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Unicorn Variations
Collected here are twenty-one of Roger Zelazny’s brilliant short stories chosen from throughout his career. The two longest stories “Home is the Hangman” and Unicorn Variation” both won the coveted Hugo Award. Chess playing unicorns, Time travel, alternate realities, evil sentient cars, jealous computers, enterprising dragons, and space exploration are just a few of the subjects Zelazny explores in this exceptional collection.
Roger Zelazny was a science fiction and fantasy writer, a six time Hugo Award winner, and a three time Nebula Award Winner. He published more than forty novels in his lifetime. His first novel This Immortal, serialized in The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction under the title ...And Call Me Conrad, won the Hugo Award for best novel. Lord of Light, his third novel, also won the Hugo award and was nominated for the Nebula award. He died at age 58 from cancer. Zelazny was posthumously inducted into the Science Fiction Hall of Fame in 2010.
“An explosion of style and personality unique in science fiction, Zelazny is a law unto himself, driving over and through the conventional forms of science fiction . . .” Speculative Bulletin
Roger Zelazny was a science fiction and fantasy writer, a six time Hugo Award winner, and a three time Nebula Award Winner. He published more than forty novels in his lifetime. His first novel This Immortal, serialized in The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction under the title ...And Call Me Conrad, won the Hugo Award for best novel. Lord of Light, his third novel, also won the Hugo award and was nominated for the Nebula award. He died at age 58 from cancer. Zelazny was posthumously inducted into the Science Fiction Hall of Fame in 2010.
“An explosion of style and personality unique in science fiction, Zelazny is a law unto himself, driving over and through the conventional forms of science fiction . . .” Speculative Bulletin
302 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 1, 1983
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987 people want to read
About the author
Roger Zelazny
745 books3,865 followersRoger Joseph Zelazny was an American fantasy and science fiction writer known for his short stories and novels, best known for The Chronicles of Amber. He won the Nebula Award three times (out of 14 nominations) and the Hugo Award six times (also out of 14 nominations), including two Hugos for novels: the serialized novel ...And Call Me Conrad (1965), subsequently published under the title This Immortal (1966), and the novel Lord of Light (1967).
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August 31, 2018
Тук ще се олея, но тази книга я чувствам като част от мен, разграничаването е трудно и не си заслужава усилията. Предупредени сте. Пък и как няма едно ревю на български, по дяволите?
Може би най-любимият ми сборник на Зелазни. Чел съм го двуцифрено число пъти, и на хартия, и електронно (има малки разлики между изданието на Бард и текстовете в „читанка”). Сигурно защото самият Зелазни го е събирал като ретроспекция на творчеството си и го е направил доста разнообразен и стегнат, а коментарите преди всеки разказ отварят очите на читателя не само към вътрешния авторов свят, а и към цяла една (бих казал вече отминала) епоха в жанровата литература.
0.Въведение – Около страница текст, който съм почти сигурен, че липсва в хартиеното издание. Тук Зелазни нахвърля няколко мисли за разпространението на разказите като цяло, за списанията и антологиите. Харесва ми как авторът вижда всяко едно условие като ограничение. Без да мрънка и злослови, просто разсъждава върху въпросните ограничения. Независимо дали са щастливи финали, тематични антологии, ограничаване на ругатните и половите сцени, отхвърляне на религиозни или политически възгледи.
Сега, ще се отклоня малко, но само защото моето мнение съвпада с неговото. Не съм сигурен дали точно този текст е помогнал във формирането му или просто съм се открил вътре. На родна почва такова животно като свободна антология, или не съществува, или се броят на пръстите на едната глава, или тези които най-много се приближават са разделени на подтеми вътре. Нещо като просто добри текстове от талантливи автори е terra incognita.
И колкото и да не искам да го призная, самият аз съм свикнал подсъзнателно с тези условия. Когато правехме „Писъци” Бранко (Бранимир Събев) ни поиска по един разказ. Всички мигахме на парцали: „Ама как така”, „Ама какъв да бъде” и прочие. Той се ухили и ни каза да дадем най-доброто от себе си. Няколко месеца по-късно му пратих „Заразата” с думите „Баче, това даже не е хорър” той ми отвърна „Чудесно”. Е тогава разбрах, че съм си намерил мястото в малката читателско-писателска вселена.
Ама да се върнем към Зелазни:
1.Вариациите на еднорога – Историята на написването на разказа е забавна почти колкото него. Зелазни е успял да покрие условията на три тематични антологии с него и да го продаде и на трите, което си е един вид бунт срещу ограниченията обхванати във въведението. Дълго съм се чудел къде е границата между занаятчийството и музата в подобни разкази. Години по-късно, когато сам се хързулнах по писателския наклон, разбрах, че не условията пишат разказа, а просто се нагаждат към нещо спящо там вътре в теб.
Самият разказ включва много от любимите ми страни на автора – преплитане между магия и технология, екологичен подтекст, безобидна измама – както и едно от най-красивите встъпления в литературата изобщо. А за съдържанието: Един кон влиза в бар...
2. Последната от дивите – Продължение на „Дяволската кола” на български излизала само в списание „Върколак” и една от книжките на SF трилър.
Красивите полупустинни пейзажи на любимия на автора Ню Мексико се преплитат с подивелите машинни интелекти на автомобилите, които се държат като конски хергелета и се борят за независимост от човечеството. Дива и дори плашеща на моменти история.
3. Рецитал – Експеримент (успешен), който цели да покаже как се пише от нулата. Драматична и леко тъжна романтична история, нямаща нищо общо с жанровата литература, ама токова простичко и красиво написана.
Една оперна дива е на края на живота си, един мъж я е следвал през него, без да стане част. Отмъщение или почит? При всички положения любов.
4. Голият матадор – Един от любимите ми прийоми на автора е да вкара подкожно в текста паранормалния елемент и да не разбереш какво става, докато не вдигнеш температура, а после да те втресе на финала. Нещо което съм опитвал 2-3 пъти, но нямам този финес.
Мъж с проблеми среща жена с минало. В единствената им вечер и двамата ще си помогнат един на друг.
5. Слабо осветени части: Три отражения – Поредното много полезно есе за писането. Обича да си ги вмъква в сборниците, така между другото. Казвал съм го десетки пъти – тези кратки текстове са ми помогнали много повече от всички книги за писането. Тук обхваща дълбочината на описвания свят и характера на героите и показва няколко малки номера, които при него работят.
6. Светлината на Мрачни – Зелазни ни връща към Франсис Сандоу и „Островът на мъртвите” с една странична история за загиваща планета.
7. Марш обратно в нощта беззвездна – Всеки фантаст от това поколение има отглас от заплахата на Студената война в някое от произведенията си. Тук е този на Зелазни, но е само лайтмотив.
Един неориентиран човечец се сблъсква с любезни непознати. Отпърво не му е много ясно кой е, къде е и какво искат от него, но в последствие се оказва, че трябва да вземе много сериозно решение.
8. Не и вестителя – Късче мрачна лудост, уж разбъркано, но съвсем на място. Висш пилотаж в свръхкратка форма.
9. Ръка през галактиката – Много любим фантастичен разказ, показващ по възможно най-бруталния начин лицемерието, което лежи в модерните форми на благотворителност. Покъртителен. Да добавя, че винаги съм уважавал епистоларната форма.
10. Силата, що през схемата, води тока – Кратък разказ в който се прокрадва идеята за печелилия Хюго „У дома си е палача.” С двоен и непредвидим финален въртел. Радвам се, че се е самообособил като текст. Това прави и него и „Палача” такива каквито са.
11. У дома си е палача – Може би най-многократно превежданото произведение на Зелазни, по принцип част от „Името ми е Легион” Твърда фантастика с ноарен уклон и един от любимите ми текстове.
Група учени започват да измират един по един. Обединява ги една тайна от миналото, която може да е причината.
12./13./14/ Огън и/или лед / Exeunt omnes / Една прекрасна година – Три кратки разказа, неразделим триптих за края на света. Рагнарок/Шекспирова ”Буря”/ Времева примка. Кратки, цели, различни, еднакви, забавни, тъжни...
15. Моя диодна лейди – Ноарен романс с мрачни последствия, който засяга една от често чоплените от Зелазни теми – може ли един машинен интелект да изпитва чувства. Нареждам се до „Палача”, „Локи 7281”, „Полуджак”, „Стоманената пиявица” и доста други.
16. И оцелял съм само, да ви кажа – Ей такива кратки перли изграждат короната на автора.
Призрачна история за измъкване от „Летящия холандец” с разтърсващ финал.
17. Конете на Лир – Тук важи всичко, което написах за „Голия матадор”
Семейният бизнес понякога крие изненадващи тайни, древни, плашещи, но и красиви.
18. Нощта има 999 очи – Есеистична елегия (е, не е в двустишия...) за падането на един цял свят.
19. Ангел, Ангел на мрака – История писана по илюстрация, по която знам че вече има друга илюстрация, по която трябва да взема да напиша история.
Бъдеще контролиращо всичко, дори естествената смърт. Тренирани професионалисти с високотехнологични механизми раздават мрачния дар. На един такъв ще му се наложи да излезе от пенсия, за да се изправи пред миналото си и пред себе си.
„Някъде вали. Контролиран или изкуствен дъжд — някъде винаги вали по всяко време, когато си помислите. Помнете го винаги, ако можете.”
20. Walpurgisnacht – Забавна история, шегуваща се с безумието на технологиите. Бате, само ако знаеше какво ще се случи в следващия век...
21. Бизнесът Джордж – Сладурско фентъзи, включващо последния дракон и последния убиец на дракони. Идея взаимствана многократно в литературата и киното впоследствие.
22. Някой измерения в научната фантастика: предубеден поглед. – Затварящото сборника есе е точно това, което е казано в заглавието. На мен преубеденият поглед на Зелазни ми допада много и пак не мога да кажа, от там ли съм го взел или просто е отворил нещо скрито в мен. Тук разглежда фантастичния жанр като едно много просто нещо литература с „усещане за чудеса”. Е, не мога да го кажа по-добре. Това просто бута всички бариери от увода и поджанровите стени издигнати, неясно защо в момента. (Знам – с търговска цел). Точно това ми носи литературата на Зелазни – едно постоянно обновяващо се усещане за чудо, независимо какво чета от него и по колко пъти.
Слагам и аз точката, като пак добавям, че към този автор съм изключително пристрастен. Все пак смятам, че тази книга всеки трябва да я прочете. Да усети чудесата, да ги докосне.
Може би най-любимият ми сборник на Зелазни. Чел съм го двуцифрено число пъти, и на хартия, и електронно (има малки разлики между изданието на Бард и текстовете в „читанка”). Сигурно защото самият Зелазни го е събирал като ретроспекция на творчеството си и го е направил доста разнообразен и стегнат, а коментарите преди всеки разказ отварят очите на читателя не само към вътрешния авторов свят, а и към цяла една (бих казал вече отминала) епоха в жанровата литература.
0.Въведение – Около страница текст, който съм почти сигурен, че липсва в хартиеното издание. Тук Зелазни нахвърля няколко мисли за разпространението на разказите като цяло, за списанията и антологиите. Харесва ми как авторът вижда всяко едно условие като ограничение. Без да мрънка и злослови, просто разсъждава върху въпросните ограничения. Независимо дали са щастливи финали, тематични антологии, ограничаване на ругатните и половите сцени, отхвърляне на религиозни или политически възгледи.
Сега, ще се отклоня малко, но само защото моето мнение съвпада с неговото. Не съм сигурен дали точно този текст е помогнал във формирането му или просто съм се открил вътре. На родна почва такова животно като свободна антология, или не съществува, или се броят на пръстите на едната глава, или тези които най-много се приближават са разделени на подтеми вътре. Нещо като просто добри текстове от талантливи автори е terra incognita.
И колкото и да не искам да го призная, самият аз съм свикнал подсъзнателно с тези условия. Когато правехме „Писъци” Бранко (Бранимир Събев) ни поиска по един разказ. Всички мигахме на парцали: „Ама как така”, „Ама какъв да бъде” и прочие. Той се ухили и ни каза да дадем най-доброто от себе си. Няколко месеца по-късно му пратих „Заразата” с думите „Баче, това даже не е хорър” той ми отвърна „Чудесно”. Е тогава разбрах, че съм си намерил мястото в малката читателско-писателска вселена.
Ама да се върнем към Зелазни:
1.Вариациите на еднорога – Историята на написването на разказа е забавна почти колкото него. Зелазни е успял да покрие условията на три тематични антологии с него и да го продаде и на трите, което си е един вид бунт срещу ограниченията обхванати във въведението. Дълго съм се чудел къде е границата между занаятчийството и музата в подобни разкази. Години по-късно, когато сам се хързулнах по писателския наклон, разбрах, че не условията пишат разказа, а просто се нагаждат към нещо спящо там вътре в теб.
Самият разказ включва много от любимите ми страни на автора – преплитане между магия и технология, екологичен подтекст, безобидна измама – както и едно от най-красивите встъпления в литературата изобщо. А за съдържанието: Един кон влиза в бар...
2. Последната от дивите – Продължение на „Дяволската кола” на български излизала само в списание „Върколак” и една от книжките на SF трилър.
Красивите полупустинни пейзажи на любимия на автора Ню Мексико се преплитат с подивелите машинни интелекти на автомобилите, които се държат като конски хергелета и се борят за независимост от човечеството. Дива и дори плашеща на моменти история.
3. Рецитал – Експеримент (успешен), който цели да покаже как се пише от нулата. Драматична и леко тъжна романтична история, нямаща нищо общо с жанровата литература, ама токова простичко и красиво написана.
Една оперна дива е на края на живота си, един мъж я е следвал през него, без да стане част. Отмъщение или почит? При всички положения любов.
4. Голият матадор – Един от любимите ми прийоми на автора е да вкара подкожно в текста паранормалния елемент и да не разбереш какво става, докато не вдигнеш температура, а после да те втресе на финала. Нещо което съм опитвал 2-3 пъти, но нямам този финес.
Мъж с проблеми среща жена с минало. В единствената им вечер и двамата ще си помогнат един на друг.
5. Слабо осветени части: Три отражения – Поредното много полезно есе за писането. Обича да си ги вмъква в сборниците, така между другото. Казвал съм го десетки пъти – тези кратки текстове са ми помогнали много повече от всички книги за писането. Тук обхваща дълбочината на описвания свят и характера на героите и показва няколко малки номера, които при него работят.
6. Светлината на Мрачни – Зелазни ни връща към Франсис Сандоу и „Островът на мъртвите” с една странична история за загиваща планета.
7. Марш обратно в нощта беззвездна – Всеки фантаст от това поколение има отглас от заплахата на Студената война в някое от произведенията си. Тук е този на Зелазни, но е само лайтмотив.
Един неориентиран човечец се сблъсква с любезни непознати. Отпърво не му е много ясно кой е, къде е и какво искат от него, но в последствие се оказва, че трябва да вземе много сериозно решение.
8. Не и вестителя – Късче мрачна лудост, уж разбъркано, но съвсем на място. Висш пилотаж в свръхкратка форма.
9. Ръка през галактиката – Много любим фантастичен разказ, показващ по възможно най-бруталния начин лицемерието, което лежи в модерните форми на благотворителност. Покъртителен. Да добавя, че винаги съм уважавал епистоларната форма.
10. Силата, що през схемата, води тока – Кратък разказ в който се прокрадва идеята за печелилия Хюго „У дома си е палача.” С двоен и непредвидим финален въртел. Радвам се, че се е самообособил като текст. Това прави и него и „Палача” такива каквито са.
11. У дома си е палача – Може би най-многократно превежданото произведение на Зелазни, по принцип част от „Името ми е Легион” Твърда фантастика с ноарен уклон и един от любимите ми текстове.
Група учени започват да измират един по един. Обединява ги една тайна от миналото, която може да е причината.
12./13./14/ Огън и/или лед / Exeunt omnes / Една прекрасна година – Три кратки разказа, неразделим триптих за края на света. Рагнарок/Шекспирова ”Буря”/ Времева примка. Кратки, цели, различни, еднакви, забавни, тъжни...
15. Моя диодна лейди – Ноарен романс с мрачни последствия, който засяга една от често чоплените от Зелазни теми – може ли един машинен интелект да изпитва чувства. Нареждам се до „Палача”, „Локи 7281”, „Полуджак”, „Стоманената пиявица” и доста други.
16. И оцелял съм само, да ви кажа – Ей такива кратки перли изграждат короната на автора.
Призрачна история за измъкване от „Летящия холандец” с разтърсващ финал.
17. Конете на Лир – Тук важи всичко, което написах за „Голия матадор”
Семейният бизнес понякога крие изненадващи тайни, древни, плашещи, но и красиви.
18. Нощта има 999 очи – Есеистична елегия (е, не е в двустишия...) за падането на един цял свят.
19. Ангел, Ангел на мрака – История писана по илюстрация, по която знам че вече има друга илюстрация, по която трябва да взема да напиша история.
Бъдеще контролиращо всичко, дори естествената смърт. Тренирани професионалисти с високотехнологични механизми раздават мрачния дар. На един такъв ще му се наложи да излезе от пенсия, за да се изправи пред миналото си и пред себе си.
„Някъде вали. Контролиран или изкуствен дъжд — някъде винаги вали по всяко време, когато си помислите. Помнете го винаги, ако можете.”
20. Walpurgisnacht – Забавна история, шегуваща се с безумието на технологиите. Бате, само ако знаеше какво ще се случи в следващия век...
21. Бизнесът Джордж – Сладурско фентъзи, включващо последния дракон и последния убиец на дракони. Идея взаимствана многократно в литературата и киното впоследствие.
22. Някой измерения в научната фантастика: предубеден поглед. – Затварящото сборника есе е точно това, което е казано в заглавието. На мен преубеденият поглед на Зелазни ми допада много и пак не мога да кажа, от там ли съм го взел или просто е отворил нещо скрито в мен. Тук разглежда фантастичния жанр като едно много просто нещо литература с „усещане за чудеса”. Е, не мога да го кажа по-добре. Това просто бута всички бариери от увода и поджанровите стени издигнати, неясно защо в момента. (Знам – с търговска цел). Точно това ми носи литературата на Зелазни – едно постоянно обновяващо се усещане за чудо, независимо какво чета от него и по колко пъти.
Слагам и аз точката, като пак добавям, че към този автор съм изключително пристрастен. Все пак смятам, че тази книга всеки трябва да я прочете. Да усети чудесата, да ги докосне.
November 9, 2021
This is a very good collection of Zelazny's short fiction, along with several essays. It has a lot of stories written in experimental styles, and he was obviously having fun and entertaining himself while writing. It doesn't collect what I'd consider his very best works, but it's highly entertaining, thought-provoking, and of high literary quality. My favorites are The Horses of Lir, Home is the Hangman, and the brilliant title story itself.
April 21, 2024
Chess Match Scandal! Sasquatch Schools Student Player! "Well, there I was, playing for the fate of our world. Little did I know that my opponent, Martin, was getting a helping hand from a fellow mythical being!" - Tlingel - The Unicorn Chess Chanticleer
A bunch of short fiction with the best highlighted in bold as follows.
#1. Unicorn Variations: Classic Zelazny fare. 5 'High Stake Games,' stars.
#2. The Last of the Wild Ones: The key question, is Murdock the villian of this piece? In an echo of the hunting of wild bison on the American plains to extinction an obsessed hunter tracks the last 'wild car,' to a final battle in a desolate canyon. Took me a while to invest in the characters - hence -1 star. 4 'Elegiac,' stars.
#3. Recital: Experimental writing. Didn't work for me. DNF'ed
#4. The Naked Matador: A man on the run meets a helpful and sexy Greek myth. 4 'Smirking Behind Sunglasses,' stars.
#5. The Parts That are Only Glimpsed: Three Reflexes: An essay on writing, I found relevant. 5 'Craft Relevant,' stars.
#6. Dismal Light: A man reconciles with his father on a manufactured planet. 4 'Daddy Issues,' stars.
#7. Go Starless in the Night: Being frozen after death is not all it's cracked up to be. Just OK. 3, 'Better Death than This,' stars.
#8. But Not the Herald: Pandora is inevitable. 4. 'Beware Greeks Bearing Gifts,' stars.
#9. A Hand Across the Galaxy: Bleak, so bleak. 3, ' People are Crap,' stars.
#10. The Force That Through the Circuit Drives the Current: Just OK. 3 'Recusive Physics Rules,' stars.
#11: Home is the Hangman: I got 'Eye of Cat,' vibes with the pursuit of the unstoppable hunter trope. Big twist at the end with a possible 'I'm a robot too,' option. Excellent. 5 'Robot Revenge?' stars.
#12-14. Fire and/or Ice, EXEUNT OMNES, and A VERY GOOD YEAR: All just so-so. 3, 'End it All Now,' stars.
#15. My Lady of the Diodes: Like 'The Last of the Wild Ones,' an AI plays the villian (but in both cases, not w/o cause). 4 'Beware Scorned A.I.s,' stars.
#16. And I Only Am Escaped to Tell Thee: Clever. 4 'Flying Dutchman,' stars.
#17. The Horses of Lir: A young fellow finds his life purpose within the family business. 5 'Poignant Duty Upon a Moonlit Sea,' stars.
#18. The Night Has 999 Eyes: Experimental stream of consciousness writing, hence boring. DNF'ed.
#19. Angel, Dark Angel: A riff on the AI world controller trope. 4, 'Beware the Weapon you Create,' stars.
#20. Walpurgisnacht: Didn't work for me at all. DNF'ed.
#21. The George Business: Classic semi-cynical Zelazny fare. Loved it. 5 'Mutual Back Scratching,' stars.
#22. Some Science Fiction Parameters: A Biased View: Craft Essay on Science Fiction. Interesting and personal. 4, 'Craft Technique,' stars.
Overall, giving this 4 stars. On reading, I discovered that I must have read this book sometime in the distant past. It provided a mostly awesome trip down memory lane.
Mostly, entertaining. Some real hits here, and the occasional dud.
I enjoyed reading this with the fine folk over at Spells, Space and Screams at: https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/...
Recommended. 4 'Mostly Awesome,' stars.
A bunch of short fiction with the best highlighted in bold as follows.
#1. Unicorn Variations: Classic Zelazny fare. 5 'High Stake Games,' stars.
#2. The Last of the Wild Ones: The key question, is Murdock the villian of this piece? In an echo of the hunting of wild bison on the American plains to extinction an obsessed hunter tracks the last 'wild car,' to a final battle in a desolate canyon. Took me a while to invest in the characters - hence -1 star. 4 'Elegiac,' stars.
#3. Recital: Experimental writing. Didn't work for me. DNF'ed
#4. The Naked Matador: A man on the run meets a helpful and sexy Greek myth. 4 'Smirking Behind Sunglasses,' stars.
#5. The Parts That are Only Glimpsed: Three Reflexes: An essay on writing, I found relevant. 5 'Craft Relevant,' stars.
#6. Dismal Light: A man reconciles with his father on a manufactured planet. 4 'Daddy Issues,' stars.
#7. Go Starless in the Night: Being frozen after death is not all it's cracked up to be. Just OK. 3, 'Better Death than This,' stars.
#8. But Not the Herald: Pandora is inevitable. 4. 'Beware Greeks Bearing Gifts,' stars.
#9. A Hand Across the Galaxy: Bleak, so bleak. 3, ' People are Crap,' stars.
#10. The Force That Through the Circuit Drives the Current: Just OK. 3 'Recusive Physics Rules,' stars.
#11: Home is the Hangman: I got 'Eye of Cat,' vibes with the pursuit of the unstoppable hunter trope. Big twist at the end with a possible 'I'm a robot too,' option. Excellent. 5 'Robot Revenge?' stars.
#12-14. Fire and/or Ice, EXEUNT OMNES, and A VERY GOOD YEAR: All just so-so. 3, 'End it All Now,' stars.
#15. My Lady of the Diodes: Like 'The Last of the Wild Ones,' an AI plays the villian (but in both cases, not w/o cause). 4 'Beware Scorned A.I.s,' stars.
#16. And I Only Am Escaped to Tell Thee: Clever. 4 'Flying Dutchman,' stars.
#17. The Horses of Lir: A young fellow finds his life purpose within the family business. 5 'Poignant Duty Upon a Moonlit Sea,' stars.
#18. The Night Has 999 Eyes: Experimental stream of consciousness writing, hence boring. DNF'ed.
#19. Angel, Dark Angel: A riff on the AI world controller trope. 4, 'Beware the Weapon you Create,' stars.
#20. Walpurgisnacht: Didn't work for me at all. DNF'ed.
#21. The George Business: Classic semi-cynical Zelazny fare. Loved it. 5 'Mutual Back Scratching,' stars.
#22. Some Science Fiction Parameters: A Biased View: Craft Essay on Science Fiction. Interesting and personal. 4, 'Craft Technique,' stars.
Overall, giving this 4 stars. On reading, I discovered that I must have read this book sometime in the distant past. It provided a mostly awesome trip down memory lane.
Mostly, entertaining. Some real hits here, and the occasional dud.
I enjoyed reading this with the fine folk over at Spells, Space and Screams at: https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/...
Recommended. 4 'Mostly Awesome,' stars.
April 2, 2024
Селекция от разкази и новели, отдавна добила иконичен статут сред почитателите на фантастичната литература, защото Зелазни е единствен и неповторим, чупещ жанровите рамки и канони, смесващ наука с митологични архетипи и гарниращ прозата си с уникално чувство за хумор и впечатляваща ерудиция (признавам си, че точно заради нея, имаше творби които не схванах напълно…).
Личните ми фаворити:
„Вариациите на еднорога“ - заглавната творба е абсолютен връх в полета на фантазията – колкото свежа и дозирано оптимистична, толкова и сериозно замисляща.
„Последната от дивите“ - страхотен постапокалиптичен сетинг с „одухотворени“ и доста опасни автомобили.
„У дома си е Палача“ – твърда фантастика с философски уклон – история за престъпление и изкупление чрез прошка.
„И оцелял съм сал, за да ви кажа“ – свръхкратък, но за сметка на това висш пилотаж в „призрачния“ жанр.
„Моя диодна лейди“ – задъхана техно-кримка с впечатляващ финал.
„Конете на Лир“ – прекрасна творба с щипка митология, каквито само този автор умее да създава.
„Walpugisnacht“ – разказ за едно неспокойно гробище от бъдещето.
„Бизнесът Джордж“ – хумористично фентъзи, точно по вкуса ми.
Личните ми фаворити:
„Вариациите на еднорога“ - заглавната творба е абсолютен връх в полета на фантазията – колкото свежа и дозирано оптимистична, толкова и сериозно замисляща.
„Последната от дивите“ - страхотен постапокалиптичен сетинг с „одухотворени“ и доста опасни автомобили.
„У дома си е Палача“ – твърда фантастика с философски уклон – история за престъпление и изкупление чрез прошка.
„И оцелял съм сал, за да ви кажа“ – свръхкратък, но за сметка на това висш пилотаж в „призрачния“ жанр.
„Моя диодна лейди“ – задъхана техно-кримка с впечатляващ финал.
„Конете на Лир“ – прекрасна творба с щипка митология, каквито само този автор умее да създава.
„Walpugisnacht“ – разказ за едно неспокойно гробище от бъдещето.
„Бизнесът Джордж“ – хумористично фентъзи, точно по вкуса ми.
October 26, 2023
Зелазни е гениален. Точка. Сборникът с разкази „Вариациите на еднорога“ сервира толкова обилна храна за размисъл по отношение на различните измерения и подходи към фантастичното и към творчеството изобщо, че лесно би могла да се превърне в една от настолните книги на мнозина прохождащи автори. Просто обожавам тия смели, неортодоксални жанрови лупинги, които са правили големите майстори в края на миналото столетие. Лъха на свобода, безгрижие, необремененост от социални норми и възхитителен талант. Съвременната поп-култура къде успешно, къде бездарно претворява, преоткрива и черпи с пълни шепи от изворите на атавистичните им вдъхновения и безцеремонен експериментализъм.
Поглъщах книгата на ситни хапки, като едно от вечерните си четива. Обикновено си уговарях срещи със Зелазни на някоя самотна пейка в дълбините на Лозенец, бургаската морска градина или на борда на самолет по време на служебен полет и споделяхме една-две истории в озарения от светлината на Киндъла сумрак. Трябва да предупредя – някои от разказите са доста шантави или свързани с други, още по-неоткриваеми произведения на автора. Биха могли да звучат объркващо и хаотично, да ви оставят кисел привкус и даже лесно да ви откажат. Преводът влошава положението и добавя цели нови пластове неяснота. Но има толкова самостоятелни, свежи и усмихващи проблясъци на фантазия, че просто няма как да не ги обикнете – едноименната пилотна творба за еднорог шахматист, стопяващия сърцето „Рецитал“, мистичния „Конете на Лир“, пропития с черен хумор „Walpurgisnacht“, веселия „Бизнесът Джордж“ и прочие. Независимо от меланхолията, която понякога спохожда фантастиката, писана в неотдавна отминалите десетилетия за неосъществими или неслучили се времена, героите на Зелазни са тъй дейни, жизнеутвърждаващи, търсещи решения и избягващи многословните мрънканици и депресии, че няма как да не ги обикнеш.
В крайна сметка вмъкнатите размисли и есета на майстора заедно с цялата гмеж от митологични същества, извънземни, оживели автомобили, шпиони, роботи и призраци са обезателни за всеки ветеран във фантастиката. Благодаря на Иван Величков, че задочно ме подтикна да намеря книгата, а прекрасното му goodreads ревю си остана неизменна референция към света на Зелазни.
Поглъщах книгата на ситни хапки, като едно от вечерните си четива. Обикновено си уговарях срещи със Зелазни на някоя самотна пейка в дълбините на Лозенец, бургаската морска градина или на борда на самолет по време на служебен полет и споделяхме една-две истории в озарения от светлината на Киндъла сумрак. Трябва да предупредя – някои от разказите са доста шантави или свързани с други, още по-неоткриваеми произведения на автора. Биха могли да звучат объркващо и хаотично, да ви оставят кисел привкус и даже лесно да ви откажат. Преводът влошава положението и добавя цели нови пластове неяснота. Но има толкова самостоятелни, свежи и усмихващи проблясъци на фантазия, че просто няма как да не ги обикнете – едноименната пилотна творба за еднорог шахматист, стопяващия сърцето „Рецитал“, мистичния „Конете на Лир“, пропития с черен хумор „Walpurgisnacht“, веселия „Бизнесът Джордж“ и прочие. Независимо от меланхолията, която понякога спохожда фантастиката, писана в неотдавна отминалите десетилетия за неосъществими или неслучили се времена, героите на Зелазни са тъй дейни, жизнеутвърждаващи, търсещи решения и избягващи многословните мрънканици и депресии, че няма как да не ги обикнеш.
В крайна сметка вмъкнатите размисли и есета на майстора заедно с цялата гмеж от митологични същества, извънземни, оживели автомобили, шпиони, роботи и призраци са обезателни за всеки ветеран във фантастиката. Благодаря на Иван Величков, че задочно ме подтикна да намеря книгата, а прекрасното му goodreads ревю си остана неизменна референция към света на Зелазни.
September 7, 2012
Zelazny is really, really good at short stories. I preferred his shortest stories to the longest stories in here, I think, but all of them are good, with the perfect little twist or sting in the tail. Well, not all of them: I suppose there were some that made little impression on me, but mostly my impression is of a strong collection.
I liked Dismal Light a lot, and The George Business made me smile; Recital was powerful and sort-of sad but not quite, a nice mix of feelings... There are so many stories in this collection, I don't think I could really pick and choose.
I liked Dismal Light a lot, and The George Business made me smile; Recital was powerful and sort-of sad but not quite, a nice mix of feelings... There are so many stories in this collection, I don't think I could really pick and choose.
April 23, 2024
The Horses of Lir ★★★★★
Absolutely magical. It was a Jim Henson movie of an 80s childhood. Beautiful.
Go Starless in the Night ★★★★★
“You are right.
We are not such.
You will never know what we are.”
Ever read a short story, think it was scary, then wake up the next day and realize No, that was terrifying.
Home is the Hangman ★★★★½
Unexpectedly great. A robotic astronaut with nascent A.I. goes rogue in outer space and is presumed lost. Twenty years later it returns to Earth and its creators start dying. My interest was peaked early on and I enjoyed the fast paced murder mystery!
Unicorn Variations ★★★★☆
A man plays a long game of chess with a unicorn for the fate of humanity. Unbeknownst to the unicorn, a Sasquatch and some griffins, are helping him between rounds. That the chess game was a real tournament game played in 1901 added to the appeal.
The Parts That Are Only Glimpsed: Three Reflexes ★★★★☆
“… You could omit anything if you knew that you omitted and the omitted part would strengthen the story and make people feel something more than they understood.”
This was an essay on writing based on something Hemingway said in A Moveable Feast. It was interesting.
Recital ★★★★☆
Even as an outline of a story it was great.
The Last of the Wild Ones ★★★½☆
A.I. powered cars begin to think for themselves, kill their human slavers, then run wild in herd. Humans then do what humans do best - kill every last one of them.
The George Business ★★★½☆
George bargains with a dragon to help him become a Baron. It doesn’t work out but it does lead to a potentially lucrative business. It was a light and funny story.
Dismal Light ★★★½☆
On a primitive prison planet under evacuation an inmate stays with his research, longer than necessary, to prove a point.
The Naked Matador ★★★☆☆
I’m not sure what this was. Maybe a gritty adult version of a mermaid story.
A Hand Across the Galaxy ★★★☆☆
Somewhere between comedy and the saddest of letters from the Reservation.
The Force That Through the Circuit Drives the Current ★★★☆☆
A clumsy paranoid imagining but an OK read. Forgettable.
Fire and/or Ice, Exeunt Omnes, A Very Good Year… ★★★☆☆
Creative and mildly entertaining.
And I Only Am Escaped to Tell Thee ★★★☆☆
One more lyric for Alanis Morissette’s Ironic. I enjoyed reading about the mystery of the Mary Celeste.
Walpurgisnacht ★★★☆☆
The progenitor of a family fortune finds a way to have a merry afterlife and his dependent family still resents it.
Some Parameters… ★★★☆☆
An interesting introspection of science fiction and its personal meaning to the author.
The Night Has 999 Eyes ★★☆☆☆
I don’t know what this meant.
But Not the Herald ★☆☆☆☆
Only profound if you are having a terrible day and want it worse.
My Lady of the Diodes DNF
Two pages in and I had no desire to continue. Not bad but not engaging.
Angel, Dark Angel DNF
This went in too many directions and I lost interest.
I read 18/20 stories that averaged 3.38 stars that I will round up as the top stories were memorable.
Absolutely magical. It was a Jim Henson movie of an 80s childhood. Beautiful.
Go Starless in the Night ★★★★★
“You are right.
We are not such.
You will never know what we are.”
Ever read a short story, think it was scary, then wake up the next day and realize No, that was terrifying.
Home is the Hangman ★★★★½
Unexpectedly great. A robotic astronaut with nascent A.I. goes rogue in outer space and is presumed lost. Twenty years later it returns to Earth and its creators start dying. My interest was peaked early on and I enjoyed the fast paced murder mystery!
Unicorn Variations ★★★★☆
A man plays a long game of chess with a unicorn for the fate of humanity. Unbeknownst to the unicorn, a Sasquatch and some griffins, are helping him between rounds. That the chess game was a real tournament game played in 1901 added to the appeal.
The Parts That Are Only Glimpsed: Three Reflexes ★★★★☆
“… You could omit anything if you knew that you omitted and the omitted part would strengthen the story and make people feel something more than they understood.”
This was an essay on writing based on something Hemingway said in A Moveable Feast. It was interesting.
Recital ★★★★☆
Even as an outline of a story it was great.
The Last of the Wild Ones ★★★½☆
A.I. powered cars begin to think for themselves, kill their human slavers, then run wild in herd. Humans then do what humans do best - kill every last one of them.
The George Business ★★★½☆
George bargains with a dragon to help him become a Baron. It doesn’t work out but it does lead to a potentially lucrative business. It was a light and funny story.
Dismal Light ★★★½☆
On a primitive prison planet under evacuation an inmate stays with his research, longer than necessary, to prove a point.
The Naked Matador ★★★☆☆
I’m not sure what this was. Maybe a gritty adult version of a mermaid story.
A Hand Across the Galaxy ★★★☆☆
Somewhere between comedy and the saddest of letters from the Reservation.
The Force That Through the Circuit Drives the Current ★★★☆☆
A clumsy paranoid imagining but an OK read. Forgettable.
Fire and/or Ice, Exeunt Omnes, A Very Good Year… ★★★☆☆
Creative and mildly entertaining.
And I Only Am Escaped to Tell Thee ★★★☆☆
One more lyric for Alanis Morissette’s Ironic. I enjoyed reading about the mystery of the Mary Celeste.
Walpurgisnacht ★★★☆☆
The progenitor of a family fortune finds a way to have a merry afterlife and his dependent family still resents it.
Some Parameters… ★★★☆☆
An interesting introspection of science fiction and its personal meaning to the author.
The Night Has 999 Eyes ★★☆☆☆
I don’t know what this meant.
But Not the Herald ★☆☆☆☆
Only profound if you are having a terrible day and want it worse.
My Lady of the Diodes DNF
Two pages in and I had no desire to continue. Not bad but not engaging.
Angel, Dark Angel DNF
This went in too many directions and I lost interest.
I read 18/20 stories that averaged 3.38 stars that I will round up as the top stories were memorable.
March 8, 2018
Let me start off by saying that Roger Zelazny is a brilliant brilliant writer. Even though I didn't love every story in this collection I still was gripped by the brilliant writing and story-telling. This was a delightful and witty collection of various sci-fi/fantasy stories, each one quirkier than the last. My favorite one has to be the first story in this collection, which just so happens to also share it's title with this book. Overall Unicorn Variations was a much needed sci-fi/fantasy romp that I read super quickly and enjoyed thoroughly.
Read
September 8, 2025Roger Zelazny wrote some good-to-great fantasy and science fiction novels. He wrote at least as many mediocre-to-bad ones. His shorter stories are statistically of a higher quality. It's not surprising. Longer works, at least of genre fiction, are often padded for market purposes. What should be short stories are inflated into novels. What should be novels, into trilogies or open ended series. Shorter works, by contrast, almost always seem just as long as they need to be. They get their point across without overstaying their welcome. They might be less profitable, but tend to be superior as art. I'm glad Zelazny wrote Lord of Light, A Night in the Lonesome October, and several other classics. But I wish he'd written half as many novels and several times more novellas and short stories. I often found his novels disappointing, but not a single one of his short story collections. Deep down, I suspect Roger Zelazny was by temperament really more of a short story writer, and a poet, than a novelist. Had he been able to write what he wanted, rather than what he needed to, I'd bet he would have been remembered longer than he will be.
August 23, 2019
It's not his best, though the story "Unicorn Variations" is worth the price of admission.
June 15, 2021
This collection, by design, contains a wide variation of Zelazny’s short stories. Some I thought were crap, some I thought amazing. It includes some of his most-recognized works, such as the titular “Unicorn Variations” and “Home is the Hangman”, both among the highlights of the collection.
Often, the things I get caught up on in a book is tied to things I’ve been thinking about elsewhere. In “Home is the Hangman”, for example, a computer expert tries to weasel his way out of a job by arguing:
There was an assumption in the seventies and even the early eighties that computers were going to be like cars: everyone would be a tinkerer. Instead, we no longer tinker on either cars or computers, to the point that not only are children not taught computer science, often computer science majors aren’t taught computer science. I’m not sure that we’ve lost anything by relegating even the most basic automotive work to the professionals, but I do think we’ve lost something important by turning computer science into a priesthood.
So much of the problems with modern political discourse comes from assuming that charts, graphs, and models must be the truth.
“Home is the Hangman” is not about that at all, partly because Zelazny left the assumption of universal computer knowledge unquestioned. But it does touch on the priesthood, and what it means for the priesthood when their creation begins to question them. The “hangman” of the story is a space probe of uncertain intelligence, built with human flaws and sent to observe the solar system. There’s also a touch of original sin and creator issues.
“Last of the Wild Ones” is another of the highlights of the collection, and it also touches on the relationship between man and his creations. Artificial intelligence was a big question in science fiction at the time, and Zelazny was a master at exploiting it. Here, some motor vehicles have gone wild, and must be hunted on the southern plains like intelligent buffalo.
“My Lady of the Diodes” is not quite as compelling as those two, but is also somewhat more prophetic: the main character has basically created an iPhone, though it’s not treated as such, and talks to it to solve problems. Zelazny turns around the usual question of what happens when the user becomes attached to the artificial agent and asks, what happens when the artificial agent becomes attached to the user?
“The George Business” is completely different from all of those, and is a simple, fun short story that shows how good a trick-ending story can be when handled well. George makes a deal with a dragon to kidnap a princess and then save her… the dragon then returns the favor… and out of failure comes legend.
A less interesting trick-ending story is “And I Only Am Escaped to Tell Thee”; it’s a better example of why trick-ending stories usually fail: the author is too caught up in getting to the trick ending that they fail to have fun getting there.
Even where I thought the stories failed, for the most part, they failed because they introduced interesting ideas but left them completely unmined. Another story about how artificial intelligence interacts with mankind, “Walpurgisnacht”, for example, introduces the idea of artificially-intelligent memorial holograms, reproducing the knowledge and personality of the deceased. The result is late-night parties in the cemetery. But it’s also financial advice (we don’t find out whether it’s good or bad advice, but the assumption is that it’s good) and other expertise that appears to be ignored as a source of knowledge. All of that could be a good story, but none of them were even commented on, let alone developed.
Like the trick-ending story, however, stories without a story can also be done well, and Zelazny does a great job in “The Horses of Lir”. Nothing actually happens here—the main character simply comes into an inheritance—but the telling is both poignant and fantastic.
This collection is, for me, all over the map, but the highlights are well worth the time.
Often, the things I get caught up on in a book is tied to things I’ve been thinking about elsewhere. In “Home is the Hangman”, for example, a computer expert tries to weasel his way out of a job by arguing:
“Computer people are a dime a dozen,” I said. “It was probably different in your time, but these days they start teaching computer science to little kids their first year in school. So sure, I know a lot about it. This generation, everybody does.”
There was an assumption in the seventies and even the early eighties that computers were going to be like cars: everyone would be a tinkerer. Instead, we no longer tinker on either cars or computers, to the point that not only are children not taught computer science, often computer science majors aren’t taught computer science. I’m not sure that we’ve lost anything by relegating even the most basic automotive work to the professionals, but I do think we’ve lost something important by turning computer science into a priesthood.
So much of the problems with modern political discourse comes from assuming that charts, graphs, and models must be the truth.
“Home is the Hangman” is not about that at all, partly because Zelazny left the assumption of universal computer knowledge unquestioned. But it does touch on the priesthood, and what it means for the priesthood when their creation begins to question them. The “hangman” of the story is a space probe of uncertain intelligence, built with human flaws and sent to observe the solar system. There’s also a touch of original sin and creator issues.
“Last of the Wild Ones” is another of the highlights of the collection, and it also touches on the relationship between man and his creations. Artificial intelligence was a big question in science fiction at the time, and Zelazny was a master at exploiting it. Here, some motor vehicles have gone wild, and must be hunted on the southern plains like intelligent buffalo.
“My Lady of the Diodes” is not quite as compelling as those two, but is also somewhat more prophetic: the main character has basically created an iPhone, though it’s not treated as such, and talks to it to solve problems. Zelazny turns around the usual question of what happens when the user becomes attached to the artificial agent and asks, what happens when the artificial agent becomes attached to the user?
“The George Business” is completely different from all of those, and is a simple, fun short story that shows how good a trick-ending story can be when handled well. George makes a deal with a dragon to kidnap a princess and then save her… the dragon then returns the favor… and out of failure comes legend.
A less interesting trick-ending story is “And I Only Am Escaped to Tell Thee”; it’s a better example of why trick-ending stories usually fail: the author is too caught up in getting to the trick ending that they fail to have fun getting there.
Even where I thought the stories failed, for the most part, they failed because they introduced interesting ideas but left them completely unmined. Another story about how artificial intelligence interacts with mankind, “Walpurgisnacht”, for example, introduces the idea of artificially-intelligent memorial holograms, reproducing the knowledge and personality of the deceased. The result is late-night parties in the cemetery. But it’s also financial advice (we don’t find out whether it’s good or bad advice, but the assumption is that it’s good) and other expertise that appears to be ignored as a source of knowledge. All of that could be a good story, but none of them were even commented on, let alone developed.
Like the trick-ending story, however, stories without a story can also be done well, and Zelazny does a great job in “The Horses of Lir”. Nothing actually happens here—the main character simply comes into an inheritance—but the telling is both poignant and fantastic.
This collection is, for me, all over the map, but the highlights are well worth the time.
September 3, 2023
Like most collections of short stories, the quality of the individual stories is mixed. Some are great. Others are more interesting than particularly good. But what makes this collection come together is the author commentary on each piece which weaves them together.
Read
May 24, 2025Zelazny can write, especially about ideas. There is a lot of pontificating on metaphysics and science fiction, and all pretty good. The storytelling and emotional arcs leave a lot to be desired but I'm glad that I finally got better acquainted with this classic sci fi writer.
July 4, 2023
The story of "Unicorn Variations" in one of the best entries in the history of the speculative short story. Not the tale itself, really, but the story of how it came to be; while that story is the reason I bought this book as a slightly yellowed Book Club Hardcover when junking, I don't think I should harp on in, since it's talked about frequently, unlike this collection's other stories. In fact, I never hear much about Zelazny's work that doesn't involve the Chronicles of Amber or *The Lord of Light*. I suppose that makes *Unicorn Variations* a strange place to start with his ouvre, but I think it was a rather fun one; it gives tantalizing dashes of Zelazny's ability with prose while also highlighting his strange and unique imagination. Even though a lot of the micro pieces won't stick in my brain, this was a good jumping-off point, and I'm excited to tell you about each and every story contained within its boards. Let's get started with, of course, "Unicorn Variations."
-It's a fun tale of an ex-chess-champion playing a game that quickly turns from one against himself to one against an invisible beer-guzzler to one against a unicorn who is seeking to destroy humanity so that they can replace them as the dominant Terran lifeform, as other mythical creatures have done (for example, griffins replaced the passenger pigeon). The human is fighting for humanity's survival, so he seeks lessons from... a sasquatch? Well, never doubt the power of a good beer among friends. If this wasn't a clear fantasy, I'd say that it's the kind of crap you just can't make up. 8/10.
-"The Last of the Wild Ones" was a fun story about a man who's hunting self-driving cars like they were wild stallions. It's just a clever set up, and the fact that it's a sequel to another story (which I'm assuming is where the red sports car, the object of his hunt, is from) never dampened it for me. 7.5/10.
-The collection's faults, in my opinion, start to come through in "Recital." It's a three-page tale about this retiring and possibly senile singer who is giving her last performance to an audience concocted by a man who once loved her, but now hates her. Big whoop; too short for me and I didn't glean any meaning from it despite Zelazny's ever-clever prose. 6/10.
-"The Naked Matador" is like "Recital" but a bit meatier. In it, a man on the run meets a woman who invites him to have sex with her and then protects him against these mysterious people, murdering them quite vigorously. Another well-written yet seemingly fruitless six-out-of-ten.
-There is a little essay on writing from Zelazny positioned here, but I don't remember it enough to critique it.
-Zelazny returns to form (whatever that means) with "Dismal Light." A tie-in to his *Isle of the Dead* (which I must now read), this story introduces us to a man who was hired to terraform a world into a brutal penal colony. The world grows unstable, however, and one man - an unstable scientist with some possible relation to the terraformer - refuses to leave. Shows his imagination while giving a clear plot to fall into. 8/10.
-I'd actually read "Go Starless in the Night" in an issue of Destinies, but I couldn't place that until looking all these stories up on ISFDB. In it, a cryogenically frozen man is partially awoken from sleep and asked about the location of biohazard stores, of all things. Are the questioning entities to be trusted? Evidently memorable and somewhat moving. 7.5/10.
-"But Not the Herald" is another two-page little diddy. A man maneuvers a fallen world with Pandora's box in his hands. Whatever, 6.5/10.
-"A Hand Across the Galaxy," is an exchange of letters between foster parents and child separated by many light years. Could've been a really interesting narrative style, but it was only a couple pages. 6/10.
-Despite its long name, "The Force That Through the Circuit Drives the Current" is short too, and too short. It's about using AI for trauma healing but it goes awry. Eh. The following story was better. 5.5/10.
-"Home is the Hangman" is the only novella in the book but it's a seemingly good showing of what Zelazny can do with a larger word count. A robot (which is used for exploration in a not dissimilar way to the creature in Pohl's "Man Plus") returns to Earth and begins to kill its four creators. The wealthiest of the four hires a former database creator (with the cool SF flavoring that Zelazny gives his characters) to stop the robot. But is ? It's got cool ideas and I did enjoy it, even though the SF conceits aren't mind-blowing and the messages are murky, if they're there. 7.5/10.
-Three stories: "Fire and/or Ice," "Exeunt Omens," and "A Very Good Year..." are grouped together because they're all post-apocalyptical drabbles. Yes, drabbles; they barely clock in at three pages, if that, apiece. Still, even though the post-disaster women-race and the fantastical tales of creatures after our fall didn't grab me, the final story is a cute time-travel tale that gets a 7.5/10 to beat its peers' 6s.
-"And I Only Am Escaped to Tell Thee" is kind of a weird/fiction folklore tale with a snappy ending in which a man escapes the . Once I realized what was going on, it made me smile. 7/10.
-Another fantastical tale, "The Horses of Lir" shifts to the perspective of a young boy who spends the summer (or something like that) with his grandpa, who explains to his grandson that their family has a long history of caring for some mystical horses. At the end, . A little routine, but I could appreciate it. 7/10.
-Zelazny called "The Night Has 999 Eyes" (another two-pager) his first mood piece. Probably explains why I can't remember it and am hence not a huge fan. 5/10.
-I probably would've enjoyed "Angel, Dark Angel" more if I hadn't been a tad sleepy when I read it. Still, it's this alien tall of something horrible that may ben hidden in plain sight, and I remember liking it. 7/10.
-"Walpurgisnacht" (gesundheit, by the way) is my favorite two-pager. It's about this guy whose dead ancestor wants him to help throw a party in the graveyard with all the other "Talking tombstones." Conceptual, a bit humorous, well-written, everything this bite-sized tales should be. 7.5/10.
-We end on a fantasy on "The George Business." I was a bit sleepy here too, so I'm not sure if everyone in the story were dragons or not, but some of them were, so this was a fun twist on the maiden-in-a-tower sort of thing. 7/10.
I have more overall thoughts on this collection than I do on most, probably because it was my first conscious and critical exposure to Zelazny's writing. I have to say that I quite like his prose style, and that he has cool ideas which lend themselves really well to his clever, sometimes humorous, writing style. He doesn't take himself too seriously, but he's no hack either. He displays an admirable range of tones, genres, and science-fictional concepts. I really need to read more of Zelazny's work.
That being said, I definitely enjoyed the longer stories more. It's not that he's not a writer of substance, but something about him just doesn't lend itself well to just a couple of pages - at least to me, anyways. Critics who take SF even more seriously than I might commend his miniature stories and all the things which they may represent, but they turned me off and stopped from enjoying a fun collection as much as I would've.
Where does that slightly miffed but ultimately impressed reaction place *Unicorn Variations* on my numerical rating scale? I think a 7.5/10 oughta do the trick. I had fun, and it was enjoyable, it's just that some 20 percent of its pages were more-or-less dead weight to me. I definitely want to read more Zelazny in both short-and-long form, and the antique mall haul that this belonged to is off to a good start. And I have to give Zelazny credit for this: I'll never look at a unicorn drinking beer, or a unicorn playing chess, or even a chessboard sitting amidst a fine establishment, the same way ever again.
-It's a fun tale of an ex-chess-champion playing a game that quickly turns from one against himself to one against an invisible beer-guzzler to one against a unicorn who is seeking to destroy humanity so that they can replace them as the dominant Terran lifeform, as other mythical creatures have done (for example, griffins replaced the passenger pigeon). The human is fighting for humanity's survival, so he seeks lessons from... a sasquatch? Well, never doubt the power of a good beer among friends. If this wasn't a clear fantasy, I'd say that it's the kind of crap you just can't make up. 8/10.
-"The Last of the Wild Ones" was a fun story about a man who's hunting self-driving cars like they were wild stallions. It's just a clever set up, and the fact that it's a sequel to another story (which I'm assuming is where the red sports car, the object of his hunt, is from) never dampened it for me. 7.5/10.
-The collection's faults, in my opinion, start to come through in "Recital." It's a three-page tale about this retiring and possibly senile singer who is giving her last performance to an audience concocted by a man who once loved her, but now hates her. Big whoop; too short for me and I didn't glean any meaning from it despite Zelazny's ever-clever prose. 6/10.
-"The Naked Matador" is like "Recital" but a bit meatier. In it, a man on the run meets a woman who invites him to have sex with her and then protects him against these mysterious people, murdering them quite vigorously. Another well-written yet seemingly fruitless six-out-of-ten.
-There is a little essay on writing from Zelazny positioned here, but I don't remember it enough to critique it.
-Zelazny returns to form (whatever that means) with "Dismal Light." A tie-in to his *Isle of the Dead* (which I must now read), this story introduces us to a man who was hired to terraform a world into a brutal penal colony. The world grows unstable, however, and one man - an unstable scientist with some possible relation to the terraformer - refuses to leave. Shows his imagination while giving a clear plot to fall into. 8/10.
-I'd actually read "Go Starless in the Night" in an issue of Destinies, but I couldn't place that until looking all these stories up on ISFDB. In it, a cryogenically frozen man is partially awoken from sleep and asked about the location of biohazard stores, of all things. Are the questioning entities to be trusted? Evidently memorable and somewhat moving. 7.5/10.
-"But Not the Herald" is another two-page little diddy. A man maneuvers a fallen world with Pandora's box in his hands. Whatever, 6.5/10.
-"A Hand Across the Galaxy," is an exchange of letters between foster parents and child separated by many light years. Could've been a really interesting narrative style, but it was only a couple pages. 6/10.
-Despite its long name, "The Force That Through the Circuit Drives the Current" is short too, and too short. It's about using AI for trauma healing but it goes awry. Eh. The following story was better. 5.5/10.
-"Home is the Hangman" is the only novella in the book but it's a seemingly good showing of what Zelazny can do with a larger word count. A robot (which is used for exploration in a not dissimilar way to the creature in Pohl's "Man Plus") returns to Earth and begins to kill its four creators. The wealthiest of the four hires a former database creator (with the cool SF flavoring that Zelazny gives his characters) to stop the robot. But is ? It's got cool ideas and I did enjoy it, even though the SF conceits aren't mind-blowing and the messages are murky, if they're there. 7.5/10.
-Three stories: "Fire and/or Ice," "Exeunt Omens," and "A Very Good Year..." are grouped together because they're all post-apocalyptical drabbles. Yes, drabbles; they barely clock in at three pages, if that, apiece. Still, even though the post-disaster women-race and the fantastical tales of creatures after our fall didn't grab me, the final story is a cute time-travel tale that gets a 7.5/10 to beat its peers' 6s.
-"And I Only Am Escaped to Tell Thee" is kind of a weird/fiction folklore tale with a snappy ending in which a man escapes the . Once I realized what was going on, it made me smile. 7/10.
-Another fantastical tale, "The Horses of Lir" shifts to the perspective of a young boy who spends the summer (or something like that) with his grandpa, who explains to his grandson that their family has a long history of caring for some mystical horses. At the end, . A little routine, but I could appreciate it. 7/10.
-Zelazny called "The Night Has 999 Eyes" (another two-pager) his first mood piece. Probably explains why I can't remember it and am hence not a huge fan. 5/10.
-I probably would've enjoyed "Angel, Dark Angel" more if I hadn't been a tad sleepy when I read it. Still, it's this alien tall of something horrible that may ben hidden in plain sight, and I remember liking it. 7/10.
-"Walpurgisnacht" (gesundheit, by the way) is my favorite two-pager. It's about this guy whose dead ancestor wants him to help throw a party in the graveyard with all the other "Talking tombstones." Conceptual, a bit humorous, well-written, everything this bite-sized tales should be. 7.5/10.
-We end on a fantasy on "The George Business." I was a bit sleepy here too, so I'm not sure if everyone in the story were dragons or not, but some of them were, so this was a fun twist on the maiden-in-a-tower sort of thing. 7/10.
I have more overall thoughts on this collection than I do on most, probably because it was my first conscious and critical exposure to Zelazny's writing. I have to say that I quite like his prose style, and that he has cool ideas which lend themselves really well to his clever, sometimes humorous, writing style. He doesn't take himself too seriously, but he's no hack either. He displays an admirable range of tones, genres, and science-fictional concepts. I really need to read more of Zelazny's work.
That being said, I definitely enjoyed the longer stories more. It's not that he's not a writer of substance, but something about him just doesn't lend itself well to just a couple of pages - at least to me, anyways. Critics who take SF even more seriously than I might commend his miniature stories and all the things which they may represent, but they turned me off and stopped from enjoying a fun collection as much as I would've.
Where does that slightly miffed but ultimately impressed reaction place *Unicorn Variations* on my numerical rating scale? I think a 7.5/10 oughta do the trick. I had fun, and it was enjoyable, it's just that some 20 percent of its pages were more-or-less dead weight to me. I definitely want to read more Zelazny in both short-and-long form, and the antique mall haul that this belonged to is off to a good start. And I have to give Zelazny credit for this: I'll never look at a unicorn drinking beer, or a unicorn playing chess, or even a chessboard sitting amidst a fine establishment, the same way ever again.
January 8, 2021
Короткий и гениальный.
Потрясающий своевременный рассказ-притча-миф от одного из мастеров короткой прозы, Роджера Желязны.
Потрясающий своевременный рассказ-притча-миф от одного из мастеров короткой прозы, Роджера Желязны.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 25, 2008
What an amazing collection of science fiction and fantasy. The first two stories (about a chess game against a unicorn and a man hunting wild sentient cars) are vividly imaginative, creative, a little funny, a little bit dramatic and a little bit poignant. A later essay on the use of minor details to give the sense of characters having lives outside their roles in a story is also great advice; I've thought about such things, but never wrote or read about it before. By his fiction and reflection on fiction, Zelazny seems totally worth all the awards and accolades he won over his career. I don't know anyone who could spin off so many ideas and write them so cleverly and thoroughly. No offense to Asimov or Clarke, but they couldn't touch Zelazny's narrative dexterity, capable of writing a modern fairytale and and a love affair between a thief and his supercomputer with wildly different but wholly effective styles. Much of his thought is as close to the wonderful Ghost in the Shell manga as I've seen in prose, with slightly more shallow characters. His one weakness is dialogue, where he kind of stumbles into philosophical discourse that doesn't fit his artistic tones and whatnot, but you have to forgive that in the face of so much creativity, depth and humor. He's no Douglas Adams or Terry Pratchett, either; the humor is disarming or funny, but blends easier with drama. If you're a fan of either of those two writers, you simply must give Zelazny a try. In fact, I recommend this to anyone who likes science fiction or fantasy short stories.
PS: Dragon Heart totally ripped off "The George Business." If you like that movie, read this short!
PS: Dragon Heart totally ripped off "The George Business." If you like that movie, read this short!
May 30, 2014
If you only read one Zelazny collection Read THE DOORS OF HIS FACE, THE LAMPS OF HIS MOUTH. If you read two…well I’m still not sure this is it. If you’re already a Zelazny fan, then absolutely, go for it. While this collection is full of solid writing, I didn’t love it. It’s full of experimental stories and places where Zelazny pulls aside the curtain to show us how his craft works. One fascinating habit of his includes writing short stories for characters in his novels that are not intended to do anything but create a depth of character – to ensure there is more to the character offscreen. Unfortunately, it also feels like this is a collection of trunk stories and also-rans. The two best stories in this collection are the endcaps, and they’re fantastic.
UNICORN VARIATIONS involves a man who must beat a unicorn at a game of chess for the fate of humanity. He’s allowed weeks between moves, and Bigfoot becomes his chess coach. Griffons show up to drink the beer and cheer the game along. It’s a nice bit of fluff fantasy with a gentle but optimistic message of hope for us all.
THE GEORGE BUSINESS develops a clever origin story for St. George. The title telegraphs this, the story reinforces it, but Zelazny still manages to deliver an effective final line sting. It actually elicited a verbal response from me, so that’s some solid storytelling.
Probably the most interesting story was THE HORSES OF LIR. This manages to wrap Loch Ness with the Lovecraft mythos, but in a character-driven tale that is more dream-cycle than cosmic horror. I think I love this story. I will certainly be back to revisit it.
UNICORN VARIATIONS involves a man who must beat a unicorn at a game of chess for the fate of humanity. He’s allowed weeks between moves, and Bigfoot becomes his chess coach. Griffons show up to drink the beer and cheer the game along. It’s a nice bit of fluff fantasy with a gentle but optimistic message of hope for us all.
THE GEORGE BUSINESS develops a clever origin story for St. George. The title telegraphs this, the story reinforces it, but Zelazny still manages to deliver an effective final line sting. It actually elicited a verbal response from me, so that’s some solid storytelling.
Probably the most interesting story was THE HORSES OF LIR. This manages to wrap Loch Ness with the Lovecraft mythos, but in a character-driven tale that is more dream-cycle than cosmic horror. I think I love this story. I will certainly be back to revisit it.
September 5, 2024
Imagine this: a unicorn challenges you to a game of chess. No, seriously. That’s the premise of Unicorn Variations, and trust me, it's as delightfully strange as it sounds. Zelazny delivers a story where a man and a unicorn sit down for the ultimate battle—not with swords, but with strategy, staring each other down across a chessboard. It’s like The Queen’s Gambit, but with way more magical creatures.
Naturally, you think, “A unicorn? What’s next, a centaur playing poker?” (Honestly, don’t rule it out.) The stakes are high because, as it turns out, winning this game of chess is more important than just bragging rights. The fate of the world kind of depends on it, no pressure though!
Zelazny weaves in his trademark wit and some surprisingly deep philosophical musings. One minute you’re contemplating the existential weight of mythical creatures, the next you're wondering if chess might actually be the secret weapon to surviving a fantasy apocalypse.
In short, Unicorn Variations is like getting invited to a magical chess tournament hosted by your most eccentric friend—the one who always has a weird story up their sleeve. If you’ve ever wanted to see a unicorn and a human settle cosmic affairs over pawns and rooks, this is the bizarre, brilliant tale for you.
Naturally, you think, “A unicorn? What’s next, a centaur playing poker?” (Honestly, don’t rule it out.) The stakes are high because, as it turns out, winning this game of chess is more important than just bragging rights. The fate of the world kind of depends on it, no pressure though!
Zelazny weaves in his trademark wit and some surprisingly deep philosophical musings. One minute you’re contemplating the existential weight of mythical creatures, the next you're wondering if chess might actually be the secret weapon to surviving a fantasy apocalypse.
In short, Unicorn Variations is like getting invited to a magical chess tournament hosted by your most eccentric friend—the one who always has a weird story up their sleeve. If you’ve ever wanted to see a unicorn and a human settle cosmic affairs over pawns and rooks, this is the bizarre, brilliant tale for you.
October 23, 2014
SF & Fantasy short stories, several of which won awards. As always, he's a great read. His stories take fantasy into SF & vice versa in strange ways with a deft touch. He's one of the few authors that was a master of both the novel & short story.
February 8, 2016
In very brief: WHERE THE LADIES AT. The most developed she-pronouned character in this collection is A CAR.
June 11, 2020
A spectacular short story. If you like chess, or unicorns, or ghost towns this is a must. If you like none of those things you should get to know them better.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 9, 2020
The 30th book (15th so far this year) in my (re-)reading of the Zelazny canon. I've read Unicorn Variations before and I really like it. This is kind of my go-to book for Zelazny's short fiction. One of the things I really love about this book is the intros that Zelazny writes for each story, often giving the reader a peek into the genesis of the tale. (The story behind the title story is the most famous: writing a short story about a chess game and a unicorn set in a bar to satisfy [and sell to] three separate anthologies. I've referred to this while teaching classes in creative writing.) There are quite a number of very short pieces here, in the 3-5 page range. It's hard to make these short shorts much more than a snapshot or a punchline, but Zelazny manages to pull it off - repeatedly, notably in "Fire And/Or Ice," "A Very Good Year," (both dealing with the end of the world) and "Walpurgisnacht" (about life, of a sort, after death). I was especially taken this time around with "Dismal Light" (probably 'cause I was more familiar with the character of Francis Sandow) and particularly, "The Horses of Lir," an exploration of a Loch Ness-type monster with mythological origins; and, of course, the humorous bookends "Unicorn Variation" and "The George Business" (St. George and a dragon named Dart make a deal). The longest tale here, "Home Is the Hangman," I read most recently as part of the My Name Is Legion book, but the others here were unique (to me) to this collection. The introductions seem to indicate that Zelazny chose which stories to include; that might be why this collection feels so strong.
November 19, 2019
Zelazny i bra form, om än inte lika bra som "The Doors..." eller "The Last Defender...". Men det finns absolut några guldkorn även här och lägstanivån är hög som sig bör med denna författare vid rodret. Den bästa novellen är nog utan större tvekan den som öppnar boken (titelnovellen), en torrt humoristisk fantasi om enhörningar som dricker öl och spelar schack. "The Horses of Lir" är en nästan bukolisk novell med ett förvånansvärt rörande slut och känns nästan som en av Lovecrafts drömberättelser. En återkommande favorit är också "The George Business" som är lika underhållande nu som när jag läste den första gången. Skulle gärna vilja veta om de som skrev manuset till Dragonheart läst den, med. "The Last of the Wild Ones" står för bokens bästa öppning, ett flödande stycke prosapoesi som ingen annan än just Zelazny kunnat skriva.
I vanlig ordning är det hans språk som är största behållningen. Få människor kan skriva både så hjärtskärande vackert och poetiskt; samtidigt som de kan skriva lika vackert med kort och rak prosa, samtidigt som de kan ge uttryck åt en fantastiskt torr humor.
January 23, 2024
I really enjoyed it!
Zelazny's name is always immediately linked with the much-loved Amber series, overlooking his broader collection of diverse work, including a lot of magazine-oriented short pieces.
I love anthologies - they bring together a collection of works you'd likely never find or read elsewhere, and like a tasty buffet they ultimately offer something for everyone's tastes. A few will be stinkers, a couple will be outstanding, and the rest will be solid.
Unicorn Variations delivers just that: an array of stories (some as short as 3 pages and one short novella) across varying genres and themes. Well written and entertaining, each also opens with a brief contextual narrative from the author about when and why he wrote, and where his head was at the time.
Very enjoyable all around, and a recommended Good Read for fans of fantasy, sci-fi and Zelazny (and I just like saying "Zelazny".... it flows off the tongue).
Zelazny's name is always immediately linked with the much-loved Amber series, overlooking his broader collection of diverse work, including a lot of magazine-oriented short pieces.
I love anthologies - they bring together a collection of works you'd likely never find or read elsewhere, and like a tasty buffet they ultimately offer something for everyone's tastes. A few will be stinkers, a couple will be outstanding, and the rest will be solid.
Unicorn Variations delivers just that: an array of stories (some as short as 3 pages and one short novella) across varying genres and themes. Well written and entertaining, each also opens with a brief contextual narrative from the author about when and why he wrote, and where his head was at the time.
Very enjoyable all around, and a recommended Good Read for fans of fantasy, sci-fi and Zelazny (and I just like saying "Zelazny".... it flows off the tongue).
December 7, 2019
To my knowledge,this is the fourth of five collections of Zelazny's shorter works, following 'Four for Tomorrow/A Rose for Ecclesiastes', 'The Doors of his Face, the Lamps of his Mouth', 'The Last Defender of Camelot' - and preceding 'Frost and Fire'. It's fully the equal of the two volumes that came before it. We have 'Home is the Hangman', which also appears as a part of the 'My Name is Legion' sequence and which is a most interesting variation on the plot idea of Eco's 'Name of the Rose'. The title piece shows what a huge debt was owed to Zelazny by Douglas Adams and Terry Pratchett and the moving sequel to the earlier 'Devil Car' story (from 'The Doors...') is riveting. Essential Zelazny and of interest to everybody who likes to see short-form science fiction done supremely well.
June 24, 2020
Не съм чела много неща на Роджър Зелазни, но се влюбих в "Една нощ през самотния октомври" преди години и така започна всичко - отзад напред, без ред и на зиг заг. Разказите не са лесни за писане, но тук имаше страхотни попадения - определено У дома си е Палача ми се струва най-силен (може би и заради дължината си), но поне още 10 заслужават внимание, сред които Вариациите на Еднорога, Ръка през галактиката, Конете на Лир, Моя диодна лейди, Марш обратно във нощта беззвездна... Всъщност са много и все хубави! Има и някои твърде кратки и странни, но бележките към всеки разказ помагат и бяха страшно интересни за мен. Ще продължа със Зелазни - беше любов от първи ред и продължава да е така.
September 16, 2021
I had not read a Zelazny work in years and had forgotten how well he wrote. Just good prose, that put an image into your head as you read. These are a collection of whimsical stories, from the days when "science fiction" and "fantasy" were used somewhat interchangeably.
Well written, by which I mean excellent use of language, structure, and form to share the stories. Reading this reminds me how few more modern authors focus on form, as well as content. Just something satisfying about a well written short story.
Well written, by which I mean excellent use of language, structure, and form to share the stories. Reading this reminds me how few more modern authors focus on form, as well as content. Just something satisfying about a well written short story.
February 26, 2018
Great collection of stories....I had assumed I had already read them all, but this one was mentioned in a Facebook group so I bought it immediately. My favorite was probably "Home Is the Hangman"...actually, several of the stories here that dealt with AI were enjoyable. "Walpurgisnacht" might have been silly, but it has some serious things to say about life extension beyond life.
June 26, 2018
Anytime I either get in the mood or want to get in the mood to play chess, this is my go to book. Every story in this volume has something to do with chess, checkers, shogi, go or some variation of these games. If you have an interest in these games, this book is for you. As for me? I still want to find the Morphy watch, just because...
May 13, 2021
Years ago, I enjoyed reading Zelazny's Amber series. This old anthology of short stories was not bad and most were amazing not dated. A number were more fantasy than science fiction. I enjoyed his comments about each piece (why he wrote them, how they related to other work by him, etc.). Some stories, however, were rather skeletal. Like most collections, a mixed bag.
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