Creatures of Light and Darkness

Creatures of Light and Darkness is a 1969 science fiction novel by American writer Roger Zelazny. Long out of print, it was reissued in April 2010. The novel is set in the far future, with humans on many worlds. Some humans have god-like powers or perhaps are actually gods—the names and aspects of various Egyptian gods are used. Elements of horror and technology are mixed, and the novel shares elements with cyberpunk.

Creatures of Light and Darkness was originally conceived and written as merely a writing exercise in perspective. He wrote it in present tense; constructed an entire chapter in poetry; and made the concluding chapter into the script of a play. He never intended it for publication, but when Samuel R. Delany heard about it from Zelazny, Delany convinced a Doubleday editor to demand that Zelazny give him the manuscript. Consequently, Zelazny dedicated the novel to Delany.

Unlike other books by Zelazny, such as Lord of Light or the series The Chronicles of Amber, this novel is more poetic in style, and it contains less straightforward action. However, as in other novels, Zelazny incorporates ancient myth—in this case from Ancient Egypt and (to some extent) Greece—and he weaves ultra-futuristic technology together with fantasy elements.