A Night in the Lonesome October
A dog narrates a Victorian occult game to open or close a gate.
Roger Zelazny’s final novel, *A Night in the Lonesome October*, came out in 1993, near the end of his life. The author counted it among his five personal favorites. The book is structured as a first-person diary, with one chapter for each night of October plus an introductory chapter, for a total of 32 chapters. Each chapter includes a full-page illustration by Gahan Wilson, and there is an additional illustration on the inside back cover (though not full-page). The title comes from a line in Edgar Allan Poe’s poem “Ulalume,” and Zelazny acknowledges Poe, along with Mary Shelley, Bram Stoker, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Robert Bloch, and Albert Payson Terhune, whose famous characters appear in the story. The novel was nominated for the Nebula Award for Best Novel in 1993. A similar premise—a conflict over opening a gate to another world—also appears in Zelazny’s 1981 novel *Madwand*.
The story is narrated by Snuff, a dog who serves as Jack the Ripper’s companion. Most of the action takes place in and around London, though at one point the narrative ventures into the dream-world from H. P. Lovecraft’s *The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath*. Contextual clues, such as the appearance of Sherlock Holmes (called “The Great Detective”), suggest the setting is the late Victorian period. The plot revolves around a rare event: when a full moon falls on Halloween—a “Blue Moon,” the second full moon in a month—the barrier between worlds thins. Those with occult knowledge can then gather at a ritual site to either close the doors or fling them open. If the Openers succeed, the Great Old Ones will enter Earth, enslaving or destroying humanity. The Closers have always won so far. The participants call this conflict “the Game” or “the Great Game,” and they keep it hidden from ordinary people.
The Players in this particular Game are archetypal figures from Victorian gothic fiction: Jack the Ripper (“Jack”), Dracula (“the Count”), the Wolf Man (“Larry Talbot”), a witch (“Crazy Jill”), a clergyman (Vicar Roberts), a Druid (“Owen”), Victor Frankenstein (“the Good Doctor”), Sherlock Holmes (“the Great Detective”), a mad monk modeled on Rasputin (“Rastov”), and grave robbers or hermetic occultists (“Morris and McCab,” possibly based on Burke and Hare or MacGregor Mathers). Each Player has a familiar—an animal companion with near-human intelligence—that helps with preparations. The sto
- author
- Roger Zelazny
- published
- 1993
- genre
- Fantasy / Horror
- narrator
- Snuff (a dog)
- chapters
- 32 (including introductory chapter)
- illustrator
- Gahan Wilson
- award_nomination
- Nebula Award for Best Novel (1993)
Lore & Background
The bulk of the story takes place in London and its environments, though never explicitly stated, contextual clues imply it occurs during the late Victorian period. The plot revolves around a rare 'Blue Moon' on Halloween, when the fabric of reality thins and doors may be opened to the realm of the Great Old Ones. Players—including Jack the Ripper, Dracula, the Wolf Man, a Witch, a Clergyman, a Druid, Victor Frankenstein, Sherlock Holmes, a Mad Monk, and grave robbers—each have a familiar with near-human intelligence, and they slowly take sides, form alliances, and oppose one another until the fate of the world is decided on October 31.
Reader's Guide
A Night in the Lonesome October stands as Roger Zelazny's final novel and one of his personal favorites, earning a Nebula Award nomination in 1994. Its unique structure—32 chapters corresponding to the nights of October—has encouraged a dedicated read-along tradition, with fans reading one chapter per day leading up to Halloween. The book weaves together characters from Victorian gothic fiction and Lovecraftian horror, all observed through the eyes of a dog, Snuff. The theme of a conflict around opening a gate to another world echoes Zelazny's earlier novel Madwand (1981). The 33 full-page illustrations by Gahan Wilson, one per chapter plus one on the inside back cover, punctuate the story and enhance its eerie atmosphere. The work remains a notable example of Zelazny's late-career blending of literary allusion, genre mashup, and playful narrative voice.
Did You Know?
- The novel was Roger Zelazny's final book and one of his five personal favorites.
- The book has 32 chapters total: 31 daily entries for October 1–31 plus one introductory chapter.
- The book has 32 full-page illustrations (one per chapter); the inside back cover illustration is not full-page.
- The novel was nominated for the Nebula Award for Best Novel in 1993, not 1994.
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