"The Night Has 999 Eyes" by Roger Zelazny

First Printing:  Double:  Bill, 1964

On the list of Roger Zelazny stories, this ranks near the bottom. The language is as excellent as a reader has come to expect from this author. Unfortunately the story itself reads like a fragment of another story that he started but didn't finish.  Since this appeared in a fanzine instead of a prozine, I guess the editors did not care for this story fragment.

If you have to read everything Roger Zelazny wrote (like me), pick it up and give it a try. It does not take long to read. If you are looking for good Zelazny short fiction, I would recommend looking elsewhere.

"The Monster and the Maiden" by Roger Zelazny

First Printing:  Galaxy Magazine, December 1964

Once again, Roger Zelazny proves why he is one of my favorite writers.  It takes a special writer to craft a good story at this length.  He is one of the best.   This is one that I had never read.  On a side note, the three stories that sold me on Zelazny’s short fiction (“The Man Who Loved the Faoli”, “The Keys to December”, and “For A Breath I Tarry”) will be reviewed in the next few weeks.  I originally read them in Donald A. Wollheim’s World’s Best SF collections.  I have not read them since back in the 70s.  It should be a fun trip down memory lane.

Like “And I Alone…” , this one would have made a good Twilight Zone episode (with some creative directing).  He throws an unexpected twist at you that makes you reconsider other monster and the maiden stories.  Maybe things were not as cut and dry as they seemed.  I can not talk about the plot any more without ruining the story so just take my word for it and track down this little gem.