This review covers the 10th printing of the 1966 book named This Immortal, although a slightly altered version of this story by Roger Zelazny first appeared in The Magazine of Fantasy under the name “. . . . And Call Me Conrad” in 1965.
By and large, I would classify this novel as science-fiction/fantasy. The majority of it deals with a thematic tug-of-war between retooled elements and characters from Greek mythology and a semi-dystopic tale of the future Earth decimated by nuclear wars. The protagonist is, by some combination of mutation and the churlish reckoning of the gods, possessed of a peculiar appearance (he looks nothing like the guy on yon book cover) and physical traits which have allowed them to live many times longer than anyone he has known.
Whether you choose to think of it as a strength or a fault, the author worked virtually every genre into this story. The very beginning of the story is divided between romance and historical/mythical maunderings by the protagonist. The next part introduces all the main characters and sets up the basis for the plot, but resembles a political thriller more than anything else. As the twists and turns of the story continue on from there, it becomes a tale of short bursts of adventure on a long journey with only a vague undertone of political intrigue that becomes a bit of a MacGuffin later on. The story is comical at times and bittersweet at others, with the thoroughly exciting lead up to the ending.
Zelazny’s one annoying characteristic as an author is that he habitually changes between proper names and nicknames for the same character within the same paragraph, or even within the same sentence.. How I’m still somewhat befuddled as to whether the nickname Red Wig was supposed to be the character of Ellen or Diane, although that’s probably because I read the story in short bursts over the course of a couple of months.
My favorite parts of the story was the scene in which the protagonist’s hell hound, with eyes like glowing coals and teeth like buzz saws, manages to behaviorally walk the line between being a terrifyingly unearthly beast and a silly, friendly puppy, and the bizarre (yet scientifically plausible) explanation for one man’s creation of a would-be vampire called the Dead Man.
I definitely recommend this book for a good summer read. My dad, a sci-fi nut from way back, recommended the book to me with the phrase “it’s one of the finest pieces of literature ever written.” I don’t know if I would go that far, but it’s certainly worth reading. Entertaining, thoughtful, and fully capable of keeping interest with the use of unexpected segues.