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{{Short description|1971 science fantasy novel by Roger Zelazny}}
{{infobox Book | <!-- See ] or ] -->
{{Infobox book|
| name = Jack of Shadows | name = Jack of Shadows
| title_orig = | title_orig =
| translator = | translator =
| image = ] | image = JackOfShadows(1stEd).jpg
| image_caption = Cover of first edition (hardcover) | caption = Cover of first edition (hardcover)
| author = ] | author = ]
| illustrator = | illustrator =
| cover_artist = | cover_artist = Judith Loeser
| country = ] | country = United States
| language = ] | language = English
| series = | series =
| genre = ], ], ] | genre = ]
| publisher = ] | publisher = ]
| release_date = 1971 | release_date = 1971
| english_release_date = | english_release_date =
| media_type = Print (] & ]) | media_type = Print (] and ])
| pages = 207 pp | pages = 207
| isbn = ISBN 0-802-75535-6 | isbn = 0-8027-5535-6
| dewey= 813/.5/4
⚫ | preceded_by =
| congress= PZ4.Z456 Jac PS3576.E43
⚫ | followed_by =
| oclc= 160574
⚫ }}
⚫ | preceded_by =
⚫ '''''Jack of Shadows''''' is a ] combining elements of both ] and ] written by ]. It was serialized in ] in 1971 and published in book form that same year. It was nominated for a 1972 ].
⚫ | followed_by =
⚫ }}
⚫ '''''Jack of Shadows''''' is a ] ] by American author ]. It was serialized in ''The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction'' in 1971 and published in book form that same year.


==Plot introduction== ==Plot==
The novel is set in a world whose rotational period is equal to its revolutionary period. Thus one side of the ] is always in light, and the other in darkness. ] rules on the dayside, while ] holds sway in the night. The novel is set in a world that is ]. Thus one side of the ] is always in light, and the other in darkness. ] rules on the dayside, while ] 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 magical beings in that he draws his power not from a physical location but from ] itself. He is nearly incapacitated in complete light or complete darkness, but given access to even a small area of shadow, his potency is unmatched. 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 (also known as Shadowjack), the main character, is unique among the magical beings in that he draws his power not from a physical location but from ] itself. He is nearly incapacitated in complete light or complete darkness, but given access to even a small area of shadow, his potency is unmatched.


⚫ Jack's only friend, the creature Morningstar, is punished by being trapped in stone at the edge of the night, to be released when dawn comes. His torso and head protrude from the rock, and he awaits the sun that will never rise.
'']'' includes a story, "Shadowjack", that features Jack of Shadows but is not connected with events of the novel. It is illustrated by ].


⚫ Jack seeks "The Key That Was Lost", Kolwynia. The Key itself and the consequences of its use parallel Jack's progress in his own endeavors. Ultimately, the Key will be responsible for Jack's salvation and his doom.
==Plot summary==
{{spoiler}}
Jack's abilities are the physical manifestations of his situation in the world. He is basically a good, albeit flawed character, who is continually thrust into bad situations resulting in decisions, on his part, that cause him to appear evil. For instance, Jack eventually returns to the Sign of the Burning Pestle to take the barmaid Rosie away to his dominion, Shadow Guard. But it has been many years since he made this promise to her, and Rosie is now an old woman. Rosie believes Jack to be a liar, but the truth is that Jack does not age, did not realize the passage of time, and was waylaid by events beyond his control. Such is the life of Jack -- he lives in the gray area (the shadows) where externalities force him to make decisions he does not like.


⚫ Fleeing the dark side, Jack gets access to a computer and uses it to recover Kolwynia. This makes him unbeatable, but not all-powerful. Having made a mess of ruling with his new powers, he seeks the advice of Morningstar, who advises him to destroy The Machine at the Heart of the World, which maintains the world's stability, and set it rotating.
⚫ Jack's only friend, the creature Morningstar, is punished by being trapped in stone at the edge of the night; his torso and head protrude from the rock, and he awaits the sun that will never rise. But as the unthinkable sunrise eventually does happen, it appears that Morningstar will be Jack's salvation.


==Inspiration==
⚫ Jack also seeks the Key That Was Lost, Kolwynia. The Key itself and the consequences of its use parallel Jack's progress in his own endeavors. Ultimately, the Key will be responsible for Jack's salvation and his doom.
Zelazny intended the name, but not the titular character, as an homage to ]. In his introduction to the novel he mentioned that he tried to capture some of the exotic landscapes that are frequent in Vance's work. Zelazny wrote it in first draft, with no rewrites.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://zelazny.corrupt.net/amberever.html |title=Roger Zelazny: Forever Amber |website=zelazny.corrupt.net |access-date=12 January 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080216071849/http://zelazny.corrupt.net/amberever.html |archive-date=16 February 2008 |url-status=dead}}</ref> The novel was serialized in the '' ]'' in 1971 and published in book form that same year. It was nominated for a 1972 ]<ref name="WWE-1972">{{cite web
| url = http://www.worldswithoutend.com/books_year_index.asp?year=1972
| title = 1972 Award Winners & Nominees
| work = Worlds Without End
| accessdate=2009-09-27
}}</ref>


==Variant text==
⚫ Fleeing the dark side, Jack gets access to a computer and uses it to solve Kolwynia. This makes him unbeatable, but not all-powerful. Having made a mess of ruling with his new powers, he seeks the advice of Morningstar - Lucifer? - who advises him to destroy the world's stability and set it rotating. This will produce the world as it is now, we must assume.
The serialized version and the later book are slightly different. A copy-editing error garbled a conversation between Jack and Morningstar in chapter 6; the correct version appeared in the original magazine appearance and has been reprinted on pages 511–512 of ''The Collected Stories of Roger Zelazny, Volume 3: This Mortal Mountain'', NESFA Press, 2009.<ref name="Roger Zelazny 2009">"...And Call Me Roger": The Literary Life of Roger Zelazny, Part 3, by Christopher S. Kovacs. In: ''The Collected Stories of Roger Zelazny, Volume 3: This Mortal Mountain'', NESFA Press, 2009.</ref>


==Reception==
The novel ends with Jack falling to his death, but Morningstar has been freed by the Earth's turning and is trying to rescue him. We don't get a final resolution of the fate of this ambiguous hero.
] received the novel unfavorably, noting that while the opening half was "minor Zelazny, quite enjoyable", the conclusion was "rather grim and ugly… dull". He concluded that, with the essentials of the hero's biography left unrevealed, "the whole thing seems rather pointless".<ref>"The Reading Room", ], February 1972, p.158–59.</ref>


Reader response was largely favorable, as evidenced by the fact that the novel was nominated for two major ] awards (the Hugo Award and the Locus Award). The novel finished #4 in the 1972 Locus Poll for Best Novel.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.locusmag.com/SFAwards/Db/Locus1972.html |title=The Locus Index to SF Awards: 1972 Locus Awards |website=www.locusmag.com |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20000829035424/http://locusmag.com/SFAwards/Db/Locus1972.html |archive-date=2000-08-29}} </ref>
⚫ ==Allusions/references from other works==
], ], ]]]
⚫ A song, '''''Jack of Shadows''''', based on the novel and written by ], ], ] and ], appears on the ] ] album ].


==Related fiction==
⚫ In ]’s novel, ''The Long Run'', the protagonist Trent Castanaveras is rescued from a low Lunar orbit by a stealth spacecraft from the Spacefarers Collective called the '''''Jack of Shadows'''''.
Zelazny was pressured by fans to write a sequel but he declined, saying “I didn’t really intend to continue that one. I liked ending it with that sort of ambiguous ending.”<ref name="Roger Zelazny 2009"/> Instead, he wrote several prequels.


'']'' includes a ] short story, "Shadowjack", illustrated by ]. Zelazny's collection '']'' (1981, Underwood-Miller) reprints the tale "Shadowjack" but without the illustrations. This was in the Underwood-Miller edition of the collection, but not the Pocket Books version. It also appears in ''Last Exit to Babylon: Volume 4: The Collected Stories of Roger Zelazny'', NESFA Press, 2009.
⚫ ==External links==


''Wizards'', edited by Bill Fawcett in 1983, contains the character biography entitled "Shadowjack", written by Roger Zelazny and including details aspects of the character's history that were not in the novel or in the short story of the same name.<ref name="Roger Zelazny 2009"/> It has also been reprinted in ''Last Exit to Babylon''.
⚫ * A (following on an ) correcting an error in the dialog between Jack and Morningstar in chapter 6, based on the original version of the passage that appeared in ].

"Shadowland" was another prequel, written by Zelazny as the outline for an unproduced animated movie.<ref name="Roger Zelazny 2009"/> It takes place prior to events of the novel and the short story, and describes how the strange half magic/half science world of Jack of Shadows came into existence. It was later developed and in production as a graphic novel before Zelazny died but the project was abandoned.<ref name="Roger Zelazny 2009"/> The story first appears in ''The Road to Amber: Volume 6: The Collected Stories of Roger Zelazny'', NESFA Press, 2009.

⚫ ==Allusions and references in other works==
⚫ A song, "Jack of Shadows", based on the novel and written by then-current ] members ], ], ] and ], appears on the 1979 album '']''.

⚫ In ]’s novel ''The Long Run'', the protagonist Trent Castanaveras is rescued from a low Lunar orbit by a stealth spacecraft from the Spacefarers Collective called ''Jack of Shadows''.

==Award nominations==
*Hugo Award nominee, 1972<ref name="WWE-1972"/>
*Locus Award nominee, 1972<ref name="WWE-1972"/>

==Notes==
{{Reflist}}

==References==
*{{cite book | last=Levack | first=Daniel J. H. | title=Amber Dreams: A Roger Zelazny Bibliography | location=San Francisco | publisher=Underwood/Miller | pages=46–48 | year=1983 | isbn=0-934438-39-0}}
* Fredericks, S. C. (1979). ; ''The Journal of American Culture'' 2 (2), 271–278. {{doi|10.1111/j.1542-734X.1979.0202_271.x}}

⚫ ==External links==
* {{isfdb title|id=1693}}
⚫ * A (following on an ) discussing changes in the book version in the dialog between Jack and Morningstar in chapter 6, based on the original version of the passage that appeared in ].


] ]
]
] ]
]
]
]

Latest revision as of 08:55, 5 April 2024

1971 science fantasy novel by Roger Zelazny
Jack of Shadows
Cover of first edition (hardcover)
AuthorRoger Zelazny
Cover artistJudith Loeser
LanguageEnglish
GenreScience fantasy
PublisherWalker and Company
Publication date1971
Publication placeUnited States
Media typePrint (Hardcover and Paperback)
Pages207
ISBN0-8027-5535-6
OCLC160574
Dewey Decimal813/.5/4
LC ClassPZ4.Z456 Jac PS3576.E43

Jack of Shadows is a science fantasy novel by American author Roger Zelazny. It was serialized in The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction in 1971 and published in book form that same year.

Plot

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 (also known as Shadowjack), the main character, is unique among the magical beings in that he draws his power not from a physical location but from shadow itself. He is nearly incapacitated in complete light or complete darkness, but given access to even a small area of shadow, his potency is unmatched.

Jack's only friend, the creature Morningstar, is punished by being trapped in stone at the edge of the night, to be released when dawn comes. His torso and head protrude from the rock, and he awaits the sun that will never rise.

Jack seeks "The Key That Was Lost", Kolwynia. The Key itself and the consequences of its use parallel Jack's progress in his own endeavors. Ultimately, the Key will be responsible for Jack's salvation and his doom.

Fleeing the dark side, Jack gets access to a computer and uses it to recover Kolwynia. This makes him unbeatable, but not all-powerful. Having made a mess of ruling with his new powers, he seeks the advice of Morningstar, who advises him to destroy The Machine at the Heart of the World, which maintains the world's stability, and set it rotating.

Inspiration

Zelazny intended the name, but not the titular character, as an homage to Jack Vance. In his introduction to the novel he mentioned that he tried to capture some of the exotic landscapes that are frequent in Vance's work. Zelazny wrote it in first draft, with no rewrites. The novel was serialized in the Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction in 1971 and published in book form that same year. It was nominated for a 1972 Hugo Award

Variant text

The serialized version and the later book are slightly different. A copy-editing error garbled a conversation between Jack and Morningstar in chapter 6; the correct version appeared in the original magazine appearance and has been reprinted on pages 511–512 of The Collected Stories of Roger Zelazny, Volume 3: This Mortal Mountain, NESFA Press, 2009.

Reception

Lester del Rey received the novel unfavorably, noting that while the opening half was "minor Zelazny, quite enjoyable", the conclusion was "rather grim and ugly… dull". He concluded that, with the essentials of the hero's biography left unrevealed, "the whole thing seems rather pointless".

Reader response was largely favorable, as evidenced by the fact that the novel was nominated for two major speculative fiction awards (the Hugo Award and the Locus Award). The novel finished #4 in the 1972 Locus Poll for Best Novel.

Related fiction

Zelazny was pressured by fans to write a sequel but he declined, saying “I didn’t really intend to continue that one. I liked ending it with that sort of ambiguous ending.” Instead, he wrote several prequels.

The Illustrated Roger Zelazny includes a prequel short story, "Shadowjack", illustrated by Gray Morrow. Zelazny's collection The Last Defender of Camelot (1981, Underwood-Miller) reprints the tale "Shadowjack" but without the illustrations. This was in the Underwood-Miller edition of the collection, but not the Pocket Books version. It also appears in Last Exit to Babylon: Volume 4: The Collected Stories of Roger Zelazny, NESFA Press, 2009.

Wizards, edited by Bill Fawcett in 1983, contains the character biography entitled "Shadowjack", written by Roger Zelazny and including details aspects of the character's history that were not in the novel or in the short story of the same name. It has also been reprinted in Last Exit to Babylon.

"Shadowland" was another prequel, written by Zelazny as the outline for an unproduced animated movie. It takes place prior to events of the novel and the short story, and describes how the strange half magic/half science world of Jack of Shadows came into existence. It was later developed and in production as a graphic novel before Zelazny died but the project was abandoned. The story first appears in The Road to Amber: Volume 6: The Collected Stories of Roger Zelazny, NESFA Press, 2009.

Allusions and references in other works

A song, "Jack of Shadows", based on the novel and written by then-current Hawkwind members Dave Brock, Robert Calvert, Simon King and Simon House, appears on the 1979 album PXR5.

In Daniel Keys Moran’s novel The Long Run, the protagonist Trent Castanaveras is rescued from a low Lunar orbit by a stealth spacecraft from the Spacefarers Collective called Jack of Shadows.

Award nominations

  • Hugo Award nominee, 1972
  • Locus Award nominee, 1972

Notes

  1. "Roger Zelazny: Forever Amber". zelazny.corrupt.net. Archived from the original on 16 February 2008. Retrieved 12 January 2022.
  2. ^ "1972 Award Winners & Nominees". Worlds Without End. Retrieved 2009-09-27.
  3. ^ "...And Call Me Roger": The Literary Life of Roger Zelazny, Part 3, by Christopher S. Kovacs. In: The Collected Stories of Roger Zelazny, Volume 3: This Mortal Mountain, NESFA Press, 2009.
  4. "The Reading Room", If, February 1972, p.158–59.
  5. "The Locus Index to SF Awards: 1972 Locus Awards". www.locusmag.com. Archived from the original on 2000-08-29.

References

External links

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