* I think I read GRRM's introduction somewhere before, but it was an enjoyable re-read nevertheless.
* The outro, by Zelazny's daughter Shannon, was probably my favorite part of the book.
* Some (few) of the stories had short introductions by the authors... some didn't. Some context would have elevated the anthology - why did the authors choose to write in this universe? how did Zelazny's work influence them? Instead, we just got... mostly mediocre fan fiction.
* Yeah, most of the stories are not good. I really, really struggled to finish this. I need to read some actual Zelazny to cleanse my brain.
* I think that the whole thing would have worked much better if the authors had been told to write in Zelazny's style, not in his universes.
******
Second, the stories:
Playing God by Steven Brust - A Sandow story and a good Zelazny pastiche with gods, cigars and offscreen events.
Keeper of the Keys by Kelly McCullough - Set in the world of Madwand, of which I remember exactly nothing (probably because of wasn't a very good book). Well-written story, but too traditional fantasy for my taste.
And Fountains Flow by Mark Rich - A fairly pointless sequel to The Graveyard Heart. Meh.
The Headless Flute Player by Jane Linskold - Set in the world of Lord Demon (I think) and probably the only story in this book that is not straight fan fiction (since JL actually was a part of the original novel). Not a bad story, but not something I'd reread... just like the novel itself.
Creatures of Foam and Mist by Gio Clairval - This very short story feels very unfinished, but I liked the writing. I just don't understand why it didn't get a proper ending (or a middle, for that matter).
Doorways In Time by Edward J. McFadden III - I have no idea what was going on here. Nikola Tesla something, but I admit I forgot a lot of Doorways in the Sand.
Coda by Steve Perry - Some characters from Lord of Light meet again. Nothing much happens.
Nights in the Gardens of Blue Harbor by Gerald Hausman - As far as I could tell, this story has nothing to with Roger Zelazny except the fact that Hausman and Zelazny were friends and discussed Hausman's idea. I have no problem with the writing (except that, after 10+ years of World of Warcraft, the Jamaican patois looked like troll-speak to me... but that's not the author's fault). The story was unmemorable - some dude looks for a statue and then finds it. OK I guess?
The Night Heirs by Warren Lupine - Considering that the author is one of the guys in charge of the anthology, I wasn't expecting much, but this turned out to be a fun and funny little story. For what it's worth, it's a sequel to Night Kings, which I either never read or forgot. It starts in a magic apparel store staffed by Vic, a guy with a delightful mental flowchart of determining what tools the buyer needs (does the vampire sparkle? if yes, Book of Mormon is better than the Bible; is the dwarf part of a group of seven or thirteen? if seven, the Whistle While You Work pack; if thirteen, the Misty Mountain package). Eventually, there is a woman, a love story and a duel. While - as far as I can tell - the story parallels the original fairly closely, so most of the innovative parts were actually Zelazny's doing, it's a very enjoyable pastiche, unlike many of the other stories in this book.
There Shall Be No Moon by Roger Zelazny - Why do we suddenly get an actual Zelazny in this anthology? No idea. It's not one of his best stories, anyway. Byron and Shelley summon Shakespeare.
Halflife by Theodore Krulik - I don't think this is a sequel to anything, because the main character is a writer called Roger, but it reads like there *is* a backstory that I was supposed to know... which is a very Zelazny thing, so the story works in that regard. Not the best I've read, but definitely enjoyable.
The Lady of Shadow Guard by Lawrence Watt-Evans - Set in the universe of Jack of Shadows, but it's not about Jack. Instead, it's about Rosalie, who waits for Jack. Nothing to complain about here - short, to the point, well-written. Probably much more enjoyable if you remember the details of the novel (which I don't, having read it 20 years ago).
Rock and Road by Michael H. Hanson - One of my favorites from this book, the story of a hitchhiker who ends up on the road through time from Roadmarks. Enjoyable throughout, with a twist ending.
The Aspect of Dawn by Shariann Levitt - ...And we get to the one that made me give this anthology two stars instead of three. It got so bad I started taking notes. The "Dawn" in the title is Ushas, the sister of Ratri from Lord of Light... and this is where the similarities to Zelazny's novel stop. At times, it looked like the story hadn't even been proofread.
A few choice quotes:
"Ritra laughed."
This Ritra is supposed to be Ratri, but her name is misspelled three times on the same page!
"...but I have not heard nothing from her for days, not a call, not a note, nothing. It is not like her. I don't know why she thought they would be any use to us, though perhaps keeping them from fighting for the other side would be useful. I don't know. But I haven't heard from her for days and a few of her guests are not the better sort at all and oh, Tak, you are my friend. You understand?"
Wait, I didn't catch that - you haven't heard from her in how long? And when did Ratri become such a whiner?
"'Ow, ow, ow,' said the Goddess of the Dawn as the circulation returned to her hands and feet."
Stellar writing right here.
"Ushas smiled, and the ape's heart melted. He had adored her sister Ratri for much of his life, but her little sister Dawn won him with that single glorious moment of gratitude. 'Worthy ape, you deserve all the bananas you desire. And anything else.'"
Oh, most glorious Mary Sue, give me all your bananas!
Just, what?! (Of course, Mary - er, Dawn - wins the day at the end.)
"No one had ever said Bhumi was one of the more intelligent of the newly appointed demigoddesses. Nor would anyone. Ever."
Apparently gods and demigods who are hundreds of years old still act like in high school.
"'If you have the intelligence of a mango,' Tak muttered.
'Don't insult mangoes," Shukra said."
At this point I decided to google the author - maybe she's a teenager and she actually thinks this is the epitome of wit. No such luck - she's in her 60s.
******
To conclude... I should stop buying books just because they say Zelazny on the cover. Curiosity killed this cat.
If you are into fanfiction, you may like this. Otherwise... skip.
******
P.S. A big shout-out to the Where There Had Been Darkness blog (http://where-there-had-been-darkness....)! It was super helpful while I was trying to figure out which Zelazny universe the various stories were set in.
* I think I read GRRM's introduction somewhere before, but it was an enjoyable re-read nevertheless.
* The outro, by Zelazny's daughter Shannon, was probably my favorite part of the book.
* Some (few) of the stories had short introductions by the authors... some didn't. Some context would have elevated the anthology - why did the authors choose to write in this universe? how did Zelazny's work influence them? Instead, we just got... mostly mediocre fan fiction.
* Yeah, most of the stories are not good. I really, really struggled to finish this. I need to read some actual Zelazny to cleanse my brain.
* I think that the whole thing would have worked much better if the authors had been told to write in Zelazny's style, not in his universes.
******
Second, the stories:
Playing God by Steven Brust - A Sandow story and a good Zelazny pastiche with gods, cigars and offscreen events.
Keeper of the Keys by Kelly McCullough - Set in the world of Madwand, of which I remember exactly nothing (probably because of wasn't a very good book). Well-written story, but too traditional fantasy for my taste.
And Fountains Flow by Mark Rich - A fairly pointless sequel to The Graveyard Heart. Meh.
The Headless Flute Player by Jane Linskold - Set in the world of Lord Demon (I think) and probably the only story in this book that is not straight fan fiction (since JL actually was a part of the original novel). Not a bad story, but not something I'd reread... just like the novel itself.
Creatures of Foam and Mist by Gio Clairval - This very short story feels very unfinished, but I liked the writing. I just don't understand why it didn't get a proper ending (or a middle, for that matter).
Doorways In Time by Edward J. McFadden III - I have no idea what was going on here. Nikola Tesla something, but I admit I forgot a lot of Doorways in the Sand.
Coda by Steve Perry - Some characters from Lord of Light meet again. Nothing much happens.
Nights in the Gardens of Blue Harbor by Gerald Hausman - As far as I could tell, this story has nothing to with Roger Zelazny except the fact that Hausman and Zelazny were friends and discussed Hausman's idea. I have no problem with the writing (except that, after 10+ years of World of Warcraft, the Jamaican patois looked like troll-speak to me... but that's not the author's fault). The story was unmemorable - some dude looks for a statue and then finds it. OK I guess?
The Night Heirs by Warren Lupine - Considering that the author is one of the guys in charge of the anthology, I wasn't expecting much, but this turned out to be a fun and funny little story. For what it's worth, it's a sequel to Night Kings, which I either never read or forgot. It starts in a magic apparel store staffed by Vic, a guy with a delightful mental flowchart of determining what tools the buyer needs (does the vampire sparkle? if yes, Book of Mormon is better than the Bible; is the dwarf part of a group of seven or thirteen? if seven, the Whistle While You Work pack; if thirteen, the Misty Mountain package). Eventually, there is a woman, a love story and a duel. While - as far as I can tell - the story parallels the original fairly closely, so most of the innovative parts were actually Zelazny's doing, it's a very enjoyable pastiche, unlike many of the other stories in this book.
There Shall Be No Moon by Roger Zelazny - Why do we suddenly get an actual Zelazny in this anthology? No idea. It's not one of his best stories, anyway. Byron and Shelley summon Shakespeare.
Halflife by Theodore Krulik - I don't think this is a sequel to anything, because the main character is a writer called Roger, but it reads like there *is* a backstory that I was supposed to know... which is a very Zelazny thing, so the story works in that regard. Not the best I've read, but definitely enjoyable.
The Lady of Shadow Guard by Lawrence Watt-Evans - Set in the universe of Jack of Shadows, but it's not about Jack. Instead, it's about Rosalie, who waits for Jack. Nothing to complain about here - short, to the point, well-written. Probably much more enjoyable if you remember the details of the novel (which I don't, having read it 20 years ago).
Rock and Road by Michael H. Hanson - One of my favorites from this book, the story of a hitchhiker who ends up on the road through time from Roadmarks. Enjoyable throughout, with a twist ending.
The Aspect of Dawn by Shariann Levitt - ...And we get to the one that made me give this anthology two stars instead of three. It got so bad I started taking notes. The "Dawn" in the title is Ushas, the sister of Ratri from Lord of Light... and this is where the similarities to Zelazny's novel stop. At times, it looked like the story hadn't even been proofread.
A few choice quotes:
"Ritra laughed."
This Ritra is supposed to be Ratri, but her name is misspelled three times on the same page!
"...but I have not heard nothing from her for days, not a call, not a note, nothing. It is not like her. I don't know why she thought they would be any use to us, though perhaps keeping them from fighting for the other side would be useful. I don't know. But I haven't heard from her for days and a few of her guests are not the better sort at all and oh, Tak, you are my friend. You understand?"
Wait, I didn't catch that - you haven't heard from her in how long? And when did Ratri become such a whiner?
"'Ow, ow, ow,' said the Goddess of the Dawn as the circulation returned to her hands and feet."
Stellar writing right here.
"Ushas smiled, and the ape's heart melted. He had adored her sister Ratri for much of his life, but her little sister Dawn won him with that single glorious moment of gratitude. 'Worthy ape, you deserve all the bananas you desire. And anything else.'"
Oh, most glorious Mary Sue, give me all your bananas!
Just, what?! (Of course, Mary - er, Dawn - wins the day at the end.)
"No one had ever said Bhumi was one of the more intelligent of the newly appointed demigoddesses. Nor would anyone. Ever."
Apparently gods and demigods who are hundreds of years old still act like in high school.
"'If you have the intelligence of a mango,' Tak muttered.
'Don't insult mangoes," Shukra said."
At this point I decided to google the author - maybe she's a teenager and she actually thinks this is the epitome of wit. No such luck - she's in her 60s.
******
To conclude... I should stop buying books just because they say Zelazny on the cover. Curiosity killed this cat.
If you are into fanfiction, you may like this. Otherwise... skip.
******
P.S. A big shout-out to the Where There Had Been Darkness blog (http://where-there-had-been-darkness....)! It was super helpful while I was trying to figure out which Zelazny universe the various stories were set in.
January 15, 2019
I forgot to review this last year when I received this great anthology in the Spirit of Roger for Christmas. My favorite story if I remember correctly was the tribute to Night Kings but all the stories are solid in this anthology book in celebration of Roger Zelazny's tales. And per Roger's request there were no Amber stories thus what I wrote in the headline of the review. Highly recommend reading if you'd like a bit of nostalgia towards one of the finest SF authors yet to be born.
July 11, 2021
Very disappointing. Some of these stories are not of professional quality. The editors failed to write proper introductions to the stories. These stories date back to books published in the 1960's, and for most of us our reading takes us back decades. Only a very few of us can remember enough story detail to connect to these short stories. This challenge would be surmounted with just a couple of introductory paragraphs to each story.
Even the editors' choices for labeling the stories is suspect. Did you know "Night at the Lonesome October" was a "night kings" story? I did not. Nobody does. So why not label that particularly related story "Lonesome October"? There's not a good reason. I also blame the editors for failing to tell the authors where they are failing in their handling of pronouns. It's a reoccurring problem. The use of pronouns should never cause confusion, and if there's even a slight chance of this happening, err on the side of clarity.
The highlight of this book is a short remembrance of Roger Zelazny written by his daughter.
Even the editors' choices for labeling the stories is suspect. Did you know "Night at the Lonesome October" was a "night kings" story? I did not. Nobody does. So why not label that particularly related story "Lonesome October"? There's not a good reason. I also blame the editors for failing to tell the authors where they are failing in their handling of pronouns. It's a reoccurring problem. The use of pronouns should never cause confusion, and if there's even a slight chance of this happening, err on the side of clarity.
The highlight of this book is a short remembrance of Roger Zelazny written by his daughter.
January 21, 2019
Very enjoyable anthology of short stories set in some of the many fictional universes created by my all-time favorite writer, Roger Zelazny. I was sad to see this one end.
July 6, 2019
Outstanding. Love the storytelling in Zelazny's worlds, sometimes with crossover characters, sometimes just picking up existing minor characters. Well worth it for any fan of Zelazny's work.
December 1, 2020
So disappointing and I'm a huge fan. It was like reading bad fan fiction.
June 9, 2019
4.5. Standouts include Brust’s Incrementalist meets Immortal, two great Lord of Light stories, the eerie Nights in the Gardens of Blue Harbor, The Night Heirs, Watt Evans visits Jack of Shadows, and Sharon Zelazny’s afterword which made me weep.
April 5, 2020
To many submissions of too low quality. Mostly found this collection to be boring.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews