Far too often, Zelazny's work is simply tiresome, because of his I'm in love with myself, I'm so charming and witty and educated so you can only hate me attitude. In Doorways in the Sand, however, Zelazny was merciful enough not to show off with his knowledge for no reason at all (like in that dreadful Dream Master, see my review at http://www.epinions.com/content_52571836036), so the book was actually amusing to read.

The Plot

Meet Fred Cassidy, a Student Eternal. By his uncle Albert's will, all Fred's expenses are paid and he's given a considerable allowance for as long as he's a full-time undergraduate student (as soon as he graduates, the rest of the money goes to IRA). Fred has managed to keep that status for thirteen years, by changing his major whenever he came close to graduation. And he plans to keep doing it for as long as he can. He's not a lousy student, on the contrary - his grades have always been good, and he had published some pretty good papers. Fred simply doesn't want to leave his easy life in order to - gasp! - work for living.

He's also suffering (just a manner of speech, he's not in any pain) from a rare disorder called acrophilia (though I believe that arachnophilia might be a better term). In other words, he feels a strong desire to climb buildings, the taller the better. He's not Spider-man - no special powers here, just an urge to climb, preferably at night.

Fred begins to hear a voice (strange enough, even later in the book, when the voice tells him to do odd things, like to get himself through an alien reverse machine which is under heavy security, the thought that perhaps he's going insane doesn't occur to him). At the same time, he gets into a serious trouble. He had borrowed (not an euphemism) a copy of Star Stone (a mysterious alien artifact - no one knows what the thing really is, it's just an object that came to Earth in a cultural exchange, the aliens got British Crown Jewels for it), or so he thought. It appears that he had taken the original, and he's demanded to give it back. The problem is, the stone has disappeared, and Fred doesn't have a clue as to where it might be. The bad guys don't believe him, and throughout the book are trying to torture the information out of him. They're trying to torture the information out of his friends, too. And to break him by torturing his friends in front of him. You get the picture.

The first time Fred was captured, he was rescued by a wombat (an alien in disguise) and a kangaroo (another alien in disguise). Later he meets a talking donkey (you guessed it, an alien in disguise). The voice sometimes speaks in his head. Add an interstellar intrigue and Fred's Uncle Al who's legally, but not quite, dead. And a stone that's… No, I'm not saying anything more. I'd spoil it for you otherwise, since the entire book is about Fred trying to find out what's going on and surviving it. But I can tell you this - it was funny all the time (192 pages). Weird and funny.

The Characters

Fred Cassidy is Zelazny's usual main character - witty, charming, somewhat handsome, well-educated, with an unusual disorder that serves to make him exotic and more interesting. But, to give Zelazny credit, he didn't exaggerate it this time, so while Fred is somewhat in love with himself, he's amusing and likeable enough. I'd probably like him more if I was fifteen instead of twenty-five.

The rest of the characters can be sorted out as the ones who are helpful to Fred, somewhat helpful to Fred, or are hostile towards him. They are interesting enough, though their main function seems to be showing how witty and interesting Fred is. That makes them as developed as a comic book characters, but it doesn't harm the novel, it just makes it funnier to read. Unless you only read serious novels (say, James Joyce) - if that's the case, you certainly won't like this one.

The Complaints

I only have two minor complaints. One is, the book seems naïve. It's not Zelazny's fault, since he wrote it in 1977. Still, if you're a hard sci-fi fan, this is not a book for you.

The other complaint is the narrative. It's interesting, with switching from dreams to reality to the strange voice, but it might get you confused at times.

Recommended…

…to everyone who likes sci-fi or just a funny book. Just don't expect anything too serious from this one.

Thanks for reading!


Recommended: Yes