Bridge of Ashes is an experimentalZelazny 1989, p ii science fiction novel by American writer Roger Zelazny. The paperback edition was published in 1976 and the hardcover in 1979. Zelazny describes the book as one of five books from which he learned things "that have borne me through thirty or so others". He states that he "felt that if I could pull it off I could achieve some powerful effects. What I learned from this book is something of the limits of puzzlement in that no man’s land between suspense and the weakening of communication".

Plot Alien invaders manipulate humans for millennia, in order to create the "post-ecological-catastrophe environment"Zelazny 1989, p. 18 that is their natural habitat. Because of pollution, the self-destruction of the human race is imminent. Dennis Guise is a 13-year-old boy who is the most powerful telepath in the world. However, due to the sheer volume of thoughts that he inadvertently receives from others, he is catatonic. He sometimes takes on whole personalities, often famous people, living or dead. Through therapy, he eliminates these people from his mind and learns to block the experiential input of others. He can then be his own person. He decides to help a mysterious figure called "the dark man" convince the aliens to leave Earth, and they are successful.

Setting The setting is on the "near-future Earth".Wood, January 1976, p. 7 The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction defines the "near future" as an "imprecise term used to identify novels set just far enough in the future to allow for certain technological or social changes without being so different that it is necessary to explain that society to the reader".D’Ammassa 2005, p. 436 The near future of Bridge includes telepaths, aliens, alien ships, a mysterious long-lived "dark man", and the occupation of the moon. Otherwise, features of the world are like those of 1976, the year that Bridge was written. Locations in the book include the Southwestern United States, the moon, and parts of Africa.

Principal characters Dennis Guise – The most powerful telepath in history is catatonic as a child because he perceives the overpowering thoughts and experiences of others, but he obtains his own individuality through therapy administered on the moon. Richard Guise – Dennis' father is also a telepath and the President of the International Telepathic Operators Union. Victoria Guise – Dennis' mother, another telepath, sometimes strongly disagrees with her husband over Dennis' course of treatment. Dr. Winchell – A psychiatrist diagnoses Dennis and recommends a psychiatrist to treat him. Lydia Dimanche – Dennis' first psychiatrist is a mysterious figure with connections to the Children of Earth and the dark man. Children of Earth (COE) – An eco-terrorist group seeks to minimize the pollution of the planet through selective assassination and other means. Quick Smith – A member of the Children of Earth serves Lydia Dimanche and indirectly the dark man. The dark man – A man older than history, and possessing the ability to slow time, fights the aliens. The aliens – A group of aliens guides humankind towards the ecological destruction of the planet and itself. Roderick Leishman – COE assassin whom Dennis channels. Alec Stern – A therapist on the moon is successful in Dennis' treatment.

Literary discussion

Prose Zelazny has been repeatedly referred to as a prose-poet.Lindskold 1993, p. 76Cowper March 1977, p.143Sturgeon 1967, p. 5 However, there appears to be some disagreement about the true nature of his prose.

Richard Geis refers to "the Zelazny magic; that indefinable stylistic touch that makes him extremely readable."Geis February 1976, p. 23 His prose in has been variously described as "straight-forward",Budrys July 1977, p. 5 "well-written and fast-paced", and "colloquial and functional."Wood January 1976, p. 5Theodore Sturgeon praises Zelazny for his "texture, cadence and pace".Sturgeon 1967, p. 7

Richard Cowper writes that Zelazny "has fashioned for himself a style which . . . is designed to dazzle. Seen at its best, . . . it is allusive, economical, picturesque and witty [and] highly metaphorical. There are felicities of style, of invention of learning or wit, which stamp it as being his own."Cowper March 1977, pp. 146-147

Poetry As a poet, Zelazny uses in his novels poetic elements such as form, image, structure, alliteration, internal rhyme, and metaphor.Lindskold 1993, pp 118–119Sturgeon 1967, p 5Cowper March 1977, p 143 The following is an example of this style from Bridge of Ashes:

And of self the— —to old be. Was the— . . . Man by the seaside. See— . . . Drawing is the man in the damp sand. Power. His eye the binder of angles. His I— Opposite and adjacent, of course; gentle and unnoticed, as he scribes the circle. Where the line cuts them. At hand, the sea forms green steps and trellises, gentle, beneath the warm blue sky.Zelazny 1987, p 73

Protagonists Theodore Krulik, one of Zelazny's literary biographers, has indicated that Zelazny's protagonists are all cast from a certain mold:

Jane Lindskold takes a different view and notes that Zelazny also has protagonists that are ordinary people "who (are) forced into action by extraordinary circumstances".Lindskold 1993, p 113

Dennis Guise fits neither mold exactly. Krulik's criteria fit in some ways. At the beginning of the story, Dennis is catatonic because of confusing the telepathic inputs from so many people. Through the various personalities that he channels, he may gain a certain (if incomplete) culture and experience. He needs emotional maturity; his intelligence is assumed by some people, but it is unclear that he realizes his losses from his years of catatonia.

Reception Chris Lambton in Thrust, SF in Review states baldly that Bridge of Ashes is Zelazny's worst novel. He writes that Zelazny at his best "soars", "sings", and "glistens", but in Bridge' of Ashes he is "tepid, uninspired and repetitive". Lambton adds that "This is a readable, serviceable, flawed novel, what is generally termed a yeomenlike performance". He notes that "In comparison with his best work, this seems anemic", and "The humor that fueled all of Zelazny’s previous work is not here. . . .”Lambton 1977, p. 35 In Delap’s F and SF Review, Susan Wood characterizes the novel as "slight". She adds that "The potential focus of the book, Dennis Guise’s own reactions, are never really explored. Instead, a fascinating idea and characterization is subordinated to a Laser-book action formula: keep the plot moving, tie it up quickly, toss the book away."Wood 1977, p. 36 In Analog Science Fiction and Fact magazine, the writer Lester del Rey wonders if Zelazny considers "form and presentation above structure and content".del Rey 1977, p.172 Del Rey summarizes his review as follows: "It’s interesting, and some of the writing and ideas are excellent. But don’t expect to be greatly satisfied at the end".del Rey 1977, p.173

In a review in Foundation: The International Review of Science Fiction, Brian M. Stableford asserts that Bridge of Ashes is an "incomplete" novel: "Here, all together, we have beginning, middle and end (albeit mixed up a little), but all three are cut to the bone, revealing plot and structure but hardly anything of flesh, with virtually no connective tissue."Stableford 1977, p. 149 He characterizes Zelazny's literary techniques as "flashy and aggressive". These techniques allow "him to cut abruptly from scene to scene, building dazzling images and maintaining a furious pace. It makes his writing tremendously vigorous, and it makes reading him an exciting business". However, the "fragmentary nature of the stories" permits him to make Bridge of Ashes''' story "ridiculous" and "facile".Stableford 1977, pp. 149-150

In Analog Science Fiction and Fact, the writer Spider Robinson calls Bridge of Ashes''' climax "so subdued that it would fail to register on the most sensitive seismograph ever built, a stifled sneeze of a showdown after which Guise (and you) must be told that the battle is over and he has won". Robinson adds that "I always enjoy reading Zelazny; his words chase each other fluidly and fluently. His theory of exactly how the aliens created mankind is ingenious and, I think, original. But I’d have to describe this book as a misshapen thing with many features of interest."Robinson 1981, p. 160

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