Roger Zelazny

4 universes Last reviewed 2026-09-07

Roger Joseph Zelazny was an American writer born May 13, 1937, in Euclid, Ohio, and died June 14, 1995, in Santa Fe, New Mexico, of kidney failure secondary to colorectal cancer. He earned a BA in English from Western Reserve University in 1959 and an MA from Columbia University in 1962, specializing in Elizabethan and Jacobean drama. Zelazny worked for the U.S. Social Security Administration from 1962 to 1969 before becoming a full-time writer. He was a member of the Baltimore Science Fiction Society and the Swordsmen and Sorcerers' Guild of America. His best-known work is the Chronicles of Amber series, a landmark of fantasy fiction blending myth, science fiction, and philosophical themes; other major novels include Lord of Light, This Immortal, Creatures of Light and Darkness, Eye of Cat, Doorways in the Sand, and A Night in the Lonesome October. Over his career he won six Hugo Awards and three Nebula Awards, along with two Locus Awards and the Seiun, Balrog, and Prix Tour-Apollo prizes, making him one of the most decorated writers in science fiction and fantasy history. He was married twice and had two sons, Devin and Trent, and a daughter, Shannon, with his second wife, Judith. An accomplished martial artist, he held a black belt in aikido and competed in épée fencing.

Universe(s)

Books

• Lord of Light (1967) · Lord of Light Core Canon
• Nine Princes in Amber (1970) · Chronicles of Amber Core Canon
• The Guns of Avalon (1972) · Chronicles of Amber Core Canon
• Sign of the Unicorn (1975) · Chronicles of Amber Core Canon
• The Hand of Oberon (1976) · Chronicles of Amber Core Canon
• The Courts of Chaos (1978) · Chronicles of Amber Core Canon
• The Changing Land (1981) · Dilvish, the Damned Core Canon
• Dilvish, the Damned (1982) · Dilvish, the Damned Core Canon
• Trumps of Doom (1985) · Chronicles of Amber Core Canon
• Blood of Amber (1986) · Chronicles of Amber Core Canon
• Sign of Chaos (1987) · Chronicles of Amber Core Canon
• Knight of Shadows (1989) · Chronicles of Amber Core Canon
• Prince of Chaos (1991) · Chronicles of Amber Core Canon
• A Night in the Lonesome October (1993) · A Night in the Lonesome October Core Canon
• Seven Tales in Amber (2020) · Chronicles of Amber Expanded Canon

Aggregate across all universes

These are separate, unrelated universes; the totals below are plain sums of already-published per-universe facts, never a blended or averaged score across them. See each universe's own figures above.

• Total Core Canon books across all universes: 14 books
• Award recognitions across all universes: 13 (2 won, 7 finalist mention, 4 nomination)

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