Rating: 
Summary: I couldn't finish it!
Review: I really loved the Amber series, also by Zelazny, so I purchased this book. Now, it is very rare that I do not finish a book, even if I dislike it. However, this was one that I could just not bring myself to finish. Even halfway through, I was unsure of precisely what the plot was. It was extremely strange and I found it hard to follow. I do not suggest this book, especially to fans of the Amber series. It was nothing like what I expected.
Rating: 
Summary: Wish they had 3.5 stars...
Review: I would give this 3.5 stars, but this option is not available and I just can't give it 4, so...This book feels like an adaptation of a role-playing game session or something. It just doesn't translate. The idea is good, and the book holds promise for the first 1/3 to 1/2, but doesn't deliver. As previously noted, the ending is too pat. The intrigue unfolds too rapidly, and is much more simplistic than I expect from Roger. And, I just couldn't stomach the cheesy way he resolved the final battle. I could have come up with that one myself - and I would have rejected it out of hand. I wonder how much of this is due to Lindskold patching things together?
Rating:
Summary: A fitting goodbye to Roger, but could have been better
Review: In a nutshell: worth reading, but not outstanding. If you're a Zelazny fan, it's a must-read. However, it doesn't carry the usual Roger magic. Lindskold didn't butcher this one like she did Donnerjack, thankfully, but she's just not Roger. The ending was a cop-out, but the rest is good reading. I really feel like this would make a good first-of-series book, but there's no Roger to do it. Enjoy this last taste of one of the best writers around.
Rating: 
Summary: Open this bottle
Review: In this bottle we have the last few drops of the real stuff. There's not much, and it's precious. The author's last days were spent on it, and there are tears mingled with the strong stuff. There should have been more laughter and less sorrow. Have a drink on Roger! We won't see HIS like again.
Rating:
Summary: Bottle of Dreams
Review: It's a great book. It should have been better. Roger should have lived to write it. But we have what we have, and it's still a bottle of intoxicating stuff that will make your head spin and have you checking the feng shui in your house. Where was a friendly demon with a healing power when we needed one? One quibble, however: as an evil villain myself I felt that the 'bad guys' were given an unfair shake. We visionaries are always vilified. *sigh*
Rating:
Summary: Lindskold - a Zelazny clone? Nah, not likely...
Review: Kai Wren, Lord Demon, enchanter and bottlemaker, is brought out of seclusion by the loss of a dear friend. Digging deeper, he discovers a devious plot of conquest he himself may not be able to thwart. One big problem - after centuries of hermitage, can he still tell which of his allies are faithful, and which are not? Lindskold has nothing of Zelazny's subtlety and clarity of vision, and turning over the master's unfinished work to a mere apprentice leads to nothing short of disaster. I believe that Zelazny intended the demons' social structure in "Lord Demon" to reflect - to a degree - the social hierarchy of an immigrant minority. For example, while Kai Wren, in his human guise, manifests as a dignified, cultured gentleman, scrub demons - the lowest rung of the demon totem pole - are filthy, uncouth, and speak in broken English. This fairly potent theme, played over a wholesome adventure tale in the best Zelazny fashion, would doubtless make a heck of a book. Linskold denies us that. Instead of a riveting yarn steeped in oriental symbolism, the story she spins is so absurdly tangled that it's impossible to keep all of it straight, and yet so absolutely repetitive and mundane that there is really no point to continue reading. Her characters are devoid of any semblance of humanity, and she develops the plot by methods that seem extremely amateurish: the story can be easily laid out in schematic form; quite obviously, Lindskold drew an "idea tree" and then just expressed it in words. She strings together events hoping that quantity is quality, and peppers them with such tired plot devices as dinner-table strategy sessions. Furthermore, "Lord Demon" bears an uncanny similarity to Zelazny's own "Nine Princes in Amber." Lindskold even hazards a blunt allusion to the latter work ("Didn't something like this happen in some book?..") Indeed, both novels follow a similar pattern: a powerful character is caught unaware, robbed of his powers and imprisoned in the human world, but on the strength of his own virtues he regains his rightful position. Fortunately for "Nine Princes," it begins at "Lord Demon's" midpoint, whereas in "Lord Demon" the reader has to get over a very promising prelude that Lindskold quickly abandons. And whereas the fallen Amberite in Zelazny's classic reasserts his rights through his own qualities, Lindskold's Kai Wren depends on his friend's contrived magical abilities all the way to the finale. Lindskold lacks Zelazny's subtle touch and his deep understanding of different cultures and personalities. Her characters never come off the page as anything other than stereotypes, and the oriental atmosphere the old master establishes is quickly reduced to quick-fire voleys of esoteric trivia. Lindskold takes minor characters Zelazny never intended to play cardinal roles, and creates "a band of unlikely adventurers" from them (another tired cliche). Essentially, she takes a story with a heart and soul and turns it into modern fantasy fluff. And modern fantasy fluff isn't something I care to read after Zelazny's highly intriguing fifty-page teaser. I'll read "Donnerjack" eventually, but I'm dreading to start it.
Rating: 
Summary: The Demon Lord
Review: Like DONNERJACK, this is a collaboration with Jane Lindskold but this one is closer to seamless. As one expects of Zelazny, the characterization has more depth than most writers can show. The protagonist is a Chinese demon who is facing a hidden enemy. Adventures abound, and the odd paradox as well. It will be hard to look at a bottle again without wondering what sort of world it holds.
Rating:
Summary: Good for most, a disappointment for Roger
Review: Lord Demon starts out well. It finishes poorly. I will give you one example. In Lord Demon the hero, a demon, goes to another dimension to save an ally and maybe a friend. This dimension is filed with..... hangers. I kid you not. Well, "hanger like beings." Even the charactors in the book are baffled. Things like this take away from the whole book which, to this point was a good fantasy book. Afterwards, it only gets worse. The battle royal is set up well and then nothing. I won't spoil the disappointing ending but it lacked imagination and conflicted with the early tenets of the story. Curiously, the writing style remains good but if you think about some of the ideas presented you will be very disppointed. Still, most of the book seemed quite good. If you like Zelazny, read it. If you have not read him yet, don't start with this book. He is a great author but, like everyone else, he can make mistakes and here he did. There are other, better books that Zelazny has written and you should not be scared off by the disappointing flaws found in this one. "Lord Demon" was good, but there are alot of other books out there, by Zelzany which are much, much better. Enjoy.
Rating:
Summary: Good for most, a disappointment for Roger
Review: Lord Demon starts out well. It finishes poorly. I will give you one example. In Lord Demon the hero, a demon, goes to another dimension to save an ally and maybe a friend. This dimension is filed with..... hangers. I kid you not. Well, "hanger like beings." Even the charactors in the book are baffled. Things like this take away from the whole book which, to this point was a good fantasy book. Afterwards, it only gets worse. The battle royal is set up well and then nothing. I won't spoil the disappointing ending but it lacked imagination and conflicted with the early tenets of the story. Curiously, the writing style remains good but if you think about some of the ideas presented you will be very disppointed. Still, most of the book seemed quite good. If you like Zelazny, read it. If you have not read him yet, don't start with this book. He is a great author but, like everyone else, he can make mistakes and here he did. There are other, better books that Zelazny has written and you should not be scared off by the disappointing flaws found in this one. "Lord Demon" was good, but there are alot of other books out there, by Zelzany which are much, much better. Enjoy.
Rating:
Summary: very good, except ..
Review: The book's ending is unimaginative and way too pat .. it really disappointed me. If you haven't already read the Amber novels, I suggest you get The Great Book of Amber, which is a great read.
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