Roger Zelazny, of Polish-Irish extraction, had a great run in sci-fi. Scores of titles bear his name. Recently, a visitor to the floating book shop examined a paperback of his
Damnation Alley and passed because of its condition. That aroused my curiosity, so I brought it home. I finished it yesterday. It's a post-apocalyptic yarn set in the future, decades after planet Earth has been ravaged by nuclear war. Mankind was unable to avoid significant self destruction despite his advances, which included landing on Mars. There are few major pockets of humanity left. One is the nation of California, which receives news that another, Boston, is being ravaged by a plague. Since air travel and long distance communication is still impossible, a security head enlists Hell Tanner, an expert driver who has an extensive rap sheet, to deliver a serum. If successful, he will be pardoned - a big if. The title refers to the long stretch between the two areas. Even the tank-like vehicle Tanner is supplied probably won't make it. Along the way he faces storms that drop all kinds of debris, including fish; animals enlarged by radiation - just like those in 1950's monster flicks; the lack of smooth roads; biker gangs; and the hostility of his law enforcement companions traveling in two other similar vehicles. Fortunately for the chain-smoking hero, tobacco was not affected by the holocaust. Only 157 pages, it's a fun read. I liked the dialogue more than the prose, and the protagonist is interesting, infinitely more hardcore than Snake Plisken of John Carpenter's
Escape from New York (1981). The action is outrageous, but only once did it exceed the required suspension of disbelief, a James Bond-type impossible odds escape from bad guys. Suspense is maintained throughout the narrative. I was not sure how it would end. There is a 1977 film version starring Jan Michael Vincent. Unfortunately, it's not available at Netflix by mail. Given today's CGI, someone should consider a remake. 46 users at Amazon have rated the Kindle version, forging to a consensus of 3.9 on a scale of five. My actual rating is 3.2. Fans of post apocalyptic fare would probably enjoy it. Since one of the pages came loose, I won't return it the floating book shop's inventory. I'll leave it in the lobby, where it almost certainly will be taken. Zelazny won 16 literary awards, including six Hugos and three Nebulas. He passed away at 58 in 1995. His work lives on. Here's a pic of the vehicle used in the movie:
Since my friends did not have their annual Super Bowl party, I did not watch the big game. Given the score and the fact that New England won again, I'm happy I didn't. I wouldn't be surprised if the Patriots return again next year, as the division title, barring the unforeseen, is already theirs, as the Jets, Bills and Dolphins are all rebuilding. That gets them a third of the way there even before the season starts.
The lack of parking at my usual nook had me take the floating book shop to Bay Parkway, and it proved fortuitous. My thanks to the gentleman who bought ten books in Russian, and to another who selected one; and to the woman who purchased Debbie Macomber's
Dakota Home and a beautifully illustrated mini-book of
Cinderella. 60 degrees in February - yes!
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