Jack of Shadows
Ratings2
Average rating3.5
15
Ratings2
Average rating3.5
In a world half of light, half of darkness, where science and magic strive for dominance, there dwells a magical being who is friendly with neither side. Jack, of the realm of shadows, is a thief who is unjustly punished. So he embarks on a vendetta. He wanders through strange realms, encountering witches, vampires, and, finally, his worst enemy: the Lord of Bats. He consults his friend Morningstar, a great dark angel. He is pursued by a monstrous creature called the Borshin. But to reveal any more would be to spoil some of the mindboggling surprises Jack of Shadows has in store. First published in 1971 and long out-of-print, Jack of Shadows is one of fantasy master Roger Zelazny's most profound and mysterious books.
Reviews with the most likes.
Fantasy/sci-fi/horror with a tidbit of parable thrown in?
There are a number of aspects of the premise that I find really intriguing. A mystical thief who draws powers from shadows, a world that is half science, and daylight, as we saw the 20th century, and half hellscape, a place of immortals and darkness and soulessness, with some Biblical imagery for good measure. The trick is, to say what it wanted to say, the majority of the book has to be kind of a dreadful tale, and the main character amoral if not outright despicable. So, not a very fun reading experience, for all that I appreciate the imagination and the messaging. The pacing felt a bit off for something novella-length too, some of that classic world building, lengthy descriptions of journeys and beasties, slowling down the action of the story. And in a story that felt a little short on character development until the very end, lengthy descriptions punctuated by action scenes meant I was struggling to maintain my focus on the story. (Entirely possible it's just a me thing with patience levels). And yeah, it's probably as much an early 70s thing, as something I can lay in this particular author, but the only two female characters basically having a rough go of it to further the main male character's development, not a fan. 🤷🏼♂️
⚠️ Suicide, mention of SA
