October Books 2) The Collected Stories of Roger Zelazny vol 2: Power & Light
This is the second volume in the NESFA series collecting Zelazny's writings, again edited by David G. Grubbs, Christopher S. Kovacs and Ann Crimmins. I had high praise for the first of these; the second didn't grab me quite as much. Almost half of it is occupied by the original "...And Call Me Conrad" text of This Immortal, a separately published chapter of Lord of Light, and the first few Dilvish stories, which is I suppose necessary for completeness, but most readers will already have Zelazny's preferred final texts of those works. (Though it is fascinating to learn that Lord of Light was inspired by a train of thought started when Zelazny cut himself shaving at a science fiction convention.)
Anyway, I won't complain too much. As well as some excellent short stories (including the three wrenching pieces written the day Zelazny's father died), there are two speeches and a short essay, forewords by Kristine Kathryn Rusch and Walter Jon Williams (who tried, unsuccessfully, to get Zelazny to try the Amber roleplaying game), and Christopher Kovacs continues his fascinating bio-bibliography. I shall be getting the next two volumes which are apparently already out from NESFA.
Anyway, I won't complain too much. As well as some excellent short stories (including the three wrenching pieces written the day Zelazny's father died), there are two speeches and a short essay, forewords by Kristine Kathryn Rusch and Walter Jon Williams (who tried, unsuccessfully, to get Zelazny to try the Amber roleplaying game), and Christopher Kovacs continues his fascinating bio-bibliography. I shall be getting the next two volumes which are apparently already out from NESFA.