Lord Demon
(completion of an unfinished novel by Roger Zelazny)
AvoNova, August 1999
(Lord Demon was also sold to French, Russian, Hebrew, and Polish markets.)
Roger Zelazny always loved sword and sorcery, both as a reader, and a writer. Lord Demon was his last venture into this popular sub-genre. However, as always, he gives it a unique twist. Here the hero is the demon Kai Wren, also known as Lord Demon and Godslayer. Zelazny’s Kai Wren was inspired by, but not derived from, Chinese myth and legend.
Various circumstances conspire to bring Kai Wren from his retired contemplation back into action — and in investigating the death of his human servant, he comes to suspect that a enemies he had thought defeated were merely biding their time. Uncertain who he can trust, he builds a fragile alliance between demons and humans, including a master of kites and a young woman who is a feng shui wizard.
Roger never made outlines, but I was living with him through all the time he was working on Lord Demon and we discussed the developing novel quite often. I recall hearing him laughing at his own jokes as he wrote, and when I completed the book I sought to maintain the humor, as well as the spirit of adventure and drama, since all had been important to his conception of the work.
