Prince of Chaos
Amber #10
Roger Zelazny
fantasy
2 stars
225 pages

Ok, Merlin is going to become the King of Chaos, to keep peace between the Pattern and the Logrus. Corwin has been imprisoned, and basically it is Corwin/Oberon all over again. How dumb can guys get? Zelazny simply cannot seem to allow his characters to live their lives. I believe this is the last original Amber novel. I’ve heard there are prequels written by another author, but I don’t have any interest in those.

Knight of Shadows
Amber #9
Roger Zelazny
fantasy
2 stars
251 pages

Zelazny delights in blindsiding his characters [and readers] with all sorts of father issues, family issues and friend issues. Turns out the Pattern and the Logrus are sentient powers and that Chaos and Amber may simply exist to give them place to battle. Merlin is in the position that Corwin was, in the first 5 books, ie, confused and with a bad case of a dad doing something that nobody else knows about.

Sign of Chaos
Amber #8
Roger Zelazny
fantasy
2 stars
184 pages

the Masked one turns out to look like Merlin’s old girlfriend Julia, who was attacked and killed right at the beginning of Trumps of Doom. I can’t speculate, simply hold on for the ride that Zelazny insists on us riding to read his books. Oh, we now have a self aware AI that Merlin created that is able to manipulate Shadow too. Add another confusing factor.

Blood of Amber
Amber #7
Roger Zelazny
fantasy
2 stars
215 pages

turns out the assassin is Brand’s son. Who is Merlin’s best friend. But that is not all. More family and outer family rivalry. Corwin has disappeared and no one can walk the pattern he created. This is truly the 2nd Chronicles of Amber. More of the same “keep the reader in the dark and guessing right up til the end and give lots of false, confusing info and trust no one, etc, etc” but with a new generation added to the mix.

Trumps of Doom
Amber #6
Roger Zelazny
fantasy
2 stars
183 pages

The adventures of Merlin, son of Corwin and Dara. Half Amberite, Half Lord of Chaos. More machinations. Someone is trying to kill him and other Amber royalty. The whole fragmented sentence thing used for shadow traveling is visually effective, but I simply skip it. Nothing happens in it.

The Courts of Chaos
Amber #5
Roger Zelazny
fantasy
2 stars
183 pages

Amber fights against Chaos while Oberon tries to restore the Pattern. He succeeds, but Corwin also creates a new pattern. In the end, everything is back in balance, with Corwin about to enter the Realm of Chaos to travel with his son Merlin.

The Hand of Oberon
Amber #4
Roger Zelazny
fantasy
2 stars
261 pages

Oberon, long thought dead, is shown to be alive and orchestrating everything to date, all to save Amber from complete destruction at the Hands of the Courts of Chaos. Amber is NOT the ultimate Reality, but simply the First Shadow.

Sign of the Unicorn
Amber #3
Roger Zelazny
fantasy
2 stars
192 pages

It becomes apparent that there is more than just intriguing for the Throne of Amber. It would seem that some faction has allied with the Courts of Chaos, the reality where Dwork and his son Oberon came from.

Guns of Avalon
Amber #2
Roger Zelazny
fantasy
2 stars
222 pages

Corwin allies with another brother against Eric and gets a gunpowder that works in Amber. Takes over just as Eric dies from repelling forces from Chaos

Nine Princes in Amber
Amber #1
Roger Zelazny
fantasy
3 stars
192 pages

Too choppy a narrative style for my taste. Quite effective though considering. A man with amnesia discovers that he is a Prince of Amber, the True City on which all other cities are but shadows. Fights, and loses, to be the king. Ends with him fleeing after imprisonment.