Rating: 
Summary: One to read over and over!
Review: A Night in the Lonesome October is the perfect novel for those of you who love light, compelling fantasy. Zelazny, a master of simplicity, chooses a watchdog named Snuff to tell his macabre tale of a grizzly event which takes place when there is a full moon on Halloween. The rest of the characters are equally strange, but recognizable and intriguing. All leads, through amusing diversions, to a satisfying ending with plenty of surprises. All in all, it is a sample of vintage Zelazny; a novel to read once you've read all the Amber novels.I have read this book at least 5 times, and it equally amusing each time. I catch refrences I might have missed previously, and lose myself in the world Zelazny creates. Don't write it off prematurely as typical fantasy. Roger Zelazny was always much more than that. "And ah, my foes, and oh, my friends, they gave such a wonderful light. Hickory - Dickory - Dock!"
Rating:
Summary: I also reread this book every October
Review: but seem to have misplaced my copy :( It better turn up soon. Two small details have been bothering me; since the losers
perish each time, and the world remains unchanged, Snuff
should be able to deduce that any who have played before
are closers. Secondly, at one point the church is in the
center, yet Snuff (the calculator) comes up
with different means when doing the calculation with and
without the church. Does that make sense? Even with these
inconsistencies this book is awesome.
Rating:
Summary: Why do so many of the great odd books go out of print?
Review: Hero is Jack (yes, that Jack) who battles Lovecraftian evil. Written from the POV of his dog Snuff. This unusual narration works well, and you will soon find yourself reading it out loud to savor it even more. Hilarious and unique. Incredible illustrations by Gahan Wilson.
Rating:
Summary: Amazingly simple yet brilliant...
Review: I was given the audio version of A Night in the Lonesome October about 8 years ago during a time when I was commuting an hour and a half to work. I listened to just about anything to help pass the time. As I had already read many books by Zelazny and was a fan, I was very excited to listen to it.
My first thought was, "What the heck is this weird book?"
Followed by intrigue and one of the shortest 1.5 hours of my life. I didn't want to get out of the car at work!
I immediately bought the paperback version and have, like many others, made a ritual of reading the book again every October.
It is witty, fast-paced, and exciting with a bit of edginess and mystery thrown in. The characters are all memorable and distinct and the dialogue is clever and infectious. It's one of my favorites. If you can find it, it will likely be one of yours as well!
Rating:
Summary: The Thing of Perspective
Review: I'm on my third reading of this book in the last three days, and I don't know when I'll be able to put it down. It's all perspective: the perspective of this book is so fresh and vibrant that you see the world from a completely new angle, and a mighty strange and amusing one at that. Everything is somewhat familiar, and yet everything is completely new, and seen from the eyes of a dog. This dog lives with a very unusual person, but all the unusual activities that go on are completely normal to the dog, so they are described in much the same manner as most people would describe going out to their job and coming home again. I realize most of the other reviews have already given a lot away about the plot, which is very sad, because the joy is suddenly discovering things. So, even though those reviews tell you who owns the dog, what the dog's name is, and even who some of the other characters are, I'm not going to do that, and instead say that you should read this book for the joy and humor of the perspective. You can't miss out on it.
Rating:
Summary: wicked fun!
Review: Oh, this is lovely! This is inspired! If you find a copy, buy it, read it, cherish it, and know you have my undying envy (I have to rely on libraries). In this book, Zelazny freely borrows from Stoker, Shelly, Conan Doyle, and Lovecraft (most especially Lovecraft!), screen adaptations of the same, and other popular touchstones. "A Night in the Lonesome October" follows 31 days in the lives of watchdog Snuff and his master Jack, as they prepare for a Halloween ritual. Some players want to bring Lovecraft's ancient gods of chaos back to earth; some want to banish them, at least until the next ritual. Discovering who is who and what is where are vital tasks. The story works in its own right, but the more familiar you are with Zelazny's sources, the more fun it is to read. The book is not as powerful as some of Zelazny's works, but it is wickedly fun and well worth rereading (many times!) to catch and savor the details.
Rating:
Summary: A highly original, quirky, delightful novel
Review: Roger Zelazny is a fascinating, singularly unique writer. What other author gives you the likes of Jack the Ripper, Count Dracula, Frankenstein's Monster, and Sherlock Holmes in the same novel? How about Lovecraftian themes and allusions? And it's not even a horror novel. This is wildly romping fantasy at its best. Our narrator is a dog named Snuff; he's no ordinary dog, however. He is the companion of Saucy Jack, the watchdog of unfathomable trapped monsters, calculator of the lines of fate, and immensely important guardian against evil. In certain years, when the moon is right, on All Hallow's Eve, the Elder Gods seek entry back into our world. At those times, the proper individuals and agents instinctively come to the crucial area and seek to either open or close the eldritch gates. During such a lonesome October, these agents prepare their spells and minds for the challenge, while interacting with one another in attempts to learn from, thwart, and sometimes remove their fellow players from the Game. Each player has a companion animal, and it is Snuff's interaction with his cohorts that drives the story along. Snuff's greatest friend is the cat Graymalk, and their relationship and true friendship in the face of possible competition really won me over. The Game is confusing early on, which is at it should be. The reader must struggle to understand not only what the Game actually is but also figure out who and what is on which side of the coming conflict. I remained relatively clueless as to how the final drama would play out, and I am happy to say I did not find it disappointing. It is interesting to consider the players in this Game. While we know Snuff serves Jack the Ripper, we see the man as a cheerful, utterly pleasant man with a grave responsibility, a veritable hero in fact; allusions are made to his trips to town for certain necessary items, and we do see him become deadly dangerous when Snuff is in danger, but largely the character is Jack and never the Ripper. The other characters are basically all portrayed in the same fashion, and it becomes particularly amusing for the Great Detective to continue running around in the guise of a woman, especially since Snuff is never fooled by the disguise the way the humans are. Zelazny gives us a fun read with this novel. It's not particularly funny, yet I view it as a comedy in many ways. There is one section when the text changes completely, describing a transit among the lands Lovecraft fans regard with awe and wonder, but by and large it is a fast, engrossing read sure to delight all fans of well-crafted, lively fantasy. There is only one Roger Zelazny, and no fan of fantasy should deprive himself of the talents of this fantastic author. I should also mention the fact that this book is replete with illustrations by the renowned Gahan Wilson; the illustrations strike me as minimalist and simplistic, but they do seem to suit the story and its style of presentation quite well, adding a further touch of distinction to this uncommonly good novel.
Rating:
Summary: A highly original, quirky, delightful novel
Review: Roger Zelazny is a fascinating, singularly unique writer. What other author gives you the likes of Jack the Ripper, Count Dracula, Frankenstein's Monster, and Sherlock Holmes in the same novel? How about Lovecraftian themes and allusions? And it's not even a horror novel. This is wildly romping fantasy at its best. Our narrator is a dog named Snuff; he's no ordinary dog, however. He is the companion of Saucy Jack, the watchdog of unfathomable trapped monsters, calculator of the lines of fate, and immensely important guardian against evil. In certain years, when the moon is right, on All Hallow's Eve, the Elder Gods seek entry back into our world. At those times, the proper individuals and agents instinctively come to the crucial area and seek to either open or close the eldritch gates. During such a lonesome October, these agents prepare their spells and minds for the challenge, while interacting with one another in attempts to learn from, thwart, and sometimes remove their fellow players from the Game. Each player has a companion animal, and it is Snuff's interaction with his cohorts that drives the story along. Snuff's greatest friend is the cat Graymalk, and their relationship and true friendship in the face of possible competition really won me over. The Game is confusing early on, which is at it should be. The reader must struggle to understand not only what the Game actually is but also figure out who and what is on which side of the coming conflict. I remained relatively clueless as to how the final drama would play out, and I am happy to say I did not find it disappointing. It is interesting to consider the players in this Game. While we know Snuff serves Jack the Ripper, we see the man as a cheerful, utterly pleasant man with a grave responsibility, a veritable hero in fact; allusions are made to his trips to town for certain necessary items, and we do see him become deadly dangerous when Snuff is in danger, but largely the character is Jack and never the Ripper. The other characters are basically all portrayed in the same fashion, and it becomes particularly amusing for the Great Detective to continue running around in the guise of a woman, especially since Snuff is never fooled by the disguise the way the humans are. Zelazny gives us a fun read with this novel. It's not particularly funny, yet I view it as a comedy in many ways. There is one section when the text changes completely, describing a transit among the lands Lovecraft fans regard with awe and wonder, but by and large it is a fast, engrossing read sure to delight all fans of well-crafted, lively fantasy. There is only one Roger Zelazny, and no fan of fantasy should deprive himself of the talents of this fantastic author. I should also mention the fact that this book is replete with illustrations by the renowned Gahan Wilson; the illustrations strike me as minimalist and simplistic, but they do seem to suit the story and its style of presentation quite well, adding a further touch of distinction to this uncommonly good novel.
Rating:
Summary: a review.........
Review: The tale is told from the viewpoint of Snuff, Jack the Ripper's pet dog. Each chapter is a single day in the month of October leading up to Halloween. On Halloween powerful magicians will either try to open or close the gate that will bring the gods of H.P.Lovecrafts Mythos to Earth. On the side of good are Dracula, Jack the Ripper and the Wolfman! The story is fast paced and totally enthralling. Only Zelazny can turn such villains into the heros of a novel.
Rating:
Summary: And you thought your friends had odd hobbies...
Review: This relatively recent effort of Zelazny's manages to convey a highly engrossing sense of fun through the narrative voice of Snuff, Jack the Ripper's faithful enchanted hound. With a plot borrowed from one of his own short stories, Zelazny pits two factions of famous historical madmen and freaks against each other. The prize is, of course, the fate of the world. During Snuff's search for the perfect eye of newt, the reader will encounter many other animal familiars, as well as a vampiric Count, a mad scientist, the Great Detective (replete with deerstalker cap) and the aforementioned Ripper, who turns out to be a rather quiet, likable fellow who only kills when the fate of the world is threatened or some upstart vivisectionists attempt to carve up his dog. As the book's chapters are numbered to match the thirty-one days which make up October, I try to read this book once a year in real time. Anyone is welcome to attempt this, but may find it difficult not to read ahead, or they may not have the same perverse sense of literary propriety which I possess.
|
