THIS IMMORTAL -- Roger Zelazny

The Easton Press -- leather bound
Norwalk, CT -- ©1966,2000 -- 220pp
illustrations by Vincent DiFate
introduction by Robert Silverberg

"Conrad," who has a history that goes back further than anyone can trace, is currently the Commissioner of Arts, Monuments, and Archives for a planet Earth that isn't quite what it used to be. He plays bodyguard, as well as host, to a Vegan who has plans for the planet.

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This book seemed new to me again, it had been so long since I last read it.

Zelazny most definitely has a distinctive "style," though I'm hard-pressed to define just what that is. In part, his descriptions are short, and concise. He uses dry wit to get some points across. his characters are always fallible -- even the infallible ones.

Here, "Conrad" has a history that goes back further than anyone can really trace. He has the strength that others can only imagine, and he is very subtle about all of this. He is assigned to guide and protect a Vegan who wants to visit the historical sites of Earth. A friend/acquaintance of Conrad's, Hasan, is assigned to assasinate the Vegan to protect Earth's interests. Conrad also wants to protect Eearth's interests, and believes that the Vegan must be protected to do so.

This sounds rather simplistic, and the truth is, Zelazny weaves a tale full of sub-plots better than most. He also isn't afraid to dump you into a story without giving you and history, letting the reader discover the history by reading what's current. It's masterful!

I highly recommend this book, and nearly all books by Roger Zelazny.