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Roger Zelazny


(Roger Joseph Zelazny)
USA flag (1937 - 1995)
Father of Trent Zelazny

aka Harrison Denmark

Roger Zelazny made his name with a group of novellas which demonstrated just how intense an emotional charge could be generated by the stock imagery of sf; the most famous of these is 'A Rose for Ecclesiastes' in which a poet struggles to convince dying and sterile Martians that life is worth continuing. Zelazny continued to write excellent short stories throughout his career. Most of his novels deal, one way or another, with tricksters and mythology, often with rogues who become gods, like Sam in Lord of Light, who reinvents Buddhism as a vehicle for political subversion on a colony planet.

The fantasy sequence The Amber Chronicles, which started with Nine Princes in Amber, deals with the ruling family of a Platonic realm at the metaphysical heart of things, who can slide, trickster-like through realities, and their wars with each other and the related ruling house of Chaos. Zelazny never entirely fulfilled his early promise -who could?- but he and his work were much loved, and a potent influence on such younger writers as George R. R. Martin and Neil Gaiman.

He won the Nebula award three times (out of 14 nominations) and the Hugo award six times (out of 14 nominations). His papers are housed at the Albin O. Khun Library of the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC).
 

Genres: Fantasy, Science Fiction, Mystery, Young Adult Fantasy
 
Series
Francis Sandow
   1. Isle of the Dead (1969)
   2. To Die in Italbar (1973)
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Chronicles of Amber
   1. Nine Princes in Amber (1970)
   2. The Guns of Avalon (1972)
   3. The Sign of the Unicorn (1975)
   4. The Hand of Oberon (1976)
   5. The Courts of Chaos (1978)
   6. Trumps of Doom (1985)
   7. Blood of Amber (1986)
   8. Sign of Chaos (1987)
   9. Knight of Shadows (1989)
   10. Prince of Chaos (1991)
   Seven Tales in Amber (2019)
continued in the series by John Gregory Betancourt
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Changeling Saga
   1. Changeling (1980)
   2. Madwand (1981)
     aka Madworld
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Collected Stories of Roger Zelazny
   1. Threshold (2009)
   2. Power & Light (2009)
   3. This Mortal Mountain (2009)
   4. Last Exit to Babylon (2009)
   5. Nine Black Doves (2009)
   6. The Road to Amber (2009)
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Novels
   The Dream Master (1966)
     aka He Who Shapes
   This Immortal (1966)
     aka ...And Call Me Conrad
   Lord of Light (1967)
   Creatures of Light and Darkness (1969)
   Damnation Alley (1969)
   Jack of Shadows (1971)
   Today We Choose Faces (1973)
   Doorways in the Sand (1976)
   Bridge of Ashes (1976)
   Deus Irae (1976) (with Philip K Dick)
   Roadmarks (1979)
   Coils (1982) (with Fred Saberhagen)
   Eye of Cat (1982)
   To Spin Is Miracle Cat (1982)
   A Dark Travelling (1987)
   The Black Throne (1990) (with Fred Saberhagen)
   The Mask of Loki (1990) (with Thomas T Thomas)
   Flare (1992) (with Thomas T Thomas)
   A Night in the Lonesome October (1993)
   Wilderness (1994) (with Gerald Hausman)
   Donnerjack (1997) (with Jane Lindskold)
   Psychoshop (1998) (with Alfred Bester)
   Lord Demon (1999) (with Jane Lindskold)
   The Dead Man's Brother (2009)
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Collections
   A Rose for Ecclesiastes (1965)
     aka Four for Tomorrow
   The Doors of His Face, the Lamps of His Mouth (1971)
   Poems (poems) (1974)
   My Name Is Legion (1976)
   Unicorn Variations (1977)
   The Illustrated Roger Zelazny (1978) (with Byron Preiss)
   The Last Defender of Camelot (1980)
   When Pussywillows Last in the Catyard Bloomed (poems) (1985)
   Frost and Fire (1989)
   Here There Be Dragons / Way up High (1992)
   Manna from Heaven (2003)
   The Best of Roger Zelazny (2023)
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Novellas and Short Stories
   Home Is the Hangman (1996)
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Anthologies edited
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Series contributed to
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Roger Zelazny recommends
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The Buried Pyramid (2004)
Jane Lindskold
"One of the brightest new writers to come along in years."
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Jubilee (2003)
Jack Dann
"A reality magician... And just when you think he has inoculated you against surprise, he will surprise you again. He's that good."
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The Wanderer (2001)
(Rulers of Hylor, book 4)
Katya Reimann and Cherry Wilder
"It is a privilege to visit the landscapes of her imagination"

More recommendations 


Anthologies containing stories by Roger Zelazny
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Sense of Wonder (2023)
A Century of Science Fiction
edited by
Leigh Ronald Grossman
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The Book of Mars (2022)
An Anthology of Fact and Fiction
edited by
Stuart Clark

More anthologies 


Awards
Hugo Best Short Story nominee (1964) : A Rose for Ecclesiastes
Hugo Best Short Story nominee (1966) : The Doors of His Face, the Lamps of His Mouth [short story]
Hugo Best Novel winner (1966) : This Immortal
Nebula Awards Best Short Story nominee (1966) : Devil Car
Nebula Awards Best Novellette winner (1966) : The Doors of His Face, the Lamps of His Mouth [short story]
Nebula Awards Best Novella winner (1966) : He Who Shapes
Hugo Best Short Story nominee (1967) : Comes Now the Power
Hugo Best Novellette nominee (1967) : For a Breath I Tarry
Nebula Awards Best Short Story nominee (1967) : This Moment of the Storm
Hugo Best Novella nominee (1968) : Damnation Alley [short story]
Hugo Best Novel winner (1968) : Lord of Light
Nebula Awards Best Novellette nominee (1968) : The Keys to December
Nebula Awards Best Novel nominee (1968) : Lord of Light
Nebula Awards Best Novellette nominee (1968) : The Mortal Mountain
Nebula Awards Best Novel nominee (1970) : Isle of the Dead
Mythopoeic Fantasy Award for Adult Literature Best Book nominee (1971) : Nine Princes in Amber
Hugo Best Novel nominee (1972) : Jack of Shadows
Mythopoeic Fantasy Award for Adult Literature Best Book nominee (1973) : The Guns of Avalon
Nebula Awards Best Short Story nominee (1975) : The Engine at Heartspring's Center
Hugo Best Novel nominee (1976) : Doorways in the Sand
Hugo Best Novella winner (1976) : Home is the Hangman [short story]
Nebula Awards Best Novel nominee (1976) : Doorways in the Sand
Nebula Awards Best Novella winner (1976) : Home is the Hangman [short story]
Hugo Best Novellette winner (1982) : Unicorn Variations [short story]
Hugo Best Novella winner (1986) : 24 Views of Mount Fuji, by Hokusai
Nebula Awards Best Novella nominee (1986) : 24 Views of Mount Fuji, by Hokusai
Hugo Best Novellette winner (1987) : Permafrost
Nebula Awards Best Novellette nominee (1987) : Permafrost
Nebula Awards Best Novel nominee (1995) : A Night in the Lonesome October


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