Storyline: 2/5 
 Characters: 2/5 
 Writing Style: 4/5 
 World: 5/5 
 I have a standing agreement with authors. They provide the creativity, and I bestow my esteem. This proclivity is one of the reasons I like science fiction and fantasy so much. It is an arrangement that I've been happy with. Zelazny held up his end of the bargain in this one, but I have a confession....I reneged. I know it is unsporting of me, but the esteem I could garner was grudging and conditional. I went to this not knowing anything about it - just the way I like and the way this book is to be most enjoyed. I'd read his This Immortal, and I could see that Zelazny has his own style and sub-genre of science fiction. I applaud his distinctiveness. We need more authors brandishing originality so boldly. I was puzzled and uncertain through the first couple of chapters. That's not at all a bad way for an excellent book to begin. Then, like in This Immortal, the moment came. That moment. That moment when the picture focused, and I saw what was before me. I recognized the detail, the artistry, the central image and all its embellishments. That was a good moment. That was actually a great moment. Then I settled in with expectations. I expected more wonders, to be dazzled again. Zelazny, though, was done. There was some miscalculation, however, as the bulk of the novel still remained. The book had peaked though and peaked early on. The rest of the story was a ride to a largely predictable ending with no further ambitions than what had been revealed in the first fifth of its length. 
 Zelazny is an artist. His devotion was more to structure and form than it was to substantive plot, characters, or worldbuilding. I recognize the savviness involved in writing a modern sci fi/fantasy work emulating the form of a work of antiquity. The very idea is genius and that he pulled it off a testament to Zelazny's abilities. That artful adherence to structure and form, however, kept this from being a truly modern novel fulfilling the many requirements of good storytelling. 
 A really neat idea. Artful execution. More for exhibition though than for fulfillment. Put this in that category of works that I respect far more than I enjoyed.