A triumph of style and vision and a 1990 Locus Award finalist for Best Collection, Frost and Fire brings together ten works of science fiction and fantasy from Hugo and Nebula Award–winning author Roger Zelazny, with three accompanying essays offering rare insight into his creative process. Moving effortlessly among cosmic horror, mythic fantasy, planetary adventure, and psychological suspense, the collection blends poetic prose, dark humor, and visionary world-building.

At its heart are two Hugo Award–winning masterpieces, both also nominated for the Nebula Award:

In the opening novelette “Permafrost,” a disgraced man returns to an isolated resort on a planet locked in a decades-long winter, seeking treasure buried with a former lover—only to encounter a jealous artificial intelligence.

The concluding novella, “24 Views of Mt. Fuji, by Hokusai,” follows a woman on a pilgrimage through the Japanese landscapes depicted in Hokusai’s famous ukiyo-e prints as she confronts her past, a dangerous digital legacy, and a lethal pursuit

Between these anchoring achievements lie tales of murderous computers, supernatural predators, interstellar adventure, and realms where science becomes sorcery. Highlights include “Mana from Heaven,” set in Larry Niven’s Magic Goes Away universe; “Itself Surprised,” set amid Fred Saberhagen’s war between humanity and the deadly Berserker machines; and the beloved urban fantasy pastiche “Night Kings.”

Perfect for fans of Ursula K. Le Guin, Samuel R. Delany, Jack Vance, Michael Moorcock, Tanith Lee, Gene Wolfe, Fred Saberhagen, and Larry Niven, as well as readers of literary science fantasy, planetary adventure, dark fantasy, mythic space opera, rogue AI, sentient machines, cerebral sci-fi, hard SF, philosophical speculation, technological dystopias, far-future civilizations, eldritch horror, alien worlds, deep-space exploration, shared-universe fiction, and New Wave speculative fiction.

"An explosion of style and personality unique in science fiction, Zelazny is a law unto himself, driving over and through the conventional forms of science fiction . . . ." –Speculative Bulletin

"A storyteller without peer. He created worlds as colorful and exotic and memorable as any our genre has ever seen."  –George R. R. Martin

". . . his performance was never anything other than dazzling."  –Robert Silverberg

Prefer a physical book? Sadly, no authorized print edition of this title is currently available new from any publisher.* Fortunately, Positronic Publishing holds the exclusive ebook rights granted by the Zelazny estate, so this adventure remains available to our readers in digital format. (Believe us, we'd love to see this one on our bookshelves, too!)

*Used copies of previously published editions may still be available through secondhand sellers.