jrrt@hogpd.UUCP (R.MITCHELL) (01/09/85)
ack in May, I reviewed DILVISH, THE DAMNED and THE CHANGING LAND
for the local SF-club newsletter. In view of the recent comments
on these two books, I present below that review:
Imagine a heroic figure, endowed with tremendous physical abilities
and magical talents. Add a hefty dose of tragic flaws. Stir in demons,
ancient gods, and a powerful mage upon whom the hero has declared
vengeance. Serve up with the usual trimmings of fair damsels,
bizarre creatures, etc. What do you have? Well, if you do it right
and you want a really depressing work, you have Moorcock's Elric of
Melnibone series. If you do it wrong, without sufficient attention
to the Grand Epic at hand, you get Zelazny's Dilvish books.
In DILVISH, THE DAMNED and its sequel, THE CHANGING LAND, we follow
Dilvish as he tracks down Jerelak, the evil magician who caused him
to be tortured for 200 years in Hell. Naturally, Dilvish gets
sidetracked, sent on false scents, etc., all in the fine tradition
of heroic fantasy. Where Zelazny lets the reader down is in the
details. Dilvish's universe is not painted with any clarity; I
wanted to know a lot more about Hell, or how Dilvish got his
"demonic metal horse, Black," or what the sociology of the land was
like. The world never seems tangible.
Zelazny takes the easy way out of the corners he puts Dilvish in. For
instance, early in the first book, much is made about the invincibility
of a foe's armor. The reader is led to expect an epic struggle in
which the hero (through force of will, potent magic, and craftiness)
manages to eke out a victory. No such luck. After Zelazny raises
your expectations, you turn the page to find the battle already over,
with the unsatisfying explanation that the armor wasn't so invulnerable
after all.
All the potentially interesting characters, even Dilvish, have
two-dimensional personalities. The reader gets the impression that
Dilvish is going through the motions, like a clockwork paladin,
emotionlessly "fulfilling his destiny" without taking a personal interest
in his actions. At least Elric brooded and fought against Fate; Dilvish
just doesn't come across as a heroic figure, tragic or otherwise. If
you like dark fantasy, stay away from these two books.
Rob Mitchell
{ihnp4,allegra}!hogpd!jrrtkalash@ucbcad.UUCP (01/11/85)
> Where Zelazny lets the reader down is in the > details. Dilvish's universe is not painted with any clarity; I > wanted to know a lot more about Hell, or how Dilvish got his > "demonic metal horse, Black," or what the sociology of the land was > like. But Zelazny NEVER explains anything. In "Isle of the Dead" there are these Gods running about, who come from no where. In "Nine Princes in Amber" we have these unicorns and "shadows" that are never really explained. In "Roadmarks" there are these funny dragons. In <etc.>. You really can't single out the Dilvish books for this, Zelazny has always put in full blown universes without explaining anything about them. Joe Kalash kalash@berkeley ucbvax!kalash