He manages to safely return to the ship, where he assists Luharich in a successful capture.

Because the lure is deployed only when an Ikky has been detected in close proximity to the ship, the baitman can find himself dangerously close to the Ikky. Originally published in the March 1965 issue of The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, it won the 1966 Nebula Award for Best Novelette and was nominated for the 1966 Hugo Award for Best Short Fiction. Davits and Luharich were previously involved in a brief romantic relationship which ended years before the story begins.ĭavits has been hired on as a 'baitman'-the crewmember who is tasked with diving to the end of a submerged cable so as to attach and activate an electronic lure. 'The Doors of His Face, the Lamps of His Mouth' is a science fiction novelette by Roger Zelazny. Davits is a work-for-hire seaman who has been on the crew of several earlier attempts, and in fact had once been in Luharich's position: a playboy sportsman who commissioned the ship Luharich now owns, until he was injured in a disastrous try whose failure he blames himself for. Luharich is a successful businesswoman and media celebrity who is financing, and commanding, an expedition to capture an Ikky. The story's two main protagonists are Jean Luharich and Carlton Davits. It has never been caught, despite numerous attempts to do so. Unlike the actual planet, Zelazny's Venus is Earth-like, offering breathable air, water-filled oceans and native fauna, one of which is the fictional Ichthyform Leviosaurus Levianthus, a 300-foot-long denizen of the Venusian oceans commonly called 'Ikky'.

The story is set on Venus at a time when mankind has achieved routine travel to the various planets of the solar system. The Doors of His Face, The Lamps of His Mouth by Roger Zelazny

Roger zelazny the doors of his face