اگر در فاوست موفق نشدی (مسابقهٔ هزاره، جلد دوم)

Overview: Roger Zelazny made his name with a group of novellas which demonstrated just how intense an emotional charge could be generated by the stock imagery of sf; the most famous of these is 'A Rose for Ecclesiastes' in which a poet struggles to convince dying and sterile Martians that life is worth continuing. Zelazny continued to write excellent short stories throughout his career. Most of his novels deal, one way or another, with tricksters and mythology, often with rogues who become gods, like Sam in Lord of Light, who reinvents Buddhism as a vehicle for political subversion against his fellow-crew members who, using transhumanist technology, have appointed themselves gods on a colony planet, where the social system is derived from classical Hinduism.

The last Millennial contest—between the forces  of Good and Evil for control of the  universe—didn't work out quite so well for Evil and its rooters.  But it's time for the next round, and this time  the demon Mephistopheles is carrying the ball for  the forces of Darkness. But all is not as it seems.  The harried archdemon mistakenly signs up a  medieval cutpurse names Mack the Club, thinking him the  learned Dr. Faust. The demon Azzie, still  stinging from the Evil's last defeat (and not being  chosen to head the current effort), takes events into  his own claws. And the pious angel Michael—well,  let's just say some of his tactics in the titanic  struggle to come are not quite cricket . . . .

The last Millennial contestbetween the forcesof Good and Evil for control of the universedidn't work out quite so well for Evil and its rooters.But it's time for the next round, and this timethe demon Mephistopheles is carrying the ball forthe forces of Darkness. But all is not as it seems.The harried archdemon mistakenly signs up amedieval cutpurse named Mack the Club, thinking him thelearned Dr. Faust. The demon Azzie, stillstinging from Evil's last defeat (and not beingchosen to head the current effort), takes events intohis own claws. And the pious angel Michaelwell,let's just say some of his tactics in the titanicstruggle to come are not quite cricket . . . .