OK, let's suppose that Jack the Ripper got a bad rap. Let's entertain the notion that, not only was he really an OK guy, but a hero bent on saving civilization as we know it and keeping us from being overrun by demons and all sorts of unsavory characters who would like nothing better than to run rampant upon humanity.
All kidding aside, I want first of all to address the somewhat morbid idea behind the above. Infamous serial killer Jack the Ripper was, of course, a thorough example of a kind of human monster which all-too-frequently inhabits our planet. Is Roger Zelazny claiming otherwise in his highly entertaining A Night in the Lonesome October? Personally, I feel that he is not. Speaking from experience, it is my opinion that he merely did what many writers do - he drew on a single aspect of an existing character or situation, and from there went in a completely new direction to create a fresh and original story. George MacDonald Fraser did something similar with his popular Flashman series.
If you still have a problem letting go and enjoying a novel that makes a hero out of Jack the Ripper, take heart - Zelazny never actually calls his character by that name. In fact, the knife-wielding Jack, lurking around Victorian London robbing graves and collecting baffling and sometimes grisly "ingredients" to use in an ancient rite on All Hallow's Eve, isn't even the main character of this story. That honor belongs to Snuff, Jack's faithful watchdog and stalwart companion, and it is through Snuff's eyes that we experience this sly and fun Zelazny adventure.
"Jack is under a curse from long ago and must do much of his work at night to keep worse things from happening," says Snuff at the novel's beginning. "I keep watch while he is about it." These days Snuff has a lot more to do besides keep watch. It is one month before Halloween, and this year is a crucial one. A "Game" is to be played, in which the Players - some mortal, some undead, but all professionals in the dark arts - and their animal familiars are quietly gathering on the outskirts of the city in preparation. There are two kinds of players: those who wish to release the dark forces into the world at the death of the moon, and those who wish to shut them out - and at the beginning, no one knows which is which.
This book is a different direction for Zelazny, being pure and almost lighthearted fantasy. Simpler than Zelazny's tales usually are, it is both fun and funny, and provides a perfect stage for the author's unique brand of humor. Approaching the lyrical in his storytelling style and the satirical in his hilarious shattering of the stereotypical old characters, Zelazny outdid himself in this wonderfully macabre and witty tribute to a spooky season and the characters which sprang from its spirit.
February, 2000
