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Trumps of Doom
(The Chronicles of Amber #6)
by
Alternate cover for ISBN 0380896354 / 9780380896356
Merle Corey is a brilliant young computer designer in San Francisco, but, he is also Merlin, son of Corwin, vanished prince of Amber, and heir to his father's wonderous powers. And, someone is determined to kill him. Now he will begin a desperate race through Shadow, not only to escape the mysterious force that threatens h ...more
Merle Corey is a brilliant young computer designer in San Francisco, but, he is also Merlin, son of Corwin, vanished prince of Amber, and heir to his father's wonderous powers. And, someone is determined to kill him. Now he will begin a desperate race through Shadow, not only to escape the mysterious force that threatens h ...more
Paperback, 184 pages
Published
August 1995
by Avon Books
(first published May 1985)
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Start your review of Trumps of Doom (The Chronicles of Amber #6)

Corwin's tale is over. Here there is a new narrator, a new story, and lots of new faces. Some people from the previous books make an appearance though.
A seemingly normal guy was leading a seemingly normal life when he suddenly realized something abnormal. Every year on April 30 somebody was trying to kill him. At first the attempts were innocent enough (as far as murder attempts go), but when some supernatural forces appear our hero called Merle finally decided something was really off. He had ...more
A seemingly normal guy was leading a seemingly normal life when he suddenly realized something abnormal. Every year on April 30 somebody was trying to kill him. At first the attempts were innocent enough (as far as murder attempts go), but when some supernatural forces appear our hero called Merle finally decided something was really off. He had ...more

Rereading this after years still didn't convince me that Merlin was as equally interesting character as prince Corwin was. It's not bad at all, it just feels... repetitive? Done after the same blueprint? But being a tad OCD with my series (thanks for the term, Carol!) I really want to finish this one because I never got a chance to go further than book 3(8) with my first read. Off to the next one I go, so.
...more

My rating 4.5
Trumps of Doom (The Chronicles of Amber # 6) by Roger Zelazny is a great sequel to the series. As before, Zelazny leads us through the shadow world, only the characters have changed. This time we follow the story of Corwin's son Merlin. Every April 30 for several years, someone is trying to kill Merlin. Although every attempt to kill him seems like a coincidence he is not quite convinced of it. He will soon discover that behind all these attempts to kill him, conceals a hidden consp ...more
Trumps of Doom (The Chronicles of Amber # 6) by Roger Zelazny is a great sequel to the series. As before, Zelazny leads us through the shadow world, only the characters have changed. This time we follow the story of Corwin's son Merlin. Every April 30 for several years, someone is trying to kill Merlin. Although every attempt to kill him seems like a coincidence he is not quite convinced of it. He will soon discover that behind all these attempts to kill him, conceals a hidden consp ...more

The Cycle of Corwin has ended. Now come the adventures of his son, Merlin, born of Dara, holy terror of the Courts of Chaos. You might remember her as the demon that disguised herself as Corwin's grand-niece, in order to learn how to walk the Pattern and gain enough power to destroy Amber. Yeah, her. I didn't like Dara, but maybe this book would have been more interesting if she'd been the main antagonist, because the book certainly needed one.
A sorcerer, artist, warrior, athlete, and technologi ...more
A sorcerer, artist, warrior, athlete, and technologi ...more

I almost gave this four stars, but it falls short of the Corwin books in the series, so I can't quite give it the same rating.
But that being said, Trumps was an enjoyable return to Amber. Merlin's tale is intriguing, and I think I'll be more into it by the end. I don't find myself being engaged as much as with the first set of Amber books, and I don't find Merlin himself as interesting as Corwin. For one thing, Corwin was enjoyable as a smartass and his arrogance helped the character. Merlin is ...more
But that being said, Trumps was an enjoyable return to Amber. Merlin's tale is intriguing, and I think I'll be more into it by the end. I don't find myself being engaged as much as with the first set of Amber books, and I don't find Merlin himself as interesting as Corwin. For one thing, Corwin was enjoyable as a smartass and his arrogance helped the character. Merlin is ...more

“It is a pain in the ass waiting around for someone to try to kill you.”
With that memorable opening sentence, so begins the Second Chronicles of Amber, starring Merlin (or "Merle") the son of the First Chronicles' Corwin, who is trying to survive an annual assassination attempt while trying to learn who is behind it and why they want to kill him. Answers are revealed by the end of the book but, as in the First Chronicles, it's merely an opportunity to open a larger story involving the often-dead ...more
With that memorable opening sentence, so begins the Second Chronicles of Amber, starring Merlin (or "Merle") the son of the First Chronicles' Corwin, who is trying to survive an annual assassination attempt while trying to learn who is behind it and why they want to kill him. Answers are revealed by the end of the book but, as in the First Chronicles, it's merely an opportunity to open a larger story involving the often-dead ...more

Our story resumes with Corwin's son, Merlin deciding that he's had it with working in the computer industry which sounds hauntingly familiar. Someone is also trying to kill him once a year which, thankfully, does not sound hauntingly familiar.
Merlin brings some interesting things to the story, and his character is just similar and different enough to make me believe he is Corwin's son. Not that I was getting sick of Corwin, but it was a nice change of pace. I'm assuming all the rumors about Corw ...more
Merlin brings some interesting things to the story, and his character is just similar and different enough to make me believe he is Corwin's son. Not that I was getting sick of Corwin, but it was a nice change of pace. I'm assuming all the rumors about Corw ...more

It took me a bit to get used to Merle as the new narrator of The Chronicles of Amber, but soon I've grown to like him. The way that novel's starts off reminded me a bit of the Nine Princes in Amber. If you remember, Corwin is trying to figure out who tried to kill him and the fact that he wakes up with amnesia doesn't help. Merle, on the other hand, doesn't have amnesia but there is much he doesn't know either. Who is trying to kill him and why? Every year on his birthday, someone tries to kill
...more

Merle Corey's got several problems. He's secretly Merlin, a Prince of Amber. His father Corwin has been missing for years. Oh, and someone tries to kill him every April 30th for reasons unknown. The story starts with Merle getting ready to leave Shadow Earth behind and devote himself to working on his Ghostwheel when an old girlfriend he goes to say goodbye to winds up dead. The trail leads Merle to a conjurer and then back to Amber, where he learns he isn't the only Amberite whose had attempts
...more

The first time I read this, I remember being so disappointed that this second series set in the Amber universe featured a different protagonist from the first series. I also remember being told that the second series didn't really hold up compared to the first and that the critics viewed it far less favorably. Despite that, I still absolutely love this book.
The first series focused on Order and was much more about that protagonist's single-minded journey toward capturing a throne that he felt wa ...more
The first series focused on Order and was much more about that protagonist's single-minded journey toward capturing a throne that he felt wa ...more

Honestly, my least favorite of the Amber books thus far. A whole bunch of nothing happened, and it felt like a bit of rehash from previous books (namely, I believe, #3), wherein people are being attacked, and they all convene in Amber for some reason, chat amongst themselves, then leave and make a dramatic discovery right at the end.
The book was a definite tone change from the first five, partially due to the change of protagonist, and partially just due to being...different. Not bad, just diff ...more
The book was a definite tone change from the first five, partially due to the change of protagonist, and partially just due to being...different. Not bad, just diff ...more

Dec 05, 2007
Mir
rated it
it was amazing
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
fantasy,
parallel-dimensions
For some reason the person who wrote the GR blurb for this made it sound like an entry in the "ordinary guy/gal discovers they are special" genre -- this is not the case. Merlin, the main character, knows perfectly well who his parents are and what powers his family has. He is just hanging out being a computer geek and doing some experiments for fun. The mysterious part is why someone attacks him on the same day every year.
This is the beginning of the second cycle in the Chronicles of Amber. It ...more
This is the beginning of the second cycle in the Chronicles of Amber. It ...more

I've been reading the Chronicles of Amber straight through, and this book, number 6, is the best yet. I haven't read Zelazny's other work, but I get the feeling that he really grew as a writer over the years from the beginning of the Amber novels. Trumps of Doom, the beginning of the second series within the Chronicles, takes us on a new path, as we follow the son of Corwin, the narrator of the earlier books. As with the original series, we begin in our own Earth, and the first half of the book
...more

Dec 06, 2015
Karl
added it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
roger_zelazny-own,
underwood_miller-own
This is copy number 38 of 400 signed numbered copies.

sad to lose the lead character from the previous Amber series. The style of writing remains unchanged. I'm getting attached to Amber. This series is captivating, it kept my attention through every page, and that is saying something.
...more

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
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3.5 re-read on audio
review to come soon at www.fantasyliterature.com ...more
review to come soon at www.fantasyliterature.com ...more

Not as good as the first Chronicles, but not a bad read. I'm a massive fan of the Zelazny's first Amber series, but this is clearly not quite as good.
...more

Prior to starting Trumps of Doom, I was a little concerned that it may not live up to the grandeur of the preceding five novels which followed Corwin, a prince of Amber. Starting with Trumps of Doom, the rest of the series follow's Corwin's son Merlin, who is half of Amber blood and half of Chaos.
Despite my trepidation, I was immediately appeased by the opening sentence:
"It was a pain in the ass waiting around for someone to try to kill you."
That line pretty much sold me.
It is also a wonderful l ...more
Despite my trepidation, I was immediately appeased by the opening sentence:
"It was a pain in the ass waiting around for someone to try to kill you."
That line pretty much sold me.
It is also a wonderful l ...more

As for the first five books, this review will cover the second five books for the Amber Chronicles, the Merlin Cycle. This series was written a little later and covers the adventures of Merlin, son of Corwin (main character from the first cycle). I had not read this cycle before.
The overall story is very good. I enjoyed the twists and turns as Merlin (who is in fact a sorcerer) travels through worlds, deals with plots, and searches for his father. As usual, I hate giving away too much of the plo ...more
The overall story is very good. I enjoyed the twists and turns as Merlin (who is in fact a sorcerer) travels through worlds, deals with plots, and searches for his father. As usual, I hate giving away too much of the plo ...more

At first, I was apprehensive about switching main characters in the second series of books, thus it took me a long time to finally pick up this one up. Corwin is one of my favorite characters of all time, but Merlin does a great job of filling Corwin's sizeable shoes. This book parrallels the first book's excellent sense of mystery that had me mercilessly hooked for the first series, while still dazzling me with its magic.
With intriguing new players in the Amber legacy, tons of new mysteries, a ...more
With intriguing new players in the Amber legacy, tons of new mysteries, a ...more

The first five Amber novels are the the best fantasy novels I've ever read, along with Tolkein's Lord of the Rings and the harry Potter novels. Zelazny's writing style is the hippest of the three. This book is the first of a new series, starring Corwin's son Merlin. This series was probably encouraged by the success of the original five, but it is not as good. It starts off well enough with this novel, but I think he started running out of ideas after a while.
...more

It took six books for Roger Zelazny to write the best in the Amber Chronicles. The events in the story flow much better and engage the reader much more. There is more tension, suspense, intrigue, and it keeps the reader turning the page.
Book 6 has a different protagonist than the previous 5. I'm assuming that the next five, including this one, will follow Corwin's son Merle. Corwin was the prince of Amber who was the main character in the previous five. ...more
Book 6 has a different protagonist than the previous 5. I'm assuming that the next five, including this one, will follow Corwin's son Merle. Corwin was the prince of Amber who was the main character in the previous five. ...more

I liked this book a lot. The two best Amber novels were the first and the sixth. This one has it all -- magic, revenge, conspiracy, hyperdimensional computing homework. Zelazny always wrote great fight scenes too. The other books in the series did not deliver but that's not this book's fault. One of my favorites.
...more

I had thought this Merlin Cycle was not going to be quite as good based on some of the reviews I've seen. It appeared that most people loved the Corwin Cycle then thought the second wasn't quite as good.
So far, I'm liking it even better. It's got even more twists, turns and peculiar worlds and magic. It doesn't leave one bored while reading. It's almost pure excitement from page one. ...more
So far, I'm liking it even better. It's got even more twists, turns and peculiar worlds and magic. It doesn't leave one bored while reading. It's almost pure excitement from page one. ...more

Love the Amber Chronicles, I do. The story's a little campy, and not quite as good as it seemed when read in High School, but I still love it. Not sure if that's mainly due to the books' quality or my own nostalgia.
...more

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.
...more

I remember being a little disappointed by the second Amber series the first time I read it, but I really enjoyed this one this time around. It's a little derivative of the first series but not to the point of feeling repetitive
...more
topics | posts | views | last activity | |
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Goodreads Librari...: Please combine | 2 | 257 | Mar 18, 2020 02:21PM | |
Fantasy Book Club...: Trumps of Doom / spoilers | 19 | 26 | Sep 22, 2013 07:53AM | |
Fantasy Book Club...: Trumps of Doom / Initial impressions / no spoilers | 10 | 30 | Sep 05, 2013 09:31AM |
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. Most of his novels dea
...more
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