"Ghosts of Wind and Shadow" • Charles de Lint chosen by Tanya Huff

"Mazirian the Magician" • Jack Vance chosen by Robert Silverberg

"Troll Bridge" • Terry Pratchett chosen by Michelle West

"The Tale of Hauk" • Poul Anderson chosen by Mickey Zucker Reichert

"In Our Block" • R.A. Lafferty chosen by Neil Gaiman

"The Gnarly Man" • L. Sprague de Camp chosen by Terry Prachett

"Oh, Whistle, and I'll Come to You, My Lad" • M.R. James chosen by Morgan Llywelyn

"Homeland" • Barbara Kingsolver chosen by Charles de Lint

"Stealing God" • Debra Doyle and James D. Macdonald chosen by Katherine Kurtz

"Shadowlands" • Elisabeth Waters chosen by Marion Zimmer Bradley

"Mopsa the Fairy" • Jean Ingelow chosen by Gene Wolfe

"Liane the Wayfarer" • [Dying Earth] • Jack Vance (aka The Loom of Darkness) chosen by George R.R. Martin

"The Spring" • [John the Balladeer] • Manly Wade Wellman chosen by Andre Norton

"That Hell-Bound Train" • Robert Bloch chosen by Rick Hautala

"The Dancer from the Dance" • M. John Harrison chosen by Stephen R. Donaldson

"More Spinned Against" • John Wyndham chosen by Matt Costello

"The Bagman's Story" • Charles Dickens chosen by Margaret Weis

"Unicorn Variations" • Roger Zelazny (aka Unicorn Variation) chosen by Fred Saberhagen

The title story, "Unicorn Variation", was written as a result of Zelazny having been asked to contribute to two different upcoming anthologies — one collecting stories set in bars, and one collecting stories about unicorns. When Zelazny mentioned these requests to his close friend George R. R. Martin, the other told Zelazny of a third upcoming anthology — one which would collect stories about chess — and jokingly suggested that Zelazny write a story about playing chess against a unicorn in a bar, so that he could sell the story three times. Zelazny did just that and then went on to win a Hugo Award for the story.

After years of unprepossessing folderol--the wearisome Nine Princes in Amber retreads are depressingly typical--Zelazny bursts forth with, well, ``Victorian light supernatural fantasy'' just about covers it. Narrator Snuff, a guard dog who performs complex thaumaturgical calculations in his head, has many duties: to keep various Things firmly trapped in mirrors, wardrobes, and steamer trunks; to accompany his master, Jack--he of the magical blade--on weird collecting expeditions into the graveyards and slums of Victorian London; and--for a single hour each night--discuss the day's goings-on in human speech. Snuff's neighbors include: Jill the witch and her familiar, Graymalk the cat, with whom Snuff forms a friendly alliance; Sherlock Holmes, Dr. Frankenstein, Dracula, a werewolf, and a satanic vicar. The witches, detectives, doctors, vampires, etc., along with their equally industrious familiars, trade information and scheme for advantage as the full moon of Halloween approaches; at that time, a magical showdown to decide the fate of the Earth will occur. Some of the characters are ``openers,'' determined to open a magical doorway allowing the Old Gods to reoccupy the Earth; others are ``closers,'' equally resolved to keep the magical door nailed shut; and a few are involved yet stand outside the Game altogether. Snuff's problem is to discover who is which. Sparkling, witty, delightful: Zelazny's best for ages, perhaps his best ever.

Bramy w piasku to powieść, w której wydarzenia toczą się w oszałamiającym tempie: terroryści, Obcy, pracownicy naukowi obdarzeni niezwykłymi talentami starają się wyjaśnić zagadkę tajemniczego kamienia z pradziejów Kosmosu…

Wie gewinnt man den 1. Preis im Millenium-Wettbewerb der allerübelsten Tat? Der listige Dämon Elbub schickt einen Märchenprinzen auf die Reise zu einer verwunschenen Prinzessin und sorgt für mehr als eine unangenehme Überraschung.

on BelPatris knows that his hometown will have changed in the years he’s been away. But in the hamlet of Baghdad, Michigan, the changes are too great. Even the main street is not the main street he recalls. Where is the red brick school? And the church and the movie theater have disappeared. The existing houses—all totally unfamiliar to Don—are old, too old to have been constructed during his absence. When Cora, his lover, asks if there couldn’t be two towns with the same name, Don denies it. “No. What I remember fits, right to the edge of town. Then… it’s as if something else has been—grafted in.”

Back on his houseboat in the Florida Keys, Cora, disturbed by the incident, begins to connect it to other voids she perceives in Don’s life. The mysterious benefactor whose check is deposited in Don’s bank account every month. The scars of unknown origin along Don’s hairline. And Don himself begins to wonder at the odd fragments and contradictory memories that now leap unbidden into his mind.

Someone, the psychiatrist announces, has done quite a job on Don. His mind shows evidence of tampering—severe brainwashing, previous hypnosis, and the implantation of false memories. Government intervention, perhaps—but such victims usually don’t continue life with such happy prosperity as Don has.

But happy prosperity quickly becomes a part of Don’s past. The psychiatrist is found dead of a heart attack. And just as Don’s true memories are beginning to break through—snatches of remembered employment at Angra Energy, a huge conglomerate, and a dream about a door, marked COILS DEPARTMENT, to a room containing computer equipment—he discovers a Dear John letter from Cora.

However, Don is convinced that the note is forged. Enraged and desperate, he vows to free Cora from the powerful conspiracy which has kidnapped her, and to retrieve his own past. And growing within him is his rediscovery of a strong psychic bond to computers—a mental power over them. Seizing the opportunity this offers, he follows the monetary impulses from the funds deposited in his bank to a stockpile of the most potent data known to humanity.

But though his determination is strong and his psionic power considerable, together they may not be sufficient to extricate Don—and Cora—from the forces that control their lives. 

In the years following World War III, a new and powerful faith has arisen from a scorched and poisoned Earth, a faith that embraces the architect of world wide devastation. The Servants of Wrath have deified Carlton Lufteufel and re-christened him the Deus Irae. In the small community of Charlottesville, Utah, Tibor McMasters, born without arms or legs, has, through an array of prostheses, established a far-reaching reputation as an inspired painter. When the new church commissions a grand mural depicting the Deus Irae, it falls upon Tibor to make a treacherous journey to find the man, to find the god, and capture his terrible visage for posterity.

Premiul Hugo 1968.

Seeking vengeance against his usurping brother, Eric, Corwin, the rightful heir to the throne, ventures into the dark world of Shadow in order to gather ammunition, and is distracted by a beautiful and mysterious woman.

Siddharta, Dwinger der Demonen bindt als Bodhisattva de strijd aan tegen de post-aardse tirannie.

Vincitore dei premi Hugo e Nebula per il miglior romanzo breve (Novella) in 1976.

Anche pubblicato come “Il vendicatore”, “Il canto del delfino”, “Il mio nome è Legione”.

Anche pubblicato como “Io, l’immortale”.

“Io, Nomikos, l’immortale” è la secca risposta che Conrad Nomikos dà a chiunque voglia indagare sull’enigma del suo passato oscuro e misterioso. Tuttavia l’unica cosa che si sa con certezza sul suo conto è forse proprio questa: che il suo vero nome non è Conrad. Chi egli sia in realtà è una domanda cui è impossibile rispondere. Secondo alcuni egli ha avuto un tempo un nome diverso, quello del liberatore della Terra, l’uomo che ha combattuto contro l’impero stellare di Vega conquistando l’indipendenza del nostro mondo; secondo altri egli è invece Karaghiosis l’assassino; l’ipotesi più ardita è che si tratti di un essere vecchio quanto la storia della Terra, forse addirittura del mitico e temibile dio Pan! Per il momento Conrad deve fare da guida a un inviato del pianeta Vega, Cort Myshtigo, e condurlo a visitare le bellezze della Grecia antica e dell’antico Egitto rimaste ancora intatte dopo la breve guerra atomica che ha popolato di crateri radioattivi e di mostri mutanti il nostro pianeta.

Ma i fini dell’ambasciatore vegano in realtà sono ben diversi da quelli dichiarati: da questa visita dipende il futuro stesso dei Terrestri e la posizione che la Terra avrà tra i pianeti della Galassia, e il ruolo di Conrad Nomikos sarà molto più importante di quello di semplice accompagnatore.

Vincitore del premio Hugo per il miglior romanzo in 1966.

Wyludnioną planetę zamieszkują resztki prawdziwej ludzkości oraz zbieranina groteskowych i niebezpiecznych półludzi, centaurów i innych mutantów. Największe zakusy na opustoszałą planetę mają władcy wszechświata — Veganie.

Książka zapewnia wyjątkowo silną dawkę emocji każdemu miłośnikowi literatury fantasy i science fiction…

Où se trouve la Pierre des Étoiles ? Cet étrange objet a été offert par des extra-terrestres en échange des joyaux de la couronne d'Angleterre. Or il a disparu et tout le monde est convaincu que Fred, un vieil étudiant qui a des talents d'équilibriste, sait où il est.

Alors commence pour le jeune homme une étonnante histoire car humains et extra-terrestres rivalisent d'ingéniosité pour tenter d'arracher de son subconscient les renseignements désirés.

Une merveilleux conte fantastique dont l'action se déroule selon la logique de Lewis Carroll, avec des personnages délicieusement farfelus et des animaux qui parlent. On philosophe constamment dans cette histoire, mais avec infiniment de sérieux dans la loufoquerie, et beaucoup de bon sens dans le délire.

Vincitore del premio Hugo per il miglior racconto (Novelette) in 1982.

Francis Sandow est le doyen de la race humaine bien que son corps soit celui d’un jeune homme. Sa fortune est l’une des plus colossales de l’univers connu, mais surtout il est l’un des vingt-six Noms vivants. C’est-à-dire qu’en lui-même réside, en plus de sa personnalité humaine, celle du dieu Shimbo de l’Arbre Noir.

Jadis il a façonné, par sa seule puissance psychique, l’Ile des morts sur une des planètes de son domaine. Aujourd’hui, un inconnu a rappelé à la vie plusieurs amis ou ennemis de Sandow, disparus depuis des siècles. Celui-ci est obligé de quitter son monde de luxe et d’oisiveté pour affronter l’ennemi qui cherche sa perte.

Mais ce dernier a usurpé le Nom d’une autre divinité et deux forces cosmiques colossales vont se heurter sur l’île des morts.

Earth is long since dead. On a colony planet, a band of men has gained control of technology, made themselves immortal, and now rule their world as the gods of the Hindu pantheon. Only one dares oppose them: he who was once Siddhartha and is now Mahasamatman. Binder of Demons, Lord of Light.

Nemuritorul este primul roman SF al lui Roger Zelazny, apărut în foileton în revista The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction. A câştigat premiul Hugo la categoria roman, la egalitate cu Dune de Frank Herbert. A obţinut premiul Seiun pentru carte străină, iar în 2009 a fost recompensat cu premiul Geffen la aceeaşi categorie.

„Stilul lui Zelazny este rapid şi spiritual, cu personaje bine dezvoltate şi enigmatice. […] Natura lui descriptivă este concisă:  Zelazny poate descrie într-o singură frază ceea ce Stephen King face în două sau trei pagini.”

Science Fiction Review

„Mulţi dintre eroii lui Zelazny sunt supraoameni, sau chiar zei ori semizei, iar Conrad Nomikos nu face excepţie de la regulă. El este un prototip pentru eroii ulteriori ai lui Zelazny.”

Locus

„Modul cel mai bun de a înţelege romanul este de a citi în prealabil Prometeu descătuşat de Percy Shelley, la care se face frecvent referire. Precum Prometeul lui Shelley, Conrad Nimikos este salvatorul potenţial al omenirii. Precum Prometeu, el suferă şi aproape că se autodistruge, încercând să-şi salveze poporul. În loc să fure focul de la zei, Conrad porneşte să fure Pământul înapoi de la vegani.”

 Fantasy & Science Fiction Magazine

Awakening in an Earth hospital unable to remember who he is or where he came from, Corwin is amazed to learn that he is one of the sons of Oberon, King of Amber, and is the rightful successor to the crown in a parallel world.

Accepting the responsibilities as ruler to the world of Amber, Corwin finds himself the target of sibling treachery, and must seek guidance in a land of visions, where a sinister prediction foretells his doom.

Corwin finds his world dissolving around him when his father Oberon, disguised as Corwin’s friend, steals the Jewel of Judgment so that he may defeat the evil Brand, in a conclusion to the first Amber series.

The Complete Amber Chronicles, 1-10

Returning to Shadow Earth to investigate a threat against his life, Corwin discovers that the Jewel of Judgment has been stolen by his traitorous brother, Brand, who plans to use the enigmatic gem to reshape the universe.

Here is the first new adventure in the classic Amber series in over five years — the first book in a brand-new trilogy from multi-award-winning author Roger Zelazny. Amber, the one real world, of which all others — including our own Earth — are but Shadows…

 Merle Corey is a brilliant young computer designer in San Francisco. But he is also Merlin, son of Corwin, vanished prince of Amber — heir to his father’s wondrous powers — and someone is determined to kill him. Now he will begin a desperate race through Shadow to escape the mysterious force that threatens his life… and to protect the deadly secret that could destroy both his worlds.