To save his kingdom, Anubis, Lord of the Dead, sends his servant Wakim on a mission to destroy The Prince Who Was a Thousand. Simultaneously, Osiris, Lord of Life, sends forth his son, Horus, on the same mission. However, neither of them is prepared for the world of mortals, and The Thing That Cries in the Night may well destroy everything, mortal or otherwise.
Roger Zelanzy originally wrote this novel as an exercise with no intention of publishing it. However, professor and critic, Samuel R. Delany, convinced an editor at Doubleday to publish the manuscript, earning Mr. Delany a dedication at the beginning of the novel.
Basing the characters around Egyptian mythological characters, Zelanzy constructs a universe where gods battle in nontraditional manners, often time-travelling a few seconds into the past to gain an advantage against an opponent (known as the "temporal fugue"). Conspiracies are layered on top of each other, resulting in a novel that is incredibly dense for its sub-200 page count.
This novel is also famous for bringing
The Agnostic's Prayer into popular culture, especially after its use in Larry Niven's short story "What Can You Say About Chocolate-Covered Manhole Covers". The nondenominational cleric Madrak provides some much-needed humor and levity to the supradimensional activies, grounding the story a bit for the reader.
This isn't going to be a novel for everyone. It can be a bit difficult to follow in places, and some of Zelanzy's experiments with poetry and script can throw off the reader. However, its rich use of language and imaginative presentation of how gods interact make this a fine read for someone who can appreciate this type of material.
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Title: Creatures of Light and Darkness
Author: Roger Zelazny
Year: 1969
Pages: 190
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