Christopher S. Kovacs

https://fromtheheartofeurope.eu/the-road-to-amber-by-roger-zelazny/

It starts with an adaptation of the Grimm tale Godfather Death, which Zelazny also turned into a musical (never staged); the final Amber stories are here, but so also is some background writing about Amber which was not widely available in his lifetime; and there are some non-fiction pieces about his concept of his own craft, as well as emotional reminiscences about Zelazny the man and mentor, from friends and family. It’s a thoroughly satisfactory capstone to the five volumes that went before.… (más)

Wow! A great ending (save the bibliography) to a wonderful series. There is so much that just made this book.

Roger Zelazny by Jane Lindskold gives some insights into the man himself that can't be found elsewhere. As a fan, friend & then lover & co-author, Lindskold knew him as no other could have. The bit she shares is well done.

Remembering Roger by Gerald Hausman caused me to read [b:Wilderness|1838858|Wilderness|Roger Zelazny|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1311521609s/1838858.jpg|60239], a book about Hugh Glass & John Colter they co-authored. My review is here:
http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/187216368

There were a few 'new-to-me' stories, including "Lady of Steel" which was quite short, but excellent. And then there was a full Amber section. If you haven't managed track down all the stories, including the partial & only co-written short story, you'll find it here along with factual articles & speeches that Zelazny gave over the years. The record gets set straight on a few controversial items, such as Sheckley's work with Zelazny on the Millenial Trilogy.

But the crowning pieces were:
Sandow's Shadow (Outline) (series: Francis Sandow) &
Shadowland (Outline) (series: Shadowjack)

I loved Sandow in [b:Isle of the Dead|1124895|Isle of the Dead|Roger Zelazny|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1305660384s/1124895.jpg|1877102]. He also appeared in a short story & made a cameo appearance in [b:To Die In Italbar|61988|To Die In Italbar|Roger Zelazny|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1170598334s/61988.jpg|1383224]. It made this fairly well fleshed outline (almost a short story) a real joy to read.

Shadowland is a prequel to [b:Jack of Shadows|61986|Jack of Shadows|Roger Zelazny|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1304302401s/61986.jpg|60241] & tells how the world came to be. Jack plays a significant part, although he isn't really the hero of the story, but it was still a lot of fun.

All 7 books are really worth buying. There is plenty of advice for a writer, all of his short stories for those who just like his work, plus explanations which were wonderful. I even found out something new about [b:A Night in the Lonesome October|62005|A Night in the Lonesome October|Roger Zelazny|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1274492048s/62005.jpg|890916], a book I've pretty much studied & have shared discussions with in 2 different groups. How cool is that?… (más)

3.5 stars. I got my copy today. I paid for it & was then contacted by NESFA asking what I had paid for & what my address was. Apparently they haven't worked out all the kinks with Paypal, for some reason. I was a little disappointed that my request for confirmation was ignored.

I haven't really read this yet & don't plan to. It's a reference to Zelazny's work, specifically this collection but great for anyone who has a lot of his stuff. I found that the indexes make looking up a particular story very easy. Bold page numbers show you where the thumbnail is, which is very important.

In an earlier review, I noted that the notes say a story was based on cover art & I was sorry that I couldn't see that work. Now I can & very quickly, too. Super cool & made the purchase worthwhile. Just looking at some of the old pulp covers would be of interest to any SF or fantasy fan. Lots of big names & cool covers.

Unfortunately, I was quite disappointed to see that all the thumbnails are in gray scale, not color. It is 400 pages & I'm sure NESFA isn't making any real money on this, but it would have been nice to have been warned in the blurb about this.

I'm not thrilled with it only being available in trade paperback when all the others were nice hardbacks with removable dust covers. Not a huge deal & the cover does blend in nicely, still it would have made the collection classier to have the same style.

Likely, it would have cost twice as much to provide me color & a hard back. (According to the editor, HB would double it & color is just off the charts - no way.) Would I have paid $60? Maybe I would have, but, economics being what they are, I doubt many will buy Ides at the current price. Seriously, how many die-hard Zelazny fans are there with the extra cash in these times? Well, if they ever redo it to the specs I'd like, I hope I'm in the position to buy it.

All in all, I'm pretty happy with it & plan to have it by my side as I read the 6th book & certainly will when I re-read the others.… (más)

An extensive pictorial bibliography of the work of fantasy author 'Roger Zelazny'.

NESFA Press issued this after completing a 6 volume definitive retrospective of all known short works by Zelazny, which included everything from plays, to articles, stories and outlines.

The 6 collections, plus the new bibliography make up a complete set, with beautiful Michael Whelan cover art spread across the book spines when shelved in order on the bookcase.

My single complaint is that the bibliography only comes in trade paperback, while the other volumes are in deluxe hardcover.

A few years down the line 1st editions of this set will be highly collectible.… (más)