The Changing Land

Rating:
Summary: Avoid this, Zelazny fans.
Review: I am a long-time reader of Zelanzy's work, and I hunt up copies of his our-of-print stuff when I can. I first read _Dilvish, the Damned_, when I was 10 or so, and fell in love with Zelazny's masterful use of mood. So, when this book (which is a sequel to Dilvish) came out, I was quite excited. Unfortunately, it captures none of the original style, characterization, mood, sense of a larger universe, system of magic, sense of forboding, and so on. In this way, it is much akin to _Ghostbusters II_: it is a pulp work, based on an original one. Get Dilvish first, and then _This Immortal_, and then _Roadmarks_, and then some of his short story collections, like _Last Defender of Camelot_. After you've read his good stuff, then you can read the pulp Amber series if you're still inclined....

Rating:
Summary: Somewhat disappointing
Review: I loved "Dilvish the Damned" and re-read it from time to time, enjoying it all over again. This book, pretty much a sequel to "Dilvish the Damned" I read once. That should say something right there. There were some really cool images and I enjoyed the first half of "The Changing Land". However, the end was somewhat disjunct and the tone and writing of the book was very different from that of "Dilvish the Damned". Read this book if you love Zelazny's writing. Have you already read at least 18 different books by Zelazny? If so, maybe give this a try. If not, pass this one by for something else.

Rating:
Summary: Somewhat disappointing
Review: I loved "Dilvish the Damned" and re-read it from time to time, enjoying it all over again. This book, pretty much a sequel to "Dilvish the Damned" I read once. That should say something right there. There were some really cool images and I enjoyed the first half of "The Changing Land". However, the end was somewhat disjunct and the tone and writing of the book was very different from that of "Dilvish the Damned". Read this book if you love Zelazny's writing. Have you already read at least 18 different books by Zelazny? If so, maybe give this a try. If not, pass this one by for something else.

Rating:
Summary: Somewhat disappointing
Review: I loved "Dilvish the Damned" and re-read it from time to time, enjoying it all over again. This book, pretty much a sequel to "Dilvish the Damned" I read once. That should say something right there. There were some really cool images and I enjoyed the first half of "The Changing Land". However, the end was somewhat disjunct and the tone and writing of the book was very different from that of "Dilvish the Damned". Read this book if you love Zelazny's writing. Have you already read at least 18 different books by Zelazny? If so, maybe give this a try. If not, pass this one by for something else.

Rating:
Summary: Horrific Landscapes, Shimmering Mirrors, & Slithering Demons
Review: I recommend that you read this book after Dilvish the Damned. It gives it more meaning that way. I really love this book! As a D&D player, it is hard to read Zelazny without thinking of D&D because his stories are so filled with the fantastic elements that make that game fun. I couldn't help but feel at the end that the "gods playing with dice" were actually Gamers dicing over the fate of their characters. In any case, this is a splendid book with lots of heavy metaphysics to chew on: The timeless castle that ends up speeding through time and back around again, the various rooms and mirrors out of time, and the various moral leanings of all the characters'including the castle itself. The various fantasy elements seemed cobbled from everywhere, but overwhelmingly Lovecraftian: Living walls of a sentient house, a tentacled Old One kept in a pit by mortals, horrific landscapes, shimmering mirrors, and slithering demons. It is a wonderful book. Dilvish is back, the same as ever. Black gets slighted a bit, to throw the spotlight more on Dilvish, I think. The various other mages that make up the cast are all interesting.

Highly recommended!

Rating:
Summary: Changing is the Key Word Here
Review: The Changing Land is not so much a sequel to Dilvish the Damned. The book is less like Eye of Cat and more like Changeling and Madwand. The writing style is more story-based and less of a poetic narrative. I particularly enjoyed the character "Black", a demon in the form of an armored horse that Dilvish made a pact with. I found the depth and breadth of characters refreshing. This is a great read, but don't expect a seamless continuation of Dilvish the Damned.

Rating:
Summary: Changing is the Key Word Here
Review: The Changing Land is not so much a sequel to Dilvish the Damned. The book is less like Eye of Cat and more like Changeling and Madwand. The writing style is more story-based and less of a poetic narrative. I particularly enjoyed the character "Black", a demon in the form of an armored horse that Dilvish made a pact with. I found the depth and breadth of characters refreshing. This is a great read, but don't expect a seamless continuation of Dilvish the Damned.