This Immortal by Roger Zelazny Book Review

 This Immortal 

By Roger Zelazny 

Winner of Hugo Award 1966

Published Year: 1965 October 

Page Count: 175 pages 

Medium Used: Kindle Scribe 

Genre : Science Fiction, Fantasy, Vampires, Aliens, 2025-read. 

Rating : 5/5 🤗🤗🤗🤗🤗

Loved reading this. I picked this book with my eyes closed because the author is Roger Zelazny. I had read his Chronicles of Amber in the past and was truly inspired, thrilled and amazed. As expected, he didn't disappoint me. The world building and character development are unique. Though it has many Fantasy elements like vampires and other creatures, they are logically explained and couldn't be brushed aside as mere Fiction. This plot reminded me of a telugu movie (Indian Bollywood) Missamma (2003)which starred Bhumika Chawla and Shivaji. It is so near to that I felt removal of a surprise element. Still, this narration is infinitely superior and so giving it a solid 5 pointer! There were a few references to ancient Greece and Greek Mythology that went over my head but I felt they didn't interfere or dampen my understanding of the story. 

The story is set in a world where Earth was ruined by  nuclear war and humans who survived are migrating to other planets. There are hot spots all over which are places where mutant and defoemed children are born or disposed of, by their parents. I think the side effects of exposure to nuclear dust is the main reason for their deformities. The protagonist is one such handicapped child who was initially abandoned but later reclaimed by his parents. He has right leg shorter and both eyes don't match in color. He has been alive for ages and ages .. his aging process brought to a halt by a fungus attack. This would is infested with kids who are brought up on blood of animals (like vampires) and flesh (cannibalism). A vegan, an alien from the planet to where most humans are migrating to,makes a surprise visit to Earth. He tells his goal is to visit different sites on Earth and write a book about it. He specifically asks for the man character, Conrod, to be his guide and agent. The Earth folks don't know what to make of this strange assignment by the alien, Cort, and they become suspicious. They plan to assassinate Cort by one of his body guards, Hasan. Conrod fights off the attacks and resigns to protect Cort at all costs. The face off between Hasan and Conrod is broken when they face an insidious enemy. They get out of the difficulty with some special help and Cort goes back to his planet, bringing his wandering mission to a sudden, inexplicable halt. What was his mission? Why did he want Conrod specifically? 

Intriguing read. 🍻 🥂