Trumps of Doom (The Chronicles of Amber #6)[June 1, 2023]

[Yanique, Thread Master]

This is a Buddy Read for Trumps of Doom by Roger Zelazny starting June 1, 2023.

[Nyssa]

I started this today; I just finished Chapter 3.

Merle seems both aware and baffled by the events taking place.
Are there aspects about himself with which he was unfamiliar?
Has he forgotten parts of himself?
Or is it that his truth has leaked into his current reality?

Curiouser and curiouser.

[Nirkatze]

Interesting! Sounds like there's a little mirroring of Corwin's entry to the series going on. I'm VERY curious about what we'll see with Merlin, considering what little we know about his upbringing in the Courts of Chaos...

I'm probably going to be late to June BRs...

[Nyssa]

Nirkatze wrote: "Interesting! Sounds like there's a little mirroring of Corwin's entry to the series going on."

Not quite. I reread Chapter 3; things are more straightforward than they first seemed. One of my questions was correct, though.

I wonder, canonically, how much time passes between The Courts of Chaos Trumps of Doom.
Things feel more advanced than when we left off.

Also, I do not trust Luke.

[Choko]

"Somebody is trying to kill me once a year..."... Hmm, I would think that would be a humongous problem:)))

[Nyssa]

Choko wrote: "Somebody is trying to kill me once a year..."... Hmm, I would think that would be a humongous problem:)))."

Just a little. LOL

[Choko]

Two chapters in... (view spoiler)[ Merlin sure has had some interesting 30th of Aprils... I also don't trust Luke even a little bit. Why has he been with Merlin for all this time? How come neither of them has talked about their folks? Why did he track him down in his "when I am stressed" place exactly on the 30th of April? I am sure Zelazny wants us to feel exactly this way...

Poor Julia... I don't know if she was killed because of him, or because of her own fears, but nobody deserves to die like that... Also, that was a very intense scene!!! (hide spoiler)]

[Nyssa]

Ditto on (view spoiler)[Julia (hide spoiler)]

And OMG, Merlin is just like his father! Although, to be fair, he didn't know (view spoiler)[Luke/Reynaldo was family (hide spoiler)].

I enjoyed this.

[Nirkatze]

Nyssa wrote: "And OMG, Merlin is just like his father!."

Oh dear. I sense falling into obvious traps and trusting all the wrong people in his future...

[Choko]

End of book... (view spoiler)[ Well, isn't Merlin in a pickle, mostly of his own devising... So he created an artificial intelligence computer, which runs on magic and is now turning against him, because is afraid that Random and Merlin want to turn him off... On top of that, Luke/Reynaldo has imprisoned him... Of course he did! That dude was shady from the beginning and everyone and everything pointed to that, but Merlin still went with him! WTF?!?!? Reckless, that's what it is... Even got his protector lady killed - I am sure she was the same one he actually slept with in the Shadow Earth and she was a shape shifter sent to watch over him by his mother... That made me sad and mad at him. You are right, Nyssa, he is like his father in that, that they get everyone who gets close to them dead... Even Bill the lawyer kind of told him so... (hide spoiler)]

I actually loved this book!!! Probably more than the last several for sure... Now I am really looking forward to reading ahead:)))!

[Nyssa]

It is my favorite so far, and I agree with everything you said.

I thought of continuing, but I don't want to get too far ahead; plus, I have other series I'm scheduled to get caught up on or start.

Oh, and Choko, thank you so much for your gift; I appreciate it and have been putting it to good use!

[Choko]

Yay!!! Any time:)

Also, I am sticking with the schedule - one a month is perfect so we can keep up with all the series we have started:)))

[Choko]

Yay!!! Any time:)

Also, I am sticking with the schedule - one a month is perfect so we can keep up with all the series we have started:)))

[Nirkatze]

Oh! It is so nice to hear that y'all are enjoying this the most so far! Really looking forward to that...

Going to be late rather than early, have several eyebooks to clear up from May first...

[Choko]

Yay!!! Any time:)

Also, I am sticking with the schedule - one a month is perfect so we can keep up with all the series we have started:)))

[Choko]

Sorry for the multiple posts... As I have been saying, my internet connection is terrible here and is doing things like that...

Nirkatze, me too, so I totally get it:)

[Nyssa]

Choko wrote: "Yay!!! Any time:)

Also, I am sticking with the schedule - one a month is perfect so we can keep up with all the series we have started:)))."

(((Hugs)))

Yeah, staying w/ the schedule is best.

I feel bad about dropping the ball on the Sisters Grimm series. I really want to read it, but other things (namely Ms. Robb's In Death) have wholly stolen my attention!

And with the Codex Alera buddy read starting, I don't know how I will fit them in now. I reread my original review of Furies of Calderon and am excited to rediscover the story. I'm about seven chapters in and have remembered very little of it - more impressions than details.

Nirkatze wrote: "Oh! It is so nice to hear that y'all are enjoying this the most so far! Really looking forward to that...

Going to be late rather than early, have several eyebooks to clear up from May first..."

Take your time; we'll be here. :)

[Choko]

Hahaha! We are all addicted to Ms. Robb's In Death:) Every time when I don't really feel like reading anything, despite having a ton of books scheduled, I turn to her books and I can continue with the rest after that:)

[Nyssa]

Exactly! :D

[Nirkatze]

So true! I find I need a Robb In Death book when my brain is too fuzzy to focus on anything else... it's just a ton of fun and I've gotten reeeeally used to the narrator. I can do practically anything (short of reading something else) with In Death in the background...

Iain keeps reminding me that things keep coming around... Sisters Grimm will still be good when you do have time!

Darnit, now I'm thinking of joining the Codex Alera too... even though I just reread it last year... I've been enjoying doing rereads on audio...

[Choko]

Do it!!! :)))

[Christopher]

Nyssa wrote: "Choko wrote: "Somebody is trying to kill me once a year..."... Hmm, I would think that would be a humongous problem:)))."

Just a little. LOL"

Hey everyone, I'm just getting started on this and I'm 4 chapters in. For now, I'll just read what others have written and not rehash what's already been covered. But I will say that so far there's been a lot of action!

[Christopher]

Chapter 5

(view spoiler)[ So we reconnect w Luke in this chapter and this is a pretty wild ride. I, too, don’t trust Luke.

First, we have a strange encounter w Dan Martinez - asking all kinds of questions about Luke but then speaking Thari before quickly leaving. What is with this guy? Asking about Amber and Chaos and then speaking the language?

Then, dinner and a drive. Luke seems to think Merle has a product to put out there to start his own company and he wants in. Merle tells him that he genuinely doesn’t have anything yet Luke does mention Ghostwheel - an invention which supposedly would never work in this world. Hmmm wonder if it works in other worlds and what it does…

Just as the two are sharing some vital info on the Dan Martinez incident and connecting the dots to Melman and Julia, shots are fired. Turns out to be Dan Martinez. After he’s dispatched, Luke suddenly yells to “Merlin, son of Corwin” to drive back to the hotel. So Luke definitely knows more than he’s letting on.

I love the line while Merle is on his way back and he says to himself, “I couldn’t even speculate as to what the hell was going on.” I feel the same way! (hide spoiler)]

[Christopher]

Zelazny cracks me up. I love how his way of saying shit hitting the fan - “fecal missile met the rotating blades.” Lol

[Nyssa]

Christopher wrote: "Zelazny cracks me up. I love how his way of saying shit hitting the fan - "fecal missile met the rotating blades." Lol"

LOL! The man does have a way with words!

[Christopher]

Chapter 6

(view spoiler)[ I love that we get some time w Bill Roth! (hide spoiler)]

[Choko]

I love Bill! And I love Zelazny's writing. I find he has a wonderful way of telling a story. Frustrating at times, but never boring:)

[Nirkatze]

I'm just through chapter 5 and read all y'all's comments up to then... agreeing with everyone... (view spoiler)[Merlin is such is father's son, even though he describes himself as "Merlin of Chaos." Seriously. You're supposed to cause Chaos on other folks, not chaotically walk in to every. Single. Trap. Blindly.

Totally not suspicious friend gives you supposed note from ex-girlfriend on death day. Yeah, go check that out, and take item. Was there any evidence that Julia actually wrote it at all? Smells set up.

Suspicious dude teaching ex-girlfriend suspicious non-magic says "oh, follow me into my lair and let me lock this door behind you, oh no, it's totally safe..." seriously?

And just immediately try to flush out S. You earned that nail big time.

Go back to find that same totally not suspcious friend left a message (again) and a ring in room. Put ring on. It screams trap dude! Thank goodness for silver snake thingy.... but did it maybe do its job already?

Another suspicious person shows up while waiting for totally not suspicious friend to come back from suspiciously long break to do what the hell, and says weird and suspicious stuff--and you just f-ing take it at face value???? Really??? STOP BLOODY TRUSTING PEOPLE TO TELL THE TRUTH DAMMIT!

Was going to say, how the hell did this guy survive in Amber, but maybe that's exactly why he's sojourning on Earth.

And how many bloody family members are there out there? I thought only full blooded Amerites or first-second gen could walk the pattern and learn to shadow-walk? Or maybe it's changed with the new pattern?

Loved the Sphinx battle though. Kind of want to ask her "what is black and white and red/read all over?" It's either a (view spoiler)[newspaper or a zebra with a sunburn (hide spoiler)] (hide spoiler)]

[Choko]

Hahaha! You would totally win that Sphinx battle:)))

I hear you, girl! He is not devious at all... He is completely missing that gene:)

[Nyssa]

LOL @ Nirkatze & Choko

[Christopher]

Nirkatze wrote: "I'm just through chapter 5 and read all y'all's comments up to then... agreeing with everyone... Merlin is such is father's son, even though he describes himself as "Merlin of Chaos." Seriously. Yo..."

Lol - The apple definitely doesn't fall far from the tree with Merle.

After reading through chapter 7, (view spoiler)[ I couldn't help feeling that the dialogue between Merle and Random were so much so like that we used to see between Corwin and Random. Not to mention the fact that the new protagonist is also dealing with a father who disappeared - talk about stepping into someone else's shoes. (hide spoiler)]

Through Chapter 8
(view spoiler)[ The precautions and safeguards Random wants to take against this Ghostwheel reminds me of what we are dealing with currently with ChatBot GPT and AI in general. (hide spoiler)]

[Choko]

Exactly! We as humans, are forever afraid of our own creations, and with good reason - our interactions might be only good, but someone will figure out a way to twist those intentions and use them for killing or controlling others...

[Christopher]

Finished! Well that was a fun start to the Merlin Cycle. I'll catch up on comments/spoilers above that I couldn't open before.

[Choko]

I think this one was one of my favorites so far:)

[Christopher]

Choko wrote: "End of book... [spoilers removed]

I actually loved this book!!! Probably more than the last several for sure... Now I am really looking forward to reading ahead:)))!"

I really enjoyed this one a lot too! (view spoiler)[ The Ghostwheel becoming sentient is a huge problem. As I was getting to the end of the book, I was wondering what was actually going to get resolved - Luke's identity and motives or the Ghostwheel issue. Clearly, the Ghostwheel is going to be a major problem moving forward (I wonder for how many more of the remaining books).

Luke being Brand's son and coming back for revenge was a really cool idea to thicken the plot after the somewhat peaceful atmosphere we left off in Corwin's cycle. I'm looking forward to finding out more about his origins and why no one in the family seemed to know of his existence (other than Fiona, who definitely recognized him but wouldn't talk - wonder what that was about!).

And Merlin finds himself in another predicament that parallels one his father dealt with - imprisonment. I'm excited to read ahead but will hold off until July... (hide spoiler)]

[Christopher]

Choko wrote: "Hahaha! We are all addicted to Ms. Robb's In Death:) Every time when I don't really feel like reading anything, despite having a ton of books scheduled, I turn to her books and I can continue with ..."

I've added the first In Death book to my TBR. Its always nice to have books like this to be able to push forward when getting a little lazy or overwhelmed with big series. I've been using The Discworld books for this type of light read to bridge gaps but this series sounds like it may be a good mix in for a different genre. I'm finally going to be tackling The Wheel of Time (for the first time) soon so I may be employing these books sooner rather than later.

[Nirkatze]

Choko wrote: "I love Bill! And I love Zelazny's writing. I find he has a wonderful way of telling a story. Frustrating at times, but never boring:)"

Thank goodness for Bill! Just finished Chapter 6. (view spoiler)[Finally, someone competent! And unless Bill is Oberon in disguise--or hell, CORWIN in disguise (daddy gone, daddy found?)--maybe we finally have our more-competent-than-the-Amberites-regular-human? I like that Bill is kind of like "our" voice, pointing out all the things Merle-baby has been missing, being the voice of logic and deduction he so needs... I really liked his trick with "Sam Corey"

And yet, when given new information, Merle again doesn't think it worth mentioning to Bill. "Oh, there's nothing he can do about it." BUT MAYBE HIS ADVICE IS BETTER THAN YOUR BRAIN! At least he told him about George... but too little, too late. And again, Merle just picks up the note and pockets it... you'd think he'd've learned that objects aren't as innocent as they appear....

Thinking back on the bullets found by the magician dude's house--they sound like the ones from Guns of Avalon. Did Corwin ever actually get to test them out in Amber? I can't remember if that big battle was in Amber or in its outskirts... I think it must've been, just not in the castle itself.

Got a feeling this whole thing is about Corwin, finding Corwin, similar to how the first series was centered around Oberon... But who are these other people, and why do they want to find them? They have to be family, if they can shadow-walk... it was rather cool to get that explanation of the pattern--patterns. It's really interesting how the idea of "Chaos" sort of took a 180 from "evil demonic creatures" to "just another band of folks with their own version of crappy family politics" in the last book, and furthering that with Merlin.

Also thinking of how long its been.... long enough for Merlin to get to know his "uncles"--and while I suppose they could be his uncles on Dara's side, my first thought was that he learned to fight from Benedict and magic from--wait a minute, didn't he already know magic from Brand? Damn, maybe this doesn't help with a timeline, because Benedict went into Chaos to meet Dara, and might have taught Merlin then, right? With time moving differently there... shucks. Well, long enough that he's gotten to know his dad some more then, and for Corwin to go missing... (hide spoiler)]

[Nirkatze]

Christopher wrote: "Nirkatze wrote: "I'm just through chapter 5 and read all y'all's comments up to then... agreeing with everyone... Merlin is such is father's son, even though he describes himself as "Merlin of Chao..."

Finished Chapter 8! More face-palming... (view spoiler)[I feel like I could play a drinking game for every time Merlin thinks "oh, I won't tell so-and-so about this strange thing, it's probably not important" and another drink for when it comes and bites him in the ass.

I was actually thinking that Ghostwater is giving me serious Terminator Skynet vibes... what if IT is behind all of these attacks and investigations? Not just as something people are looking for as a potential weapon, but as the AI instigator? I definitely see the modern problems and parallels. And silly Merlin doesn't think any safeguards or precautions are necessary.... *drinks* (hide spoiler)]

[Nirkatze]

Finished! Had fun with it, even if I couldn't stop yelling at Merlin.

This really reminds me of Star Wars: A New Hope & Force Awakens, how the plots were sort of cyclical, but with new characters... (view spoiler)[This book is a LOT like the first book, Merlin is a LOT like his father--even down to sleeping with two women and having them die in the first 100 pages...

I like your theory on that, Choko... I was reading the words of the "Lady in the Lake" as her having always wanted to sleep with Merlin but didn't get the chance... ugh, either way, these books are very indicative of the sexist times they were written in.

Brand's son trying multiple times to kill Corwin's son--same as Brand trying multiple times to kill Corwin. And Brand did it to try to control Amber... now his son does it to destroy it...Fiona was part of their cabal, no wonder she recognizes Luke of the forgettable real name.... and what was the task Random sent her to?

I don't see why Merlin can't have his snake thingy slither outside and remove the wedges, and just walk out... I'm thinking the ring was supposed to counteract Merlin's magic before--but he didn't use any while he had it on, and Farkir took care of it.

Back to the similarity of the books... makes me wonder if these are in a Bhuddhist cycle-type story thing, or if it's like the Merlin Cycle is a shadow thrown by the Corwin one, or something... (hide spoiler)]

[Choko]

I am glad you enjoyed it, despite Merlin being very naive. I think he is quite young though, and for those long-lived races, he is probably in puberty. He hasn't been through all the wars Corwin and the family had gone through, hasn't learned not to trust and to plan on protecting himself in all situations... This is why I am giving him some slack. But he had better start learning fast!

Looking forward to the next one for sure:)

[Nyssa]

You make an excellent point, Choko!

[Christopher]

I love the Star Wars comparison. This definitely felt like a reboot. And much like Force Awakens, I liked this. Sure hope it doesn't go south like the rest of the SW trilogy.

[Nirkatze]

Choko wrote: "I am glad you enjoyed it, despite Merlin being very naive. I think he is quite young though, and for those long-lived races, he is probably in puberty. He hasn't been through all the wars Corwin an..."

I do wonder how old Merlin actually is though--how long did he grow in the Courts of Chaos? How long has it been since then? I doubt we'll ever know...

I like the point where he talked about how he was a Duke, not a Prince, thank goodness... (view spoiler)[maybe he didn't have to worry about random things like assassination until recently... which I guess means he did not too badly, considering that I'd've been dead on try 1, probably! (hide spoiler)]

[Christopher]

Nirkatze wrote: "Choko wrote: "I am glad you enjoyed it, despite Merlin being very naive. I think he is quite young though, and for those long-lived races, he is probably in puberty. He hasn't been through all the ..."

I believe at one point he mentions that it's been 8 years from the battle when he met his father.

[Nirkatze]

Oh, thanks for that! I totally didn't find that.

[Christopher]

No problem. Time is such a relative construct in this series anyway so I’m not even sure what to make of it but I guess we are to take that one at face value.