A Night in the Lonesome October - Roger Zelazny book review

It's A League of Extraordinary Gentlemen meets The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath from a dog's-eye point of view in Roger Zelazny's A Night in the Lonesome October.

Hauntology Now! is the Substack of interdisciplinary artist, designer, musician, academic writer, and cultural critic J. Simpson, where he writes about all things hauntological, atemporal, philosophical, as well as sharing thoughts, reflections, and musings on music, movies, books, and life.

hoi polloi of Victorian literature, gather together to play The Game, a series of complicated rites to open a gateway between this world and the next. In The Game, there are "openers," chaotic outsiders intent on ushering in the Great Old Ones, and there are "closers," who like things just the way they are. Each of the players has their familiar. A Night in the Lonesome October is told from their point of view.

The events of A Night in the Lonesome October are mainly detailed by Snuff, the canine companion of Jack, a man possessed of an ancient curse and a wicked shining blade we are meant to infer is Jack the Ripper. He's just one of the gaslight gold medalists that splay across the pages of Roger Zelazny's final novel. You'll encounter Dracula, "the Count"; the Wolfman, "Larry Talbot," who no one can tell is playing The Game or not; Dr. Frankenstein; even Sherlock Holmes, "the Great Detective." There's also a witch, Jill; a Druid, Owen; even a Mad Monk, Rastov, modelled after Rasputin. Even more importantly, we meet their familiars, as they drive virtually all of the action leading up to the big event. There's Graymalk, Jill's cat familiar who strikes up an unlikely friendship with Snuff. There's Quicklime, Rastov's snake. You'll also meet Nightwing, the owl that hangs out with a pair of graverobbers; Needle, The Count's bat friend; Cheeter, the Druid's squirrel; Tekela, an albino raven teamed up with the suspicious Vicar; and Bubo, a rat who hangs out at The Good Doctor's place, where storms perpetually rage.

Each chapter of A Night in the Lonesome October takes place during a day in October, as the month builds towards the cosmic climax. Each chapter follows Snuffs performing his daily routine - making sure the slithering things in the mirror are still secure, that the trunk in the attic still holds its prisoner, getting taunted by the entity in the salt circle, who's perpetually changing its shape to a different she-dog in a bid to entice Snuff. Then he usually teams up with Graymalk to try and learn more about The Game; who's playing, what side their on, any magical artifacts that might sway the tide. Learning these details allow Snuff to create a complicated map in his mind that will lead to the location of the final showdown.

Will he be able to locate the gate before All Hallow's Eve? Will this be enough to stem the tide, as closers continue to get eliminated throughout the month? Will there be anyone left to stand with Jack and Snuff against the darkness from outside of space and time?

Final Thoughts on A Night in the Lonesome October

A Night in the Lonesome October is more fantasy than horror, and sometimes cozy fantasy at that. This works to its advantage, in this instance, as it's more of a fun and quirky adventure story told with some of horror's most iconic characters. Zelazny's experience as a fantasy writer shines through, elevating the novel from a pulpy potboiler to something genuinely and magical, like when Snuff and Graymalk get transported to a realm between life and death, dreaming and wakefulness, which is not only genuinely strange but also quite beautiful. Little details like this Lord Dunsany-worthy whimsy make A Night in the Lonesome October glow like a Jack o' Lantern among the ranks of autumnal horror and Halloween reads.

Unlike The September House, which i reviewed yesterday, A Night in the Lonesome October is actually a horror comedy. and a frequently hilarious one at that. It's also genuinely quirky without coming across as tryhard or posturing. Lastly, it's one of the loveliest and lovingest literary evocations of autumn, regularly mentioned in roundups alongside classics from Ray Bradbury, Shirley Jackson, and Stephen King.

A Night in the Lonesome October has something for nearly every lover of horror, Halloween, or Victorian literature in general. You'll have a blast simply looking for easter eggs, trying to figure out which character is which. Whether you're looking for something to read curled up next to the fire or a book to keep you up at night, you'll find it in A Night in the Lonesome October.

This post originally appeared on Forestpunk.

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