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.
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.
Harrowing The Dragon is a collection of short works by award-winning author Patricia McKillip. Among the stories are tales of dragons, bards, princess, witches, and more. She reinvents fairy tales, offers up original stories, and even gives fresh eyes to the classic Romeo and Juliet. The collection includes 15 stories of magic and reshaped standards of classic fantasy.
Impression: I've yet to read a McKillip book I didn't like, and Harrowing The Dragon is no different despite my tendency to be impatient with short stories. McKillip's shorts are much like her novels: rich with detail and in their use of language and beautifully written. I particularly liked "The Lion and the Lark" which uses "The Beauty and the Beast" as a foundation for a new tale of love that goes beyond the boundaries. I also enjoyed "A Matter of Music", the story of a young bard who releases two lovers with her music; "Lady of the Skulls", a tale which reveals that not all treasure is silver and gold; and "Star-Crossed", an exploration into the investigation of the deaths of Romeo and Juliet. Not all her stories were a hit with me–I wasn't particularly fond of "Transmutations"–but they were all rich and beautifully written. I highly recommend Harrowing The Dragon.
Sylvia left her childhood home to avoid revealing a secret that she instinctively knew her watchful grandmother would not accept. Now, years later, she returns to help her grandmother bury her grandfather. Though she plans to leave again as soon as possible, she finds herself drawn once more into the same tangle she fled before, only this time she is unable to extricate herself. The mysteries of the wood behind her grandmother's house, the secrets of her past, and the secrets of those she's known her entire life all become entangled with tradition and the world of the fairy, threatening to reveal the truth she's held close all these years and risking the well being of those she loves.
Impression: I loved Solstice Wood. Though written in a style that is unusual for McKillip, the writing still retained her ability to draw you into the story. Not as poetic as most her books, it still had its own kind of poetry that was expressed in the story itself rather than in the way it was written. McKillip also chose to use several different characters to tell the story rather than remaining in Sylvia's perspective throughout the novel, and yet the story remains Sylvia's. And yet, it also belonged to the other characters, who were all touched in some way by the pull between tradition and the wonder of the unknown. Rich description made the story easy to "see", and I am a reader who loves to just sit back and immerse myself in the vision of the author rather than be forced to create my own ideas of a story's sights and sounds and smells.
I did suspect part of the ending before I came to the conclusion, but this actually did not detract from the story at all. The plot was solid, the ending still had its twists, and waiting to see if the other characters would realize what I knew as a reader was part of the enjoyment. McKillip has a way of making you care about her characters, ALL her characters. While I wouldn't say that Solstice Wood is my favorite McKillip book, it was a thoroughly enjoyable read and I highly recommend it.
Brenden Vetch is a gardener, a gardener chosen by the ancient wizard Od to go to her school. Little does he realize that his presence, and that of an illusionist by the name of Tyramin will stir up the fears of a king who controls the use of magic in the kingdom of Numis. Little does the king know that his own daughter practices forbidden magic, magic she was born with, and magic she must reveal before she can marry his most trusted adviser. When an illusion goes awry, Brenden flees in fear, and the king's daughter disappears, the king and Valoren, his adviser, fear the worst and seek to capture those who would endanger the kingdom. What they find at the end of this search is something neither man expected.
Impression: While the usual rich language seems toned down here, McKillip hasn't lost her ability to enchant a reader. She draws you into the kingdom of Numis and the lives of the characters there, and skillfully keeps the reader guessing as to what's truly going on until the end. It's a skill I've seen in all her books, where nothing is quite what it seems but all the threads are there, leading to an ending that is neither predictable nor surprising. You can't see it coming, but can see where it came from. With Od Magic, I actually did guess some of the truths of hidden identities, but it wasn't disappointing to do so because there's always another mystery to unravel.
I enjoyed how there was a feel of a mystery to it, a mystery in the story, a mystery in the characters. And I loved the theme of seeing beyond the boundaries of what's in front of us, being willing to explore the wild and unknown. As with many of McKillip's novels, there's so much depth here that the story will need to be read again and again to appreciate all the layers within it. It is a beautiful novel that I highly recommend.
Here's the tale of the Wicked Witch of the West, from infancy to death, and not in the way you may know it. Born to an intenerate preacher and his aristocratic wife, though the true identity of her father may be somewhat in question, she goes to a prestigious girls' school, but does not graduate. Elphaba, as the witch was named at birth, instead sets herself against the Wizard of Oz when her head mistress tries to recruit her as a supporter of the order of things as they are in Oz, and leaves school to pursue her goal of deposing him . . . until the death of her sister brings her into contact with one Dorothy.
Impression: I initially couldn't put this book down. The first section on the Witch's childhood was actually very interesting. Unfortunately, the same writing that made the opening so interesting get tedious and dull for an entire novel, especially when there's not a whole lot going on action wise. Even where there was action was often rendered much less interesting than it could have been by explaining the action exposition. The book picks up a little towards the end, Maguire's changes in the story we know make sense, but it's not enough to make the novel worth the read. I know a lot of people have said this is a wonderful book, but a wonderful book doesn't take me 3 months to get through. Wicked was more a novel full of promises that it just didn't meet.
This book asks the question "what happened during Shakespeare's lost years?" and comes up with an answer of a fantasy nature. A young wil comes home one night to find his wife and daughter gone, and his search for them will take him to the lands of the fairy and back again.
Impression: I should have read the description, I don't know why I didn't. Maybe I did at the time I added it to my amazon.com wishlist. Regardless, this was not what I expected when I actually read it. The writing is good enough, and the idea of fantasy touching Shakespeare's life in a way a littl more direct than just in his head is intriguing. However, for a short read, it took me awhile to get through it. And while relatively engaging and interesting, I doubt I'll read it again. I think one of my favorite things about it was the various quotes from several of Shakespeare's plays that appeared sprinkled through out and well woven into the book.
I've placed this book on my bc.com book shelf (you can see the entry for it here) and have already chosen a place for it's release. My oldest will be taking it with her to release at her high school.
Update: It only took her 3 days to remember to find a place to drop it off. lol It's finally out in the wild.
Unless otherwise noted, all books reviewed have been purchased by me.
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