Jack of Shadows by Roger Zelazny
"Jack of Shadows" is a fantasy novel set on a unique planet that remains stationary, resulting in one side in perpetual darkness and the other in constant daylight. The protagonist, Jack of Shadows, is born in the twilight zone and lacks a soul, resembling the darksiders of his world. His journey begins with an unjust execution for a future crime, leading him to the Dung Pits of Glyve, where he starts to reclaim his power in shadow. Throughout his quest, Jack interacts with figures from his past, including Old Rosie, a Wise Woman who aids him, and Evene, the woman he loves, who is now wed to a rival.
Despite being imprisoned in a magical trap, Jack's resilience allows him to escape and transform himself into Jonathan Shade, a sociologist studying darkside culture. His pursuit of power culminates in a bid to conquer the darkside and win Evene's heart, which proves tumultuous. Ultimately, Jack's mission to save his world from freezing leads him to confront the world machine, resulting in the planet's rotation and the dawn of a new era—though this also leads to complications regarding his powers and relationships. The story intertwines elements of magic, betrayal, and self-discovery in a richly imagined setting.
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Jack of Shadows
First published: 1971
Type of work: Novel
Type of plot: Fantasy—New Wave
Time of work: Undefined, on another world
Locale: A nonrotating world
The Plot
The novel is set on a planet that does not rotate, so that half of it is in perpetual darkness and half has perpetual daylight. Born in Twilight, Jack of Shadows is soulless, like a darksider, and has a finite number of resurrections. He is unfairly executed for a crime he had not yet committed and is sent to the Dung Pits of Glyve to begin another life. He awakes in the Dung Pits and begins his return.
Unlike other darkside magicians, Jack does not have a stable power base, but he is able to gain strength and work magic whenever he is in shadow. Defenseless in the everlasting night near Glyve, Jack meets Old Rosie, a tavern girl from his past who has become a Wise Woman. Despite Rosie’s help, Jack is captured and kept in a magical prison of mirrors and light. Evene, the woman he had hoped to marry, has wed the Lord of Bats and disdains both Jack’s powers and his love for her.
The Lord of Bats attempts to drive Jack mad, and Jack vows vengeance. Jack escapes from his prison and, as he travels toward twilight, he visits his friend, Morningstar, a huge, Promethean angel trapped on a mountain awaiting dawn, which will never come because the planet does not rotate. Jack then journeys to the dayside, where he becomes Jonathan Shade, a sociologist and expert on darkside culture. While at the university, Jack uses a computer to rediscover a lost magical key. Using his newly found powers, Jack conquers the darkside, but Evene refuses to love him until he bespells her. Old Rosie brings Jack his soul, a white egglike rock that appears in his hands whenever he is resurrected. Jack shatters the egg, and his disembodied soul begins to follow him about, nagging him.
Jack competently but ruthlessly rules the darkside until the Shield compact is broken, meaning that his world will freeze unless he can prevent it. He has no choice but to travel to the center of the world and smash the world machine. This results in the planet beginning to rotate. When the sun rises for the first time on Shadowguard, Jack’s powers fail, and Evene, recovering her memory, goes mad. Jack unites with his soul as Morningstar, freed at last, flies to rescue him as he falls from a crumbling tower.