clever writing, but I guess this type of humor and the sci-fi did not appeal to me - it may not have been a good time for me to read this one - read about half

4.5 stars

This is my first Roger Zelazny, and I wasn't sure what to expect, but boy was it fun. The main character, Fred Cassidy, had a charming, clever voice, and I laughed out loud a lot while reading this.
As much as I loved Fred, the aliens are what delighted me the most about this book--their sometimes wobbly grasp of English and the telepathic doctor who practiced "assault therapy."
There was a mystery too, and the solution was unpredictable and perfect.
Zelazny lost me a couple of times with some of the more sciency/mathy explanations of what was going on. There's a reason I read more fantasy than scifi. But being periodically confused in no way spoiled the story for me.
He had an interesting style of ordering the events of the story too, and the back and forth along the timeline took some getting used to. I enjoyed it once I got the hang of it.
I don't know if his other books are as funny as this one was, but I liked Zelazny's writing in general and would probably take another of his books for a spin. ( )

Zelazny wrote this book in the mid-1970’s, first in serial form in ‘Analog Science Fiction and Science Fact’ and then later released in hardcover and paperback. It was nominated for Nebula and Hugo awards. This book came along about in middle of Zelazny’s career, after Lord of Light and in the middle of his Chronicles of Amber series. He himself, rated this among his top five personal favorites.

The book is written in first person (except the last chapter) and follows Fred Cassidy, an odd, witty, sarcastic, long-time university student, who has an obsession with heights and climbing buildings. The story is set in the near future, with air scooters and flying cars, and most importantly, recent contact with aliens. The plot focuses on a mystery -- a missing alien artifact, which may or may not have been in protagonist’s Fred’s possession. Fred is pursued by thugs, government agents, and a series of strange aliens all of whom are attempting to locate the artifact. He sometimes outwits his adversaries, but just as often bumbles into hazard after hazard. My best (and brutish) attempt to describe the story is a combination of ‘Fletch’ and ‘Men in Black.’ Who knows, maybe both were partly inspired by this work. The book is jam-packed and includes elements of crime fiction, science fiction, comedy, and even arguable fantasy. While technically not Fantasy, I doubt Zelazny would argue against a fantasy connection as the story contains a number of ‘Alice in Wonderland’ references and works hard to be chaotic and fantastical.

I enjoyed the book but find I’m not a true devotee of Zelazny. I suspect if this book didn't convert me, none will. Still, he's a talented writer with great range, demonstrating equal talents with science, philosophy, comedy, wit, and near poetic prose. However, this book had a number of elements, such as flash-forward mechanics that I found distracting. Zelanzny also occasional throws in near nonsensical sentences, that drop me out of the story. Whether these devices are intended to keep the reader off balance, or an attempt to be more complex and literary, I personally, could do without them. It’s great range of genres and an endless cast of characters made it difficult for me to stay fully engaged in the story. Still, it’s highly creative, funny, and full of plot twists. I just wish Zelazny had just fully bought into the comedic detective story set in a sci-fi universe and dropped the attempts at demonstrating literary and philosophical chops, and especially his tendency to attempt to intentionally challenge (confuse - cough, cough, looking at you - Lord of Light) the reader.

Ultimately, a fun, jam-packed story that crosses genres and styles and demonstrates the breadth of talents of an undeniable science fiction master – Roger Zelazny. ( )

Eh. Disliked the ending. Read for my library's SF book club. ( )

"I'm going to go down there first thing in the morning and punch him in the eye!"
"Will that solve anything?"
"No, but revenge fits in with the classic life-style."

2015 is going to go down in my personal history as the year of awesome books. I am like a kid in a candy store here, running down the aisles with armfuls of treasure. I could tell you that I am giving this five stars (thinking about six) because I review things for what they are and this little beauty transcends all its genres to become something that is, while small, also quite amazing. True enough. I could tell you that I will probably five star anything that sucks me in and refuses to let me go until I have heard the whole story. Also true. Also that I will five star anything that allows a character I instantly love to follow his own tale to the end with no author tricks or lies anywhere. I do. But more than that, I am five starring this because I finished it an hour ago and I am still grinning ear to ear, still filled with the hope and beauty and humor of the thing.

The book is dedicated to Isaac Asimov, but if you are not a sci-fi fan, don't let that scare you off. I am not much a lover of sci-fi, but I loved this. It has great people sense, a tightly written story, fantastic literary references (hello again, Lewis Carroll), and truly funny humor. If it telegraphs a punch here and there, keep in mind that it was published back in 1976. (Won the Hugo back then, too.) If everybody wrote books this well, we in the postmodern world would all be kids running down the aisles with armfuls of treasure all the time. Not everybody writes this well. Not even close. Go enjoy this.

(What the heck. Six stars.)

Reviewed 7/10/15. ( )