2007 books

26) Roger Zelazny, This Immortal, 1968
Conrad Nomikos, an exceptionally long-lived man, is asked to escort an alien Vegan as he tours a ruined, far-future and de-populated Earth. He doesn't know why, but he takes the job anyway. People are speculating that the Vegans are planning to acquire the planet, and taking in Haiti, Egypt and mostly Greece, their travels with an accompanying assassin, spy, politician and musician become a great adventure that skirts the edges of Greek myth and legend. Conrad is a very engaging and well-defined character, the settings are good and the action sequences fluid, but what I'll remember most is the effortless way Zelazny captures group dialogue, being able to convey with ease the world-weary humour of all those talking. A fun novel that works rather well on different levels.