Sign of Chaos

The Chronicles of Amber #8

by Roger Zelazny

Book by Zelazny, Roger

Genres: Fantasy, Fiction, Science Fiction, Science Fiction Fantasy, Epic Fantasy, Audiobook, High Fantasy

288 pages, Hardcover

First published October 1, 1987

About the author

Roger 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).

Reviews

[Ivana Books Are Magic · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Alice in Wonderland episode in itself is worth five stars. That has to be one of my favourite scenes, not just in this book series, but of all times. It's so brilliantly written. As typical of Zelazny, Blood of Amber ended practically mid sentence. Sign of Chaos takes up from where Blood of Amber ended beautifully. The previous sequel was quite eventful, and this one is no different. I like how things just keep on getting more complicated. In the Amber family things are never peaceful, and when you add the shadows and the Courts of Chaos to the mix, you can see why our protagonist has his work cut out for him. Magic can't help him much, he will need more than magical powers (and an awesome AI as a sidekick) to stay alive. Merlin also grows as a person in this one, I feel. He is starting to see how some of his earlier actions can have serious consequences.

The more I read into the sequels, the more I liked how different Merlin is from Corwin. Zelazny's writing is always poetic, but linguistically speaking Merlin hasn't got anything in common with Corwin. Merlin narrative voice is quite different and his approach to things as well. Corwin was an old soul (and quite literately so), whereas Merlin is distinctly a young person. Despite his magical powers, his double identity as a noble of both Amber and Chaos, and his shadow walking creation, Merlin is sometimes quite naive in a young person sort of way. However, it makes perfect sense. Merlin being more trusting and less prideful in general, he is willing to stand out for his friend Luke, despite the risks. At the same time, Merlin is certainly intelligent. He is able to see the bigger picture, although not all of it obviously- where would be the fun in that? All in all, this is a great novel. Zelanzny at his best. Enough said.

[Graeme Rodaughan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Magical Mayhem! Wizard Posse Punches Arch-Villain's Trump Card! "Well, I'd just become a 'Living Trump,' able to transport myself anywhere throughout the multiverse at will. You'd think that'd make a difference. (Shakes head disconsolately), But No! Merlin still thwarted my Evil Plan!" - Jurt - The Vigilant Villain

'The whiffling, the wailing, and the burbling suddenly echoed down the shaft, along with hissing, scraping and occasional snarls. The two beasts came together and tore at each other, eyes like dying suns, claws like bayonets, forming a hellish mandala in the pale light which now reached them from below.' A fire angel and a Jabberwock in a boss fight...

With more intrigue than a bagful of hairless primates fighting over the last peanut, this volume kept me awake at night.

Recommended, 5 'Team Jabberwock,' stars.

[Dan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Merlin continues on his quest to find out who has been trying to kill him for years and why. Along the way, we find out more of his backstory, in particular the bits involving his half brothers Jurt and Mandor. More illegitimate spawn of the Amber family pop up, as does Merlin's mysterious body-swapping aide. What do all of these things have to do with the Keep of Four Worlds?

I'm over halfway through the second Chronicle of Amber and I have to say I'm not as captivated by it as I was the first five books. While I find aspects of Merlin's mystery as interesting or more intersting than Corwin's, such as the Ghostwheel and the pattern Corwin created, I feel like the first five books are getting watered down. Too many people are walking the Pattern and too many are able to create trumps.

That's not to say Sign of Chaos is a bad book. It's full of the intrigue that makes the Amber books great. Merlin isn't a carbon copy of his father, which is refreshing. The Amberites are true to form in their double dealing. Despite some minor gripes, I'm ready to find out what happened to Corwin and what will happen to Merlin, Julian, Mandor, and the rest. On to book nine!

[Stjepan Cobets · Rating 5 out of 5]

The review will wait a bit because for lack of time I will have to prolong it for later.

[Craig · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the third book in Zelazny's second Amber series and picks up immediately where Blood of Amber ended. It stops with little resolution to the overall arc. It's made quite obvious that Merlin isn't much like his father, Corwin, but he seems just a bit too gullible. (Maybe more than just a bit... If the reader can immediately see what's wrong with the characters Merlin deals with, he should have a clue too, right?) I believe that it's possible to enjoy the first series on their own, but this one is more of a single long story that must be read in sequence. It is a very well-crafted book, with many nicely written scenes and sequences... perhaps if I'd read Merlin's story first, I'd appreciate it more.

[Kevin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some very surprising developments at the end of this volume, I'm hurrying on to the next book in the series. If you are a fantasy fan and haven't read this series you really should give it a try.

[RJ - Slayer of Trolls · Rating 3 out of 5]

This middle book in the 5-part Second Chronicles of Amber drags a little with Middle Book Syndrome: no real resolutions, just plot complications, a few new characters and some unexpected reversals of fortune. Fans might neglect the Second Chronicles for not being quite as fresh as the First, and perhaps rightfully so, but there's still a lot of fun here for fantasy fans as Zelazny continues to flesh out and expand his Amberverse.

[Dave · Rating 4 out of 5]

Merlin’s mad tea party opening this book is an LSD trip as it turns out concluding with a battle between a fire angel chaos creature against a Jabberwocky of all things.
Family secrets are uncovered as Merlin cones and goes to Amber and back escorting a daughter of a royal family around to encounters with Luke/Rinaldo, Zelazny fires off encounter after encounter until the book closes with a battle pitting Merlin, his half brother Mandor, and Luke’s mother Jasra against their other half brother Jurt, who is trying to become all powerful and the mysterious masked foe who at stories end is revealed to be Merlin’s former girlfriend, Julia.

[Maja · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nastavak koji je oživeo nadu da ću kompletirati serijal, ujedno me podsećajući da to ipak neće biti bez muke i napora. Početnim poglavljima skidam kapu, među najboljima su u serijalu, jer maksimalno koriste najmaštovitije, najluđe scenarije koji se mogu desiti putnicima kroz svetove. Vatreni anđeo je 🔥 🔥 🔥 koncept za biće haosa. Merlin čak priznaje da je "kritičnost i sumnju ostavio predugo da spavaju" i iskreno pokušava da se uklopi u psihološku topografiju familije. Za mene, to su sve pobede.
Sredina knjige nam dodatno približava konkretan život i diplomatiju Ambara (aleluja), ali kraj nažalost ponovo razočarava sa dosadnim akcionim sekvencama i previše tajnovitih situacija. Sve ponovo kreće da se zamršava, a mene - boli glava.

Balans originalnosti i glavobolje - moj konačan verdikt za ovaj naslov. Čitam dalje jedino zbog Luka, sporednog lika koji me je polako osvajao od prošle knjige. I, ako smo iskreni, želje da se ne poklekne pred kraj...

[Joel · Rating 4 out of 5]

These are getting a tad homogeneous at this point, but still extremely enjoyable. I'm a bit irked by the fact that anytime someone asks how something happens, they get a detailed, exact and completely true response, but it's minor details. I am excited to get closer to the end of the series, and see how it's going to end. Still nowhere near as awesome as the Corwin cycle, but good.

[Fantasy Literature · Rating 2 out of 5]

http://www.fantasyliterature.com/revi...

[Caro the Helmet Lady · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fast and fun.

[AndrewP · Rating 2 out of 5]

Book #8 of the Chronicles of Amber. This one was a bit of a mess, confusing characters and muddled storyline. The conclusion did not really resolve anything except that there will be a follow up.
I will finish up the series but don't have high hopes of a stunning conclusion.

[Ken · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sign of Chaos marks return to form for Zelazny and his Chronicles of Amber. Anyone who has come this far in the series (this is the eighth book) hardly needs a glowing review to continue reading, but after the somewhat tedious book that preceded it, this one is a welcome improvement.

[Roman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Попри увесь мій внутрішній читацький супротив, рівень нудності в третій книзі П'ятикнижжя Мерліна дещо підвищився, а шкода..

Отже, продовження вельми захоплюючих розмов в стилі "Скажи мені цю інформацію. - Я-то скажу, а ти мені що? - А я тобі скажу щось важливе для тебе", або "То хто за цим стоїть? - Гадки не маю", або "Може тобі потрібна моя допомога? - Та ні, дякую, сам впораюсь" трішечки було розбавлено двома важливими відкриттями (бо без цього все було би так само невизначено, як в попередніх частинах і треба було таки щось із цим робити, бо скіко ж можна читатів за носа водити), а саме - з'ясували, хто саме та істота, яка вселяється в тіла людей, щоби допомагати Мерліну, але не з'ясували, чому (і на тому спасибі!); та таки нарешті відкрилось, хто ж той могутній чаклун, що ховається за маскою, і постійно хоче знищити Мерліна (було неочікувано, справді! і знову ж - і на тому спасибі!)

[Jānis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Grāmata ļoti laba, taču nedaudz nepatīk, ka šīs grāmatas par Merlinu ir saistītas gan ar iepriekšējām, gan nākamajām, ka īsti izraut no konteksta nevarētu, kas man sērijās nepatīk. Uzskatu, ka grāmatu sērijās vajadzētu būt tā, ka, pat, ja lasa random secībā, tad jēgu saprot vienalga.
Nu, bet kā seriāls, ir labs.

[Florin Pitea · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reasonably good.

[Yve · Rating 1 out of 5]

Reading this is kind of like listening to an 8-year-old who just watched Alice In Wonderland and Star Trek tell you a stream-of-consciousness story. Kind of entertaining, also kind of annoying. I really liked some books in this series, and I certainly don't pretend that the Chronicles of Amber were ever high literature. But in Sign of Chaos, the whole Zelazny-writes-the-first-weird-thing-that-pops-into-his-head formula is totally wrung out. I just barely care about Merlin and Luke/Rinaldo, the other characters are all non-entities and even the characters from the first five books, though they are nominally there, fail to make an impression. Far too much of it is devoted to boring over-choreographed fight scenes. And the whole Lewis Carroll thing that lasted the first two chapters, a.k.a. the most phoned-in "acid trip" ever, just made me roll my eyes. I kind of wish I'd stopped reading after the Corwin books.

[Chris · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is where the Merlin stories start to fizzle out, unfortunately.

[Jenny · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book carries the story forward really well. There's a momentum to it that helps the pace and makes it a page-turner, especially at the end. I prefer Zelzany's dialogue to his narration for the most part, but there's some good action in this story and some nice descriptions. I'm glad we find out more about the shape-shifting entity, and we find who Mask is, and it's a good surprise, meaning that it's impactful enough and makes sense but isn't toooo obvious, depending on your perspective. I'm looking forward to finding out how this person became Mask and to seeing what happens next with Jasra, Jurt, Luke, Mandor, and everyone else. There are definitely still unanswered questions, especially with Jasra, Luke, and Dalt, and I still want a Corwin appearance. There's a moving scene where Merlin goes into his dad's former apartment to see his belongings and where he lived, stating that he always finds something unexpected that teaches him something more about who his dad was, and it's emotional for Merlin and for the reader because we know Corwin the way Merlin does--through his story of what happened between him and Brand. That's all Merlin knows about his own father, so I want him to get more time with Corwin, and I'd love to see Corwin make another appearance for myself. But I love Zelazny's style, as always. There's great humor, witty asides, entertaining action mixed with banter, and more magic. These books would make great movies.

[Brent · Rating 1 out of 5]

What. Is. Even. Happening?
I would 100% put this down, but I was given a ten novels in one tome of The Chronicles of Amber, and due to my ridiculous brain, it would feel like I hadn’t finished the book, even though we’re at No. 8 of 10.

Only. Two. More. To. Go.

P.S. For some odd reason, this series suddenly became a sort of fan fiction of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, and it’s just terrible.

[Knjiški Ahilej · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.6

[Jelena · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved the rise of political intrigue in the "Amber Universe" and the cliffhanger ending, but if one more plot point happens because Oberon fucked someone, I'm probably gonna scream.

[Hubert Lawenda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nie ma to jak Kroniki Amberu

[Bryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Merlin is still a bit of a putz.

There were a number of times in this novel where I was thinking "No, you idiot, don't trust that person and tell them all your plans...oh, great, you already did it. And they took advantage of you. Way to go." But in a way, it's pretty cool that, despite the similarities due to the first-person narrative, Merlin is quite a different character than his father was/is(I'm convinced Corwin is still alive out there). He acts quite a bit differently, and reacts to things differently. Corwin was more of a badass conniving Amberite, whereas Merlin... is a bit of a hippie... magician/shapeshifter/Chaos Lord.

I also have to take a moment to praise Zelazny's action sequences. This man is a master of writing combat. As someone who has trained in several different martial arts and also with the sword, I can say definitively that this man knows what he's writing about when it comes to fighting. There is a school of thought that says that you shouldn't write combat in too much detail, that the detail obscures the flow of the scene. Bollocks. The only time I don't mind an author skimping on combat detail is when the POV character who is witnessing the battle knows nothing about combat. If the character is a fighter, however, then narrative of the fights need to contain the level of understanding of combat that a fighter would have. Zelazny, obviously well-versed in swordplay and unarmed combat himself, does this perfectly.

Looking forward to the next one!

[Kimberley doruyter · Rating 5 out of 5]

another damm cliffhanger.

[Книжни Криле · Rating 5 out of 5]

За трети пореден път поемаме към истинския свят Амбър! Очакват ни трите финални романа от едно истинско фентъзи от майстора Роджър Зелазни! „Знакът на Хаоса”, „Рицар на сенките” и „Принц на Хаоса”, обединени под една корица в том 3 от „Хрониките на Амбър”, неминуема част от колекцията „Велики майстори на фентъзи и фантастика” на издателство „Бард”. Прочетете ревюто на "Книжни Криле":

https://knijnikrile.wordpress.com/201...

[Oliver Curtis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sad to say this was my least favorite of the series so far. I really love the beginning and the end but the middle is kind of a slog to get through. It kinda feels like a lot is being thrown in and there’s a bunch of different plot lines going on that are hard to keep track of and I’m kind of confused about what happened to Luke. I’m hoping the last two books tie things together in a way that makes sense.

[Lana Kamennof-sine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Confess I read this book of the series without, ahem, having read its precursors. That said there's enough background shared & story to stand alone. Zelazny was a clever author. There is magic, there is humour, there is political intrigue, there is fascinating early, 1987, autonomous sentient computer...
Now it's time to dig up the precursor & subsequent books to find out what happens.

[David Yohalem · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am enjoying these as much as or more than the Chronicles of Corwin (vols 1-5).