''Donnerjack'' is a science fiction novel begun by American author

Roger Zelazny Roger Joseph Zelazny (May 13, 1937 – June 14, 1995) was an American poet and writer of fantasy and science fiction short stories and novels, best known for '' The Chronicles of Amber''. He won the Nebula Award three times (out of 14 nom ...

and completed after his death by his companion

Jane Lindskold Jane M. Lindskold is an American writer of fantasy and science fiction short stories and novels. Early life Jane M. Lindskold was born on 15 September 1962, and grew up in Washington, D.C., and the Chesapeake Bay area. Jane is the first of fo ...

. It was published in 1997. The original title of the book was ''"Donnerjack, of Virtú"''. Initially, Zelazny intended for it to be the first of an ambitious

trilogy A trilogy is a set of three works of art that are connected and can be seen either as a single work or as three individual works. They are commonly found in literature, film, and video games, and are less common in other art forms. Three-part wo ...

, with the two sequels tentatively named ''"The Gods of Virtú"'' and ''"Virtú, Virtú"''. Zelazny completed a few hundred pages of the first novel and left detailed notes for its remainder, which Lindskold completed, attempting to write in his style. Its description of the virtual world of Virtu has been considered as prefiguring the modern

internet The Internet (or internet) is the global system of interconnected computer networks that uses the Internet protocol suite (TCP/IP) to communicate between networks and devices. It is a ''internetworking, network of networks'' that consists ...

Plot

Donnerjack is set in a world that has developed a shared, fully immersive virtual reality. This virtual reality, referred to as Virtu, has come to dominate all aspects of society. People work, play, and can lead entire lives in Virtu. The eponymous John Donnerjack is one of the creators of Virtu, and a peerless engineer, capable of building just about anything in his virtual reality. The story follows John's final adventure, where he saves his lover from Death itself, and continues on through the perspective of his son, Jack. Many aspects of Donnerjack directly parallel famous myths and legends, particularly those conforming to

Joseph Campbell Joseph John Campbell (March 26, 1904 – October 30, 1987) was an American writer. He was a professor of literature at Sarah Lawrence College who worked in comparative mythology and comparative religion. His work covers many aspects of th ...

's theory of the

monomyth In narratology and comparative mythology, the hero's journey, or the monomyth, is the common template of stories that involve a hero who goes on an adventure, is victorious in a decisive crisis, and comes home changed or transformed. Earlie ...

. It is heavily implied throughout the novel that, though humanity experiences it as a virtual reality simulation, Virtu may actually be an unintentional bridge to the magical realms described in mythology. It is not connected with '' Jack of Shadows'' written by Zelazny years before.

Critical response

Kirkus found it overcomplicated and in need of editing, but full of ideas. SF Site gave it a positive review. In contrast, SF Reviews rated it 0/5: "awful".

References

1997 novels 1997 science fiction novels Collaborative novels Novels by Roger Zelazny Avon (publisher) books Novels by Jane Lindskold {{1990s-sf-novel-stub