Most Helpful Customer Reviews
49 of 58 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
Mediocre, September 17, 2003
I had very much hoped that this second installment in the officially sanctioned continuation of Roger Zelazny's saga and character's story would have "found its voice" and, at the least, Mr. Betancourt would have tried to correct the many problems that occurred in Dawn of Amber. But, I am sorry to say, once again this effort falls far short of the legacy left by Zelazny and is far from being a literary or spiritual heir to his great Amber series. A first complaint might actually, though, be leveled at the publisher. When does the proofreading function kick in the process of bringing a book to market? Is there an editor involved in this process anymore? It looks as though it was by-passed in this edition. Typos abound, and I would be willing to bet it is a function of spell-checking software meant to substitute for proofreading. There are incorrect word substitutions that seem to be "close" in spelling to the word meant that could have been substituted in the text with a click of the mouse by an inattentive operator. Also, in the last third of the book I got out my teacher's red marker and began to circle the grammar and usage mistakes. It very much detracts from the reading experience and, again, does a disservice to Zelazny who was not only brilliant stylistically but had no problems with the mechanics of his craft. But despite the above Mr. Betancourt still has problems with character development (two-dimensional) and style. The second item is undoubtedly open to disagreement but when a writer uses the same adjectives and comparisons repeating them time and again describing a setting that he has already described then it feels as though he is afraid that the readers just "won't get it" unless he hammers it home. With this problem it seems he should spend a little more time reflecting on writing as a creative process or at least buy a thesaurus. One example: in trying to describe the strangeness of the realm of Beyond/Chaos he uses the description of the torchlight puddling and collecting or bubbling on the ceiling at least a half dozen times in the same chapter and elsewhere. It is though he casts about for descriptions and he only finds the same repeated phrases in the box where he keeps ideas. Ok, I get it! Now tell me something different that I haven't heard. Zelazny never talked down or underestimated the reader in this way; and I fully realize that there are those who will say he is not Zelazny and should not be compared stylistically to that great writer. And yet, since he has taken on the mantle of officially continuing on how can these comparisons not be drawn to at least some extent? I have come this far so I will read the rest, but I am not counting it as a memorable experience.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
My feelings are still mixed..., October 13, 2003
I finished the first volume of Betancourt's 'Amber' trilogy thinking that he'd made an impressive effort, even if he missed the mark on several levels, and I really thought there was good reason to hope that "Chaos and Amber" would be even better. I was disappointed, yet hopeful.
My feelings are even more mixed about the second installment in this series, "Chaos and Amber." The first half of this book continued at the same plodding pace that characterized "Dawn of Amber," but then the second half skyrocketed into gear with a lot of fast-paced action. This alone made "Chaos and Amber" a much more entertaining read than Betancourt's previous effort. Oberon emerges as a valiantly reckless hero, very much in the tradition of Corwin and Merlin. Even taking the wrong action is better than taking no action at all. Suddenly, the central hero in this tale starts thinking and acting like a true Lord of Amber!
Unfortunately, "Chaos and Amber" also dimmed my hopes that this trilogy would ever evoke the same mystery and wonder that I felt when I read Zelazny's original 'Amber' series. Despite the fact that these books have "Roger Zelazny's Amber" emblazoned across the front cover, they really aren't "Roger Zelazny's Amber" at all. The characters, settings, and events in this series are very much Betancourt's original creations, and they just don't rise to the same level of genius that Zelazny achieved with his creative talents. I realize and accept that Betancourt is NOT Zelazny, and I've tried to judge Betancourt's books on their own merits... but Betancourt is, after all, delving into Zelazny's universe, and I think that direct comparisons are fair game. Unfortunately, with "Chaos and Amber," Betancourt just hasn't measured up.
As with my review of Betancourt's previous installment, I'd have to say that "Chaos and Amber" is a pretty decent effort if taken on its own merits. As a continuation of Roger Zelazny's work, however, it falls flat.
I'd recommend "Chaos and Amber" as an above-average fantasy yarn, but this book doesn't really add anything to the 'Amber' universe.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
21 of 26 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Enjoyable addition to the series, September 6, 2003
I enjoyed this book. Betancourt's first Amber novel, "The Dawn of Amber" *was* different from Zelazny's works, and many of Oberon's family that Betancourt described were one dimensional creations who lacked depth. In his second Amber novel, "Chaos and Amber", the characters introduced have greater depth, and he develops those which were treated poorly in the first novel. The plot develops, but is also 'revealed' by some rather direct actions by Oberon (and an enemy who very nicely spills the beans and tells him what is going on). Betancourt's descriptions of Oberon's experiences in Chaos are great fun, and he is rather novel about Oberon's mishaps. In many ways, this book is very much a tale of Oberon's blunders and coming to terms with what is really going on with some inspired direct action (which I won't spoil). You can start to see some of Freda's foretelling that Oberon will challenge Dworkin in this book. My major criticism of this work is that unlike Zelazny's novels, Betancourt feels the need to tell us what happened in the previous novel for about the first 50-100 pages. And to make it worse, nowhere on the cover does it say that this is the Second Novel of Three. So the publishers probably feel that the recapping is justified, but I don't. It's a waste of sapce. Secondly, I am beginning to feel that the story is being rushed - it could be drawn out a lot more. The last 150 pages of the book shine, with Oberon driving the plot rather than being a passive player. I also liked the character development, as Betancourt fleshes out of a number of his brothers and sisters. We are given more description, and more information about their pasts. Suddenly Taine, Locke, Isadora etc become three dimensional characters which is great plus. (They were just names before) I like the transformation in Aber too - he goes from being the 'useful sidekick' to (well, I won't tell you, you'll have to read and see). Betancourt is definitely setting up Oberon to face off against his brothers and sisters, and against Chaos itself. I just hope Betancourt doesn't rush things in his third novel. For such a story arc, it's a real pity that he couldn't write it over five novels.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
|
|
Most Recent Customer Reviews
|
