Sometimes if I find a book that’s not already listed in the Epinions database, like this one, I have to make the choice whether I want to have it added or not. For a long time I always did, no matter what, and I reviewed the book, no matter what. But I’ve run into a few books lately that, well, just aren’t that good and, since they’re not in the database already, I quietly put them away when I’m finished and move on to the next book.

I had a stretch of several days after I started reading Roger Zelzany’s 1966 novel THIS IMMORTAL when I wasn’t too sure I was going to bother requesting its addition. The plot didn’t seem anything too exciting or interesting. The writing seemed a little too lighthearted, as if Zelazny simply wasn’t taking the job too seriously. But about halfway through, something happened. I realized the tone wasn’t the author’s lazy attitude toward a serious story, that’s his style, and the plot, finally began to take on some meaning.

Some time after a nuclear war, the Earth is left a mess. The population is down to 4 million, and not all of those are in the best shape. One man, Conrad, a man with a very long history and a less than pleasant past, is hired as a tour guide for a visiting Vegan, a member of an alien race, who is writing a book on our planet. Conrad, Myshtigo (the Vegan), and their party set out on a tour of Egypt, when the adventure begins.

Conrad knows someone in the party has been hired by a governmental faction to kill Myshtigo, but with Conrad’s background, he’s pretty confident he can stop the attempt. Only, what he would rather do is get the assassin and his employers to change their mind altogether, to see what Myshtigo’s real motives are before making any decisions. If the alien has a hidden agenda, something detrimental to earth (the Vegans are, after all, interested in Earth merely from a real estate point of view), then Conrad will kill him himself. But if Myshtigo is honest and only wants to do research for something meant to highlight Earth’s finer attributes, then he is to be left alone.

The group faces dangers along the way from spiderbats and boadiles. An earthquake nearby sets off a chain reaction that destroys the island where Conrad had been living, taking his girlfriend Cassandra with it, which sends him into a frenzy, endangering the entire touring party. And the inevitable attempt on Myshtigo’s life leads to the entire party being captured by cannibals under the protection of a vampire.

In the end, the novel eventually became what I’d been hoping it would be all along, one wild twist after another, resulting in a short sharp read, something exciting and energetic, something unpredictable and fun to read. It took a while to get going, but it did reach its moment, finally.

But the plot isn’t what kept me going. As much as it bugged me at first, once the rhythms and style began to emerge and I actually took note, the writing is what kept me going. Conrad takes the party by the Great Pyramids to find they are being dismantled, by Conrad’s order:

“What’s going on down there?”

“We’re recording it on viewtape.”

“To what end?”

“When we’re finished we’re going to edit it down to viewable length, and run it backwards. ‘The Building of the Great Pyramid,’ we’re going to call it. Should be good for some laughs--also money. Your historians have been conjecturing as to exactly how we put it together ever since the day they heard about it.”

Then,

“You are tougher than I thought, Nomikos,” he observed. “But you are not indispensable.”

“Try having a civil servant fired--especially me.”

“It might be easier than you think.”

“We’ll see.”

“We may.”

We turned again toward the great 90 percent pyramid of Cheops/Khufu. Myshtigo began taking notes once more.

“I’d rather you viewed it from here, for now,” I said. “Our presence would waste valuable footage. We’re anachronisms. We can go down during coffee break.”

“I agree,” said Myshtigo, “and I am certain I know an anachronism when I see one. But I have seen all that I care to here. Let us go back to the inn. I wish to talk with the locals.”

After a moment, “I’ll see Sakkara ahead of schedule, then,” he mused. “You haven’t begun dismantling all the monuments of Luxor, Karnak, and the Valley of Kings yet, have you?”

“Not yet, no.”

“Good. Then we’ll visit them ahead of time.”

“Then let’s not stand here,” said Ellen. “This heat is beastly.

So we returned.

“Do you really mean everything you say?” asked Diane as we walked back.

“In my fashion.”

“How do you think such things?”

“In Greek, of course. And then I translate them into English. I’m real good at it.”

The humor in Zelazny’s prose never becomes too much to bear, nor so ridiculous it ruins the story. It never feels as if Zelazny is making fun of this world, rather it comes across as Conrad simply having been around so long, the seriousness of everything is no longer as big a concern as it may have once been. Conrad is very jaded, very blasé about everything in general. He’ll follow the rules, such as they are, but he’s not afraid to let you know how ridiculous and meaningless he may think those rules are.

As a character and a narrator, Conrad Nomikos is definitely an original, and someone I had a great time getting to know.

The politics of the world never really clicked with me, but I was very interested in seeing the sights of a post-nuclear Egypt and what affect that’s had on the wildlife. One thing is for certain; Zelazny has created an original world, something not seen before or since, yet something fully realized within the parameters of this world. I had my doubts at first, was on the verge of finishing it, shelving it, and moving on, but Roger Zelazny won me over with his skill and imagination, and now I can happily recommend THIS IMMORTAL as a fun read, a good story, and an intriguing idea with an awesome narrator and main character. Might not be the easiest thing to find, but definitely worth the time if you happen across it.

Recommended: Yes