Roger Zelazny and Mary Good Crow
The Lampworks Lamplighter SF & Fantasy News & Reviews
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In this issue
Influences
Roger Zelazny is one of my favorite authors, so I was delighted to find that several of his long-out-of-print titles have been republished, including a few stories that I had somehow never read. Check out their reviews below.
Zelazny’s writing is vivid with imagery of both the visual and the metaphorical varieties. “The moon came up full and splendid above the skyline, and its light spread like spilled buttermilk among the canyons of the city.” A tad purple perhaps, but The Night Kings is enough over the top to carry the load. And while he doesn’t write funny stories, per se, there’s always something witty about the turn of phrase that he uses, usually in the hands of his sardonic protagonists or their worthy adversaries. Zelazny is one of the largest influences on the way my own writing style has evolved, along with Robert Silverberg for his voyages of discovery and Terry Pratchett for his deft use of absurdity. I can’t say I do it so well as any of them, but those are my guiding stars.
Our Books
Sellenria: The Starship and the Citadel
Chuck Boeheim, Daniel Elswit
It came as a shock to archaeologist Stenn Gremm to find that his ancestor had been a warlock.
As a scientist, Stenn didn’t believe in magic. But when a monster from legend ground his equipment into dust, Stenn was forced into roles for which he hadn’t prepared. Apprentice to an assassin for one, advisor to the heir to the throne for another. When archaeological digs were conducted via telepresence, he didn’t expect to get dirt under his nails and blood on his hands. Now his fate hinges on his ability to embrace his greatest role: the new warlock.
Readers have called this a cross between Star Trek and Lord of the Rings, as well as a tale of self-discovery, set in a journey through a fantastic land. All legends have a kernel of truth, but the full story can be surprisingly different.
Buy on amazon Bookshop.org
What We‘re Reading
Visit our archive of reviews and recommendations on the Books We Like page of our website. You‘ll find over one hundred recommendations in Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Non Fiction.
The Last Stand of Mary Good Crow
Rachel Aaron
In this Western with a steampunk vibe, the discovery of a vein of crystal with magical properties has upended the power dynamics of the West. The time is just after the end of the Civil War, and all the political and military figures of the era take up new roles in this alternate history. Mary Good Crow is the half-Lakota, half-white guide to the vast crystal mines, and one of the few people who can hear the crystal sing. The heiress to the mining company hires her to take her into the mines to re-establish her father’s legacy. Meanwhile, the cavalry tries to maintain control of this fabulous resource against the native people who know it as a holy land, as well as murderous bandits who want it for themselves. No one is exactly what they seem, however. Sometimes not even close.
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The Night Kings and Night Heirs
Roger ZelaznyWarren Lapine
The first story in this collection is a classic Zelazny tale. The proprietor of a curious store senses that trouble is brewing when business is too good. Occult matters are coming to a head. Customers are buying defenses against vampires and zombies as if the apocalypse is next week. Then a messenger arrives bearing a challenge. He gathers up his sword and his apprentice and heads out to the graveyard…
The second story was written by Walter Lapine in the style of Zelazny. Many years later, the apprentice has taken over the shop. It also transpires that he began a relationship with the beautiful apprentice of his master’s opponent on the night of the encounter related in Zelazny’s story. Business is once again too good, portents are appearing, and the challenge is imminent. How to respond when the challenger is one you’ve grown to love?
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Kalifriki
Roger Zelazny
Kalifriki of the Thread is the type of character that Zelazny did so well. Powerful yet flawed, mysterious and seemingly immortal, until he has become his own legend. In the first tale, he pursues a dimension-shifting thief who goes to ground in a garden of clockwork toys. Kalifriki is befriended by the clockmaker’s daughter, who becomes his companion in discovering the riddle of the garden and uncovering the thief.
In the second tale, Kalifriki is leading a life of retired contemplation when a woman engages him to find the killer of her seven clone sisters. The killer is a former lover who has closed himself in a pocket universe, where he controls all the laws of existence. Kalifriki arms himself with his Thread and a single arrow, and undertakes the job.
Buy on Bookshop.org amazon
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Beneath rock and soil, trees and oceans, she lies.
Under concrete jungles and poisoned rivers, she slumbers.
She is Mother Earth.
And mankind has turned its back on its mother.
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Siouca Remembers
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Siouca is a member of the advanced Wanderer civilisation. What does Siouca want?
- Free Review Copy
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Echoes of Starlight
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One hundred thousand colonists don’t simply vanish… No bodies. No evidence of an attack. Just gone.
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