Rating: 
Summary: The slings and death-rays of outrageous fortune
Review: Roger Zelazny specializes in devil-may-care, chain-smoking, hard-drinking, appealing young men and his "Doorways in the Sand" features Fred Cassidy, the eternal undergraduate with a very strong case of acrophilia--he loves to climb things. We meet him as he drops into the third-floor office of his latest advisor---through the window of course. Fred has gone through many advisors in his twelve-year stint as an undergraduate--his late uncle's estate will only support him up to the moment when he is awarded a degree--but this particular advisor seems to have a grudge against him. He thinks he has Fred trapped in a schedule that will force him to graduate.Fred manages to escape the dread specter of graduation one more time by signing up for field work in Australia, a literature course on troubadours, and two hours credit for advanced basket weaving. He has other problems, though. There are the strange messages that sometimes appear as sky-writing: "DO YOU SMELL ME DED?" His old roommate gets married, and when Fred attempts to lure a newer, more beautiful model into his apartment, she bolts upon encountering a state of total dishevelment. It's not Fred's fault. Someone has done a thorough job of ransacking his digs. Furthermore, that someone is now waiting for him in his bedroom closet. Where is the starstone, Fred? Many shootings, beatings, narrow escapes, eccentric professors, and aliens-on-a-mission later, we (and Fred) finally discover the missing starstone. Fred's nasty, pipe-smoking advisor finally figures out a way to make him graduate. Then Fred's adventures really begin. "Doorways in the Sand" is vintage Zelazny, which is to say it is like taking a course in philosophy while crawling about between the gargoyles on the cathedral of Life, dodging the slings and death-rays of outrageous villains, some of them bug-eyed monsters. This author makes you smile, engage in a bit of late-night philosophizing over a few cold ones, and root wildly for his cocky-but-likeable heroes.
Rating:
Summary: The slings and death-rays of outrageous fortune
Review: Roger Zelazny specializes in devil-may-care, chain-smoking, hard-drinking, appealing young men and his "Doorways in the Sand" features Fred Cassidy, the eternal undergraduate with a very strong case of acrophilia--he loves to climb things. We meet him as he drops into the third-floor office of his latest advisor---through the window of course. Fred has gone through many advisors in his twelve-year stint as an undergraduate--his late uncle's estate will only support him up to the moment when he is awarded a degree--but this particular advisor seems to have a grudge against him. He thinks he has Fred trapped in a schedule that will force him to graduate. Fred manages to escape the dread specter of graduation one more time by signing up for field work in Australia, a literature course on troubadours, and two hours credit for advanced basket weaving. He has other problems, though. There are the strange messages that sometimes appear as sky-writing: "DO YOU SMELL ME DED?" His old roommate gets married, and when Fred attempts to lure a newer, more beautiful model into his apartment, she bolts upon encountering a state of total dishevelment. It's not Fred's fault. Someone has done a thorough job of ransacking his digs. Furthermore, that someone is now waiting for him in his bedroom closet. Where is the starstone, Fred? Many shootings, beatings, narrow escapes, eccentric professors, and aliens-on-a-mission later, we (and Fred) finally discover the missing starstone. Fred's nasty, pipe-smoking advisor finally figures out a way to make him graduate. Then Fred's adventures really begin. "Doorways in the Sand" is vintage Zelazny, which is to say it is like taking a course in philosophy while crawling about between the gargoyles on the cathedral of Life, dodging the slings and death-rays of outrageous villains, some of them bug-eyed monsters. This author makes you smile, engage in a bit of late-night philosophizing over a few cold ones, and root wildly for his cocky-but-likeable heroes.
Rating: 
Summary: A minor work by a major writer
Review: That Zelazny is a master prose stylist there is no denying that. He is also an excelent plotter. However this is one of his minor works. There is much to enjoy here. It has a lot of action and Zelazny is willing to play with language, narration, and even font to good effect. The major weakness to this is in the characters. Fred Cassidy is an interesting character albeit a typical one for Zelazny. The other characters, however, are weak and a poorly realized. If you want to read this book by all means do, but I would suggest instead you read "This Immortal" or "Lord of Light".
Rating:
Summary: a fun, intelligent romp
Review: There is so much fun in this novel, it is easy to miss how many good ideas are tossed about like cheap stage props. The main character, an eternal student, is one of the most enjoyable characters I have ever encountered, and almost all other characters hit the mark. Find the book, and tuck it away for a day when you are feeling down. It is one of those overlooked joys.
Rating:
Summary: Outstanding Zelazny
Review: This is not what I'd call 'light reading.' It needs to be approached with a willingness to be thoughtful, ponder events, and retain lots of elements in memory as you read. If you try to read it too quickly, you're probably going to have to read it at least once more to pick up the bits you missed -- and it's well worth a second read, or a third, or ..., even if you took your time. This is Science Fiction, not space opera, and it focusses on personal and societal response to change imposed from without, rather than the razzle-dazzle glitz of Clarke's Law technology. (Of course, I'm a big Zelazny fan.. :-)
Rating:
Summary: One of my Favorite Books
Review: This is one of my all-time favorite books. I've read it at least half a dozen times and still love it. Some of the terms I've carried throughout my life, like "doodlehum" and "brace of roods," originate in this book. The only problem I have with it is that it's just not long enough. Zelazny could have easily fleshed this book out to at least twice its size. There's nothing anyone can do about that, but it's still a fun, fast read.
Rating:
Summary: One of my Favorite Books
Review: This is one of my all-time favorite books. I've read it at least half a dozen times and still love it. Some of the terms I've carried throughout my life, like "doodlehum" and "brace of roods," originate in this book. The only problem I have with it is that it's just not long enough. Zelazny could have easily fleshed this book out to at least twice its size. There's nothing anyone can do about that, but it's still a fun, fast read.
Rating:
Summary: A classic of speculative fiction by a master tale spinner.
Review: Those familiar with Zelazney's other more famous works, such as his Amber Series will be treated well with this book. Fred Cassidy, the book's main character, is the perpetual student, moving around the bureacracy with the ease of an ice skater. An equally crafty advisor graduates him in time to become embroiled with a galactic conpiracy involving The Britsh Crown Jewels and an alien crystal with some very interesting properties. Don't be fooled, this is science fiction. No dragons or unicorns, the bad guys carry guns, and the good guys have peanut butter sandwiches. It's also not a hero story. Fred needs all the help he can get, and suffers a number of reversals along the way. An excellent read, a good laugh, and a very likeable character.
Rating:
Summary: Engaging and original romp
Review: _Doorways in the Sand_ has been a favorite Zelazny novel of mine since I read it in the Analog serialization in 1976. On recent rereading, it was pretty much as good as I remembered. Fred Cassidy is a permanent student, partly because he likes learning, partly because he continues to draw from his rich Uncle's trust fund as long as he is in college. Meantime various advisors scheme to get him to graduate, while Fred, an acrophiliac, climbs all over the roofs of the college town. But all of a sudden he has a lot more to worry about. Various beings seem convinced he knows the whereabouts of the alien "starstone", a cultural artifact given to Earth in exchange for the British Crown Jewels and the Mona Lisa, and the maintenance of which in good condition is essential to Earth's nascent status in Galactic civilization. These folks memorably include some alien cops who like to dress up as marsupials. There follows a lot of action, all well done if sometimes a bit implausible, and a decent resolution involving a not absurd view of our place in the universe, etc. etc. It's not a great novel, but it's great fun.
Rating:
Summary: Engaging and original romp
Review: _Doorways in the Sand_ has been a favorite Zelazny novel of mine since I read it in the Analog serialization in 1976. On recent rereading, it was pretty much as good as I remembered. Fred Cassidy is a permanent student, partly because he likes learning, partly because he continues to draw from his rich Uncle's trust fund as long as he is in college. Meantime various advisors scheme to get him to graduate, while Fred, an acrophiliac, climbs all over the roofs of the college town. But all of a sudden he has a lot more to worry about. Various beings seem convinced he knows the whereabouts of the alien "starstone", a cultural artifact given to Earth in exchange for the British Crown Jewels and the Mona Lisa, and the maintenance of which in good condition is essential to Earth's nascent status in Galactic civilization. These folks memorably include some alien cops who like to dress up as marsupials. There follows a lot of action, all well done if sometimes a bit implausible, and a decent resolution involving a not absurd view of our place in the universe, etc. etc. It's not a great novel, but it's great fun.
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