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Showing posts from January 15, 2023

A ROSE FOR ECCLESIASTES, A SHORT STORY BY ROGER ZELAZNY (REVIEW AND RECOMMENDTION)

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Today I'll review "A Rose for Ecclesiastes" ,  a short story written by Roger Zelazny.   Originally published in 1963, this short story has been anthologized many times and it has gained a status of a SF classic. Having read it, I can understand why. This elegant vintage science fiction story set on Mars does not lack in character development and world-building. In fact, it is quite amazing in this sense, especially considering the format it is written. It is not often that you find such interesting world building and character development in such a short story. Moreover, its depiction of Mars as a dying but beautiful society is wonderfully melancholic and even poetical. Zelazny managed to really convey a feeling of an alien culture and world. The plot seems simple enough at first, but there is a nice twist towards the end that made me think of classical short story masters such as Maupassant and Chekhov. All in all, it's a fantastic little story that raises interesti