Just a quick comment concerning the price of this book. If you go to eBay, search for the book, and then filter to only sold items you can scroll back to late December to see the book I purchased for nine dollars. You won't see many sales of the book before that. When I bought it there were tons of this book available and people were selling them cheap. Then, in early February, after I posted this video you can see sales start happening every day. As the sales increase so does the price, until there are very few left on eBay and the prices are all jacked up. so the reason the book is suddenly so hard to find and so pricey is because of this community and all of you buying this incredible book! Thanks to all of you for watching and reading, and I'm sorry the book is so hard to find right now!

Thanks. A review I once read said, "Roger Zelazney breaks rules most other writers only suspect exist". tavi.

You had me at "This one was weird".

Welp, the algorithm did well. I'm really glad it brought me to your channel! Looks like I'm up for some interesting reads.

Man the algorithm really hooked me up this time. Just found your channel for the first time and through this video learned about Zelazny and Murakami for the first time. super excited to have some new reading that actually juices the brain

I'm so glad the algorithm brought me here! I've been looking for some interesting reads. Great video :)

Thanks for covering Zelazny. Amber Chronicles are dated, but some aspects are still amazing. I love how Zelazny depicts the family's ability to travel through dimensions, with small changes occurring as they move along. Didn't realize he motivated Murakami!

Zelazny was also an expert fencer in college and studied Judo and Aikido which he had a black belt in and taught. His descriptions of combat in his books are very vivid and specific. If you've ever watched the KZfaq videos from guys who train in accurate Medieval swordfighting doing a duel that's what reading his fight scenes feels like.

Very happy that the algorithm suggested your channel. Always want to support booktubers (especially sci-fi and horror) on here. Haven't even finished your review yet and i want to read this book.

Great review! Really appreciate the introductory context and history. Will definitely give it a read!

As soon as you described the setting, I realized the relevance of this novel. I'm genuinely surprised I've never heard of this one before.

What a great review. Thank you for putting this together.

Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU for this... Zelazny must be one of the most underrated authors ever - not alone in the S. F. genre. A he must be one of the most intellectual and well-read ones at that. So I guess the answer is quite obvious: Zelazny's qualities only disclose themselves to readers with an equally deep intellectual background - which is something you could no longer rely on after the advent of the post Star Wars rise of more action driven or 'coolness' focused S.F. like the Cyberpunk movement of the 80s was. Suffice to say that for many versed S.F. readers 'Lord of Light' regularly in on their TOP 5 list - and even George R.R. Martin is a big Zelazny fan.

Thanks for the rec - definitely going to check this out!

I’m super psyched that I found this channel. I’m always looking for new good books to read. I’m glad to see the Murakami recommendation. I really enjoyed Wind-Up-Bird and 1Q84. And it was interesting that you mentioned Dune, because I read that a couple years ago, and it’s probably my favorite novel so far, so I’ll definitely check out Dream Master. Also, I’ve recently been getting into Joe Abercrombie’s First Law series. As far as medieval fantasy goes, I think it’s the most interesting series that I’ve read. The dialogue, character building, world design, creativity, it’s all very unique and high-level.

Cheers from brazil. Amazing channel man, long live to your initiative

The Amber Chronicles was my first experience with fantasy in 1987 and read every single book. I was hurt to know he passed away before he could finish the series. Thank you so much for reviewing this! Respect, from Las Vegas ❤

The reason that dune has stood the test of time isn't actually because the books are well written(actually most ppl dont care for how they are written) its the high concepts, narratives, and dense yet consistent lore of the dune world that is intoxicating. The idea of a hyper advanced space faring humanity that has taken on a ludite cultural tendency due to a machine war, but not because of terminator AI but because the machines allowed for enslavement of man by technocrats(even tho his son retconned this, boooo) is so compelling and becomes more relevant and compelling every single day

What a joy, I was a big fan of for the love of Ryan’s book channel and he’s since moved on so to find someone who is also so enthusiastic, it’s a wonderful feeling and like others in then comments I’m super happy the algorithm brought me here. I think I subscribed within the first minute of watching.

thank you for this video, i've been looking for books like this for a while!!

That art work on those covers are so damn cool

Zelazny is a trip. I haven't finished the Amber series. I'm 4 books in. They're suuuuuper weird. I tried my hand at what a lot of people think is his best, Lord of Light, but it was too much for me at the time, so I'm going to go back and try it again later. It's like far future transhumanism mixed with Hindu and Buddhist mythology & spiritualism...or something. I haven't read The Dream Master. Pretty sure I read This Immortal in high school, but that was 30+ years ago and my memory of it is nonexistent.

Excellent review. Thank you!

Just by the video title, I was expecting you to say the Illuminatus! trilogy by the Roberts Wilson and Shea. I loved those books, they were so off the wall and so much fun. I enjoyed the sequel (the Schrödinger’s Cat trilogy) as well, but nowhere near as much as Illuminatus! . Thanks for the review, and for recommending this one. I’m looking forward to checking it out. Have a great weekend! 👍🏻

Love this channel. Thanks for the recommendation.

Excellent, informative review. You sold me on this novel.

Great video, been looking for some book suggestions!

Happy to be here. I read this book around Christmas time and your thoughts mirror mine quite well. I reread a few of those paragraphs 4 or 5 times, because they were so powerful. I would also recommend Lord of Light by Zelazny. That one feels like the inner workings of a 3 tabbed acid trip.

'stood the test of time...' DUNE was made into a movie. but in the realm of books, zelazny is well-respected

One author I highly regard for trippy stories is S.P. Somtow or Somtow Sucharitkul as he was called on some early paperbacks. He's not well known but has been writing since the 70s. I discovered him with his 80s/90s works. He's writes a mix of horror/sci-fi and fantasy/magical realism. "The Riverrun Trilogy" is my favorite of his output (its 3 novels were also released individually decades prior). It's a hard series to describe. It starts as magical realism and devolves into alternate universes with mythical/archetypical people/creatures. The young boy protagonist is not just in a coming of age story but also going on the heroes journey all while being hunted for his once in a lifetime ability to always tell the truth and, consequently, be able to tell when others are lying. Definitely worth a read but some don't like his glaring use of opposites combining Americana/slang/stereotypes/dark humor with myth/legend/drama and psychology. It's an acquired taste.

this is the first video of yours i've seen and the info you delivered about old Zelazny, well worth a like and a sub, your right i never knew he got such plaudits, getting a tie with dune on the nebula is massive and i've always enjoyed work by any author that picked up a hugo, i've always found their winners to be on point, good work thanks o7

Awesome, thanks! The concept reminds me a bit of Phillip K Dick’s Eye in the Sky

Hello there 👋 First time watching your videos & I am enjoying the tone & content. Good job, keep it going 👍

I've never seen your channel, I subscribed, and ordered this on audible because it was the cheapest format and tbh probably the most convenient anyway for me. It was nowhere on my radar, but thanks to you, I will get to experience this masterpiece. I love the premise!

Happy to be your 1000th sub. Thanks for the book recommendation.

I love the name of your channel , i have always wanted to apply it creatively. Kudos . Subscribed and thank you for the recommendation, i will check your other vids out. This book seems like the inspiration for the Fallout 3 questline that takes place in a virtual reality vault, Tranquility Lane.

And The Doors of his face, the lamps of his mouth collection. I love Zelazny's work. He was gone too soon.

Well, I've been slowly getting a start on my own Novel and to hear the opening of TDM is like getting slapped by myself, There are a crazy amount of conceptual parallels that I feel obligated to see out a copy to read for myself. It continues to amaze me to see so many ideas I think original to myself, be used years prior or show up in modern media; I have confidence in my uniqueness, yet while moments like these upset me on a deep inner level, I'm more overjoyed to have the foundation verified as a banger of an idea. I look forward to what this novel'll bring to light inside my head, thank you for the recommendation!

You had me at Hard Boiled Wonderland! I love Murakami’s work, and I fell in love with Ray Carver based on how much of an influence he had on him. Sounds like I’ll be doing the same with Zelazny!

Thank you for retelling The Dream master!!!! Great to see other people appreciate the SF novels of my childhood and youth in Manila in the Sixties and early Seventies! I also read the nebula Award winning novella "He Who Shapes" he expanded into this novel, if I remember right... I still own EXACTLY that paperback edition of "The Dream Master"! Zelazny was one of the grand masters and my all time favorites! I didn't know that was the first work ever of his to come out! Saliva Tree and He Who Shapes are novellas, though...I have "Hugo Award Winners Vol. 1" edited by Damon Knight and it contains Saliva Tree, a novella - a retread of Lovecraft's "The Colour Out od Space"...As for pyschedelic, have you read his sensational Hugo Award-winning "Lord of Light" about a future human colony with god-like technology they use to re-enact the Hindu pantheon based on the Mahabharata? Here, the prose of Zelazny the stylist is at its most elegant and kaleidoscopic!!! I also loved his "Venus water world" novella "The Doors of his Face, the Lamps of his Mouth" which i had to read in German before getting my hands on an English language edition in Germany in the Seventies... There was a LOT lost in translation despite the Heyne publishing house's good reputation for German translations of SF... Then there wer "Jack of Shadows" and "Damnation Alley"...

The algorithm has blessed me by finding this channel. Just put this book on hold. BASED Brooklyn Public Library.

I'm a huge Zelazny fan! Thanks for this!

"Creatures of Light and Darkness" is the one I have read multiple times. I find it the most entertaining of his books. More imaginative characters than Lord of Light and more readable too.

Whoa, what a cool channel the algo popped in my feed. I which more niche channels came through! But yeah man, great content, I'm going to look for some of these books. Liked and subscribed!

You say correctly that Render is a clever character name because to render is to shape or bring something into being. But a second meaning is also that to rend is to tear or rip something apart. An awesome use of a word that encompasses two apposite meanings.

I love Murakami and my favorite is Hard-Boiled Wonderland, so I am thrilled to learn about this book. I will definitely hunt for it. Thank you! 👍

Great review. I definitely am going to read it.

I love Roger Zelazny! Glad he's getting picked up and shown around some

Wolfe and Zelanzy did more to shape my literary tastes than any other author, and you've picked a great title to review here. Thanks for the background history and thoughtful commentary. Loved your take on Deus Irae as well! If you are taking requests, do Lord of Light next!!!

I love “going in to other people’s dreams” stuff. Lathe of Heaven, Psychonauts, Dreamscape, Inception, that one episode of SpongeBob. Thanks for the new recommendation!

Lord of Light by Roger Zelazny is my favourite book by far, I will have to check the dream master out, i dont think I have read it. Thank you for the video !

Thanks for this review! I most likely would never have heard of it. I'm on the hunt for a copy. ✌😆

This was such a fabulous video! While I mean no offense to other creators, this is the only time I’ve ever actually wanted to read the book they were speaking of (that I had never heard of before). I really like older sci-fi, and it’s nice to hear such a well crafted review of one such as this.

Huh. I'm glad to find a Zelazny book I haven't read! I love his work. _Amber_ changed my life and how I perceive writing. _Lord of Light_ is a personal favorite and _Eye of Cat_ is also up there. His side-contributions to the Roleplaying space are definitely what got me into his work. _Amber_ holds the same place as _Dune_ for me, so it's always a treat to learn about more of his work.

i found Zelazney in '85 when I was 14. Read the Chronicles of Amber series first ( the first 5 at least) then everything I could find. I love his writing style and ability to immerse you in the story. I remember waiting for the next installments as they were written. Thanks for featuring Roger Z.

Hello..I came across your channel today...I really like how you explained the book .. I haven't read much in years ..I used to like Gothic Vampire reads

Awesome review. Thanks.

what a cool book! I've been reading a lot of sci-fi so I definitely will check it out

Hardly read any books in general but I enjoy seeing and hearing breakdowns like this. Primary familiarity with Zelazny was from some of the artwork on his books done by a japanese artist whose name I unfortunately cannot recall. Will need to look into his stuff.

Murakami‘s Hard Boiled Wonderland is one of my favorite novels, you got me there :)

I also thought of Zeazney the way you did, but I'm going to check this one out...thanks

Thank you for introducing me to Zelazny! I'll read Murakami here soon.

Sounds like a very original story, thanks for the review

The Amber Chronicles are excellent. I like all ten of Zelazny's, the five in the Corwin cycle and the five in the Merlin cycle. I've reread the first five a couple of times. I think I reread Trumps of Doom, Blood of Amber, and Prince of Chaos too. Fine stuff.

I absolutely love reading these books, thanks so much

Digging this book now, thanks for the recommendation.

Thank you for this!

The premise vaguely reminds me of short story by Asimov - "Dreaming is a private thing". But I'm super curious about it, it sounds very interesting! Also, glad I found your channel. New sub. Many thanks for this review.

Sounds incredible. Definitely going to get a copy

I read this one on your recomendation. A little slow in the build up, and perhaps a few to many dinner scenes but all in all a great book and I'm glad I read it. Thank you for mentioning it. I plan to read Hard-Boiled Wonderland next.

I love Dune, and to think this guy's work is on par with it just makes me want to read it all the more. Just discovered your channel, thanks for the review. You got a new subscriber

I must remind myself Roger's novels, I was teenager when I last read any of them. I miss the thrill of digging through library's shelves.😢

I just discovered your channel and really like it. If you’re looking for new universes, I recommend Dan Simmons „Hyperion Cantos“ , especially when you’re into cool science fiction. He even foresaw Twitter and social media - and so much more. It’s by far my favourite science-fiction novel, especially the first 2 books. Get through the first 30 pages, suspend your sense of disbelief (an ebony space craft? Tombs travelling back in time?), it‘ll all make sense eventually and is grounded in hard science. The anticipation of AI is mindblowing.

I'm a HUGE fan of Murakami as well -- Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World is the first one of his that I read and still my favorite. And, like you, I tend to make judgments about certain writers, even when I've never read them.

Discovered your channel by chance, or the good work of the algorithm, I guess. I've only read Lord of Light from Zelazny's Lord of Light, to mixed reviews, but you've persuaded me that The Dream Master is well worth the read! Since you're an enjoyer of puzzle boxes and making theories based on textual evidence, I'll proselytize a bit and say a few words about an severely underrated author: Gene Wolfe. Try reading Book of the New Sun. I've rarely read better prose, filled with symbolism. On top of that, Wolfe gives a master class in unreliable narration, and the book can only be (better) understood by consequent rereads, though surface story is quite enjoyable. I'm not sure you'll enjoy the setting, since it's classified as science fantasy.

I’m definitely giving this book a go. Thank you for that recommendation 😊

Seems really interesting 👀 i will check it out

You drag me in with the thumbnail and keep me pinned here for the Sci-fi and I for one thank you for such a great channel. 👍🏽

I can't believe you haven't read the Amber series. Absolutely profound. I've done the ten-book trip many, many times. Only Gibson's Sprawl series rivals it. If you do read the series, here's a question for you; did Roger actually write the second five books, or was it his son Merlin's AI "Ghostwheel?"

I've never heard of any of these authors and I'm excited to check out their works.

If you're just getting into Zelazny, you have good times ahead of you. He's got a number of books which push sci-fi into fantasy and vice versa, and he's just an incredible pleasure to read. Jack Of Shadows, Lord Of Light, Creatures of Light and Darkness...sci-fi, sort of, with gods and wizards here and there and extraordinary language everywhere

First time seeing one of your videos. Fucking amazing.

Good job moving that paper. =) I've never worried about novels dying as an art form, but events in America over the past decade have made me very concerned for the ability of my countrymen to engage in patient thought and data synthesis and abstraction. Reading, in particular reading 1960's science fiction novels for some reason, has always been a particularly effective means, at least for me, of expanding these particular faculties. I'm looking forward to reading this when my copy arrives as well as your future recommendations as this channel progresses.

Your dedcription kinda made me think back to The Unlimited Dream Company by J.G. Ballard, even though by the premise, it sounds like they're not at all similar. Just that both have dream elements might be the only reason I was thinking of that.

I’m not into science fiction novels but I can’t sleep and you showing books n talking about them makes me sleepy

Thanks for sharing

Thanks for the video! Zelazny was brilliant, I've read (almost) all of his books. It is very unfortunate that the vast majority of his books are (and have been) long out of print. Even though I love the Amber Chronicles - the easiest ones to still find - and have read the series several times, he had so many other awesome books that are now neglected. My favorite is probably "A Night in the Lonesome October" but there are just too many others to mention that I love as well. I hadn't considered the two in the same context before, but I do love Murakami as well; he's probably my most favorite contemporary author. Hard-boiled Wonderland was my first read of his, and I had only picked it up on a whim, knowing nothing about the book or the author at the time.

Wonderful thank you so much

"Creatures of Light and Darkness"; is the he one I have read multiple times. I find it the most entertaining of his books. More imaginative characters than Lord of Light and more readable too.

I had the same reaction to reading This Perfect Day by Ira Levin! Thank you, I've been wanting a good sci-fi paperback to pick up.

Man I love these old science fiction books. I highly recommend a book called Red Beard. I can not remember the author because it's been over 20 years but I still remember that name. That book blew me away

Glad they didn't turn Dream Master into another Boy and his Dog movie. The Saliva Tree looks NSFW enough that I should check it out!

Way off topic, but you look exactly like a friend I had 20 years ago. It's eerie, I'm just gobsmacked. He was a British engineer. Wild.

This inspired me to create … thank you for sharing so much 🤎

i stumble upon roger zelazny by coincidence, the best of luck

Zelazny is a really wild writer... His ideas grow in stature as time goes on. His four short stories published as _My Name is Legion_ has ideas really relevant to modern AI...

Thanks! The prices for physical copies are high indeed. An audiobook is available at a reasonable price, and the narrator seems decent based on the sample!

This sounds terrifying and sad at the same time I gotta check it out some time.

9:39 I stopped you right there...and ordered the audio book. Thanks for the recommend.

Really loved Amber when I read it 20 years ago. Gonna have to check out the dream master