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weaponizedfun's review against another edition
3.0
Interesting concept, but I felt Zelazny's dialog was rather flat.
Update for 2023: I enjoyed this one better having read each chapter (usually) on the actual date, and felt like I got a bit more out of it, so I have bumped up my rating. Next year, I hope to read this one (or listen to it, or both) in Russian.
Update for 2023: I enjoyed this one better having read each chapter (usually) on the actual date, and felt like I got a bit more out of it, so I have bumped up my rating. Next year, I hope to read this one (or listen to it, or both) in Russian.
darthval's review against another edition
3.0
I started out really excited about this one. I loved the premise and couldn't wait to see how it would unfold. But then, I waited. And waited. And waited. And nothing much happened. I enjoyed the narration of Snuff, but there just wasn't much moving the plot forward and the conclusion felt anti-climactic to me.
:(
:(
littletinydoom's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Deeply enjoyable satisfying read. I would recommend it to anyone.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Body horror, and Child abuse
chryse's review against another edition
5.0
The only must read book of October. And 2020, there will be a full moon on Halloween!
flollmanders's review against another edition
4.0
Pen Pal Book Challenge: book with more than three people on the cover
Me: Remind me how long it's taken me to read this book? For the official record?
R: Ten years. I put it on your fake book ten years ago.
Me: But the cover is so bad!!
So, appropriate that this fell under my "covers" themed part of the reading challenge. Three things I hold in skepticism: overly clever devices (esp animal point of view), Victorian spinoffs (esp Sherlock Holmes), and Lovecraft (esp all of it). BUT, hey, after ten years: I liked it! What sorcery is this?
And now off for some catnappery...
Me: Remind me how long it's taken me to read this book? For the official record?
R: Ten years. I put it on your fake book ten years ago.
Me: But the cover is so bad!!
So, appropriate that this fell under my "covers" themed part of the reading challenge. Three things I hold in skepticism: overly clever devices (esp animal point of view), Victorian spinoffs (esp Sherlock Holmes), and Lovecraft (esp all of it). BUT, hey, after ten years: I liked it! What sorcery is this?
And now off for some catnappery...
mreiki's review against another edition
4.0
Reading this one chapter per day was fun, though I will admit I had to get used to that pace.
I loved the narrator and puzzling over the chapters for clues and I think the final twist was perfect.
I loved the narrator and puzzling over the chapters for clues and I think the final twist was perfect.
wyntrchylde's review against another edition
4.0
A Night In The Lonesome October
Author: Roger Zelazny
Publisher: William Morrow and Company Inc, AvoNova Book
Publishing Date: 1993
Pgs: 280
=======================================
REVIEW MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS
Genre:
Fiction
Fantasy
Science Fiction
Horror
Humor
_________________________________________
The Feel:
It becomes more and more grim as you approach Halloween and the ending of the partnerships, as the openers and closers must go to war with one another for the fate of the world.
Favorite Character:
From the jump, Snuff is my favorite. A gruff, smartass intelligent dog, who is the sidekick of a mystical Jack the Ripper. I’m in. Deep into the book, I kept referring to Snuff as Scruff. SMH.
All the familiars of the Openers and Closers are interesting. Graymalk and Snuff are my favorites though.
Hmm Moments:
With Bubo and the Good Doctor's revelation, I wonder if there isn't another faux player in the game?
Calling the Ball:
Would make a damned interesting twist, if the familiars are more important to the opening/closing than the people.
Juxtaposition:
The Ripper and the Count as good guys.
Logic Gaps:
I wonder. I had myself half convinced that the Great Detective, in either of his in game personas, was a bad guy and behind part or all of the murders of the gamesmen and women, but now I'm not so sure.
Questions and Answers:
So, did the Great Detective and Larry Talbot share an affliction?
The Unexpected:
I also come back to the never-trust-a-rat. The other players just left the game. But Bubo is a little too pat. And he's content hanging around when he knows some stuff is about to go down.
Missed Opportunity:
Snuff should have ripped the vicar when he had the chance.
_________________________________________
Pacing:
Well paced.
Last Page Sound:
That's good. Needed some denouement, but good nevertheless. Maybe you should trust a rat after all. After the buildup, the climax felt rushed. Really needed an aftermath, or better yet a sequel so we could see what happened with Jack and Jill and Snuff and Graymalk…and the Great Detective, et al. Great characters.
Questions I’m Left With:
What happened with Larry, the Count and the Makeshift Man.
Author Assessment:
Reminds me A LOT of Neil Gaiman.
Author: Roger Zelazny
Publisher: William Morrow and Company Inc, AvoNova Book
Publishing Date: 1993
Pgs: 280
=======================================
REVIEW MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS
Genre:
Fiction
Fantasy
Science Fiction
Horror
Humor
_________________________________________
The Feel:
It becomes more and more grim as you approach Halloween and the ending of the partnerships, as the openers and closers must go to war with one another for the fate of the world.
Favorite Character:
From the jump, Snuff is my favorite. A gruff, smartass intelligent dog, who is the sidekick of a mystical Jack the Ripper. I’m in. Deep into the book, I kept referring to Snuff as Scruff. SMH.
All the familiars of the Openers and Closers are interesting. Graymalk and Snuff are my favorites though.
Hmm Moments:
With Bubo and the Good Doctor's revelation, I wonder if there isn't another faux player in the game?
Calling the Ball:
Would make a damned interesting twist, if the familiars are more important to the opening/closing than the people.
Juxtaposition:
The Ripper and the Count as good guys.
Logic Gaps:
I wonder. I had myself half convinced that the Great Detective, in either of his in game personas, was a bad guy and behind part or all of the murders of the gamesmen and women, but now I'm not so sure.
Questions and Answers:
So, did the Great Detective and Larry Talbot share an affliction?
The Unexpected:
I also come back to the never-trust-a-rat. The other players just left the game. But Bubo is a little too pat. And he's content hanging around when he knows some stuff is about to go down.
Missed Opportunity:
Snuff should have ripped the vicar when he had the chance.
_________________________________________
Pacing:
Well paced.
Last Page Sound:
That's good. Needed some denouement, but good nevertheless. Maybe you should trust a rat after all. After the buildup, the climax felt rushed. Really needed an aftermath, or better yet a sequel so we could see what happened with Jack and Jill and Snuff and Graymalk…and the Great Detective, et al. Great characters.
Questions I’m Left With:
What happened with Larry, the Count and the Makeshift Man.
Author Assessment:
Reminds me A LOT of Neil Gaiman.
crusherjoe's review against another edition
5.0
I've read this six times. It was written just for me.
eleanorfranzen's review against another edition
I actually tried to read this last year while I was traveling to Basel for a work conference, but it didn’t take. This time around it was easier to focus on, and what a fun, funny, surprisingly heartwarming novel it is. Snuff, our protagonist, is a dog—or rather, something in dog form—whose master, Jack, is pretty clearly the Ripper. Jack is “under a curse” and has to “gather ingredients” (a somewhat sinister phrase) for an upcoming ritual, but he’s not alone in his foraging; others are also playing what’s known as The Game, ranging from a local witch named Jill to characters who are obviously versions of Dracula, Victor Frankenstein, and the Wolf Man. Sherlock Holmes also appears, though referred to only as the Great Detective. A huge pleasure of this novel is in how Zelazny manages the dripfeed of information; you’re thrown into the middle of things, but by the end—and without ever resorting to info-dumping—you know exactly what’s going on, what the nature of Jack’s responsibility is, and the stakes of the ritual, which can only occur three or four times in a century, when the full moon falls on Hallowe’en. I also enjoyed the relationship between Snuff and Jill’s cat familiar, Graymalk. Neither knows which side the other is on for a long time, because it’s considered bad form to share or inquire about such things, but their growing alliance-cum-friendship (and maybe something more?) is a real highlight, and the possibility that they’ll lose each other is a real source of tension. A totally unique book, with scenes that are macabre and hilarious by turns: the mass grave-robbing scene is something Douglas Adams could have been proud of. Source: 99p Kindle deal
fulminataxii's review against another edition
5.0
This last novel by Zelazny is a tale of "the Game" being played in the 19th Century. "The Game" being a contest played between two sides whenever the stars align properly, one attempting to open a door for the Elder Gods of the Cthulhu Mythos to enter our world, the other attempting to keep it closed.
The point of view character is the canine companion of one of the players, and this provides an entertaining narrative construction that lends a somewhat lighthearted viewpoint to a tale that otherwise belongs in the horror genre. A genre I'm normally not a fan of, but this book is an exception.
The point of view character is the canine companion of one of the players, and this provides an entertaining narrative construction that lends a somewhat lighthearted viewpoint to a tale that otherwise belongs in the horror genre. A genre I'm normally not a fan of, but this book is an exception.