Conrad is old. Even he doesn't remember how old he is, but he knows he survived the wars that destroyed most of the Earth and most of humanity along with it - and they happened centuries ago. But since then, the Vegans have adopted humanity taking most of the survivors off-planet to their home world and over-seeing those remaining behind. While they are benevolent, they are still basically zoo-keepers and humanity is the animal on display. Conrad would rather that humanity be in charge of its own destiny once again - or at least the "Conrad" portion thereof.

But most of humanity is happy with the status quo and Conrad finds a niche in government where he is basically ignored by the powers that be. That is, until now. He is assigned as guide to a visiting Vegan who is writing a travel guide - or is that just a cover story?

Conrad is our proto-typical human for this story. He is a living, walking, thinking mass of contradictions - violent, gentle, smart yet capable of grave errors, loving and angry - all at precisely the same time. And he is surrounded by characters that are almost as unforgettable as he is; the Vegan, an assassin, the obligatory female love-interest (who just happens to be the only character that is exactly what she seems to be). The story is one of transcendent humanity, and the cost of transcendence in human terms.

This book, by anyone else, would be their masterpiece. But for Zelazny, its only one of his incredible works. I happen to share the opinion that this is not his best book, but it is so good that it should be read simply on its merits and not compared to any of his other works. It is, after all is said and done, a classic.