The Night Kings and Night Heirs

by Roger Zelazny, Warren Lapine

Night Kings It began like any other night, but this one had a special feeling to it. The moon came up full and splendid above the skyline, and its light spread like spilled buttermilk among the canyons of the city. The remains of the day's storm exhaled mists which fled wraith-like across the pavements. But it wasn't just the moon and the fog. Something had been building for several weeks now. My sleep had been troubled. And business was too good. . .
Night Heirs The full moon rose up over the city, gloriously shining through and reflecting on the mists rising from the pavement, the only remnants of a late afternoon storm. The moon seemed enormous in that illusionary way that it can just upon rising. I would have liked to be able to enjoy the beauty of that magnificent orb, but I knew the portents. My life was about to change and I didn't want it to. Business was good, entirely too good. . .

Genres: Science Fiction, Fantasy

34 pages, Hardcover

Published March 24, 2022

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

[Bill Ramsell · Rating 4 out of 5]

The original story "The Night Kings" was classic Zelazny, short and pithy. Always good to read.

The second story, "The Night Heirs" was written by a different author and was longer and had less pith. It was, however, a rather charming sequel by someone who obviously loved RZ.

Worth reading if you're a fan.

[Hiram Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good to read a new piece of Zelazny

Short but enjoyable. Glad to have found this. Zelazny was a very unique talent. Harlan Ellison once stated that it was quite clear that Roger was the reincarnation of Geoffrey Chaucer. I have never encountered such a smooth use of imagery in any other writer.

[Gilbert Stack · Rating 3 out of 5]

These two short stories take a quick look into a not-fully-developed vision of Zelazny’s science versus the supernatural universe. The hero and his apprentice run a little anti-supernatural shop. Think you might have a vampire living in the basement of your apartment building? Well, here’s the place you can get garlic and wooden stakes. Was that a werewolf you heard howling at the moon last night? They have boxes full of silver bullets in whatever caliber will fit your gun. Have you run into something a bit more esoteric? The odds are high that this shop has something that can help you out. The only thing not for sale is the magic sword on the wall—it’s display only—because every once in a while, the proprietor of the shop has to face down his supernatural nemesis in a duel over whether the scientific world view or the supernatural one will rule for the next generation.

These short stories are both very quick reads and quite a lot of fun.

[Adam Hackers · Rating 5 out of 5]

great read

A really good read which I had to finish in one sitting. Best short stories I have read in a long time. I will now look at what else Warren has written.