Bridge of Ashes

by Roger Zelazny

Bridge of Ashes is a beautifully written novel by one of science fiction’s great stylists. Mankind has been manipulated over the millennia by an alien race that seeks to use it to taraform our planet into a world that they can live on. They’ve patiently encouraged us to adapt technologies that would bring on climate change making our world hotter and more hospitable to them all the while making it less hospitable for mankind. Dennis Guise the most powerful telepath every born is a 13 year old boy, and humanities only hope of escaping oblivion. He is a bridge to our future and a bridge to our past. But can that be enough to save us and our planet?

Genres: Science Fiction, Fantasy, Fiction, Science Fiction Fantasy, Speculative Fiction, Novella, Audiobook

162 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 1, 1976

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

[Велислав Върбанов · Rating 5 out of 5]

„Мост от пепел“ е прекрасна и многопластова книга! Тази привидно обикновена, но всъщност изключително проницателна история на Роджър Зелазни донякъде ми напомня на творбите на Клифърд Саймък и съдържа сходни възхитителни общочовешки послания. Централно място във фантастичния сюжет заемат любопитните премеждия на момче с невероятно мощна телепатична дарба, обаче в него майсторски са вплетени задълбочени размисли върху различни значими теми...





„Самите изобретения са били всъщност само играчки, отлитащи сенки на принципите, които е ловил с мисловни мрежи.“


„Всичко това налага своя отпечатък върху твоята душевност. Ето защо, независимо дали искам и аз не съм останал незасегнат. Светът е по-силен от мене и аз съм само частица от неговата стихия. Единствената проява на свободната ми воля е съзерцанието.“


„Ние знаем за естеството на времето дори по-малко, отколкото за телепатията.“


„Ти успя да уловиш едно фалшиво разделение като избълва тези въпроси. Да бъдеш за земята не означава да си срещу града.“

[Craig · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a fun book to read, but it's not among Zelazny's best science fiction. The ending seems hurried and cuts off abruptly, which doesn't go well with the layered set-up of ancient alien conspiracies and eco-terrorism and the young man who's such a powerful telepath that he has to move to the Moon. It's a quick read with some lovely imagery, but minor Zelazny.

[Lost Planet Airman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Somewhat medicore, compared to his stu, history, nning works, but still a sharp, meaningful story about telepathy and world-spanning issues.

[Иван Величков · Rating 5 out of 5]

Много любима книга на Зелазни, която се чете за един следобед. Незаслужено категоризирана, като едно от по-слабите му произведения.
Тук се чувствам длъжен да спретна една лека апология, която ще разкрие доста от сюжета, така че бъдете предупредени.

Романът преплита редица идеи на времето си, които са взети от състоянието на тогавашните наука, екология и антропология и ще разгледам трите по отделно.

Наука (или фантастика): Няколкото допуска от тази област изграждат тялото на произведението. Където в едно семейство телепати се ражда дете с огромни способности, които му пречат да се развие като самостоятелна личност.
1. Идеята вкарана няколко години преди това в „Скалпела на Окам” от Стърджън, където извънземна раса внимателно манипулира самоунищожението на човечеството, карайки го да промени екосистемата на земята с безхаберието си.
2. Развитието на телепатията и вкарването и във всички аспекти от човешкия живот. В частност в психолечението – тема засягана на няколко пъти в различни произведения от автора („Окото на котката”, „Господарят на сънищата” и разкази)
3. Построяване на лунна база, която освен с чисто икономически цели, се използва и за научни изследвания.
4. Новата за времето си теория, че човечеството е дошло от Африка и по-точно при падането на един определен метеорит.

Екология (или прогностика): Революционни и доста крайни идеи за времето си, писани едва в зората на зелената революция и броени години след първият "Ден на земята", правят романа единственото произведение на Зелазни в което той заема категорична позиция и изграждат туптящото сърце на книгата.
1. Още в обърканото начало, авторът показва как човечеството(може би с външна намеса) унищожава през вековете великите си умове, които са могли да станат проводници на един по-различен, природосъобразен прогрес. ТОчно това е Мостът от пепел, който всяко поколение изгаря, вместо да стъпи на него. Идеи погинали в зародиш, които се преоткриват постоянно и отново потъват, защото са на въпреки с пътя на модерния прогрес.
2. Една прогностична картина за времето, когато на екоактивистите ще им писне от миролюбиви методи и ще започнат да прилагат крайни, но необходими силови такива, превръщайки се в терористи, за да спрат пътя на човечеството към самоунищожение. Групата „Децата на Земята” стигат дори до опит за взривяване на атомна електроцентрала.
3. Красивите описания на полупустинните пейзажи около Санта Фе, където живее самият автор и човешкото влияние върху тях, което не е изцяло деградивно. Единственото произведение (с изключение на едно есе), където авторът си позволява да говори за родното си място. От всяко изречение струи любов и преклонение пред суровата красота на природата там.

Антропология (или фентъзи): Промъкват се като почти невидими нишки в книгата, но това е което я изгражда като завършено произведение, давайки и душа. Митологията е смесесица от вярванията на няколко големи групи южноафрикански племена, в чиято основа стои богинята майка – символ на реда – и морско чудовище – представляващо хаоса.
1. Майката Земя - реален образ, който контролира директно доста от процесите. Тя комуникира с децата си „Децата на Земята”, предпазва ги и насочва действията им. Също се явява като психиатър на Денис и се оказва, че внимателно направлява приемането му на чужди съзнания, както на земята, така и на луната.
2. Ловецът - безсмъртен син и любовник на земята и е аватар на човечеството, който брани реда й, биейки се с хаоса, а когато идват пришълците, помага за другите божествени планове.
3. Драконът - стихия на хаоса, която заплашва с унищожение земята. Битката им е вечна, но си взима почивка, когато извънземните му изземат функциите. След като си тръгват борбата продължава.
4. Мъдрецът – Алек Стърн е ученият, който работи с Денис на лунната база, той успява да изгради самоличност в хлапето с личен пример и всеотдайност. Ролята му е леко иронизирана от Зелазни, но той се ебава и с всички останали.
5. Месията –Денис, създаден от богинята (внимателно избирайки родителите му сред най-силните телепати) и постоянно напътстван от нея в израстването си. След като достига необходимите знания спасява човечеството, апелирайки към морала на извънземната раса.

Разкошна книга, която остава с теб години след като я прочетеш, а всеки нов прочи носи нови изненади. Чете се бързо, но се асимилира доста бавно, на мен ми трябваха години докато достигне до мен напълно. Определено е изпреварила времето си.
Не смея да я препоръчам на никой, честно казано. :)

[Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

A slightly challenging but ultimately beautiful short novel by my favorite writer, Zelazny, about psychics, shadowy alien conspiracies, ecoterrorism, and the apocalypse. This novel is from 1976, when Zelazny seemed to be very interested in aliens interfering secretly in human affairs -- about the same period as Doorways in the Sand. But where Doorways is comic, quirky and impertinent, Bridge of Ashes is dark, moody and stylistically experimental. Parts of it read like prose poetry, and in a few cases verse poetry. It transitions between points-of-view, which is one of my pet peeves except that Zelazny comes up with a convincing narrative reason for it, and ultimately the flow of the thing is so smooth and the pace so rapid that the transitions only felt jarring at the beginning, when I was figuring out what the f*$!! was going on. Once I was in the story, the innovation worked perfectly for me.

I was tempted to give this three stars because of my difficulties with it, but I realized I was judging it against other easier, more immediately satisfying Zelazny books like Jack of Shadows or the Amber series. Those books are quick-and-dirty in their gorgeousness. This, on the other hand, is the professorial Zelazny, no less pulpy but packed with textual pirouettes and structural sleight-of-hand as a way of illuminating speculative material.

You have to sit quietly in his class for a while to get what he's after, but it's worth it.

[Martin Doychinov · Rating 4 out of 5]

Едно от по-ранните произведения на майстор Зелазни.
Първата половина описва (да речем) детството на гларвния герой, което преминава основно в кататония, поради свръхтелепатията му. Запознаваме се и с родителите и жената, която дава всичко от себе си, за да успее той да се сдобие с личност. Последното е и причината за кататонията, защото той е постоянно телепатично свързан с други, пораснали хора, чиито личност не позволяват на неговата собствена да се оформи.
Част от величието на Зелазни е в това, че може да побере много в относително малък обем. За моя изненада ми се струва, че тази половина е прекалено дълга. Тя, на практика, полага основата на сюжета и е по-скоро увод, отколкото завръзка.
Втората половина не страда от този проблем. Лошите рептили опитват - къде успешно, къде - не, да побутват, но Денис е техен сериозен съперник.
Финалът не ми хареса, защото ми спихна ентусиазма. Всъщност, подготовката за него ми бе по-интересна от самия той.
Интересно за произведение от седемдесетте е основната тема, която се засяга, а именно - природоопазващата. Тя е и в основата на глобалния конфликт и в днешно време е по-изтъркана от малоумните акции на някои псевдо-природозащитници, но предполагам, че пред 70-е е била не особено често срещана.
Добро, но не най-доброто от Зелазни.

[Jim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another blend of fantasy & SF. A futuristic world where space travel & psi talent are both commonplace. When a boy is born with a gift of telepathy that is so powerful that it becomes a curse - even moving him to the moon isn't the answer. He taps into too many minds, including one that is extremely unique mind that belongs to a man who knows how we were created & why we are here. Our societal problems are explained & time seems to wrap.

Tightly written in a broken series of mental flashes & a variety of scenes, told from several points of view that carry a sense of discovery to the reader that a straight narration wouldn't have done. Very well done, as usual & expected.

[Mark · Rating 2 out of 5]

An alien race has engineered humanity to be genetically predisposed to destroy the planet through pollution and ultimately destroy ourselves so that it can be occupied by those same aliens.
An interesting premise, but couldn't an advanced civilization come up with a quicker means to make the environment habitable to themselves than waiting the millennia it takes for human evolution to progress?
The savior of humanity turns out to be a telepathic kid who can reach out not only to anyone on the planet but can also channel anyone in human history.
Competently written, but not one of Zelazny's best.

[Joel · Rating 2 out of 5]

The middle section of this book is actually pretty interesting. The main character is a teenage boy who is, far and away, the world's most powerful telepath; but traumatic exposure to adult minds from a young age has made him entirely non-functional. He has essentially no thoughts or personality of his own. The middle section describes in great detail the protracted, long-range efforts of a series of therapists to work with him and get him developing.

Grafted onto that is a very half-baked plot involving an alien race which has manipulated the development of humanity for over a million years, with sinister intentions; and an unnamed, but apparently immortal, man who can slow down time and is that race's greatest enemy. And some eco-terrorists.

It's well-written, with some lovely prose, and presents some interesting ideas. But the ending is so bad that, once you've read it, it's hard to even remember the book's good aspects. Imagine a book where the antagonists are a race of aliens who have secretly dwelt on the planet for over a million years, manipulating everything, guiding mankind's development. Then, one day, someone shows up and tells them: "Hey, guys, we have a really strong telepath here. That isn't part of your plans, so you might as well go." And then the aliens just up and leave Earth.

That is literally how this book ends. I can scarcely imagine a lazier piece of plotting. Zelazny churned out a lot of books, and some of them definitely feel rushed and slapdash; but this may well have been the nadir of his career.

[Gilbert Stack · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a Zelazny novel I heard about in high school but somehow never found a copy of until it recently came out as an e-book. It tells the story of the world’s most powerful telepath—a young boy whose brain keeps copying the brains of those around him, keeping him from having a personality of his own. His parents (both telepaths who can shield their brains from him) keep moving further and further from civilization to no avail. Even the moon proves not to be far enough away as he begins connecting with people through time until he copies Leonardo DaVinci’s brain and well, that would be telling…

All of this is happening within a world that is going environmentally to hell—all according to an alien race’s plan. It seems that they are terraforming our world to meet their needs, and part of the plan is for humans to grow into an industrial society, pollute our planet, and then kill ourselves off so they can take over. Knowing Zelazny, you can see that the world’s strongest telepath and the aliens are going to have a confrontation by the end of the book.

If you like Zelazny’s work, you will enjoy this novel, but there’s a reason it’s been hard to find for the last few decades. It’s fun, but far from his best work.

If you liked this review, you can find more at www.gilbertstack.com/reviews.

[Michael Moe · Rating 3 out of 5]

Haiku review:

Minor Zelazny/
Is still better than many/
Other writers' best.

[Michael Bafford · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have read a few Zelazny earlier, several years ago. I got this from a friend. It's an OK story, hardly original, and seems more of a collection of parts than a whole.

What really bothered me is the cover! This is the ugliest book-cover I have ever had the displeasure to come across and I have read a lot of books. Like most people, I suppose, when I lay down a book I lay it down cover up. This is helpful when you have more than one more book lying around and the cover is usually pleasing to look at. Here I had to make a conscious effort to turn the cover down when I lay the book aside in order to avoid an aesthetic jolt if I happened to catch sight of it. I can only assume that the designer was sleeping with the publisher, whose senses were confused by lust. The picture is not only disagreeable as a whole, but each individual part – none of which really have anything to do with the book – each separate picture is bad.

That being said, there are telepaths scattered around our world, which is mostly recognizable otherwise. This is copyright 1976 and shows a degree of environmental awareness, and the social consequences of environmental devastation which were unusual for the time and quite possibly prescient.

"...'Everyone agrees in principle that the world should be kept clean, yet there is strong resistance to the measures proposed.'
'But understandable,' Van Duyn said. 'The wealthy, powerful nations owe their power, their wealth, their standards of existence, to the sort of exploitation the others are now being called upon to forgo—and the call comes just at the point when those others are approaching a position where they can indulge in the same sorts of enterprise and reap similar benefits. It is only human for them to feel cheated...'" p. 15
...where we are now...

"'What do the Children of the Earth really hope to accomplish with all their violence?'
'Our only desire is to preserve the Earth and maintain it as a suitable habitation for mankind.'
'By killing people? By blowing up power plants and dams?'
'It seems the only way to convince those in authority that we are serious.'..." p. 53
...where we may be in a few years...

"Once there was a man... We watched him in the General Assembly of the United Nations. Watched him get up to say that the preservation of the Earth required some sacrifice..." p. 113
...an inconvenient truth...

Growing up off the beaten path, in the least populated county in the least populated state in the U.S. I very rarely come across any mention of my home tract in fact or fiction. I was pleased therefore when two fugitives pass by a landmark I knew well.
"A glister of sleekshifting starlight, low, to my right. . .
'What lake is that?'
'Glendo Reservoir.'..." p. 46

Otherwise humanity is saved again, pretty much in the nick of time it seems, all thanks to remarkable young man with a huge talent. I enjoyed the trip to the moon, but was saddened that the journey was passed by and the sojourn was solely inside, albeit with a view. There are near immortals watching over us – and nasty aliens pushing us toward destruction.

[Lisa Tollefson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've had this one in my bookcase for some years, and I didn't realize I hadn't read it. It's not as immediately accessible as, say, the Amber books, but by the end of the first part, I was deeply engaged.

The structure is a little difficult to get into. It starts with several glimpses of the ends of the lives of highly influential men in history: Archimedes, Da Vinci, several others. Then we meet Dennis Guise, a boy living in the Southwest. He's telepathic and catatonic, and the story concerns him, but in a way isn't about him.

This is all on the back flap, by the way. No spoilers here. People were put here to planoform the earth so that another species would be able to live on it, and part of their plan was to have us do the work, then poison it to the point of killing ourselves off - something we seem to be doing remarkably well, actually, so this could well be true. Dennis is crucial to our being given the chance to correct our course and keep the planet habitable.

An intriguing story, and an intriguing structure. As I was starting the last part, I had a thought that one aspect of Zelazny's genius is that his books are exactly as long as they need to be. He writes novels like they're short stories, only longer. Everything needed is there, and not a bit more. This one shows that more than anything else I've read, except maybe One Night in the Lonesome October.

Another thing that really stood out to me was how this is probably the seed for Steven Brust's Incrementalist books, though those have more of the personal in them.

Final word, it's not my favorite of his. But it was well worth the time spent, and my world view has changed because of it. That's pretty good for such a short book.

[Daryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Roger Zelazny, who I've been rereading chronologically, can pack a lot into a small book. Case in point: Bridge of Ashes is barely over 150 pages, but contains enough plot that many writers would have trouble fitting into 500. Unfortunately, an effect of this is that many characters and situations are perhaps not as well fleshed out as they might have been. The book begins with a series of short vignettes, chronicling a number of telepaths over the years (Archimedes and Leonardo da Vinci among them). Eventually, we are introduced to Dennis Guise, a young boy whose mind has been shut down by his overwhelming telepathic powers - too much info and no way to process it. Dennis manages to jump into other people's minds and experience their lives simultaneously with his own. Much of the book deals with Dennis's therapy as his parents and medical professionals attempt to treat him. Another aspect of the book tells of the Children of Earth, an eco-terrorist group that is trying to save the earth from pollution that will change the world into an unlivable place (this was in 1976). And the reason that the world runs the way it does is that aliens have shaped humanity into a species that will make the earth unlivable (for us), while leaving it the ideal world for those aliens. Whew. There's a lot going on here for 150 pages. I really enjoyed this book, although the ending was very abrupt and pretty anti-climatic. Perhaps not one of Zelazny's best, but certainly worth a read.

[Anup Sinha · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this book knowing nothing about Zelazny and having read none of the other reviews. So I was a bit confused and found it difficult to follow, particularly the first chapter. But the narrative got smoother and more chronological and Zelazny gradually revealed his story and the battle at hand.

The main character isn't introduced for some time, but Dennis Guise is a boy who is the son of telepathic parents and a stronger telepath than anyone they've ever seen. So strong, he can't develop his own personality and has to go as far as to the moon (this takes place far in the future) to get away from psychic stimuli.

Somehow he is drawn into this battle between, apparently, an alien civilization and the good people of earth. I say "apparently" because it didn't really dawn on me that they were aliens from just reading it, I got that from the other Goodreads reviews of experienced Zelazny readers.

I did find the ending abrupt and unfulfilling with all the excellent prior buildup. I can appreciate Zelazny's imagination and his unorthodox style (different narrators, odd chronology, minimal character development or physical characteristics, etc.) and I would like to read his other works of science fiction.

[Simms · Rating 3 out of 5]

Yet another 1970s sci-fi book with telepaths. This book is best enjoyed as a novel of an idea, rather than of plot -- the kernel of the story is a young boy with such extraordinary telepathic powers that he can be fully overcome by the mental patterns of other people (including those long-dead) and his becoming gradually able to function despite this. That part is interesting, as a sort of fictional medical case study. There's also some weird framing plot involving like, aliens who created humans in order to make us screw up the environment in such a way as to transform Earth into a habitable planet for them, and some never-really-explained mysterious figure who is trying to stop them and has the ability to speed himself and others up to the point that time is effectively stopped, which doesn't make much sense and is pretty unnecessary.

[SciFi Pinay · Rating 3 out of 5]

This sequel to "Today We Choose Faces" has a more straightforward plot progression with the most unique introductory 'spacetime travel' narrative I've read so far that got me hooked, and the choice of context clues again makes it a lot less cheesy. An action-packed, more optimistic version of PKD's "Martian Time-Slip", with the boy character having a better support system and his journey going in unexpected hard scifi directions. I have been skeptical with the unconventional literary style, but whatever dated flaws I have found later on only add to the vintage charm. Overall, I recommend this despite the extra focus/patience required from the reader!

[Rita · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mysterious, Philosophical and Sad

Bridge of Ashes is poetic and deeply mystical, thus classic Zelazny. Its the story of mankind and the earth as visited through the senses of a special boy. There’s telepathy and Zelazny’s special understanding of psychology as the mystery deepens. Will the Earth and humanity be saved? The boy must cross time’s bridge of ashes. I’m devastated and elated.

[Shane · Rating 3 out of 5]

I haven't read any Zelazny in a while, but this was definitely what I remember. Short, to the point, not
a ton of character building, sometimes surreal and incomprehensible, interesting plot, quick ending.

This isn't the worst book I've read from him, but I would only recommend it to hardcore fans.

[Shannon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Everything Roger Zelazny ever wrote is immaculate. This is no exception. He had the uncanny ability to build worlds, characters and plots into pint-sized books and Bridge of Ashes comes in at 154 pages.

If you are not familiar, Zelazny is in the company of Heinlein and Arthur C. Clarke.

[Gilbert Adesiji · Rating 2 out of 5]

There are some fascinating reflections that some of the characters do. Despite the good narration, the plot in a whole is weak. After a confusing beginning, the story caught my attention, but the end was a huge let down.
This story doesn‘t feel complete despite interesting concepts.

[George Stephens · Rating 3 out of 5]

Continuing to work my way rereading my old Zelazny books, previously read this in 1977. I enjoyed it as usual with Zelazny but left hanging at the end as it was wrapped up too quickly, almost as if the publishers had specified a maximum length.

[Mark · Rating 5 out of 5]

This work is the culmination of RZ's exploration of the uses fiction can be put. Particularly in regards to time and movements within the time stream. The foreward by RZ was oenned 13 years after initial publication.

[Art · Rating 4 out of 5]

This review is for the audio version. Goodreads no longer allows me to make a new edition when needed.

I love Zelazny's writing. This book was thoughtful and explored some interesting areas. This book still felt timely, even though it was written in 1976.

[Colin Creeks · Rating 5 out of 5]

Superb read

The master he wrote,we read and understand .The answer was well ahead of the rest of the world.
Lucky for us!!

[John Mannion · Rating 3 out of 5]

Eco-terrorism, alien conspiracies and a powerful telepath able to reach minds from the past. Some good ideas here but the ending was a bit abrupt.

[Borislav Germanov · Rating 3 out of 5]

Отлична идея, но някак си ми се искаше да е по- дълга книгата...

[Hannu Kokko · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meandering. Too long for the plot line. Would have been good as a long short story

[Mathew Whitney · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bridge of Ashes is a short novel by Roger Zelazny. A large portion of this book is an experiment in telling the story from the point of view of a child growing into adulthood with a debilitating illness, interwoven with the story of his family as they struggle with the knowledge that their son may never become a functioning member of society.

What reminds the reader that this a Zelazny novel (other than the experimental story-telling) is that this is a family of telepaths. Throw in a good dose of conspiracy theories, and maybe a few other "science fiction" twists and turns, and there is plenty to distract from an underlying ecological message and a fairly detailed discussion of a fictional mental illness and an exploration of telepathy.

If you happen to pick this up and don't really understand what's going on through "Part I" of the book, it's ok, and somewhat intentional. The pieces should fall into place by the time you finish the book, or even somewhere in "Part II". At around 150 pages, it's a short novel, so even being confused for 1/3 of the book or more is quickly rectified. However, if this is something you just can't stand, this book probably isn't for you.

[Alazzar · Rating 4 out of 5]

While I'll always admire Zelazny's ability to throw together such well-thought-out, creative plots as this one, I do have to say that the characters here were a little lacking. Not that they were bad, necessarily, but I'm sure I'll probably forget about them in a month or two; Dennis Guise is no Corwin or Sam. (Then again, Dennis Guise didn't really have a personality of his own until well into the book, and since that's a necessary part of the story we can't really blame him.)

That being said, this is a fast (~150-page) read with some interesting ideas to it. There's telepathy and a lunar colony and time travel (sorta), not to mention a 20-page opening that makes very little sense but is awesome anyway.

I feel the last half of the book was a little less interesting than the first half, but it was still pretty good overall. It's amazing how much plot Zelazny can fit into 150 pages.