In a book that reeks of gothic horror, with characters (not explicitly named, but strongly implied) including the likes of Jack the Ripper, Count Dracula, Dr. Frankenstein, Sherlock Holmes and Rasputin, it was a stroke of literary genius to narrate the story through the eyes of a dog.

Not just any dog, mind you, but Snuff, the canine familiar of the aforementioned Jack. In A Night in the Lonesome October, Roger Zelazny weaves a cunning pattern of plots and cross purposes as the players converge at a set time and place for The Great Game, working either for or against the release of Lovecraftian Elder Gods into the world.

In and around Victorian London, the characters and their various sidekicks and familiars gather, working on separate paths through the month of October, finalizing their plans and machinations as they move towards the powerful full moon on the 31st. They interact to some extent, even cooperate at times, and many aren't sure who among them are allies and who are foes.

Besides the literary and historical figures mentioned above, the players in The Game include a druid, a vicar, a werewolf and a Shakespearean witch. Their companions, too, are more than they seem. Although they take mundane forms -- including Graymalk the cat, Quicklime the snake, Nightwind the owl, Cheeter the squirrel, Needle the bat, Bubo the rat and Tekela the albino raven -- they are far more. Deeply sentient and aware of their purpose, taking active roles in furthering their masters' goals. Snuff, for instance, has gone through similar undertakings before -- perhaps more than once.

Knowledge of what's going on is given to readers piecemeal, so don't expect to figure out the endgame until, well, the end.

Snuff narrates the book through a series of diary-like entries, one for each day of the month. The book is liberally illustrated with black-and-white ink illustrations by Gahan Wilson, also one per day. Although his art style is not to my taste, it's a nice touch ... although at least one drawing gives away a major plot point several pages before it comes up in the text.

A Night in the Lonesome October was published in 1993, not long before Zelazny's death, and was reissued this year with a new -- much less interesting -- cover. Even so, it remains an atmospheric delight, a perfect book to read (or reread) in the fall, right up to the calamitous conclusion.

And Snuff? He's a good boy. A very good boy.