If at Faust You Don't Succeed
In Bring Me the Head of Prince Charming, two of the genre's greatest talents, Roger Zelazny and Robert Sheckley, told the story of a great Millennial contest between the forces of Good and Evil, both vying for control of the universe for the next thousand years. Well, it's that time again...
The demon Mephistopheles is in charge of the new contest, with the Archangel Michael back at his post. Standing in for humanity is the wily Dr. Johann Faust, brilliant alchemist, philosopher, and insufferable prig.
But all is not as it seems. The harried archdemon Mephistopheles mistakenly brings in a medieval cutpurse named Mack the Club, thinking him the learned Dr. Faust. The demon Azzie, rather disgruntled at not handling things for the forces of Dark, takes events into his own claws. And the pious angel Michael... well, let's just say some of his tactics are questionable.
Throw in Charon, ferryman of the dead who lives on a houseboat; a feminist Helen of Troy; heroes, dwarves, nagging Greek Furies, and a whole host of baffled creatures – living, dead, and otherwise – all of whom fight for their rights (and wrongs) in a great titanic struggle against the forces of Good and Evil.
If at Faust You Don't Succeed is a diabolical comedy about life, death, heaven, hell... and eternal bureaucracy.
Roger Zelazny
Roger Zelazny (1937–1995) was an American writer of fantasy and science fiction short stories and novels. He won the Nebula award three times and the Hugo award six times, including two Hugos for novels This Immortal (1965) and the novel Lord of Light (1967).
Zelazny was born in Ohio, the only child of Polish immigrant Joseph Zelazny and Irish-American Josephine Sweet. In high school, Roger Zelazny was the editor of the school newspaper and joined the Creative Writing Club. He was accepted to Columbia University in New York to study English and specialized in Elizabethan and Jacobean drama, graduating with an M.A. in 1962.
Millenial Contest
Millenial Contest consists of three books. The current recommended reading order for the series is provided below.
