Roger Zelazny

Themes In his stories, Zelazny frequently portrayed characters from myth, depicted in the modern or a future world. Mythological traditions that his fiction borrowed from include the following:

Chinese mythology, in Lord Demon (with Jane Lindskold) Egyptian mythology, in Creatures of Light and Darkness Greek mythology, in ...And Call Me Conrad Hindu mythology, in Lord of Light Navajo mythology, in Eye of Cat Norse mythology, in The Mask of Loki Psychoanalysis, Arthurian mythos, Norse mythology and Kabbalah, in The Dream Master

Additionally, elements from Norse, Japanese and Irish mythology, Arthurian legend, and real history appear in The Chronicles of Amber series. The novel A Night in the Lonesome October involves the Cthulhu Mythos, a shared fictional universe based on the work of H. P. Lovecraft.

Another recurring motif of Zelazny's is the "absent father" (or father-figure). Again, this motif occurs most notably in the Amber novels: in the first Amber series, the protagonist Corwin searches for his lost, god-like father Oberon; in the second series, which focuses on Corwin's son Merlin (not to be confused with the Arthurian Merlin), Corwin himself is strangely missing. This somewhat Freudian theme runs through almost every Zelazny novel to some degree. The novels Roadmarks, Doorways in the Sand, Changeling, Madwand and A Dark Traveling; the short stories "Dismal Light", "Godson" and "The Keys to December"; and the Alien Speedway series all feature main characters who are either searching for or have lost their fathers. Zelazny's father, Joseph, died unexpectedly in 1962 and never knew of his son's successes as a writer.

Two other personal characteristics that influenced Zelazny's fiction were his expertise in martial arts and his addiction to tobacco. Zelazny became an expert with the épée in college; he thereby began a lifelong study of several martial arts, including judo, aikido (which he later taught as well, having gained a black belt), tai chi and baguazhang. In turn, many of his characters ably and knowledgeably use similar skills while dispatching their opponents. Zelazny was also a passionate cigarette and pipe smoker (until he quit in the early 1980s)—so much so that he made many of his protagonists heavy smokers as well. However, he quit in order to improve his cardiovascular fitness for the martial arts; once he had quit, characters in his later novels and short stories stopped smoking also.

The novel Creatures of Light and Darkness, featuring characters in the personas of Egyptian gods, uses a narrative voice entirely in the present tense; the final chapter is structured as a play, and several chapters take the form of long poems.

Another common stylistic approach in Zelazny's novels is the use of mixed genres, whereby elements of each are combined freely and interchangeably. The novels Jack of Shadows and Changeling, for example, revolve around the tensions between the two worlds of magic and technology. The novel Lord of Light, perhaps one of his most famous works, is written in the classic style of a mythic fantasy, while it is established early in the book that the story itself takes place on a colonized planet.

Legacy Zelazny's stories inspired other authors in his generation including Samuel R. Delany, whose novel Nova and many of his short stories were written "partly in response to Zelazny’s eruption into the field." In 1967, Algis Budrys listed Zelazny, Delany, J. G. Ballard and Brian Aldiss as "an earthshaking new kind of" writer, and leaders of the New Wave. Neil Gaiman said that Zelazny was the author who influenced him most, with this influence particularly seen in Gaiman's literary style and subjects.

The anthology Lord of the Fantastic: Stories in Honor of Roger Zelazny, edited by Martin H. Greenberg and released in 1998, featured essays and stories in honor of Zelazny by Walter Jon Williams, Jack Williamson, John Varley, Gaiman, Gregory Benford and many other authors.

The anthology Shadows & Reflections: A Roger Zelazny Tribute Anthology, edited by Trent Zelazny and Warren Lapine, was released in 2017; it featured two essays and fifteen stories set in universes that Zelazny created. Contributors included Zelazny, George R. R. Martin, Shannon Zelazny, Warren Lapine, Steven Brust, Kelly McCullough, Jane Lindskold, Steve Perry, Gerald Hausman, Lawrence Watt-Evans, Michael H. Hanson, Mark Rich, Gio Clairval, Edward J. McFadden III, Theodore Krulik, Shariann Lewitt and Jay O'Connell.

Awards Zelazny won at least 16 awards for specific works of fiction: six Hugo Awards, three Nebula Awards, two Locus Awards, one Prix Tour-Apollo Award, two Seiun Awards and two Balrog Awards. Often Zelazny's works competed with each other for the same award. "The Doors of His Face, the Lamps of His Mouth" won the 1966 Nebula Award (novelette). "He Who Shapes" tied for the 1966 Nebula Award (novella). Lord of Light won the 1968 Hugo Award (novel). Isle of the Dead won the 1972 Prix Tour-Apollo Award (novel). This Immortal won the 1976 Seiun Award (foreign novel). "Home Is the Hangman" won both the 1976 Hugo Award and the 1976 Nebula Award (novella). "The Last Defender of Camelot" won the 1980 Balrog Award (short fiction). "Unicorn Variation" won the 1982 Hugo Award (novelette) and the 1984 Seiun Award (foreign short fiction). Unicorn Variations won the 1984 Locus Award (collection) and the 1984 Balrog Award (collection/anthology). "24 Views of Mt. Fuji, by Hokusai" won the 1986 Hugo Award (novella). Trumps of Doom won the 1986 Locus Award (fantasy novel). "Permafrost" won the 1987 Hugo Award (novelette).

In addition, Zelazny was the Guest of Honor at the Worldcon convention in Washington, D.C., in 1974 (also known as Discon II); he won an Inkpot Award for lifetime achievement at the San Diego Comic-Con convention in 1993. "A Rose for Ecclesiastes" was included in Visions of Mars: First Library on Mars, a DVD taken on board the Phoenix Mars lander in 2008.

Published works