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Home Is the Hangman/We, in Some Strange Power's Employ, Move on a Rigorous Line
Zelazny, Roger, Delany, Samuel R.
180 pages, Paperback
First published May 1, 1990
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About the author
Roger Zelazny
741 books3,900 followersRoger Joseph Zelazny was an American fantasy and science fiction writer known for his short stories and novels, best known for The Chronicles of Amber. He won the Nebula Award three times (out of 14 nominations) and the Hugo Award six times (also out of 14 nominations), including two Hugos for novels: the serialized novel ...And Call Me Conrad (1965), subsequently published under the title This Immortal (1966), and the novel Lord of Light (1967).
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
January 21, 2021
This is Tor Double #21, of a series of 36 double books published from 1988 to 1991 by Tor Books. It contains two novellas, bound together tête-bêche in mass market paperback – back-to-back, inverted, with two front covers and both titles on the spine. The novellas are listed here alphabetically by author; neither should be considered “primary.”
We, In Some Strange Power’s Employ, Move On A Rigorous Line, by Samuel R. Delany (1968) ****
This novella was originally published in the May 1968 issue of The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction under the title “Lines of Power.” It nominated for the 1969 Nebula Award, and a finalist for the 1969 Hugo Award. It can also be found under the current title in Delaney’s 1971 collection Driftglass.
A team of electrification engineers, known as “devils”, is sent to the remote community of High Haven, where the residents are known as “angels”. They are required to be connected to the power grid by global law, against their wishes. Blacky Jones is a leading section-devil ambivalent to his mission, but ordered to proceed by his superior. The leader of the iconoclastic Angels is named Roger, as a tribute to Roger Zelazny, and the prior leader was Sam, which is perhaps a reference to Chip Delany himself. Romantic entanglement complicates the story. What power does authority have to require conformity from all citizens?
Home Is The Hangman, by Roger Zelazny (1975) *****
This novella was originally published in the November 1975 issue of Analog Science Fiction Science Fact, where I first read it. It won both the 1976 Nebula Award, and the 1976 Hugo Award in their novella categories, and was 2nd place for 1976 Locus Award. It can also be found in Zelazny’s 1976 collection My Name is Legion, and numerous anthologies.
The Hangman is a robotic probe sent from Earth to explore IO and Europa, but then refused to proceed to Callisto and was lost. Unexpectedly, it crashed in the Gulf of Mexico, and then one of its designers turned up dead. Can it be stopped before others die? And why? I found this a fantastic story, that calls on the nature of artificial sentience and the ethics such a being would carry.
We, In Some Strange Power’s Employ, Move On A Rigorous Line, by Samuel R. Delany (1968) ****
This novella was originally published in the May 1968 issue of The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction under the title “Lines of Power.” It nominated for the 1969 Nebula Award, and a finalist for the 1969 Hugo Award. It can also be found under the current title in Delaney’s 1971 collection Driftglass.
A team of electrification engineers, known as “devils”, is sent to the remote community of High Haven, where the residents are known as “angels”. They are required to be connected to the power grid by global law, against their wishes. Blacky Jones is a leading section-devil ambivalent to his mission, but ordered to proceed by his superior. The leader of the iconoclastic Angels is named Roger, as a tribute to Roger Zelazny, and the prior leader was Sam, which is perhaps a reference to Chip Delany himself. Romantic entanglement complicates the story. What power does authority have to require conformity from all citizens?
Home Is The Hangman, by Roger Zelazny (1975) *****
This novella was originally published in the November 1975 issue of Analog Science Fiction Science Fact, where I first read it. It won both the 1976 Nebula Award, and the 1976 Hugo Award in their novella categories, and was 2nd place for 1976 Locus Award. It can also be found in Zelazny’s 1976 collection My Name is Legion, and numerous anthologies.
The Hangman is a robotic probe sent from Earth to explore IO and Europa, but then refused to proceed to Callisto and was lost. Unexpectedly, it crashed in the Gulf of Mexico, and then one of its designers turned up dead. Can it be stopped before others die? And why? I found this a fantastic story, that calls on the nature of artificial sentience and the ethics such a being would carry.
October 23, 2014
This is a Tor SF double, two novellas in one paperback. I've read "Home is the Hangman" by Roger Zelazny before. It is the third & last chronologically in "My Name is Legion" about a man with no name, the top programmer of a world databank who drops out of society. He works as a troubleshooter & this problem is about a robot sent to explore the solar system who is returning home. Its creators hire him to stop it. It's interesting & well written. A lot of neat ideas, but not one of his that I like the best. 3 stars.
I'd never read Delany's "We" before. It also has some neat ideas & is well written. What happens to splinter cultures who don't want to participate in the global grid (electric & data)? How do the installation techs feel about hooking up those who don't want to be hooked up? It's as current today as it was when it was written 40 years ago. 4 stars.
I'd never read Delany's "We" before. It also has some neat ideas & is well written. What happens to splinter cultures who don't want to participate in the global grid (electric & data)? How do the installation techs feel about hooking up those who don't want to be hooked up? It's as current today as it was when it was written 40 years ago. 4 stars.
December 28, 2024
Average rating: 3.25/5 stars
I felt mixed after finishing this double novella feature! Both novellas could’ve been stronger, only scraping the surface of their respective themes.
That said, I found Samuel R. Delany’s novella to be the stronger of the two. I thought it was especially cute that Delany specifically honors Roger Zelazny in the novella with a character named after him. It’s a sweet way of tying the two very different stories in this Tor Double.
Unfortunately, I’ve all but forgotten what Zelazny’s story was about a day after I finished it. So let’s get into it—
”Home is the Hangman” - 2.5/5
For a story that won both the 1976 Hugo and Nebula, Roger Zelazny’s “Home is the Hangman” feels surprisingly underwhelming. The premise—a vengeful, sentient robot returning to Earth after years in space—evokes existential questions, moral reckonings, and/or an explosive Terminator-style ending. But the novella falls short and shallow, leaving much of its potential at the door. The premise relies heavily upon the mystique of the Hangman and questions the existential and psychological aspects of the artificial intelligence. Yet big twist—clever as it is, feels like a letdown. It feels anticlimactic.
The characters are perhaps the weakest part of the novella. Despite the intrigue of the setup, they come across as thin cardboard cutouts, lacking the emotional depth needed to make the story’s stakes feel meaningful. This is especially disappointing considering Zelazny’s other work, like The Dream Master, where the characters come alive with depth and nuance, even with a similarly brief page count. There, Zelazny expertly blends introspection with plot, creating a sense of weight and humanity that’s definitely missing in “Home is the Hangman”.
And yet, despite its flaws, “Home is the Hangman” isn’t without its positives. Zelazny’s prose is sharp and economical, creating a tense, immersive atmosphere that keeps you turning the pages. The twist ending, while a bit detached from the rest of the story, does subvert expectations in a way that I found interesting. It reminds you of Zelazny’s skill as a storyteller, even if the novella doesn’t quite stick the landing.
Ultimately, “Home is the Hangman” feels more like a half-finished sketch than a masterpiece. Its ideas are big, but its execution falls short. Still, if you’re a fan of Zelazny’s work—or simply enjoy stories that blend mystery with science fiction—it might be worth a read. Just don’t expect the kind of emotional or thematic depth you’d associate with a double award-winning classic.
”We, in Some Strange Power’s Employ, Move on a Rigorous Line” - 4/5
“We, in Some Strange Power’s Employ, Move on a Rigorous Line” is a novella with attitude. Being my first time reading anything from Samuel R. Delany, I wasn’t expecting such a unique prose style. Clipped, sharp, rhythmic, and deliberate in a way that reminds me of jazz: a blast to read, even if it’s not always the easiest to read (or listen to).
The world Delany builds is fascinating: a government-corporation forcing people to behave civilly, power dynamics that teeter on dystopia, and a vibe that’s gritty and futuristic without falling into cliche. The main character oozes confidence and charm, which keeps you hooked as you explore this strange and rigorous world alongside them.
But for all the novella does well, I couldn’t help but feel like it could’ve gone deeper. The theme of power—how it’s used, enforced, and resisted—is there, but it doesn’t quite hit as hard as it could. The story sets up these huge, tantalizing ideas, but just when you’re ready to dive in, it wraps up and moves on.
That said, the novella’s brevity is also its strength. It’s fast, fun, and utterly unique. I just wish it had lingered a little longer on the big questions it raises. All in all, it’s a solid read with a lot of style, even if the substance left me wanting just a little more.
I felt mixed after finishing this double novella feature! Both novellas could’ve been stronger, only scraping the surface of their respective themes.
That said, I found Samuel R. Delany’s novella to be the stronger of the two. I thought it was especially cute that Delany specifically honors Roger Zelazny in the novella with a character named after him. It’s a sweet way of tying the two very different stories in this Tor Double.
Unfortunately, I’ve all but forgotten what Zelazny’s story was about a day after I finished it. So let’s get into it—
”Home is the Hangman” - 2.5/5
For a story that won both the 1976 Hugo and Nebula, Roger Zelazny’s “Home is the Hangman” feels surprisingly underwhelming. The premise—a vengeful, sentient robot returning to Earth after years in space—evokes existential questions, moral reckonings, and/or an explosive Terminator-style ending. But the novella falls short and shallow, leaving much of its potential at the door. The premise relies heavily upon the mystique of the Hangman and questions the existential and psychological aspects of the artificial intelligence. Yet big twist—clever as it is, feels like a letdown. It feels anticlimactic.
The characters are perhaps the weakest part of the novella. Despite the intrigue of the setup, they come across as thin cardboard cutouts, lacking the emotional depth needed to make the story’s stakes feel meaningful. This is especially disappointing considering Zelazny’s other work, like The Dream Master, where the characters come alive with depth and nuance, even with a similarly brief page count. There, Zelazny expertly blends introspection with plot, creating a sense of weight and humanity that’s definitely missing in “Home is the Hangman”.
And yet, despite its flaws, “Home is the Hangman” isn’t without its positives. Zelazny’s prose is sharp and economical, creating a tense, immersive atmosphere that keeps you turning the pages. The twist ending, while a bit detached from the rest of the story, does subvert expectations in a way that I found interesting. It reminds you of Zelazny’s skill as a storyteller, even if the novella doesn’t quite stick the landing.
Ultimately, “Home is the Hangman” feels more like a half-finished sketch than a masterpiece. Its ideas are big, but its execution falls short. Still, if you’re a fan of Zelazny’s work—or simply enjoy stories that blend mystery with science fiction—it might be worth a read. Just don’t expect the kind of emotional or thematic depth you’d associate with a double award-winning classic.
”We, in Some Strange Power’s Employ, Move on a Rigorous Line” - 4/5
“We, in Some Strange Power’s Employ, Move on a Rigorous Line” is a novella with attitude. Being my first time reading anything from Samuel R. Delany, I wasn’t expecting such a unique prose style. Clipped, sharp, rhythmic, and deliberate in a way that reminds me of jazz: a blast to read, even if it’s not always the easiest to read (or listen to).
The world Delany builds is fascinating: a government-corporation forcing people to behave civilly, power dynamics that teeter on dystopia, and a vibe that’s gritty and futuristic without falling into cliche. The main character oozes confidence and charm, which keeps you hooked as you explore this strange and rigorous world alongside them.
But for all the novella does well, I couldn’t help but feel like it could’ve gone deeper. The theme of power—how it’s used, enforced, and resisted—is there, but it doesn’t quite hit as hard as it could. The story sets up these huge, tantalizing ideas, but just when you’re ready to dive in, it wraps up and moves on.
That said, the novella’s brevity is also its strength. It’s fast, fun, and utterly unique. I just wish it had lingered a little longer on the big questions it raises. All in all, it’s a solid read with a lot of style, even if the substance left me wanting just a little more.
March 29, 2015
This is a flip book, with Home is the Hangman by Roger Zelazny and We,in Some Strange Power's Employ, Move on a Rigorous Line.
It has two wonderful covers, the Zelazny by Martin Andrews; the Delaney by Wayne Barlowe, a wonderful image of the pteracycle from the book in the midst of skysweeping, from a pivotal scene in the story.
"We", is a story about power on all levels. Our protagonist is "Blacky" Jones, who works for the Global Power Commission (as nearly all individuals do) and has recently been promoted to "section-Devil" from being an ordinary demon. The demons are power engineers who lay tremendously huge cables all across the world, according to a formula that requires a certain number of outlets per a certain number of people. The machines that lay the cable have names like Iguana, Gila Monster, and Salamander.
Having come from laying cables in places like Tibet, Mongolia, etc. the crew is assigned to lay cables to a place near the border of Canada, where a group of "Angels" live in a place called High Haven, that has no power, nor do they wish it.
In this world there is no choice but to comply. While the benefits of this are constantly extolled -work is not arduous, many of the demons have other skills as well, poets, etc.- but there still exist pockets that resist the global wiring.
Blacky is more than willing to let the inhabitants of High Haven to continue without having power forced upon them, but the other section-Devil, Mabel, ostensibly his superior (Blacky has just been promoted, and is waiting for his transfer to the Iguana, and his own command. Mabel is the commander of the Gila Monster.)-prefers to always follow the book, and cares little for the Angels desires.
The leader of the Angels, named Roger Z____y in a nod to Roger Zelazny (also the subject of the dedication), recently taking control of the Angels away from Sam, and taking his girl Fidessa as well. With the arrival of Blacky, Fidessa is attracted to him, as she chooses to be on the winning side of a power struggle, and senses Blacky will defeat Roger.
The story is well written, poetic and delivered in a similar style to Zelazny himself. Seeing as how Roger Zelazny is my favourite prose stylist, this was a big selling point to me. This is the first Delaney story that I have read, I know his writing is poetic, and I hope to read more soon.
Home is the Hangman
A Roger Zelazny story I have read before, in the collection, or fix up, My Name is Legion. In this tale, our hero, whose real name is not revealed but calls himself John Donne, a man who was involved in setting up a giant computer network that monitors all human activities, and elected to have himself erased and not part of the computer's data bank. He is hired to investigate the return of a space exploration robot, the Hangman, who has achieved sentience. Things are not as they seem, and many questions are raised as to what contributed to the Hangman achieving sentience, and the responsibilities of its makers in its actions. There is some in depth philosophy here, and the usual deft turns of phrase you would expect in a story by Roger Zelazny.
It has two wonderful covers, the Zelazny by Martin Andrews; the Delaney by Wayne Barlowe, a wonderful image of the pteracycle from the book in the midst of skysweeping, from a pivotal scene in the story.
"We", is a story about power on all levels. Our protagonist is "Blacky" Jones, who works for the Global Power Commission (as nearly all individuals do) and has recently been promoted to "section-Devil" from being an ordinary demon. The demons are power engineers who lay tremendously huge cables all across the world, according to a formula that requires a certain number of outlets per a certain number of people. The machines that lay the cable have names like Iguana, Gila Monster, and Salamander.
Having come from laying cables in places like Tibet, Mongolia, etc. the crew is assigned to lay cables to a place near the border of Canada, where a group of "Angels" live in a place called High Haven, that has no power, nor do they wish it.
In this world there is no choice but to comply. While the benefits of this are constantly extolled -work is not arduous, many of the demons have other skills as well, poets, etc.- but there still exist pockets that resist the global wiring.
Blacky is more than willing to let the inhabitants of High Haven to continue without having power forced upon them, but the other section-Devil, Mabel, ostensibly his superior (Blacky has just been promoted, and is waiting for his transfer to the Iguana, and his own command. Mabel is the commander of the Gila Monster.)-prefers to always follow the book, and cares little for the Angels desires.
The leader of the Angels, named Roger Z____y in a nod to Roger Zelazny (also the subject of the dedication), recently taking control of the Angels away from Sam, and taking his girl Fidessa as well. With the arrival of Blacky, Fidessa is attracted to him, as she chooses to be on the winning side of a power struggle, and senses Blacky will defeat Roger.
The story is well written, poetic and delivered in a similar style to Zelazny himself. Seeing as how Roger Zelazny is my favourite prose stylist, this was a big selling point to me. This is the first Delaney story that I have read, I know his writing is poetic, and I hope to read more soon.
Home is the Hangman
A Roger Zelazny story I have read before, in the collection, or fix up, My Name is Legion. In this tale, our hero, whose real name is not revealed but calls himself John Donne, a man who was involved in setting up a giant computer network that monitors all human activities, and elected to have himself erased and not part of the computer's data bank. He is hired to investigate the return of a space exploration robot, the Hangman, who has achieved sentience. Things are not as they seem, and many questions are raised as to what contributed to the Hangman achieving sentience, and the responsibilities of its makers in its actions. There is some in depth philosophy here, and the usual deft turns of phrase you would expect in a story by Roger Zelazny.
January 21, 2021
What’s it with the double? The relentless urge to compare? To relate? To synthesize? Maybe it’s that I’ve only read Delany+ doubles and his vision is singular. Most anything creates an interesting juxtaposition. There’s something to be said about length, too. Each story is 85-100 pages. It’s long enough for each story to become engrossing, short enough to read them at once or on two halves of an interval of sleep, dream. I enjoy reading them. I enjoyed reading these. Anyway, some running notes:
Delany’s We, In Some Strange Power’s Employ, Move On A Rigorous Line (1968) and Zelazny’s Home Is the Hangman (1975) have intriguing thematic linkages RE: infrastructure. D’s protagonist works to install a global electrical grid. Z’s omni-competent off-grid spook had worked on global information architecture (“the Data Bank project”).
Think I read that D’s novella is an early entry in critical utopia genre. Delany’s protagonist as torn between the sort of centralized socialist global power he works for (and the “civilizing” benefits it...makes mandatory through universal power distribution) and his attraction to the grotty anarchist air-bikers Power Co tries to force into the grid. It’s like Triton is trying to assimilate Dhalgren’s Bellona.
Delany’s narrative negotiation of different political systems seems more purposeful, or it’s at least in the foreground of the narrative. In Z there’s a curious play going on. Hangman is a tool to make more complete planetary information—to gain a synoptic view (mountain tops, oceans, etc)—that’s cut himself loose from the task of information production. The narrator is suspicious of the production of synoptic knowledge (he looks back on his participation in the global data bank with regret). The narrative celebrates both characters cutting themselves loose from the grids they create—as well as a sort of (cosmic) frontier self-sufficiency. (With some psychosexual, biblical maker-made stuff thrown in). Was hoping it would hang out in the contradictions between working for, being enabled by, and rejecting empires of information.
“All you’ve seen is a cross-section of a process.”
“Once, with the aid of a telepath, I had touched minds with a dolphin as he composed dream-songs somewhere in the Caribbean, an experience so moving that its mere memory had often been a comfort. This sensation was hardly equivalent” (65). > cf Heyrick (1691) – Imperial fantasies of amphibious fluency > v cybernetic extension of self.
Delany’s We, In Some Strange Power’s Employ, Move On A Rigorous Line (1968) and Zelazny’s Home Is the Hangman (1975) have intriguing thematic linkages RE: infrastructure. D’s protagonist works to install a global electrical grid. Z’s omni-competent off-grid spook had worked on global information architecture (“the Data Bank project”).
Think I read that D’s novella is an early entry in critical utopia genre. Delany’s protagonist as torn between the sort of centralized socialist global power he works for (and the “civilizing” benefits it...makes mandatory through universal power distribution) and his attraction to the grotty anarchist air-bikers Power Co tries to force into the grid. It’s like Triton is trying to assimilate Dhalgren’s Bellona.
Delany’s narrative negotiation of different political systems seems more purposeful, or it’s at least in the foreground of the narrative. In Z there’s a curious play going on. Hangman is a tool to make more complete planetary information—to gain a synoptic view (mountain tops, oceans, etc)—that’s cut himself loose from the task of information production. The narrator is suspicious of the production of synoptic knowledge (he looks back on his participation in the global data bank with regret). The narrative celebrates both characters cutting themselves loose from the grids they create—as well as a sort of (cosmic) frontier self-sufficiency. (With some psychosexual, biblical maker-made stuff thrown in). Was hoping it would hang out in the contradictions between working for, being enabled by, and rejecting empires of information.
“All you’ve seen is a cross-section of a process.”
“Once, with the aid of a telepath, I had touched minds with a dolphin as he composed dream-songs somewhere in the Caribbean, an experience so moving that its mere memory had often been a comfort. This sensation was hardly equivalent” (65). > cf Heyrick (1691) – Imperial fantasies of amphibious fluency > v cybernetic extension of self.
July 21, 2020
Another book I reread as an exercise in nostalgia, the two novelets in this dos-à-dos are still compelling reading thirty years on. Thirty years!?! It sure doesn't sound right.
But I digress.
The Delany is probably my favorite Delany story, especially after revisiting others I had enjoyed the first time around. This one holds up pretty well. The future depicted is very much a 1960s utopian future, so prepare yourself for what may be problematic mature material. Otherwise, it is a parable of sorts about the nature of culture and coercion. Essential reading in my weltanshaaung.
The Zelazny is a philosophy-laced dose of noir about AI, which is an early attempt at the subject using the language and allusive pool of the science's researchers. One of the finer tales of the 1970s in my personal anthology.
But I digress.
The Delany is probably my favorite Delany story, especially after revisiting others I had enjoyed the first time around. This one holds up pretty well. The future depicted is very much a 1960s utopian future, so prepare yourself for what may be problematic mature material. Otherwise, it is a parable of sorts about the nature of culture and coercion. Essential reading in my weltanshaaung.
The Zelazny is a philosophy-laced dose of noir about AI, which is an early attempt at the subject using the language and allusive pool of the science's researchers. One of the finer tales of the 1970s in my personal anthology.
June 10, 2022
Zelazny has a distinct style that was enjoyable. Glad to have made his acquaintance.
September 24, 2016
I thoroughly enjoyed the Zelazny...a curious collaboration of AI technology and psychology, with wonderful side trips into the evolution of the human moral imperative. The Delany on the other hand left me cold. I finished it asking myself what the point was. This one was a matter of taste, and obviously not to mine.
February 19, 2009
Awesome edition!
You get to flip the book w/ a cover on both sides!
You get to flip the book w/ a cover on both sides!
April 10, 2011
Love the Delany, can't remember the Zelazny, such is memory.
August 15, 2015
Man, I normally love Zelazny's work, but this was slow and dull and barely kept me interested long enough to finish it.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews