Rating: 
Summary: enchanting!
Review: I have never read any Zelazny before and i must say that this book impressed me. A very fun book to read, that you can easily get lost in. A book that takes some of literatures fav. characters and gives them a common goal. the ending though left me dissatisfied. I wish there were more!!
Rating: 
Summary: Brilliant, magical, a fitting end for a prince of Sci Fi
Review: I keep buying this book and giving it to friends, who then seem to do the same! I've read just about all Zelazny's books, some are better than others but he always brings together things you might not expect. He loves the bad guys - even Buddha turns out to be quite a normal human vengence seeker and lover in Lord of Light...! If you like being carried away you'll love this!
Rating:
Summary: Definitely Not A Closer!
Review: I recently reread this. I have to say that I enjoyed it more the second time, and I plan to read it again. I am glad I waited until I had forgotten most of the surprises and plot points. Every page was a delight. I read the first 110 pages in one sitting and I hated to put it down. Snuff the dog is just the warmest, most endearing character I have ever read from Zelazny and his relationships with Larry, Greymalkin the cat, and Quicklime the snake are priceless. All the characters are bright and interesting. The whole story is charming and full of life and energy. It is really unique in the Zelazny canon-- as far as I know. I have never seen this writing style from him before. This is my favorite of all Zelazny's books. It is just so much fun to read. It may not be as deep as some others, but it is full of so many great touches. The ending was not a let-down, in fact, I don't know how it could have been done better. Everything worked out perfectly. As with most Zelazny books, this one left me wanting more. I can only wonder if a sequel might have been written someday, but what we have is a blessed book, full of great characters, icons of literature and film; and a basic struggle of good and evil told from the best and most interesting point of view possible. As his last solo writing, he certainly finished on an up note.Highly Recommended!
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: Zelazny: Supreme Again
Review: No other writer but Zelazny could take stock characters and situations from fantasy/horror and combine them so incredibly adeptly, yet seemingly effortlessly. Zelazny was the greatest sf writer ever, as far as I am concerned, and this work should remind everyone of just what a force he was...and his work remains. I re-read this book every Halloween.
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 charming novel about Jack the Ripper
Review: One of the late Roger Zelazny's best books, THE NIGHT IN THE LONESOME OCTOBER is a charming, fun, funny and astounding work. Narrated by Jack the Ripper's dog, the novel follows Jack and a collection of historical/fictional characters on a quest to... save the world or destroy it. Gahan Wilson's illustrations perfectly complement the text
Rating:
Summary: Don't you wish your dog could talk?
Review: Our narrator, "Jack"s dog, takes us on a wild excursion through the English countryside in an effort to help his master win the -- game? The suspense is so gripping that you'll hardly be able to put this book down. Its only possible fault is that it is rather short! Zelazny's style is extremely witty, and his characters are some of the most entertaining around. This is a great book to read in bed, especially during the month of October
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.
|
