P-C, one of Zelazny's most famous bits is the Agnostic's Prayer.

Still funny 35 years later.

I occasionally get nervous about making sweeping pronouncements, especially when there's someone around with more knowledge of the subject.

Nope, that was totally accurate. And actually, I think Micole is the expert on Roger's novels; DX and I are all about the short stories.

I remember a conversation in Literary, a year or two ago, about that. It was great fun, seeing who said what when asked about their favourite Zelazny short. DX voted for "The Lamps of His Eyes...", Betsy goes happy-swoony-blissed over "A Rose for Ecclesiastes", I love the power and hysterical irony behind "This Mortal Mountain". And Nic, who loves every word Roger ever wrote, is the one who reminded me about his short vampire story - was it called "Dayblood"? my brain is draining.

I'm not sure if my favorite Zelazny is Lord of Light or Jack of Shadows (to name one that hasn't been name-checked). I read the first Amber novel many years ago and said "eh," tried the next in the series some time after and shrugged my shoulders. And What Deb Said about the excelllence of his short stories.

One problem I have with the short stories is I first read some of them in an illustrated limited edition book I have, and the illustrations are very much of their time (ie, '70s). My memories of them are tainted by the pictures. Plus I can rarely get my mind revved up fast enough with short stories to really care what happens.

Were there ever plans for more Amber stories?

Theo, isn't that called ShadowJack? A novella of his? Like I said, the brain, she is draining.

And I forgot the other great short story collection. Dooood! Unicorn Variations!

I think there were going to be more Amber novels. Goddamnit, I'm not even a fan of the Amber stuff and I'm pissed off that he's gone all over again.

I thought I heard somewhere that Zelazny had told friends that he intended that Amber end with him, but his estate has arranged for other writers to continue them.

Theo, yup - what I meant was, if I'm remembering right, he'd had two or three more he wanted to write himself. And then prostate cancer.

MotherFUCKER.

What a damned waste.

edit: remembering a nice moment, a few weeks ago. When Plei and Paul and Jilli and Pete were here, and I took them off to the Mission, we stopped in at Borderlands. Someone had told Plei she really needed to read this book of Zelazny's, but she couldn't remember the name, just vaguely what it was about.

I immediately dialed home, handed the phone to Nic, and Plei said about six words. She listened for a moment, hung up, and handed me back the phone. "Nic says it's Lord of Light I'm supposed to get."

He knows his Rog, he does.

Unicorn Variations was great. "More beer!"

I took them off to the Mission, we stopped in at Borderlands.

Is that the shop with the hairless cat?