This has also been called ...And Call Me Conrad. This won the Hugo Award in 1966, sharing the honor with Frank Herbert's Dune.
This book reminded me of Guns of Navarone, which was made in 1961. Both were set in Greece with a dashing main character supported by a cast of misfits. However, the Guns of Navarone was set during war time conditions, where as This Immortal was set in the far future after everything had been bombed to oblivion.
Konstantine Karaghiosis Korones Nomikos - but he prefers Conrad - has been around a long time...a very long time. Currently he is the Commissioner of the Earth Office Department of Arts, Monuments and Archives and he has been tasked with escorting the Vegan (alien, not eating preference) Myshtigo on a personal sightseeing tour of the remnants of Earths ruins. Myshtigo is writing a book and Conrad and his fellow friends are under the suspicion that Myshtigo is actually surveying the Earth for future Vegan resorts (aliens, not veggies).
When Conrad is reunited with a compadre from a past mission, the assassin Hasan, he immediately suspects someone is out to kill either him or the alien and a mystery like that cannot be left unsolved. Hasan is hired as Myshtigo's bodyguard, but Conrad knows the old assassin is not above taking conflicting jobs. So, with a dubious bodyguard, a poet, a husband and wife team, and a 'doll' known as "Red Wig", Conrad sets out with the intent of keeping his alien visitor alive. They spend most of their time in Greece.
This was a lot of fun, but then I really enjoy these older books like I enjoy the older war movies. The gals are eye candy. The men dashing and smart. The plot was pretty decent - a destroyed Earth is only loosely populated by a remnant human faction, and the "Hot Areas" are full of mutants. Even this future Greece is full of history, myth, culture and calamity and Zelazny uses it all rather well.
It is interesting to note, and perhaps I just haven't read a lot of Zelazny, but this was one character who would have done well in several stand alone books. Somehow, I'm glad it was just one.
So! I'm now down to four Hugo winners left to be read:
Jonathan Strange and Dr. Norell by Suzanna Clarke
Cyteen by CJ Cherryh
The Snow Queen by Joan D. Vinge
Dreamsnake by Rhonda McIntyre
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Popular Posts
-
The World Science Fiction Convention: Anticipation! started on Thursday and I went to panels Thursday evening, Friday, a smattering on Satur... -
Busy week work wise, which were balanced out with some super simple but awesome meals. Some meal plan shifting was required since I ended ... -
So my reading is down a bit this Fall - with the trip to Kansas City, Oregon, and Michigan, it was easier to plug into podcasts than an audi... -
And so it came to pass that Easter Weekend I found myself, for the 23rd year in a row, at Minicon. Minicon 52 to be exact. I'm still... -
Presidents weekend saw me back in Tucson for another visit, and while the weather didn't quite cooperate (50* and rain for two days), it...
3 comments:
I really enjoyed this one, too. It's fun, fast, and not too long. This is the sort of book that makes me a Zelazny fan. In fact, I liked it a lot better than Lord of Light, which many consider to be his best book.
But my favorite Zelazny is Doorways in the Sand, which is just good whacky fun.
Doorways in the Sand is one I haven't read yet. I will have to get my hands on it.
I'll agree that this was more fun than Lord of Light, and I enjoyed Lord of Light because of all the Hindu pantheon references.
I've been thinking abour re-reading the Amber series to see how my views of it have changed in 20 years.
I've made a couple of serious attempts to read Nine Princes in Amber, but haven't been able to get through it. Just not my thing, I guess.
Post a Comment