#3

I read this one out of order, after #3 and #4 because they were in Volume 2, but now I'm filled in the missing backstory. This settles the question whether the stories are readable as standalones, yes they are, but reading in order helps to understand the references to past murderbot mayhem, and uncomfortable human feeeelings, and ships passing in the night encounters with other bottish, whoa re the real stars (or guest stars, as there seems to be a different non-recurring set in each episode), with distinctive personalities. The humans all kind of blur together for me, and generally they're idiots (I'm starting to sound like murderbot). One thing I feel obliged to note, the term for sexbots is uncomfortably reminiscent of the term used for forced prostitutes in WWII, which is either cleverly deliberate or unintentionally disturbing (like the confederacy overtones in Firefly, although I suppose that could have been cleverly deliberate). Anyway, back on track and on to #5.

Zelazny was exploring the topic of divinity and the rights of gods for his whole career. He investigated shifting surrealist events and landscapes in his short stories as well as his other works.

It is apt that one of his short story collections is called "the road to Amber", but I think that most of his works can be roughly divided into "the road to Amber" and "the road to Lord of Light".

It is uncanny how good his language is too. He is a true American classic. American because he was as good at filigree details of landscapes and environments as he was at writing action scenes.

Absolute highlights of this collection for me, in order:

1. The Keys to December (just love it! Sentient cats, arctic cold, the rights of small nations to exist)
2. The Mortal Mountain (please treat it as a mystery you have to solve. All the clues are given to you. I was blindsided by the fact that it is possible to figure out the ending, but it really-really-really is a fair play piece. Absolutely loved it)
3. The Rose for Ecclesiastes (some say it is the best thing Zelazny wrote. I loved it thoroughly, and the fact that it's only #3 in my review, should really tell you all about how good the other two are).

For Amber fans:

1. Love is an Imaginary Number

For Douglas Adams appreciators:

1. The Great Slow Kings

I leave you with a semi-obligatory quote of the book:

They're here and we're here, and they think we're gods—maybe because we do nothing for them but make them miserable. We have some responsibility to an intelligent race, though. At least to the extent of not murdering it.