There is no other way for me to say this--- my favorite spec writer ever is Roger Zelazny. Heinlein hooked me, Vance opened my eyes to huge horizons, but Zelazny spoke directly to me. He could be light, dense, profound and thrilling in the same story. No flashy writer tricks, just clean, sharp, straight-forward prose and a wry outlook that still kept a sense of wonder stored away in the back to be trotted out at just the right moment. His concepts, characters, and pacing were immaculate.
The passing of a writer I have enjoyed (unless I know them) seldom moves me other than the selfish thought that I won't get to read any more of their stuff. The three exceptions were Heinlein, Patrick O'Brien, and Roger Zelazny. With Heinlein I knew I would miss his voice, with O'Brien it was knowing that I would never again see my old friends of decades, Jack Aubrey and Stephen Maturin. With Zelazny it was like losing part of the light in the room.
Dilvish was not my favorite, though he was certainly well-drawn and unusual. It might be time, though, to start back through Zelazny.
Buy my book!
The Servant of the Manthycore available Nov. 17th from DEP
Illustrated by Rachel Marks, with an introduction by Michael Moorcock
Read me in 2007!
"The View From the Shotglass Floor" Ray Gun Revival, Feb 2007
"Voice of the Spoiler" The Sword Review, June 2007
"Servant of the Manthycore" The Sword Review, July 2007
"Darkling I Listen; and for Many a Time" Fear and Trembling, coming soon!
"Weaving Spiders Come Not Here" The Sword Review, August 2007
"Six Zombies Doing That Mick Jagger Strut" Damned in Dixie, Summer 2007
"Nothing But Our Tears" The Sword Review, September 2007
"Night of Shadows, Night of Knives" Magic and Mechanica, Fall 2007
"The Scarlet Colored Beast" The Sword Review, October 2007
"The Stars by Law, Forbidden" Unparalleled Journeys II, November 2007
"Who Comes for the Mother's Fruit" Every Day Fiction, November 2007
"Stand, Stand, Shall They Cry" Flashing Swords, November 2007
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