An excellent novel, and also Zelazny's final (I think?). Imaginative, fun, clever. Not surprising this is considered a classic.

I love love loved this book! It was a fun perspective in the genre and I highly recommend to anyone who loves the things that go bump in the night. I've been meaning to read this for awhile and am so glad I did. It is funny, well written, and unique.

You're supposed to read it one day at a time, through October...maybe next year. I didn't get it until today, so I had to read up until the 12th, then I couldn't stop. Weird and wonderful. I disagree with Gahan Wilson's illustrations at a good many points (that's not Snuff, that scarred, droopy hound!), but they're nicely eerie for general atmosphere. I think I would enjoy it more if I read Lovecraft and the like - there are definitely allusions that are going over my head - but I know enough to enjoy it. The Count, the Good Doctor, Bubo being a smart-ass, the Great Detective and his (extremely weird, by the end) disguises...werewolves, Gypsies, openers, closers, friendship and enmity in odd directions. The vivisectors' lab was nasty, the staked skeleton odd...one of the references that went over my head was Snuff and Jack themselves. Drawing lines, and calculations. It's extremely peculiar, fascinating, has at least one major twist in the ending, and I think I like it. Maybe by next year I'll know whether I do. But if I find it in a book sale between now and then, I'll definitely get it - I think this will richly reward a re-read.

I rarely get chance to read a highly admired book. "A Night in the Lonesome October" by Roger Zelazny is my first review read from Netgalley. Whether you call the genre humour or horror or lovecraftian or mystery, but I am not able to put it into single genre confidently. Unlike my other review reads this book shows clear cut difference between debut author and veteran author.

I think one has to read the book to understand what the story is all about. And many reviewers mentioned that it takes half the novel read to get the idea of the story. I would like to correct it, it took me more than two third of the book to understand what is happening. Story is written from watchdog's point of view. In a certain area of London, during Halloween of 1880's, a group of people (with special powers) gathered to perform a particular ceremony. They call it the Game. Each player has their own companion (animals) who help them during the Game. Players are divided into two groups, the Openers and the Closers. This year's Game became dangerous because of the death of players from both the sides. Snuff, watchdog, and Gray, cat, venture their own adventures during Game to find out truth behind various strange events. You will find all type of characters in story, a magician, a witch, a vampire, a warewolf, a psychopath, a Frankenstein and many more.

There were some illustration given at appropriate places to clear readers doubt. For an example, from an illustration I understood that one player was a vampire, otherwise I would have kept thinking how a person sleeps in coffin under debris. You need a good amount of patience to finish this book. For some it may be nail biting journey and for some it may be sure shot DNFs. Its good that I sustained first 100 pages otherwise I would have put it under DNFs.

Averse as I usually am to talking animals in novels, in Zelazny's the voice is so confident and intriguing it did not bother me one jot. The humans who are the owners of the talking animals (there is also a snake, an owl and a rat...) are engaged in a supernatural annual contest and the animals protect their humans, and make secretive arrangements to help by colluding with the animal companions of other guests. Until they realise that the mysterious death of a policeman in 19th century London where this takes place, may seem the result of one of their masters - and it decidedly isn't - the Great Detective has his suspicions (especially since he is most perceptive) but we really don't know either until the very end. It could be an elaborate ploy to win the competition (or 'the game' along the way) - but one of the players, the Count, is clearly interested in blood and despite his animal/companion's efforts the finger is starting to point his way. We are having fun all the way - witty and hilarious activity that animals do (and we learn about it or observe it as it happens) really make this a delightful and quirky read - I was taken by surprise and pleased

Review (may contain light spoilers):
First of all, I have not read much of Zelazny before. In ancient times I read the first "Amber" book but I honestly can not remember much about it. Just recently, however, I read "Der Clan der Magier", which is a pretty stupid title with an even worse cover for the German edition. While the English original title is a quote from Edgar Allan Poe's "Ulalume", the German title is from deep within the Lord of the Rings generica box.
The German cover picture also looks more like Kung Fu Panda tells the story of how he defeated the evil caliph. "Book is about magic and talking animals, do you have any picture left?"

BUT one should not judge a book by its cover (* cough * The cover of the English reprint is much better * cough *). What is between the book covers is really very entertaining. The narrator Snuff is the watchdog (or maybe something else ...?) of Jack The Ripper, who takes part in the ominous GAME, which we do not know exactly what it is. This mystery is the principal source of suspence of this novel. Mainly, the novel lives by his sympathetic narrator, who manages to portray a figure like Jack The Ripper as a nice person and the guessing which "fictional historical" figure is likely to occur next and participate in the GAME.
I do not know the style of Zelazny unfortunately, but in this work he comes out with short sentences that are very precise to their goal. The book works for the most part like a Young Adult Novel of the classical style like Dianne Wynn Jones had written them, although there are also a few scenes that could be attributed to the horror genre (nothing too explicit but still…).

I would recommend the book to anyone who enjoys the stories of Sherlock Holmes and Cthulu, as well as anyone who wants to read a light-hearted fantasy story in Victorian England, which unfortunately is over way too soon

I received this book in exchange for an honest review via NetGalley..