Rating: 
Summary: My Favorite Zelazny Novel
Review: "Jack of Shadows" is my favorite Zelazny novel, which, if you know Roger, is saying quite a bit. Read it once and you'll read it again every five years.
Rating:
Summary: great sci fi tale
Review: Any one who has ever read any of Zelaznys books (and enjoyed them) should try and get a copy of this one .
The story is pure genius, although the plot has a few holes in it.
It is the character Jackwho sets the book apart from the normal sci -fi ennui -
You get half way through the novel and actually like Jack, even though he is a thief , murderer, out and out scoundrel. I actually wanted to meet him! I actually wanted to be him
Alas! that was the magic of Roger Zelazny
Taken before your time Roger. I would have liked to have had the chance to meet you
I hope somewhere you found Ambe
Rating:
Summary: great sci fi tale
Review: Any one who has ever read any of Zelaznys books (and enjoyed them) should try and get a copy of this one .The story is pure genius, although the plot has a few holes in it.It is the character Jackwho sets the book apart from the normal sci -fi ennui -You get half way through the novel and actually like Jack, even though he is a thief , murderer, out and out scoundrel. I actually wanted to meet him! I actually wanted to be himAlas! that was the magic of Roger ZelaznyTaken before your time Roger. I would have liked to have had the chance to meet youI hope somewhere you found Ambe
Rating:
Summary: Excellent fantasy, more adventurous than philosophic.
Review: BACKROUND: the world is'nt spining, On lightside- science rules, On darkside- magic.Jack of shadows is a darkside power- that means he's not only soul'les, has many lives and he fights dirty, like all darksiders, but he is a kind of a demon- his full powers are not clear. He's a sorcerer, a warrior, and a very acomplished thief. The plot is about ShadowJack's revange on a few enemies, and his rise to power and domination of all darkside. This is one of Zelazney's best works, though I believe "Lord of light" and "Creatures of light and darkness" are better. It's as good as the original five AMBER books more or less. Anyway, ShadowJack himself is the best protagonist that ever came from under the master's pen. He is clearly Corwin's proto-type, but better than him nontheless. Cruel, strong, unforgiving, reptile-like, elusive. He reminds me of moorcock's Elric of Melenibone. The spirit of the story is not as philosophic as some later books of Zelazney, though there are a few conversations with MorningStar (wait 'till you know him, he's great) that tends towards introspection as well as theology etc'. But even without heavy meanings behind every sentence, it's sheer delight to read a Zelazney book. This is not a soft sci-fi book mind you, It's pure fantasy. VERY RECOMMENDED.
Rating:
Summary: Great Science Fiction Tale !!!!
Review: Before long I learned to really like Jack and though he wasn't the usual law-abiding type I wanted to be like him. A nice blend from Light to Dark that I believe I see in everyday reality. Roger had the ability to make the unlikely hero one that you the reader wanted to meet or be like. It was the same in the Amber series with Prince Corwin. I really want to find this book somewhere.
Rating:
Summary: Sci fi and fantasy mix; revenge tale ends in remorse
Review: CONCEPT: Great idea. This is a world where light (the world of emotions) and the world of darkness (only one of reason and magic but lacking in souls and emotions and therefore a conscious) takes place. Absolutely fabulous ideas. SCORING: Superb (A), Excellent (A-), Very good (B+), Good (B) Fairly Good (B-) Above Average (C+), Mediocre (C ), Barely Passable (C-) Pretty Bad (D+), Dismal (D), Waste of Time (D-), Into the Trash (F) DIALOGUE: A- STRUCTURE: B+ HISTORY SETTING: B CHARACTERS: A EVIL SETUP/ANTAGONISTS: A- EMOTIONAL IMPACT: A SURPRISES: A MONSTERS: B+ PACING: A THE LITTLE THINGS: A OVERALL STYLE: A- FLOW OF WORDS: A CHOICE OF FOCUS: A- TRANSITIONS/FLASHBACKS/POV: A- COMPLEXITY OF WORDS/SYMBOLISM/THEMES: A- OVERALL GRADE: A OVERALL STRUCTURE: It's broken into two parts really; Jack trying to escape his predicament from the Dung Pits and then from the Lord of the Bats; the latter half he attempts to find the key of Kolwynia, destroy his enemies and rule in the world of darkness. Lots of good conflict, too. Jack isn't just fighting his enemies but also his soul; his old gypsy lover; and then the denizens underground where the machine that runs the world is located. WHY IT WORKED FOR ME: Very interesting idea about light and darkness and also symbolic. Even though his novels are much shorter than the popular fantasy epics, there's a lot of meat to the theme. Jack was a sympathetic character who wanted to do his enemies in and that's a pretty popular idea for most people; maybe even more so for the typical nerd who was ostracized or ridiculed growing up. Even better, all his enemies were worse people than him so it was easier to emphasize with him. It went from good to great quality when the soul was brought in and Jack developed a conscience. That humanized him and even created more sympathy b/c he realized his mistakes in the end. Good mix of technology and magic. Not overdone. OVERALL STYLE: Incredible. Zelazny was a master at creating such rhythms in his work. While the writing is lean there's a lot of symbolism, theme and context to this story. It's really too bad that the man died a few years back. He was one of the best fantasy/sci fi mix authors in existence. The interplay of beings in this world of light and darkness is quite good. The dialogue is modern but the context is fantastic. COMMENTS: The theme deals with revenge. From one of his interviews, Zelazny mentioned that the revenge theme is of particular interest to him.
Rating:
Summary: Sci fi and fantasy mix; revenge tale ends in remorse
Review: CONCEPT: Great idea. This is a world where light (the world of emotions) and the world of darkness (only one of reason and magic but lacking in souls and emotions and therefore a conscious) takes place. Absolutely fabulous ideas. SCORING: Superb (A), Excellent (A-), Very good (B+), Good (B) Fairly Good (B-) Above Average (C+), Mediocre (C ), Barely Passable (C-) Pretty Bad (D+), Dismal (D), Waste of Time (D-), Into the Trash (F) DIALOGUE: A- STRUCTURE: B+ HISTORY SETTING: B CHARACTERS: A EVIL SETUP/ANTAGONISTS: A- EMOTIONAL IMPACT: A SURPRISES: A MONSTERS: B+ PACING: A THE LITTLE THINGS: A OVERALL STYLE: A- FLOW OF WORDS: A CHOICE OF FOCUS: A- TRANSITIONS/FLASHBACKS/POV: A- COMPLEXITY OF WORDS/SYMBOLISM/THEMES: A- OVERALL GRADE: A OVERALL STRUCTURE: It's broken into two parts really; Jack trying to escape his predicament from the Dung Pits and then from the Lord of the Bats; the latter half he attempts to find the key of Kolwynia, destroy his enemies and rule in the world of darkness. Lots of good conflict, too. Jack isn't just fighting his enemies but also his soul; his old gypsy lover; and then the denizens underground where the machine that runs the world is located. WHY IT WORKED FOR ME: Very interesting idea about light and darkness and also symbolic. Even though his novels are much shorter than the popular fantasy epics, there's a lot of meat to the theme. Jack was a sympathetic character who wanted to do his enemies in and that's a pretty popular idea for most people; maybe even more so for the typical nerd who was ostracized or ridiculed growing up. Even better, all his enemies were worse people than him so it was easier to emphasize with him. It went from good to great quality when the soul was brought in and Jack developed a conscience. That humanized him and even created more sympathy b/c he realized his mistakes in the end. Good mix of technology and magic. Not overdone. OVERALL STYLE: Incredible. Zelazny was a master at creating such rhythms in his work. While the writing is lean there's a lot of symbolism, theme and context to this story. It's really too bad that the man died a few years back. He was one of the best fantasy/sci fi mix authors in existence. The interplay of beings in this world of light and darkness is quite good. The dialogue is modern but the context is fantastic. COMMENTS: The theme deals with revenge. From one of his interviews, Zelazny mentioned that the revenge theme is of particular interest to him.
Rating:
Summary: My favorite book
Review: I defy anyone to read this book, and not fall in love with the world Zelazny has crafted. Shadow Jack is the epitomy of the anti-hero. the rogue with no heart of gold, and no soul. The setup of his world is irony at it's height. The Darkside world which is ruled by magic, monsters, and a medievil caste society, is souless. Wheras, the dayside world which is governed by light, and science, is driven by emotion. It is simply a masterpiece of fantasy fiction, I envy those who read it for the first time.
Rating:
Summary: A Rare Gem
Review: I don't know if Zelazny ever dropped acid, but if he did; more than even the shadow-shifting scenes in the Amber novels, THIS is what came out of it. Truly bizarre in an absolutely delicious way. Alas, this book is far too short.
Rating:
Summary: This is a Hidden Classic
Review: I first read Zelazny about 25 years ago. One of the first books I read was Jack of Shadows. Since then I have reread it about 15 times. The interplay between light and dark, ShadowJack and MorningStar, Twilight and Brightside make this a compelling read. If you like plausible worlds that exist "somewhere", and are tired of countless imitations, Zelazny is for you. I continue to mourn for the loss suffered by the sci-fi community with his passing.
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