Gates. Collection of Stories. Volume 1

For a long time, it has been my intention to write stories that can be perceived on multiple levels, from simple to complex. I believe they should be enjoyable simply as stories… even for those who cannot recognize a single allusion.
— Roger Zelazny

Before you is the first volume of the collection of stories by one of the greatest masters of science fiction of the 20th century — a writer who managed to combine poetic language, philosophical depth, and captivating plots.
Remote planets and ancient myths, scientific experiments and questions of eternity — these and much more are present in the stories of Roger Zelazny. A linguist tries to save a dying Martian civilization with the power of words in the famous novella “A Rose for Ecclesiastes.” A psychiatrist dives into the consciousness of his patient and creates a world where reality is governed by imagination in the novella “Forming.” And on distant Venus, a hunter engages in a deadly struggle with an ancient sea monster in the thrilling story “The Doors of His Face, The Lamps of His Mouth.”
These are stories in which Zelazny’s unique style already manifests, thanks to which Roger Zelazny will become a classic of the genre and the author famous for “The Chronicles of Amber.”
The collection is supplemented with author’s comments, memories of contemporaries, and Zelazny's biography, allowing a glimpse into the writer's creative laboratory.