Jack of Shadows is a novel combining elements of both science fiction and fantasy written by Roger Zelazny. According to him, the name of the book (but not the titular character) was a homage to Jack Vance. In his introduction to the novel he mentioned that he tried to capture some of the exotic landscapes so frequent in Vance's work. Zelazny wrote it in first draft, no rewrites. The novel was serialized in F&SF; in 1971 and published in book for...
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Jack of Shadows is a novel combining elements of both science fiction and fantasy written by Roger Zelazny. According to him, the name of the book (but not the titular character) was a homage to Jack Vance. In his introduction to the novel he mentioned that he tried to capture some of the exotic landscapes so frequent in Vance's work. Zelazny wrote it in first draft, no rewrites. The novel was serialized in F&SF; in 1971 and published in book form that same year. It was nominated for a 1972 Hugo Award. The text of the serialization and the published book are slightly different.
The novel is set in a world that is tidally locked. Thus one side of the planet is always in light, and the other in darkness. Science rules on the dayside, while magic holds sway in the night.
Powerful magical entities live on the night side of the planet, and for the most part the entities' magical powers emanate from distinct loci. Jack of Shadows (a.k.a. Shadowjack), the main character, is unique among the...
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