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.
Between 1962 and 1969 Zelazny worked for the Social Security Administration in Cleveland and then in Baltimore, spending his evenings writing science fiction. He deliberately progressed from short-shorts to novelettes to novellas and finally to novel-length works by 1965. On 1969 he quit to become a full-time writer, and thereafter concentrated on writing novels in order to maintain his income.
Zelazny was married twice, in 1964 in 1966.
Zelazny was considered one of the leading lights of the ”New Wave” movement in science fiction in the 1960s. He incorporated elements from literary novels of the mainstream into his fiction, and experimented with allusion, lyricism, and mythic imagery. His stories often involved characters from myth, depicted in the modern world. Zelazny's fiction was also highly influenced by wisecracking detective fiction. He was also apt to include modern elements, such as cigarettes, in his fantasy worlds.
A frequent theme is gods or people who become gods. Another recurrent theme is the ”absent father” (or father-figure).
Speculative Fiction Novels (58)
The Road to Amber (The Collected Stories of Roger Zelazny #6) 2009 | science fiction, fantasy, short stories |
Nine Black Doves (The Collected Stories of Roger Zelazny #5) 2009 | science fiction, fantasy, short stories |
Last Exit to Babylon (The Collected Stories of Roger Zelazny #4) 2009 | science fiction, fantasy, short stories |
This Mortal Mountain (The Collected Stories of Roger Zelazny #3) 2009 | science fiction, fantasy, short stories |
Power & Light (The Collected Stories of Roger Zelazny #2) 2009 | science fiction, fantasy, short stories |
Threshold (The Collected Stories of Roger Zelazny #1) 2009 | science fiction, fantasy, short stories |
Manna from Heaven 2003 | science fiction, fantasy, short stories |
The Great Book of Amber: The Complete Amber Chronicles 1-10 (The Chronicles of Amber) 1999 | fantasy, collection |
Lord Demon 1999 | fantasy |
Psychoshop 1998 | science fiction |
Donnerjack 1997 | science fiction |
A Farce to Be Reckoned With (Millenial Contest #3) 1995 | fantasy |
A Night in the Lonesome October 1993 | fantasy, horror |
If at Faust You Don't Succeed (Millenial Contest #2) 1993 | fantasy |
Here There Be Dragons / Way Up High 1992 | fantasy, childrens, short stories |
Flare 1992 | science fiction |
Gone to Earth (Author's Choice Monthly #27) 1991 | science fiction, short stories |
Prince of Chaos (The Chronicles of Amber #10) 1991 | fantasy |
Bring Me the Head of Prince Charming (Millenial Contest #1) 1991 | fantasy |
The Black Throne 1990 | fantasy |
The Mask of Loki 1990 | fantasy |
Knight of Shadows (The Chronicles of Amber #9) 1989 | fantasy |
Wizard World (Wizard World) 1989 | fantasy, collection |
Frost & Fire 1989 | science fiction, fantasy, short stories |
Sign of Chaos (The Chronicles of Amber #8) 1987 | fantasy |
A Dark Travelling 1987 | science fiction, fantasy, young adult |
Blood of Amber (The Chronicles of Amber #7) 1986 | fantasy |
Trumps of Doom (The Chronicles of Amber #6) 1985 | fantasy |
Unicorn Variations 1983 | science fiction, fantasy, non-fiction, short stories |
Dilvish, the Damned (Dilvish Series) 1982 | fantasy > sword and sorcery, short stories |
Eye of Cat 1982 | science fiction |
Coils 1982 | science fiction |
The Changing Land (Dilvish Series) 1981 | fantasy > sword and sorcery |
Madwand (Wizard World #2) 1981 | fantasy |
A Rhapsody in Amber 1981 | science fiction, short stories |
Changeling (Wizard World #1) 1980 | fantasy |
The Last Defender of Camelot 1980 | science fiction, fantasy, short stories |
Roadmarks 1979 | science fiction, fantasy |
The Courts of Chaos (The Chronicles of Amber #5) 1978 | fantasy |
The Hand of Oberon (The Chronicles of Amber #4) 1976 | fantasy |
Doorways in the Sand 1976 | science fiction |
Bridge of Ashes 1976 | science fiction |
My Name Is Legion 1976 | science fiction, short stories |
Deus Irae 1976 | science fiction |
Sign of the Unicorn (The Chronicles of Amber #3) 1975 | fantasy |
To Die in Italbar 1973 | science fiction |
Today We Choose Faces 1973 | science fiction |
The Guns of Avalon (The Chronicles of Amber #2) 1972 | fantasy |
Jack of Shadows 1971 | science fiction, fantasy |
The Doors of His Face, The Lamps of His Mouth 1971 | science fiction, short stories |
Nine Princes in Amber (The Chronicles of Amber #1) 1970 | fantasy |
Isle of the Dead 1969 | science fiction |
Damnation Alley 1969 | science fiction |
Creatures of Light and Darkness 1969 | science fiction |
Lord of Light 1967 | science fiction |
Four for Tomorrow 1967 | science fiction, short stories |
This Immortal 1966 | science fiction |
The Dream Master 1966 | science fiction |
Comics and Anthology (2)
Forever After 1995 | fantasy, anthology |
Berserker Base (Berserker sequence) 1984 | science fiction, anthology |
Others non-spefi books (3)
The Ides of Octember: A Pictorial Bibliography of Roger Zelazny 2010 | non-fiction |
The Dead Man's Brother 2009 | thriller |
Wilderness 1994 | history, mainstream |