I’ve read that Zelazny himself didn’t much care for To Die in Italbar. There is little critical analysis on the book and it generally falls into that category of “forgotten” or “not too popular.” I suppose both labels have validity. I re-read it recently because I have a memory of enjoying it in 1974 while agreeing that it’s not Zelazny’s best. To Die in Italbar is a lukewarm book, like a much needed bowl of soup but perhaps lacking in any real flavor. It does what it’s supposed to do, and that’s enough. But because we are talking about Roger Zelazny it is still far better than a recently published science fiction best seller I tried to read. The point is that Zelazny is still good even if he only wrote this book to fulfill a contract. The plot is compelling. The man called “H” or Heidel von Hymack who holds the secret to curing any illness in his blood. Hymack has a following of devotees but unfortunately any prolonged proximity to him often results in death. The reason for Hymack’s condition is unknown until we learn he has been possessed by an alien witch whose moods dictate Hymack’s condition. Enter Francis Sandow, the main character from Zelazny’s Isle of the Dead, one of his best books. Sandow’s goal is to drive the witch from Hymack and aid Malacar Miles, one of the last men on a destroyed earth. The murky plot is the book’s weakness, salvaged only by the merits of Zelazny’s strong writing. Certain passages flow like poetry, only to get bogged down by the haphazard plot. Zelazny was a great prose stylist and I think To Die in Italbar might have been developed into a much better novel. Still, I recommend it for Zelazny fans. For DAW collectors this is DAW # 117.
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