Customer Reviews

Knight of Shadows (Orbit Books)

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Bias alert. I should start this review by saying that I am not sure that Zelazny could write a bad book. Non-Zelazny fans may disagree.

Merlin is very clearly the son of Corwin. He is irreverent about the holy ghosts of Amber and Chaos. He hits his head against the rules (and sometimes even wins). Despite an overly-long sequence in a strange testing ground between shadows, Zelzany still infuses this book with the manic strangeness and humor that are part of what make him such a wonderful writer. As noted, virtually none of the Amber novels can be read stand-alone or out of sequence. You are going to have to read the books before this one to get the background. And you are going to have to read the ones after this to get an explanation. An enjoyable task, luckily.

A lot happened in this installment - so much so that it is hard to believe that the next book will wrap everything up! I was quite glad that some missing characters appeared, and I am starting to like Mandor more and more. I am also very curious as to the resolution in this next book...

Merlin is trying to work out why Julia went all Femme Fatale on him, and why the J's are out to get him.

He starts to discover there is some sort of clandestine struggle between the powers at the heart of Amber and Chaos.

Though you will not put the book down because of Mr. Zelazny's writing style. Do not expect the normal skilled plotting and crafted characterizations of the original Amber books. This book cannot stand alone...it leaves you hanging.

Merlin, son of Corwin, who was the hero of the original series, narrates this sequence, and here continued to accidentlly make his way through encounters with new powers that are completely incompatible with the original mythos. Those who are allied with each other will not speak with each other. While their enemies somehow know everything. Most of the important action happens offstage, and promised explanations never materialize.

So I would suggest you only read this book if you are a fan of the Amber series and have read the others that come before it.

Son of Corwin (Amber series) goes to college in USA (Earth-shadow) and gets into all sorts of strange adventures. Merlin's computer (is this a throw-back to Illuminatus) is a great help or is it? Or should I say he? If you liked the Amber series you'll enjoy this. It is different. Merlin isn't Corwin and has a lot more naivitie (may irritate some readers) but it's the hero going out into the world to find ... what? Himself? His father? Who's trying to kill him? The world jumping is different from shadow-walking. I reccommend readers trying some world jumping themselves - it's amazing what can happen!

Zelazny manages to break out of his own pattern for a bit and some of the fog that moved in during Sign of Chaos begins to dissipate. Caught between the maneuverings of the Pattern and the Logrus, Merlin finds himself trapped and sent on a knight's quest in which he is force to make choices that will change the balance between the two forces. Pattern ghosts haunt his passage, and Merlin is hard put to determine who is real and who is just a memory.

The key to the remaining story is the imbalance between the Courts and Amber which may unleash a series of events that threaten all of shadow. Merlin grows increasingly frustrated with the unending interference in his own life which keeps him perpetually at risk. Surrounded by arcane signs, warring wizards, and exploding castles Merlin would just like to enjoy life for a while but his efforts at hedonism simply dig him in deeper.

Knight of Shadows still follows the 'travel a bit then fight a bit' pattern, but gradually the busy field of characters is starting to make sense. With a sigh of relief the reader can relax and enjoy the twists in Merlin's adventures as more than one character performs a perfect turnabout just so we will have to keep guessing at the real villain right until the last confrontation.

I have read the entire series of amber novels and this book left more unfinished business behind than all the others. Masterfully written by Zelany it filled me with couriousity makeing it a diffucult book to put down. Upon reading the final words I immeadieatly jumped on the net to see if there was a eleventh book. Finding there was not I was dishartend. This book capped of a sereis of spine-tingling adventure in an unusual way leading down to the best showdown ever. Now that I have completed this seris I think I shall go and read them over again. I would recomend these books to anyone I already have several of my freinds reading the series.

The Chronicles of Amber are the most masterfully written books in all of bookdom. I really enjoy reading them. I have read them all and keep reading them when i finish. I just can't stop thinking how good they are. I am hoping for another series. When I read the first five, I was blown away. That someone had the imagination to create such a magical world and call ours a shadow, was something I did not think possible. Not that I could have thought of it. Roger Zelazny, i believe, is the best author of science fiction/fantasy in the world. In the back of my mind, i always though that maybe he actually was someone from Amber. That he came here to tell a story about his life or his reletives. Having the power of the Pattern or the Logrus would be a great asset. I could sure use a pizza right about now. It would help if i didn't have to pay for it either. If I could just put my hands in the air and pluck it out of the nether...hehehe...