24 Views of Mt. Fuji, by Hokusai

Roger Zelazny

Language: English

Published: Jul 2, 1985

Description:

1985 science fiction novella by Roger Zelazny. Second appearance in the 1989 short story compilation Frost & Fire, also featured in Cthulhu 2000. The title is drawn from an actual book of woodcut reproductions. The Cthulhu mythos link is weak - the narrator makes passing mention of the sunken city of R'lyeh. No mind-blasting encounters with tentacled alien gods here. Rather, the narrator makes a pilgrimage to Mt. Fuji to confront a former lover turned cybernetic megalomaniac ala Lawnmower Man. Each View is a station in her pilgrimage. En route she practices a bit of non-lethal tantric vampirism, a dry and mechanical wink to the adult audience. Zelaznophiles will note cyberpunk resonances between 24 Views, Mask of Loki, and Donnerjack.