Donnerjack

I read Zelazny as a teen, but never kept up with his stuff. A few years ago I got hooked on Jane Lindskold's SF and fantasies (I've now read all of her books), and I loved Lord Demon, her first collaboration with Zelazny. Inevitably I picked up Donnerjack, and what a great story! It's long, but it's never boring or slow.A hero confronts Death to regain a love from his realm, in exchange for their firstborn. Donnerjack weaves together tales of computer programs and ancient prototypical gods, legends and 22nd century Americans, and manages to tie them all together with a satisfyingly pretty bow. It balances an incredibly dark subject matter (trying to beat Death and eventually to let go when one cannot - bear in mind that after a long illness Zelazny actually died before the book was finished) with great stories that inexorably twine together as the plot moves forward. While exciting, it manages to catch creepy on a really visceral level - I couldn't just blast through this book like my usual reads, but had to take it in bits. Part of why Donnerjack is so distressing is that the subject of death touches us all, and the authors capture its horror in delicate ways as when a character's gradual deterioration necessitates the amputation of his leg. The authors present this in such an unapologetic and off-handed way that it feels uncomfortably personal - if this didn't come from life it certainly felt like it. This must have been a very painful book to write. The result is just wonderful, though. Because of the authors' real-life situation, the evolution of the book's presentation of Death from being a horrific chaotic factor to a necessary (and even well-meaning) part of the lawful order of things is particularly evocative. Because of the masterful storytelling, Donnerjack's plot unravels like a mystery. I genuinely did not know what to expect from one chapter to the next. Perhaps because of the personal stuggles of the authors with death, this "scientific fantasy" is also a novel of horror. As the tale draws on, a force more sinister than Death is gradually revealed, the horror building as the reader considers the implications of this evil. Lindskold and Zelazny do this artfully; Donnerjack reminds me of Lovecraft, with a little less Poe and a lot more storytelling and character development. It's a riveting, wonderful book. I'm going to have to make sure I read all the Zelazny I've missed over the years.

Roger was a master of the planes. He wrote of heroes and gods who transcended space and time and realities. This is a tantalizing tale of a world, a man, his son, and the virtual world that he helped to "create." But did he really create VIRTU or did he merely open the door?Similar at times to the matrix and yet not. You must read it to understand. What is Virtu? What is the Matrix? Similar questions, the answers may be found in DonnerJack.Yes, you can challenge death and win your way, but death comes to us all: men, women, re-animated junk heaps that resemble snakes and dogs, even gods.To understand this you need to read this book! If you are a true Zelazny fan, you would like this one.

Roger and I had a complex and difficult relationship. For years he made light of me, gave me the bum's rush and the cold shoulder, even compared me to Tokyo Bay. Finally he put me in a musical comedy; that was the last straw. He defeated every demon I could muster, but he couldn't hold off the cancer long enough to finish DONNERJACK. I thought I'd won, but he defeated me in the end. Now he's an immortal, destined to live forever, while I'm only a shadow in cyberspace. Here's to you, Roger: indomitable.

Primo Book Even though I'm still having trouble getting over Roger Zelazny's death

War between the Gods in cyberspace, pregnancy through cybersex, Death alive and well in cyberspace, and people transiting the interface between reality and cyberspace without mechanical help; Zelazny is in fine form here as he and posthumous collaborator Lindskold proceed to show the cyberpunk movement how it REALLY should be done. The vivid imagery we've come to expect from Zelazny is here, lush in sensualiy and detail. The characters in this novel somewhat defy everyday description; suffice it to say that you won't forget any of the movers and shakers of this story. A fine capstone to a celebrated career, and a nice monument to one of the finest writers of our times