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21st out of 51 books
—
73 voters
Blood of Amber (The Chronicles of Amber #7)
Pursued by a fiendish enemy, Merle Corey, the vanished Prince of Amber, must battle an intricate web of vengence and murder that threatens the San Francisco Bay area and beyond. The forces seeking to destroy the Royal House have unleashed mad sorceries that can strike anywhere...even at the heart of Amber.
Paperback, 224 pages
Published
September 1st 1995
by Avon Books
(first published September 1986)
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Picking up where Trumps of Doom left off, Merle continues trying to figure out who's trying to kill him. Along the way, he discovers more about his friend Luke Raynard, saves the family from being killed at the funeral of one of their own, learns of previously unknown members of the royal family, and discovers he has an ally of sorts that can switch bodies. But can he figure out how these clues fit together before he is killed and Amber is destroyed...
Blood of Amber has more than its share of tw...more
Blood of Amber has more than its share of tw...more
I felt like this book was focusing more on thickening plots rather than action itself, and although it doesn't end with any kind of closure, it is my favorite book in the series so far. Just like the first 5 books, the plot progresses at a fascinating pace, you never really know who's a friend and who's the enemy, except this time there are twice as many characters to suspect, and a few who seem to be just sitting back and waiting to step into the action some time later. What I love most about t...more
Going into Blood of Amber and tens of pages into it, it felt like this was going to bring the second five book set back on track and move towards answering the various questions the series was bringing up. For a quite a while the story was really good, with less of the 'filler pages' that plague some of the books in the series and more interesting ideas. It carried itself well, resolving one of the big mystery characters in a good solid reveal.
And then ... I don't know. Somewhere in this book it...more
And then ... I don't know. Somewhere in this book it...more
Have I described the plots of these puerile wisps of toilet water and rotting sour cream? They're all about these all-powerful assholes who have the foresight and connection to human nature of ten year olds. These people try to kill each other all the time, and always end up forgiving each other for no reason at all. Faced with the fact that a friend has been calculatedly deceiving him about his identity, motivations, occupations, and affinity for close to a decade, and the fact that he had no i...more
There's a lot of Amber-naysayers that methinks take these books far more seriously than they ought to. Insomuch as my humble opinion is seated (on a rock perhaps, pointed at a nice cloudless direction with lots of sunshine and mischievous mountains (this is all unnecessary)), this, the 2nd Merlin novel, is an excellent, if, as per usual with the series, brief adventure that does much by way of adding texture to the plot and pushing the story forward, even if it seems to neglect its characters a...more
I had started reading the 'second' of the 5-books series Zelazny did with regards to Amber, with the full knowledge most people consider it inferior, and I have to say, that while I have, thus far, preferred the original series, which stands as one of my favourite series of all time, this series is not bad, in fact compared to plenty of other's it's damn well fantastic, but it does suffer a tad in comparison to it's predecessors.
Merlin is a likeable protagonist, in some ways more likable than Co...more
Merlin is a likeable protagonist, in some ways more likable than Co...more
I thought Zelazny really stepped it up on this one.
The previous book in the series, Trumps Of Doom, featured a new character as the protagonist/narrator; Merlin, the son of Corwin of Amber, who narrated the first five books. In Trumps, Merlin failed to live up to his father's sheer coolness, and thus that book excited me less than the first five. In fact, the Merlin we meet in Trumps came across as a bit of a chump, and we still see some of that in Blood Of Amber as well(seriously, he can't figu...more
The previous book in the series, Trumps Of Doom, featured a new character as the protagonist/narrator; Merlin, the son of Corwin of Amber, who narrated the first five books. In Trumps, Merlin failed to live up to his father's sheer coolness, and thus that book excited me less than the first five. In fact, the Merlin we meet in Trumps came across as a bit of a chump, and we still see some of that in Blood Of Amber as well(seriously, he can't figu...more
I’ve read Zelazny’s original two Amber series more times than I can reasonably count. If forced at sword point to classify these books I guess I’d say they’re fantasy, but they’re so much smarter than the average sword and sorcery yarn. If one chooses to read a level or two beneath the surface then a well of philosophy and ideas is accessed. Alongside the philosophy flows a robust stream of non-stop political intrigue. Interspersed throughout is a unique, highly intelligent system of magic that...more
German edition - German review:
Merlins Abenteuer gehen weiter, die Intrigen verdichten sich und auch dieser Band endet mit einem Cliffhanger (diesmal aus Lewis Carroll). Stilistisch und atmosphärisch geradlinige Fantasy, die ihre Spannung aus der Beschränkung auf Merlins begrenzte Perspektive zieht, die den Leser miträtseln lässt, wer sich denn nun hinter diesem oder jenem Ereignis verbirgt. Der Roman ist gut lesbar, auch wenn sich sonst wenig dazu sagen lässt, da hier noch alle Handlungsstränge...more
Merlins Abenteuer gehen weiter, die Intrigen verdichten sich und auch dieser Band endet mit einem Cliffhanger (diesmal aus Lewis Carroll). Stilistisch und atmosphärisch geradlinige Fantasy, die ihre Spannung aus der Beschränkung auf Merlins begrenzte Perspektive zieht, die den Leser miträtseln lässt, wer sich denn nun hinter diesem oder jenem Ereignis verbirgt. Der Roman ist gut lesbar, auch wenn sich sonst wenig dazu sagen lässt, da hier noch alle Handlungsstränge...more
Book 7 of 10 of the Amber Chronicles. These books just keep getting better. The story structure is much better in books 6 and 7 than the previous installments. It seems that Zelazny finally got in the zone. Lots of mystery in the last two and it leaves questions unanswered at the end. Fortunately, I don't have to wait in order to read the next one.
One thing I am concerned about are the endings. They just don't quite satisfy. Book 5 in the series was the end of Corwin as the protagonist in the f...more
One thing I am concerned about are the endings. They just don't quite satisfy. Book 5 in the series was the end of Corwin as the protagonist in the f...more
Finished "Blood of Amber" by Roger Zelazny. We get to learn more, but at the same time I don't want to go into details. Read the series. It's well worth it.
Interestingly enough, though, the Mad Hatter and the hookah-smoking caterpillar made an appearance in this one, and I just coincidentally finished reading, for the first time, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. I picked up on the parallel immediately as a result. Pretty funny!
Interestingly enough, though, the Mad Hatter and the hookah-smoking caterpillar made an appearance in this one, and I just coincidentally finished reading, for the first time, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. I picked up on the parallel immediately as a result. Pretty funny!
turns out the assassin is Brand's son. Who is Merlin's best friend. But that is not all. More family and outer family rivalry. Corwin has disappeared and no one can walk the pattern he created. This is truly the 2nd Chronicles of Amber. More of the same "keep the reader in the dark and guessing right up til the end and give lots of false, confusing info and trust no one, etc, etc" but with a new generation added to the mix.
Well, that took forever.
Merlin is boring. His life is boring; his problems are boring. And now he's in Wonderland. WTF Zelazny? How's the LSD?
Seriously. I will keep reading the series, because potential. And completion. But I miss Corwin I think more than Merlin does. I like the potential of sorcery, but I really think this thing is being dragged out for no damn reason. Why were the first five books so much more engaging and fantastical? Even the 900th trip through Shadow held my interest better...more
Merlin is boring. His life is boring; his problems are boring. And now he's in Wonderland. WTF Zelazny? How's the LSD?
Seriously. I will keep reading the series, because potential. And completion. But I miss Corwin I think more than Merlin does. I like the potential of sorcery, but I really think this thing is being dragged out for no damn reason. Why were the first five books so much more engaging and fantastical? Even the 900th trip through Shadow held my interest better...more
Getting used to following the character of Merlin now instead of his father, Corwin. I still liked Corwin better, though. Maybe it's because I don't have a lot of explanation yet of Merlin's powers or his past. The story is getting pretty intertwined and confusing here, at times, especially in the audio. Lots of mysteries in the plot, so still wondering how things are going to turn out.
Blood of Amber? What blood? Do they mean Merle and Luke or blood shed? if it is the latter then there wasn't much blood in that respect. Could have done without this book. It didn't reveal much in terms of plot or progressing the store. Just ended the book with unanswered questions. What did I say about the allusion to Alice in Wonderland. The weakest book so far in the series.
The good thing about rereading something after so long, is remembering everything you've forgotten in the intervening years. The description of Amber itself being a case in point. Definitely not Medieval! And thus far Merlin isn't the power-hungry doofus I remember him being, although with three books to go, that may well changed.
To be quite honest, I didn't find this installment to be interesting at all. It seemed to drag on forever and, like all the Amber books, has chapters that are far too long for their own good. The book just couldn't hold my attention or interest and is probably the weakest installment for Amber to date, in my personal opinion.
I wholeheartedly recommend all the books from the Amber Chronicles. Once you read the first novel you'll stop only after you'll have read them all. I've re-read this book and the whole series at least three-times. Even after all these years I still rate it as one of the best series I've ever read.
Никогда особенно не интересовался книгами в стиле фэнтези, во многом по совету друзей решил прочитать "Хроники Амбера". Времени совсем не жалко, читается легко и почти за один раз.
Рекомендую для чтения в метро \ автобусе \ трамвае \ троллейбусе по дороге на учебу \ работу. Интересно!
Рекомендую для чтения в метро \ автобусе \ трамвае \ троллейбусе по дороге на учебу \ работу. Интересно!
And, oh what a bloody mess it is! Merlin, with links to both Amber and Chaos, has an unknown enemy who wants to do him in, and he doesn't know which family and friends to trust in s game of cosmic cat and mouse. Gripping fun!
Still enjoying the Merle storyline... right up to the last pages. Now it appears he's in an alternate Alice in Wonderland universe? I'm uneasy about whether I'm going to like where the next book is going to lead.
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I like these books even better than the original Amber series. Not quite the same magic of originality, but a much tighter and more suspenseful story. With nice touches of humor.
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The plot begins to thicken in Merlin's story, with villians becoming allies and the appearance of a mysterious protector.
I read these last two in such succession that it is hard to tell where one ends and the other begins.
The series continues with Merlin at the helm...
It gets a little tedious through some of his interactions with Julia and Luke, but by the third time I read the series I was so familiar with the story I really started to appreciate the social element of the tale better.
It gets a little tedious through some of his interactions with Julia and Luke, but by the third time I read the series I was so familiar with the story I really started to appreciate the social element of the tale better.
I loved the first 5 books in the series but this one was not very interesting, I felt like the story was done at book 5 and now it is just being retold.
A decent story. Not as good as the first series, but entertaining enough.
The second series isn't quite as good as the first...but it's still good.
A stronger outing that the first Merlin book. The plot deepens and grows murkier, and yet the action moves faster. The sequence along the waterfront of Amber where Merlin goes in search of dinner rivals some of the better parts of the first Chronicles, in terms of writing, action, and intrigue. It would be worth reading just for that stretch.
nothing new to say. Very consistent with the previous Amber books.
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Roger Zelazny made his name with a group of novellas which demonstrated just how intense an emotional charge could be generated by the stock imagery of sf; the most famous of these is 'A Rose for Ecclesiastes' in which a poet struggles to convince dying and sterile Martians that life is worth continuing. Zelazny continued to write excellent short stories throughout his career, which share the inve...more
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Aug 07, 2012 11:52am
Aug 07, 2012 11:54am