Some readers may dispute my conclusions and others may not want help unmasking the characters. Only Zelazny knew for certain who was who (or did he?), and a NYRSF reader quickly pointed out a better inspiration for the raven Tekela than what I’d proposed. I also wanted it to be accessible to readers who’d enjoy this kind of thing, and so it appeared in The New York Review of Science Fiction. When I stumbled upon the connection to Virginia Woolf (a writer whose works Zelazny admired), I knew that I had a new essay to write. Then upon re-reading the novel last year, I became determined to identify everyone. When I wrote about the origins of this novel in Zelazny’s biography, I took the opportunity to identify the characters I was certain about. Part of the enjoyment of A Night in the Lonesome October comes from recognizing obvious characters and puzzling over the identities of the elusive ones. It has inspired many fans to read it every year in October, a chapter a day, and served as inspiration for Neil Gaiman's brilliant story 'Only the End of the World Again.' … ( more) Many consider it the best of the fantasy master's novels.

First published in 1993, it was Zelazny's last book prior to his untimely death. Boldly original and wildly entertaining, A Night in the Lonesome October is a darkly sparkling gem, an amalgam of horror, humor, mystery, and fantasy. It is brave, devoted Snuff who must calculate the patterns of the Game and keep track of the Players-the witch, the mad monk, the vengeful vicar, the Count who sleeps by day, the Good Doctor and the hulking Experiment Man he fashioned from human body parts, and a wild-card American named Larry Talbot - all the while keeping Things at bay and staying a leap ahead of the Great Detective, who knows quite a bit more than he lets on.

All manner of participants, both human and not, are gathering with their ancient tools and their animal familiars in preparation for the dread night. Loyally accompanying a mysterious knife-wielding gentleman named Jack on his midnight rounds through the murky streets of London, good dog Snuff is busy helping his master collect the grisly ingredients needed for an unearthly rite that will take place not long after the death of the moon.

A night in the lonesome october