โ Scribed by Roger Zelazny; Jane Lindskold
No coin nor oath required. For personal study only.
Roger Zelazny (1937-1995) was a wizard of the pen: he won six Hugos and three Nebulas and is revered by science fiction and fantasy readers. Lord Demon is his last novel, the second of two projects unfinished at his death. Jane Lindskold, his partner and a fantasy author herself, completed it from some manuscript, a few notes, and conversations she'd had with him. Fans are often skeptical of posthumous collaborations: "It's not real Zelazny"--but Lord Demon comes darned close. It deserves space beside the Amber series, The Dream Master , and Lord of Light. As Zelazny once said of another novel: "It has all my favorite things--blood, love, fire, hate and a high ideal or two."
Lord Demon is vintage Zelazny: a "scientific" fantasy built on favorite themes (the necessity of knowing oneself, of taking risks, and of accepting the vulnerability that comes with feeling passionately), drawing on East Asian, Irish, and hero's quest myths, and featuring his signature protagonist: erudite, smart-mouthed, detached, homicidal when roused but more often immersed in art, poetry, and the creation of alternate realities; unexpectedly kind to the weak and deeply romantic in his approach to women. The bad puns and wildly whimsical turns the story takes are also characteristic.
Fans will hear echoes of Amber: Kai Wren and his demon colleagues represent Chaos; the gods live in Origin, imposing their will to order the planes of existence; the powerful demon He of the Towers of Light has sculpted his home to resemble Origin, and approaching it is much like walking the Pattern; and so on. What's unique is what Kai Wren learns in Lord Demon. The immortal doesn't fail, nor does he return triumphant to marry and rule his folk. This hero and the author finally accept the limits of superpower and the pleasures in being "only human." ---Nona Vero
Zelazny left two novel manuscripts unfinished when he died in 1995. One was Donnerjack, which Lindskold (Brother to Dragons, etc.) completed for 1998 publication. This is the second. Zelazny is best known for characters who, in between waging interdimensional battles and building planets, still have time to be very human. Lord Demon, also called Kai Wren, and sometimes Godslayer, follows that familiar model. Once the greatest of his kind, Kai, along with the other demons, was banished from their homeland 5000 years ago by the gods. The demons found a way to Earth, specifically China, where they rebuilt their lives. For the last few millennia, Kai has withdrawn from demon society, focused on constructing splendid magical bottles infused with his chi. Now his human servant and best friend has been murdered. Assuming the crime is merely one born of an old grudge, Kai doesn't take it too seriously. That is, until he's betrayed and stripped of his ability to manipulate chi energyAreducing him to the merely human in a new war among demonkind. Fighting back means dangerous alliances and sticking his neck out as he hasn't done for thousands of years. Most dangerous of all, however, is the possibility that Kai is just a pawn in a plot that passed him by years ago. Though the novel is slow to get moving, once the fight is on, it doesn't let up. The narrative weaves a fine line between tragedy and humor, sometimes slapstick, as Kai gathers a ragtag band of Chinese sorcerers and shape changers and Pekinese dogs. Lindskold effectively captures the voices of Zelazny's wise-cracking characters and continues the expert blending of magical and mundane that makes his work so enjoyable. This novel is fine Zelazny, and a fine tribute. (Aug.)
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.
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