Doorways in the Sand (original 1975; edition 1987)

Doorways in the Sand serves as a fine showcase for Zelazny's considerable writing talent; each chapter begins with the hero in jeopardy, then loops back to explain how he got that way.

In a less-capable writer's hands such a device would feel gimmicky, but Zelazy handles it beautifully.

As a result, most of the people who read Doorways in the Sand find it be a hell of a lot of fun. I know I did.

This was the first Zelazny book I ever read, and what an introduction.

The characters are bizarre and wholly interesting, and the plot is suitably absurd (a frozen Uncle's estate is paying for Fred Cassiday's college education for as long as he doesn't graduate, so he makes a point of never graduating).

The overall effect is one of a smartass having a lot of fun, yet it's not so bizarre as to become cartoonish.

Even the aliens are interesting (and surprising), and while this doesn't qualify as a "deep think" novel which will alter your perception of reality, it is a great, fun read by one of the genre's better writers. ( )

One of my favorites by my favorite author, and another great recommendation for those who are tired of all scifi/fantasy books being parts of series. ( )

'Our Snark is a Boojum!'

That's right, Lewis Carroll references galore in this one - something that immediately earns my favor - our hero goes through the looking-glass in this off-beat tale of galactic robbery.

Fred Cassidy is an undergraduate (and has been for thirteen years, despite the best efforts of guidance counselors to trick him into graduating!) and his main hobby is climbing up the sides of buildings. To be sure, he is a fellow with an interesting philosophy, but he doesn't seem to be the sort to get involved in an a robbery. Well, he finds himself right in the middle of a big one.

In the world of Doorways in the Sand humanity has established contact with extra-terrestrial civilizations, but is still new and inexperienced at dealing with alien politics. As part of a cultural exchange program, Earth parted with the Mona Lisa and the crown jewels and was loaned a special star-stone. When the stone goes missing, everyone is suddenly after Fred, for reasons he can't fathom. He has to deal with everything from hoodlums and thugs, to undercover galactic police disguised as a wombat and a kangaroo. Throw in a telepathic donkey, a weird voice in Fred's head, and an alien machine that reverses things, and you have one strange, but very entertaining adventure!

Doorways is unique, enjoyable and exciting. Lewis Carroll fans will appreciate the numerous allusions to Alice's Adventures and Through the Looking-Glass. I don't know if other people would find the talking animals silly, but I loved it! I thought the book was loads of fun - backwards chapters and all! 5 stars! ( )

I think this must be one of Zelazny's early books - it has his style and his great characterization, but the story needs some work. I felt that it was disjointed - too many random characters. All the pieces are there to make it a well written book, but its all mixed up. ( )

While it's a bit derivative of his own ideas from the Amber stories, it's still a fun and humorous story. The plot device of starting each event in the middle, retracing how the hero ended up there, and then resolving it, worked well. ( )