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The Chronicles of Amber #7
Blood of Amber
Alternate cover for ISBN 0380896362 / 9780380896363
Pursued by a fiendish enemy, Merle must battle through an intricate web of vengeance and murder that threatens more than the San Francisco Bay area. For Merle Corey of California is also Merlin, son of Corwin, vanished Prince of Amber; and the forces, seeking to destroy the royal house, have unleashed sorceries that can strike anywhere, especially at the very heart of Amber.
Pursued by a fiendish enemy, Merle must battle through an intricate web of vengeance and murder that threatens more than the San Francisco Bay area. For Merle Corey of California is also Merlin, son of Corwin, vanished Prince of Amber; and the forces, seeking to destroy the royal house, have unleashed sorceries that can strike anywhere, especially at the very heart of Amber.
215 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1986
111 people are currently reading
3333 people want to read
About the author
Roger Zelazny
749 books3,903 followersRoger Joseph Zelazny was an American fantasy and science fiction writer known for his short stories and novels, best known for The Chronicles of Amber. He won the Nebula Award three times (out of 14 nominations) and the Hugo Award six times (also out of 14 nominations), including two Hugos for novels: the serialized novel ...And Call Me Conrad (1965), subsequently published under the title This Immortal (1966), and the novel Lord of Light (1967).
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 240 reviews
April 17, 2013
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 than this.
Well, not everything can be perfect. Carry on.
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 than this.
Well, not everything can be perfect. Carry on.
August 7, 2012
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 twists. I had an idea who Luke was but I was a little off. Dalt's identity was much more of a surprise. I'm still not sure who the body-swapper really is or what he/she has in store for Merle. I have a feeling Merle will meet up with Corwin before the series is over.
On to the next volume!
Blood of Amber has more than its share of twists. I had an idea who Luke was but I was a little off. Dalt's identity was much more of a surprise. I'm still not sure who the body-swapper really is or what he/she has in store for Merle. I have a feeling Merle will meet up with Corwin before the series is over.
On to the next volume!
May 2, 2024
This is the second book in the second Amber series, a straight follow-up to Trumps of Doom. Merlin is not as cool nor as smart as his father, Corwin. On the other hand, Zelazny's prose is very finely and lyrically composed in describing the settings and travels, and his depictions of the characters is fascinating, but... All of my reservations come back to the fact that I liked the earlier books better. I compare them favorably to almost any other high fantasy series that comes to mind, though, so I keep trying to treat them fairly. We should all have aunts like Merle does, right?
November 8, 2025
Merle, aka Merlin, the son of Corwin, in this second book of the second series of the Amber Chronicles sees him trapped in the Crystal cave continuing from the last novel. He eventually escapes and through many travels and dangers he makes a pact with Luke to rescue his mother Jasra from the masked sorcerer making his life miserable. We end the book with a bizarre cliffhanger in which Merle pulled is trumped into the mad tea party by Luke along with the Hatter, Hare, Cheshire Cat and Humpty Dumpty. Zelazny really liked his food and drink scenes I feel.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 29, 2022
Magic Garden Gone Wrong! Mage Dumps Fertilizer in Final Insult! "Well, I was certain that I had Merlin on the back foot with my magical attacks, but then he trumps out while dumping a truckload of manure on my head! I mean ... who gets to do that in a magical battle?!" - Mask - The Wizards' Weekly
Merlin largely spends this book trying to work out, 'What the Bloody Frack is Going ON!!!' and 'Who the Hell is Trying to Kill Me!!!' Frankly, it's one mysterious villain after another, even the help - here's looking at whoever is possessing Vinta Bayle - is mysterious. That said, he begins to seize the initiative by the end of this volume and assert some authority on events.
Recommended. 5 'Villain du Jour,' stars.
Merlin largely spends this book trying to work out, 'What the Bloody Frack is Going ON!!!' and 'Who the Hell is Trying to Kill Me!!!' Frankly, it's one mysterious villain after another, even the help - here's looking at whoever is possessing Vinta Bayle - is mysterious. That said, he begins to seize the initiative by the end of this volume and assert some authority on events.
Recommended. 5 'Villain du Jour,' stars.
January 20, 2021
Book two of the Second Chronicles of Amber expands the family tree and introduces some new settings. The plot continues to revolve around the various intrigues involving the First Family of Amber as well as the duality between Amber and the Courts of Chaos that plays out across infinite shadow worlds. But there is a strong feeling of "been there done that" which pervades the story, a lack of distinction that makes it all feel like just another episode along the way to the eventual conclusion.
August 7, 2019
My rating 4.5
I could write a lot about this book, but a lot has already been written. Mostly Merlin, as in previous books, discovers new enemies, old enemies come back, former enemies change, and you can expect a lot and be sure it isn't everything it looks like.
I could write a lot about this book, but a lot has already been written. Mostly Merlin, as in previous books, discovers new enemies, old enemies come back, former enemies change, and you can expect a lot and be sure it isn't everything it looks like.
April 25, 2019
Blood of Amber is such a brilliant novel. It is well written, extremely eventful and interesting. In other words, a fine addition to the series. By introducing clever plot twists, this book creates not only fascinating mysteries and questions but it also does a great job of adding depth to the characters. I enjoyed it immensely and read on with great interest. Merlin in the first book wasn't easy to relate (for some reason), but once he find himself neck deep in problems, it's hard not to feel sympathy for him.
As I said, I like how different Merlin is from Corwin. Merlin speaks and even thinks differently, and that's good because it keeps the reader on his/her toes. If I remember well, Blood of Amber opens with Merlin trying to escape his imprisonment. It's quite a ride from there. There are many iconic episodes in this one, and found myself warming up to Merlin more than I did in the first one. The poor guy just can't catch a break.
“Life is full of doors that don't open when you knock, equally spaced amid those that open when don't want them to.”
As I said, I like how different Merlin is from Corwin. Merlin speaks and even thinks differently, and that's good because it keeps the reader on his/her toes. If I remember well, Blood of Amber opens with Merlin trying to escape his imprisonment. It's quite a ride from there. There are many iconic episodes in this one, and found myself warming up to Merlin more than I did in the first one. The poor guy just can't catch a break.
“Life is full of doors that don't open when you knock, equally spaced amid those that open when don't want them to.”
January 5, 2024
"Još jedan rođak dolazi u posetu.", reče Random. "Zašto nisam bio jedinac?"
Eeee tada serijala do deset knjiga ne bi bilo, niti bi me ova knjiga pokolebala u misiji da ga kompletiram. Nova godino, daj mi snage da preživim ovog dosadnog Merlina koji reciklira svaku svoju sesiju razmišljanja...
Stvari stoje ovako. Merlin je dobio humanije crte - deli sa čitaocem svoje dečije traume, izražava kajanje zbog gubitka Julije i priznaje svoju nesigurnost u svetu u kom nije odrastao - i to pozdravljam. U prošloj knjizi mi je delovao pomalo frigidan. Ali i posle svega što mu se dogodilo, Merlin ne ispravlja svoju početničku naivnost, već kroz poglavlja iznova racionalizuje svoje loše odluke bazirane na odglumljenim prijateljskim odnosima. Vrlo naporno čitati ponovo istu poentu, samo sa novim imputima, koji su sami po sebi dosta haotični.
Ali idemo dalje, jer smo u ovom konkretnom slučaju nekaraktersitično tvrdoglavi...
Eeee tada serijala do deset knjiga ne bi bilo, niti bi me ova knjiga pokolebala u misiji da ga kompletiram. Nova godino, daj mi snage da preživim ovog dosadnog Merlina koji reciklira svaku svoju sesiju razmišljanja...
Stvari stoje ovako. Merlin je dobio humanije crte - deli sa čitaocem svoje dečije traume, izražava kajanje zbog gubitka Julije i priznaje svoju nesigurnost u svetu u kom nije odrastao - i to pozdravljam. U prošloj knjizi mi je delovao pomalo frigidan. Ali i posle svega što mu se dogodilo, Merlin ne ispravlja svoju početničku naivnost, već kroz poglavlja iznova racionalizuje svoje loše odluke bazirane na odglumljenim prijateljskim odnosima. Vrlo naporno čitati ponovo istu poentu, samo sa novim imputima, koji su sami po sebi dosta haotični.
Ali idemo dalje, jer smo u ovom konkretnom slučaju nekaraktersitično tvrdoglavi...
December 6, 2020
While still not sure if Merlin's ark was necessary, I liked this one more than number 6 - it was faster paced and generally more fun. I finished it and immediately got to number 8!
August 19, 2021
This is the seventh Amber novel by Zelazny, and the second in the follow-up five-book sequence about Corwin's son Merlin. In this book, Merlin, also called Merle, escapes the prison where his 'friend' Luke stowed him - at the end of previous book, Luke was revealed to be the son of Brand, the psychotic Amberite who tried to destroy the others in the original series. He is seeking revenge for his father, who the others had no choice but to kill, but it seems he's mixed-up because although he was responsible for the first few assassination attempts against Merle, committed every 30th April over about 8 years, he apparently stopped and someone else, possibly his mother, took over later. Merle discovers in this volume that various odd characters who approached him in book 1 are actually people who have been possessed by an entity who claims to want to protect him. That entity finally breaks cover and agrees to an exchange of information, but as Merlin insists on a quid pro quo, the sequence where they laboriously trade snippets is very tedious.
The plot of the present volume is rambling in the extreme. Zelazny could obviously write - I loved a section of description where Merlin walks down by the docks en route to a restaurant - but seemed here to be going through the motions plot-wise. A lot happens including blow-by-blow fight sequences which I found confusing and also unconvincingly detailed for someone caught up in the adrenaline of a fight, various people try to kill Merle and he spends a lot of time discussing who this could be and also refusing to confide in people, including his uncle Random, now King of Amber, who might be able to help him. Yet he naively trusts Luke who has admitted to making attempts on his life and appears to continue to have his own agenda. A lot of characters arrive and depart, almost on a revolving door basis, and don't add much to the story, and more are introduced in passing - e.g. two more siblings of his fathers turn up in the form of Trumps (the cards the royal family use to contact each other) whom I believe were mentioned in the first series as being thought dead long before Corwin was born - and I would guess these characters probably feature in later volumes. There are sudden rather jarring flashbacks to Merlin's upbringing at the Courts of Chaos where he had terrible fights with a person who hated him for no apparent reason and it seems pretty obvious that the shape-shifting sorcerer who trails him in this volume and eventually attacks him must be that person, yet he doesn't draw the obvious inference even when he thinks back to how this person behaved. Instead he is unable to work out who might be trying to kill him, despite the fact that this person tried at least twice when they were growing up, once by trying to shoot him in the back.
It is also far too 'easy' for Merle compared to his father - in the earlier story, Corwin was enough of a superhero: he had the ability to travel through Shadow, that is, from world to world, was a master swordsman, had above human healing powers, an extended lifespan (when banished to our Earth, he lived there for hundreds of our years), and could use the Trumps - special cards developed by his grandfather - some of these abilities developed through walking the Pattern, an energy grid used to bring the worlds into being originally. All these powers were shared with his siblings and made his family powerful enough, in my opinion. But Merlin also inherits powers from his mother Dara who is one of the Chaos party, so he can use something called the Logrus to create spells including an invisibility one, and he can shape-shift into other forms including that of an apparently fearsome beast (he uses this ability to best a demon at one point though it isn't shown as the chapter ends and the next one switches to after he has done so). He can also reach into Shadow and pull out new clothes whenever he needs them or a sword or just about anything else he needs. Frankly, this makes him far too boring a character and his general naive stupidity doesn't endear him to the reader either.
The book ends as its predecessor did - Merlin is now a prisoner somewhere, this time in a very surreal place. With the lack of real character development or a half-decent plot, I can't believe it would be worth the bother of tracking down the final three volumes of this (I have only the first two) as there is no real incentive to read on.
The plot of the present volume is rambling in the extreme. Zelazny could obviously write - I loved a section of description where Merlin walks down by the docks en route to a restaurant - but seemed here to be going through the motions plot-wise. A lot happens including blow-by-blow fight sequences which I found confusing and also unconvincingly detailed for someone caught up in the adrenaline of a fight, various people try to kill Merle and he spends a lot of time discussing who this could be and also refusing to confide in people, including his uncle Random, now King of Amber, who might be able to help him. Yet he naively trusts Luke who has admitted to making attempts on his life and appears to continue to have his own agenda. A lot of characters arrive and depart, almost on a revolving door basis, and don't add much to the story, and more are introduced in passing - e.g. two more siblings of his fathers turn up in the form of Trumps (the cards the royal family use to contact each other) whom I believe were mentioned in the first series as being thought dead long before Corwin was born - and I would guess these characters probably feature in later volumes. There are sudden rather jarring flashbacks to Merlin's upbringing at the Courts of Chaos where he had terrible fights with a person who hated him for no apparent reason and it seems pretty obvious that the shape-shifting sorcerer who trails him in this volume and eventually attacks him must be that person, yet he doesn't draw the obvious inference even when he thinks back to how this person behaved. Instead he is unable to work out who might be trying to kill him, despite the fact that this person tried at least twice when they were growing up, once by trying to shoot him in the back.
It is also far too 'easy' for Merle compared to his father - in the earlier story, Corwin was enough of a superhero: he had the ability to travel through Shadow, that is, from world to world, was a master swordsman, had above human healing powers, an extended lifespan (when banished to our Earth, he lived there for hundreds of our years), and could use the Trumps - special cards developed by his grandfather - some of these abilities developed through walking the Pattern, an energy grid used to bring the worlds into being originally. All these powers were shared with his siblings and made his family powerful enough, in my opinion. But Merlin also inherits powers from his mother Dara who is one of the Chaos party, so he can use something called the Logrus to create spells including an invisibility one, and he can shape-shift into other forms including that of an apparently fearsome beast (he uses this ability to best a demon at one point though it isn't shown as the chapter ends and the next one switches to after he has done so). He can also reach into Shadow and pull out new clothes whenever he needs them or a sword or just about anything else he needs. Frankly, this makes him far too boring a character and his general naive stupidity doesn't endear him to the reader either.
The book ends as its predecessor did - Merlin is now a prisoner somewhere, this time in a very surreal place. With the lack of real character development or a half-decent plot, I can't believe it would be worth the bother of tracking down the final three volumes of this (I have only the first two) as there is no real incentive to read on.
December 18, 2014
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 these books is that there's no ultimate evil entity, in the end pretty much every character has a good and a bad side, everyone has their own vendettas and ambitions, most of them understandable.
I feel that the author hasn't wasted a single line with irrelevant conversation in this book, every chapter in the plot thickens, and every little remark, flashback or picture on a trump is important to the story and will eventually come back. The family also seems to be growing each chapter.
I'm not sure how I feel about the fact that Merlin seems MUCH more powerful than Corwin. I mean, he can summon any object he wants out of Shadow, he can create Trumps at any time, he can go invisible, and he can destroy anything he wants with the power of his mind by using the Logrus. I don't think he's as good with a sword as Corwin, but who needs that when you're a sorcerer and got amazing killer spells.
My hopes for the next books are that Corwin will show up soon (and not completely mad), that we'll know a bit more about Dara and Merlin's brothers at the Courts, and that Luke will actually turn out to be a good guy.
I feel that the author hasn't wasted a single line with irrelevant conversation in this book, every chapter in the plot thickens, and every little remark, flashback or picture on a trump is important to the story and will eventually come back. The family also seems to be growing each chapter.
I'm not sure how I feel about the fact that Merlin seems MUCH more powerful than Corwin. I mean, he can summon any object he wants out of Shadow, he can create Trumps at any time, he can go invisible, and he can destroy anything he wants with the power of his mind by using the Logrus. I don't think he's as good with a sword as Corwin, but who needs that when you're a sorcerer and got amazing killer spells.
My hopes for the next books are that Corwin will show up soon (and not completely mad), that we'll know a bit more about Dara and Merlin's brothers at the Courts, and that Luke will actually turn out to be a good guy.
March 31, 2017
One thing I noticed early on in the series that I've failed to mention is that when Zelazny moves his character through shadow it reads almost like poetry, not the forced trying to be like Tolkien poetry that once fantasy writer seemed to have to insert to have a "proper" fantasy. The descriptions aren't formatted like poetry it just sounds like a very poetic movement.
June 15, 2024
Інтрига щодо того, хто стоїть за замахом на Мерліна, продовжується. Але от закінчилась друга книга із п'яти, і жодного натяку на те, хто ж цей таємничий ворог, нема. З іншого боку, Желязни вирішив нас трохи побалувати - крім перебігу нескінченних розмов, періодичних подорожей в нескінченні реальності та періодичних бійок (тобто все те, що й було в попередній книзі), Мерлін врешті-решт зустрічається віч-на-віч із своїм ворогом, але той був в подобі звіра (тут Мерлін разом із нами задумується - чи то сам справжній ворог в іншій подобі, чи то він прислав звіра, ну то таке - попереду ще три книги, побачимо!). І ще один бонус - тут відкривається якась істота, яка вселяється в людські тіла, і яка намагається бути поруч із Мерліном, щоби його захистити, незважаючи на те, хоче він цього чи ні, але йой, най буде)
Кінцівка взагалі наркомансько-психоделічна, де починають діяти персонажі геть із іншого твору (дуже відомого!), оце так здивував Желязни в парі останніх абзаців! А враховуючи те, що третя книга вийшла через 2 роки після другої, то звісно багато прихільників цієї саги ламали увесь цей час собі голову, до чого ж тут цей інший світ?!
Кінцівка взагалі наркомансько-психоделічна, де починають діяти персонажі геть із іншого твору (дуже відомого!), оце так здивував Желязни в парі останніх абзаців! А враховуючи те, що третя книга вийшла через 2 роки після другої, то звісно багато прихільників цієї саги ламали увесь цей час собі голову, до чого ж тут цей інший світ?!
January 15, 2016
საინტერესო რაღაცეები ხდება :3 ისე მართლა, ცოტა უფრო პატარა სანათესაო რომ ჰქონოდათ ამბერის პრინცებს, გაცილებით უფრო მშვიდად იცხოვრებდნენ :))
P.S.
P.S.
January 30, 2019
Цікаве закінчення компенсує трохи розтягнутий сюжет. Багато сюжетних ліній так і не сплелись - напевно в наступній книзі серії ...
February 15, 2013
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 figure out that the one-eyed, one-eared wolf that hates him and wants to kill him is actually his one-eyed, one-eared shapeshifter brother who hates him and wants to kill him?). However, Merlin decides to try to take control of his own destiny in this book, and in my mind this makes his flaws much easier to deal with, and also helps move the action along at quite a good clip. By the end of the book, it seemed that Zelazny had really hit his stride, and things were happening so quickly and furiously that I could barely put the book down.
I can't wait to read the next one and figure out what the hell happened with the completely bizzare Alice In Wonderland ending.
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 figure out that the one-eyed, one-eared wolf that hates him and wants to kill him is actually his one-eyed, one-eared shapeshifter brother who hates him and wants to kill him?). However, Merlin decides to try to take control of his own destiny in this book, and in my mind this makes his flaws much easier to deal with, and also helps move the action along at quite a good clip. By the end of the book, it seemed that Zelazny had really hit his stride, and things were happening so quickly and furiously that I could barely put the book down.
I can't wait to read the next one and figure out what the hell happened with the completely bizzare Alice In Wonderland ending.
May 7, 2021
Book seven in the Chronicles of Amber, and book two in the Merle Corey
ARE YOU DUCKING KIDDING ME GOODREADS? YOU DELETED MY WHOLE REVIEW!!!! ALL OF IT????
Since I can't seem to recover the actual review;
- I did not love this book as much as previous Amber books.
-I still loved this book more than many others.
-Merlin is modelled on Corwin but not as good a character.
-Zelazny uses too many themes from Corwin's cycle and does not seem as invested in this book.
-We get to see more of Amber.
-We get to see more of Flora (whose real name is never used any more)and Fiona.
-It is beyond belief that Merlin trusts Luke as much, as often as he does.
-It is beyond idiotic that you would be that chummy with someone who has done you NOTHING but bad turns, including murder and imprisonment.
- Merlin tells everyone everything he knows without getting any real information back.
-Did I mention that Zelazny is using the Corwin themes, but not putting enough effort into them?
-Rescuing homicidal Luke's mother made no sense.
-Acting as a solitary individual made no sense (it did for Corwin, but not Merlin).
- Still loved it, will still go on to the next one.
ARE YOU DUCKING KIDDING ME GOODREADS? YOU DELETED MY WHOLE REVIEW!!!! ALL OF IT????
Since I can't seem to recover the actual review;
- I did not love this book as much as previous Amber books.
-I still loved this book more than many others.
-Merlin is modelled on Corwin but not as good a character.
-Zelazny uses too many themes from Corwin's cycle and does not seem as invested in this book.
-We get to see more of Amber.
-We get to see more of Flora (whose real name is never used any more)and Fiona.
-It is beyond belief that Merlin trusts Luke as much, as often as he does.
-It is beyond idiotic that you would be that chummy with someone who has done you NOTHING but bad turns, including murder and imprisonment.
- Merlin tells everyone everything he knows without getting any real information back.
-Did I mention that Zelazny is using the Corwin themes, but not putting enough effort into them?
-Rescuing homicidal Luke's mother made no sense.
-Acting as a solitary individual made no sense (it did for Corwin, but not Merlin).
- Still loved it, will still go on to the next one.
February 9, 2011
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.
January 22, 2025
Alright, I still like Merlin more than Corwin, but to be honest, I had no idea what was happening in this book 80% of the time.
Read
September 11, 2023The voice reminds me a lot of Steven Brust, whose work I have a good time with.
October 3, 2019
Well, I've lost track of all the new setting elements Zelazny is adding to the series. There's only so much magic you can fit into a world and still have it follow any comprehensible rules; not that the author seems interested in writing a rules-based story, but at this point he couldn't if he tried.
And when the world has no rules it can only draw us in by emotional attachment, either to the strong characters or the engaging plot.
Characterwise, we're stuck with Merlin. In the original series he was dull and unwanted, tacked on to the story but adding nothing to it. Somehow, paradoxically, he became worse. Whatever interesting features his upbringing in the Courts of Chaos could have added to his personality, it has been wiped and replace with his life as an upper middle class American student. Whereas Corwin's memories centered around surviving the plague and fleeing the revolution, Merlin keeps reminiscing about sailing a boat and sporting matches. He has no clear ambitions other than to be an arrogant jackass, which means a lot of boredom when he does nothing, and confusion when he suddenly decides to do something, but without explaining his goals to the reader. And the characters from the old book have been shunted into the background to be replaced with a cast as fascinating as the lead.
And the plot? I couldn't for the life of me remember what happened in this book, though I've just read it, so I looked it up on Wikipedia.
Yeah, that pretty much says it all.
And when the world has no rules it can only draw us in by emotional attachment, either to the strong characters or the engaging plot.
Characterwise, we're stuck with Merlin. In the original series he was dull and unwanted, tacked on to the story but adding nothing to it. Somehow, paradoxically, he became worse. Whatever interesting features his upbringing in the Courts of Chaos could have added to his personality, it has been wiped and replace with his life as an upper middle class American student. Whereas Corwin's memories centered around surviving the plague and fleeing the revolution, Merlin keeps reminiscing about sailing a boat and sporting matches. He has no clear ambitions other than to be an arrogant jackass, which means a lot of boredom when he does nothing, and confusion when he suddenly decides to do something, but without explaining his goals to the reader. And the characters from the old book have been shunted into the background to be replaced with a cast as fascinating as the lead.
And the plot? I couldn't for the life of me remember what happened in this book, though I've just read it, so I looked it up on Wikipedia.
Merlin escapes from the crystal cave, and decides to gain leverage over Luke by rescuing his mother from the Keep of the Four Worlds. He spars with the sorcerer who now controls the keep, and who seems to know him. He escapes with the petrified Jasra, and returns to Amber where an unusual Trump summoning imprisons him in the Mad Hatter's tea party.
Yeah, that pretty much says it all.
January 25, 2018
Turning the last page in the Blood of Amber, the 7th of 10 books in the Chronicles of Amber, I find myself asking the same question that has dogged me throughout the series so far: Did Zelazny have an editor?
While the obvious answer lay somewhere in the "It was early fantasy, give the guy a break" realm, it still boggles my mind that these books are considered some of the best written in the genre. Sadly, for me, this doesn't stand up to many of it's contemporaries, and certainly fades when viewed in comparison with the more modern classics of it's ilk.
Characters continue to shuffle like cards in a deck, but many times the card is face down when a chapter begins and your frame of reference is little more than guesswork.
Zelazny continues to flush pages of prose full of redundancy, using the same word many times across short spans, and explaining the same ideas, thoughts, and imagery far too frequently for comfort.
For all his literary shortcomings (and as nothing more than a hobbyist in the genre I have no hat to hang my opinion on) Zelazny still manages to sprinkle the wasteland of pointless prose with scenes of brilliant beauty. Through the overall vision his creativity is clear; he supplies you with enough wonder that you're forced to continue on.
While my interest in the series has waned, my promise to complete the series remains in tact, and I will begin shortly book 8 of the Chronicles of Amber.
While the obvious answer lay somewhere in the "It was early fantasy, give the guy a break" realm, it still boggles my mind that these books are considered some of the best written in the genre. Sadly, for me, this doesn't stand up to many of it's contemporaries, and certainly fades when viewed in comparison with the more modern classics of it's ilk.
Characters continue to shuffle like cards in a deck, but many times the card is face down when a chapter begins and your frame of reference is little more than guesswork.
Zelazny continues to flush pages of prose full of redundancy, using the same word many times across short spans, and explaining the same ideas, thoughts, and imagery far too frequently for comfort.
For all his literary shortcomings (and as nothing more than a hobbyist in the genre I have no hat to hang my opinion on) Zelazny still manages to sprinkle the wasteland of pointless prose with scenes of brilliant beauty. Through the overall vision his creativity is clear; he supplies you with enough wonder that you're forced to continue on.
While my interest in the series has waned, my promise to complete the series remains in tact, and I will begin shortly book 8 of the Chronicles of Amber.
August 1, 2012
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 became aggressively difficult to keep reading, as each turned page never went anywhere. I put it down for a while, came back, struggled with it and then a month later finally finished the last third in two sittings just to get it done. The end result is the last quarter of the book is flat out terrible, unenjoyable and not at all what I was hoping for.
I'd rate it lower but it is unfair to evaluate the totality of a novel against the terrible last pages, but in terms of an average, they sure do drag the whole of it down.
And then ... I don't know. Somewhere in this book it became aggressively difficult to keep reading, as each turned page never went anywhere. I put it down for a while, came back, struggled with it and then a month later finally finished the last third in two sittings just to get it done. The end result is the last quarter of the book is flat out terrible, unenjoyable and not at all what I was hoping for.
I'd rate it lower but it is unfair to evaluate the totality of a novel against the terrible last pages, but in terms of an average, they sure do drag the whole of it down.
January 12, 2021
Заиста је Мерлинов циклус доста слабији у односу на Корвинов и вероватно бих одустао да нисам дошао до последње књиге у серијалу. Наркотичка, дивља и психоделична атмосфера 70-их напуштена је зарад штурог и неуверљивог описа магијских система уз по коју референцу на научне принципе нашег света.
Приповедање је јасније структурисано и више не личи на препричавање живописног сна; иронично, ликови су мање развијени и свесно удаљени од главног тога приче. Зелазни се тако одриче оригиналних замисли чврсто изграђених у првих пет књига, да би испричао једну генеричку фантазијску приповест о уображеном "изабраном" јунаку. Мерлин је сву своју посебност - што карактерну, што магијску - наследио рођењем; он је спој најмоћнијих сила универзума и током обуке није имао потешкоћа да овлада са оба пола магијских моћи. Поседује и ствара најбоље магијске чаролије и артефакте и тако даље, клише за клишеом.
Ако се сетимо да је Корвин четири године провео у самици док су му поново израстале ископане очи, јасно је колико циклус о Мерлину разочарава.
Приповедање је јасније структурисано и више не личи на препричавање живописног сна; иронично, ликови су мање развијени и свесно удаљени од главног тога приче. Зелазни се тако одриче оригиналних замисли чврсто изграђених у првих пет књига, да би испричао једну генеричку фантазијску приповест о уображеном "изабраном" јунаку. Мерлин је сву своју посебност - што карактерну, што магијску - наследио рођењем; он је спој најмоћнијих сила универзума и током обуке није имао потешкоћа да овлада са оба пола магијских моћи. Поседује и ствара најбоље магијске чаролије и артефакте и тако даље, клише за клишеом.
Ако се сетимо да је Корвин четири године провео у самици док су му поново израстале ископане очи, јасно је колико циклус о Мерлину разочарава.
March 7, 2022
Okay, Merlin has completely won me over. I'm not saying I like him better than Corwin--I could never--but I love him equally. Except I refuse to call him Merle, even in my mind. Merlin is a much better name (no offense to anyone who goes by Merle).
I'm not sure what happened at the end of this book. It's so strange and bizarre, and it literally involves the Mad Hatter, but it somehow makes sense for this narrator who is a child of Amber and a prince of Chaos at the same time. I am still wondering who Mask is, and I'm really, really hoping that it's not Corwin. The only thing that could be strong enough to completely justify all the suspense and the only thing that would make me want to throw The Great Book of Amber at Zelazny's head is if Corwin is Merlin's antagonist.
But we shall see. Onto Book 8.
I'm not sure what happened at the end of this book. It's so strange and bizarre, and it literally involves the Mad Hatter, but it somehow makes sense for this narrator who is a child of Amber and a prince of Chaos at the same time. I am still wondering who Mask is, and I'm really, really hoping that it's not Corwin. The only thing that could be strong enough to completely justify all the suspense and the only thing that would make me want to throw The Great Book of Amber at Zelazny's head is if Corwin is Merlin's antagonist.
But we shall see. Onto Book 8.
May 30, 2015
This part of the series is picking up again - now that I've adjusted to Merlin as a main character (even though he's oddly similar to Corwin), as well as the seemingly new rules surrounding magic (Marlin is just a spellslinger now?).
I still am not enjoying this arc as much as the initial 5, but they move fast and are still very entertaining. I look forward to finishing out the entire arc.
I still am not enjoying this arc as much as the initial 5, but they move fast and are still very entertaining. I look forward to finishing out the entire arc.
December 20, 2019
the violence keeps getting too graphic and a little too gratuitous here for my liking. Plus the saga seems to be spinning out of control for no particular reason. Sadly, this seems more like HP Lovecraft than what has gone before. One thing that is tiring in Zelazny is his elaborate descriptions of duels with fantastic weapons, and this one has one too many of these
March 7, 2021
Questo volume come il precedente, fa parte di un frammento delle cronache di ambra di passaggio, c'è molta carne al fuoco e spesso genera confusione... ma piccolo spoiler tranquilli con il volume 8 che sto leggendo in questo istante tutto ritorna al posto giusto.... mi manca Corwin e il suo "Sta bene!!!"
December 14, 2009
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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