Rating: 
Summary: Good read, fully of Zelaznyesque brio
Review: This Immortal is a good read, with plenty of Zelaznyesque brio. I wouldn't say it's not as good as his other Hugo winning novel, Lord of Light: indeed, by comparison, it seems a bit slight. For instance, I found the ending a distinct anti-climax. It's still a book you ought to read, mind you. It did win a Hugo, in a tie with Frank Herbert's Dune. The storyline concerns Conrad Nomikos, one of about 4 million people still living on Earth centuries in the future, after a Nuclear war, and after the bulk of the population has gone to the stars to work for the advanced, civilized, Vegans. Conrad and some of his friends had years before been involved in the "Returnist" movement, urging people to return to Earth, and resisting the Vegans' moves to buy up the best Earth real estate. Nowadays, the situation is a stalemate, with Earth's exile population preferring not to return, but with the Vegans' not buying any more of Earth either. But Cort Mishtigo, a high status Vegan, has come to Earth to tour some of the ancient sites. Conrad, who seems to have some mysterious past identities that go back a long way, is recruited to guide Mishtigo, and to protect him from assassins. He is in danger because the more radical Returnists believe that his "tour" is a pretext for evaluating more real estate, in advance of a renewed Vegan buying campaign. Conrad is unsure of Cort's motives, and anyway unhappy with the idea of murder. The novel consists, then, of Cort's tour, and a number of well-done battles between Conrad and a variety of monsters and mutants. The fight scenes, and the descriptions of the mutants (based on Greek mythology), are really good. It's only the eventual revelation of the Vegan motives that's a bit pat and anti-climatic. Lest I be seen to damn with faint praise, I should reiterate that this is great fun to read, and very skilled and clever. Conrad is a fairly standard Zelazny hero, wisecracking and self-deprecating. The dialog crackles throughout, and the other characters are nicely limned. Conrad's dilemma is believable: the conflict between his professional desire to protect his client (along with his personal distaste for murder) and his loyalties to Earth and the Returnists against the Vegan domination of Earth is well handled. And the various set-pieces and fight scenes are exciting and original. And the ultimate message of the book, about proper stewardship of our planet, and who deserves to be stewards, is clearly seen, and resolved with irony and honesty.
Rating: 
Summary: Zelazney's first major work--flawed, but brilliant.
Review: This Immortal is a novel set on post-apocalyptic Earth sometime well into the future. The Earth's total population is around 4 million souls-an apt term as a sizable portion of those left are "mutants" of on sort or another. Conrad Nomikos, the protagonist of the novel has a particularly interesting mutation-he's several hundred years old and, insofar as he can tell, an immortal. The bulk of the population wasn't killed off in the war-they've emigrated to other planets. What few choice locations are left on earth are owned by an alien race-the Vegans-much despised by those left on the planet. Nomikos "leads" a movement called the Returnist's-folks who want people to move back so that earthlings can reclaim their planet from the Vegans. "Leads" is in quotes as Conrad would rather be sailing and, while he actually sympathizes with Returnist goals in general, he nevertheless has very ambivalent feeling about the Vegans in general. Pressed into service as a guide for a very influential Vegan touring the planet, Conrad is buffeted by several forces pulling at him in different directions. Not sure what's going on, he set's out to try to keep the Vegan alive while he tries to get at what he's up to. Needless to say, from here on out the stuff is pretty much always hitting the fan, so to speak. This was Zelazny's first major novel. It is a truly great concept and the overall execution is well done-but it is a first effort. The characterizations are uneven. The story rambles a bit in places, the ending's a bit weak. Nevertheless, the genius that would later dominate the sci-fi world is clearly in evidence here, and my opinion is that to truly appreciate Zelazny's place in sci-fi history, you absolutely need to start here. It wont be his best work you'll read, but it is an essential work. And, on the whole, it's still a classic and a very good story.
Rating: 
Summary: This Immortal didn't survive 30-some years
Review: This immortal received the Hugo of 1966, but for the contemporary reader it's hard to figure out why. If it has had it's charm, it's been lost somewhere in these past decades. The plot is shallow and there is no real action (apart from a couple of man-to-man fights which hardly qualifies). The story is full of unused people (calling them characters whould be to much praise) who don't have a real purpose being there. And there are a lot of 'accidental' occurences just when they come in handy (f.i. as a last rescue, or to warn the hero) For as far as there is a plot it lacks cohesion, speed, and direction. As for the possitive side: Zelazny probably should enter history as the first to mention self-darkening sunglasses.
Rating:
Summary: Maybe not immortal, but it will outlast you and me!
Review: This is one of Zelazny's best books, and one of the best works of science fiction I've read. It shares some elements with his other variations on world mythology, but there are differences, too. The Greek myths are alluded to, more than embodied, capturing more of their mood than their specifics. The protagonist is complex and intriguing, even by Zelazny's high standards. It all adds up to a great book, and my paperback is worn enough to prove it.
Rating:
Summary: a MUST read
Review: This is still the classic Zelazny novel of all time. The hero is Conrad Nominkos--or so he likes to be called. He's a man with a mysterious past that one has to piece together as the book goes along. He is also very symbolic and metaphorical, something that you don't see done often, or well, in scifi/fantasy. Half saint, half destoryer, this immortal is the narrator of a tale of a time when Earth is in dire need... though the "alien invaders" of this novel, the Vegans, come with checkbooks, not guns. My only complaint with this novel is that the other characters aren't as fully developed as Conrad. If this book is never made into a movie, I'll right the bloody screen play myself! What are you waiting for? Order it!
Rating:
Summary: Maybe not as good as Dune, but better than most
Review: This novel tied for best science fiction novel of the year (1966), splitting the Hugo with Dune. Dune is impressive and expansive. This novel is not on the same scale, but it is very good. Far better than the vast majority of Hugo and Nebula award winners that I have read, in fact. The story follows that of Conrad, an immortal previously known by many other names, one of which was an infamous terrorist. Hence, alternate title "... And Call Me Conrad". On first glance, it appears to be a standard post-apocalyptic tale of the Earth with a small population (in the low millions) and numerous radioactive areas and mutants running around. A prosperous and highly advanced alien race has taken in any humans that want to leave (turning them into 2nd class citizens hired for menial labour), and they are buying up all the choice land on Earth itself as vacation spots. Those are the nuts and bolts of the story, but they aren't really important. Zelazny has the ability to write intellegent science fiction/fantasy without making the average reader feel stupid, or making himself sound pretentious/arrogant (unlike, for instance, Samual Delany). It is a little confusing at first, but everything sorts itself out by the end - there are Earth factions squabbling, an alien travelogue-writer whose true intentions are unknown, and some Greek mythology thrown in for good measure (because Conrad is Greek, it doesn't come out of the blue). In a lesser book, the profusion of stories would be overwhelming (especially at 240 pages or so), but Zelazny balances them all in a thoroughly enjoyable manner. The end does suffer a bit from some Deus ex Machina plot twists, which robs this book of its 5th star. They are not really that bad, but they aren't very satisfying in what is otherwise a well thought out and interesting tale.
Rating:
Summary: OUT-OF-SIGHT!!!
Review: What can I say--I have just finished reading "This Immortal" for the third time and its every bit as good a read as the first time! Zelazny's style is fast and witty. His characters well developed and intriging. His descriptive nature tart and fast-- Zelazny can describe in one sentence what Stephen King takes to describe in two or three pages. A fast and fun rollercoaster ride, this book remains a classic and anyone who reads this book can see why it tied Dune for the Hugo Award. So what if its not a sprawling space epic--it perfectly sums up the other extreme! And no I will NOT tell you the plot-read it yourself!
Rating:
Summary: OUT-OF-SIGHT!!!
Review: What can I say--I have just finished reading "This Immortal" for the third time and its every bit as good a read as the first time! Zelazny's style is fast and witty. His characters well developed and intriging. His descriptive nature tart and fast-- Zelazny can describe in one sentence what Stephen King takes to describe in two or three pages. A fast and fun rollercoaster ride, this book remains a classic and anyone who reads this book can see why it tied Dune for the Hugo Award. So what if its not a sprawling space epic--it perfectly sums up the other extreme! And no I will NOT tell you the plot-read it yourself!
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