N28: Jack of Shadows by Roger Zelazny

“Appendix N” Challenge Complete!

With the following entry, I officially complete my “Appendix N” challenge for the month of December 2016. I really enjoyed looking back at some of my favorite (and some of my not-so-favorite) works of science-fiction and fantasy. My recommendation, for people wanting to challenge themselves in a similar way: why not arrange the readings by date instead of alphabetically by author? At first I liked my system, but I think I might gain more insight by reading the older writings first and making my way to the more modern stories. I wanted a worthy challenge to begin my blog and I enjoyed this month. Tomorrow, look for news of my January challenge. Until then, enjoy reading!

Book Review!

N28: Jack of Shadows by Roger Zelazny

In “Appendix N” Gary Gygax recommended Roger Zelazny’s novel Jack of Shadows. I own a small hardback copy that came in at 184 pages with a copyright date of 1971. I bought the book used online and found that it arrived with what looked like Zelazny’s autograph on the title page! This work stands out to me the same way Brandon Sanderson stands out with fantasy fiction in the current market because Zelazny managed to create an entirely different type of exciting fantasy story with its own universe and rules to figure out.

The Good

*I really liked the protagonist, Jack of Shadows.

*Strange events begin occurring from page one and continue on throughout the book.

*Because of the events in the beginning, Jack pledges himself to a quest of vengeance.

*Jack travels through interesting places and Zelazny provides great descriptions along the way.

The Bad

*Some readers might find the strangeness a little overwhelming.

*I found myself a little concerned at how long some events took, but I enjoyed the exploration along the way.

D&D Connections & Inspirations

*I remember one of my 2E D&D characters using shadow form and traveling around with shadows; this book likely inspired those abilities.

*The book provides a system/fantasy rules for some creatures dying and coming back to life; D&D lore includes similar concepts.

Overall

For my tastes, I give the work a 8/10 rating and highly recommend this book to all fans of fantasy literature.