b&n / borders

Prince Corwin has discovered the true Amber and the damage to the core Pattern that reinforces his family's power over Shadow. It's this damage that is allowing Chaos creatures into Shadow, bringing destruction to Amber. Corwin uncovers an agreement between the Courts of Chaos and his brother Brand and must recover the stolen Jewel of Judgment before Brand can walk the Primal Pattern and remake the world.

Impression: Sign of the Unicorn and Hand of Oberon could have all easily been in the same novel; Oberon continues at exactly the same point where sign ends and without missing a beat. There really was no transition between the two books, especially reading them in the omnibus as I have been. And Oberon smoothly continued the plot points and everything else that was begun in Sign—having to wait for Oberon to be released after Sign must have been a very aggravating experience.

This book in the series probably has impressed me the least so far. I figured out the identity of a particular character very early, and while I understand on one level why Corwin didn't figure it out, I'm also irritated by it: anything can happen in Shadow, and the question has come up before, so why was he too stupid to figure it out? It almost reads as author interference, but could be the character's blindness (in the figurative sense) just taken too far. The plot wasn't particularly difficult to follow either, and it generally became a little too predictable. Add to that the author's insistence of placing an entire chapter of Corwin using Shadow to get from point A to point B and how irritating I've been finding it, and Oberon ends up being the least enjoyable book in the series for me.

I did start the next book, The Courts of Chaos, but have since taken a break from it to read a few other books. And I'm glad I have. Hopefully the break will allow me to enjoy the next books in the series.

b&n / borders

Merely a week into his regency of Amber, Corwin is framed for the murder of one of his brothers. The question of who did what to which brother, including Corwin, results in a search for the missing brother, Brand. He's found, trapped, and the siblings work together to rescue him, only to have him stabbed upon his arrival. While awaiting the outcome, an attempt is made on Corwin and he manages to transport himself to Earth, where he must recover from his injuries. He then hides an artifact of his family, the Jewel of Judgment, and returns to Amber to discover the truth behind Brand's imprisonment. As he tries to sort out the truth and the lies told by his family, he ends up at the Primal Pattern with more questions than before.

Impression: The Amber books are generally easy, quick reads, and Unicorn isn't any different. It does, however, take the overall story from a straight forward political drama with a touch of mystery (Corwin's struggle to discover his identity and which of his siblings not only created the situation that resulted in his amnesia but also attempted to keep him in the dark has always been a part of the story) to more of a political thriller/mystery. The writing didn't become more complicated, but the perpetrators are well kept under wraps: Zelazny uses the fact that Corwin has so many siblings quite well despite the fact that those siblings seem to be disappearing or dying at an unusual rate.

I think perhaps my only complaint about the books is the way Zelazny writes when Corwin is manipulating shadow. While I understand why he writes it the way he does, for me as a reader it is a very intrusive way to do it. I become more aware of the writing itself instead of remaining lost in the story. And he does it in every book (at least once, sometimes more), which when reading an omnibus like this, can make it more disconcerting. The books are very short, the process of manipulating shadow hard to forget, and it becomes very irritating. I can see why it wouldn't have been that big of a deal since the books would have come out spaced apart. But in the omnibus, the repetition makes it obvious and annoying, and it's the one thing that will drop me from the story faster than anything.

The one issue in this book is the ending, which reads more like the end of a chapter than the end of a book. While there needs to be some remaining questions in a novel that's in the midst of a series, there does need to be some closure within the novel itself while leaving enough open in the overall story to continue in the next book.

The characters are still a bit simplistic, though we can see Corwin starting to change, which is nice. The setting is vivid, the plot itself tight and becoming more complicated. There are some new threads starting to bear fruit in how the story plays out, and suspicions about certain characters starting to form. And all the additions are woven in without making each successive book longer than the last (a "problem" many current series seem to have). The novellas remain easy to read, easy to understand, and quick reads for those who are looking for something to enjoy without committing to a 300+ page novel. Overall, a decent read and a logical and decent continuation of the story started in Princes.

b&n / borders

Prince Corwin of Amber has escaped his brother and finally has healed enough to begin planning the overthrow of his brother, Eric, who he believes has stolen the throne from him. He makes his way through Shadow to reach the places he remembers, to gather the tools he needs, and finds that Amber and the Shadows are under siege by an enemy never seen before. The source appears to be a mysterious black road. As Corwin unravels the mystery of the black road and begins moving against his brother, he realizes the welfare of Amber is at stake, and that takes precedence over who sits in the throne.

Impression: One thing about the Amber books, they read fast. They're short, not very complicated, and very focused on the main plot arc. So the plot is very straightforward: Corwin wants to be the ruler of Amber because he thinks he has more of a right to it than his (half) brother, Eric. The black road is something of a secondary plot, but it doesn't affect Corwin's goals until near the end of the novel, even though he thinks he knows where it came from and that he'll have to deal with it eventually.

Perhaps my one complaint is that the characters overall are too simple, too one dimensional. Corwin has some depth, and his brothers seem to have a little less so, but the other characters don't have any complication to them at all. This might change in future volumes as more comes out about each character, but in the story as written, they all seem to be more plot supports than real people: this man gives a chemical Corwin needs with little difficulty, Ganelon is the supportive follower even though Corwin exiled him and he originally hated Cowin for being a "devil" (though the exile was for a just cause), and so on. There is no hint of anything else in these characters. In fact, Ganelon just accepts the abilities that made him think Corwin was a devil before, even before meeting the brothers who have the same abilities. The advantage is that the plot remains uncomplicated and straightforward; the disadvantage is that the characters aren't believable.

The book was okay, overall. The characters being so simple can almost be overlooked as this was definitely more of a plot driven story than a character driven story. The books are fast, easy, and generally non-offensive. The writing is fairly clean, if a bit dry, and the story is engaging even if the characters (other than Corwin) are not. I can't list the book as being among my favorites, but I can recommend it if you're looking for an uncomplicated, fast read. If you can, you may want to pick up the individual Amber books rather than the 10 book omnibus. The omnibus is just a bit much to manage sometimes.

amazon / b&n

Corwin awakens in a hospital with no idea who he is or why he's there. He has some vague memory of an accident, but nothing more than that. What he does know for sure is that someone is keeping him doped up and in a hospital long after he needs to be, and he's determined to find out why. As it turns out, escaping the hospital is the easy part. Surviving his family while trying to discover who he is and why they're in contention with one another is by far the more difficult task. The alliances he makes are shaky at best, but he slowly regains his memory and returns to the place where it all began: Amber.

Impression: Nine Princes in Amber was a nice, fast read. It's a short book, but that doesn't make it simple. The settings are rich with detail, the characters well defined, the plot less straight forward than it would appear as the princes each try to outsmart one another. Corwin turns out to be no less ambitious, though one of the more likable characters. And there is so much that happens in so few pages that a reread is definitely going to be necessary to catch all the nuances of the story. There were a few lulls that I did have to kind of plow through, but the book is otherwise a very good read. Not one of my favorites, but definitely recommended.