The world as we know it is a mere shadow of the true kingdom of Amber, a land bereft of shadow, and home to several princes and princesses vying for the empty throne that rules over all. A metaphysical fantasy with complex magical systems, an intriguing back story, and a clever mix of a multitude of genres, the Chronicles of Amber is well-regarded as one of the most influential series of its kind––and with the master wordsmith and philosophical Zelazny at the helm, the series promises much to its readers.What it chooses to deliver on is another matter entirely.After the disappointment of Guns of Avalon, I was hesitant to pick up this series again, but I decided I would give the books the benefit of the doubt, and chalk the floundering feel of the second book to 'sequel jitters'. In short, Sign of the Unicorn delivers much in the way of character development and intrigue, but fails to deliver satisfying conclusions to conflict.Before I get into what I really loved about the book, I'll mention what I wasn't all that fond of. Guns of Avalon ended on a decided cliffhanger, a hook, of sorts, for this story to pick up on, but it never does. Dara is absent, and there is no further retrospection that considers her existence save one scene, at the very end of the book (invariably trying to hook readers once again, and perhaps succeeding a little better for avoiding the corny dialog from Guns of Avalon).Secondly, the first part of the book (roughly 20% of the entire novel) is taken up with a narrative told from the perspective of Random. Now, I'll be the first to say that Random is one of my favorite characters, tied closely with Ganelon, but there in laid the rub: I found Random's narrative more interesting that Corwin's, so sulked a little bit when we had to go back to him (I got over it). A secondary, stylistic concern to that was I didn't actually realize I was reading Random at times, because there is no stylistic change between Corwin and Random––their narratives read exactly the same. Part of it was Random was telling Corwin his story in full, descriptive detail, but this is also told in full, descriptive detail by Corwin to the Courts of Chaos (who we do not know yet), so it felt a bit out of place––when was the last time we could relate a story in direct quotes that your friend told you, which took several hours to tell?With the exception of those couple of grievances, though, I did actually enjoy this book. It got right into the meat of what I was interested in. Characters were developed, intrigue within the family was opened unapologetically, and the whole of the narrative took a break from the action-adventure-that-doesn't-go-anywhere (Guns), to a heavily twisted game of Clue. The plot moves very little in this book, so I don't want to give any of it away, but I loved the play of the characters analyzing one another, the richness of the dialog, and how you could feel the multiple layers in every answer and question. Zelazny also devotes a huge amount of time in the text getting philosophical and psychological, and these were readily enjoyable. Even though the plot was not really resolved satisfactorily, the richness of character in this volume restored the excitement I had for Amber in the first book, and has made me eager to continue the series. The books should, however, be considered more parts to the whole, rather than anything close to standalone novels. If approached that way, they are less likely to disappoint, I think.I also want to mention the noticeable confidence of the writing in this third installment. More than the two previous books, I found this one an elegant, engaging read, and found myself highlighting passages for little gems the entire time I was reading. Here are a few of my favorite lines: “Of troubles I considered myself amply possessed.” ––CorwinAnd: Texorami was a wide open port city, with sultry days and long nights, lots of good music, gambling around the clock, duels every morning and in-between mayhem for those who couldn’t wait.And, when describing one of his sisters: The others glanced our way as she appeared and she hit them with that smile, like the Mona Lisa with a machine gun, turning slowly.One of my favorite moments of exchange between Random and Corwin, when they suspect a killer is among them: “To hell with everything. I’m going to bed.” He nodded. “Look under it first.”As a writer, this tickled me, and can totally relate: “Yes,” he said. “But I wonder… I’ve a peculiar feeling that I may never see you again. It is as if I were one of those minor characters in a melodrama who gets shuffled offstage without ever learning how things turn out.” “I can appreciate the feeling,” I said. “My own role sometimes makes me want to strangle the author.”One of the more philosophical passages: More strongly in recent years than ever before I have tried to convince myself that people do change, that the passage of time does not serve merely to accentuate that which is already there, that qualitative changes do sometimes occur in people because of things they have seen, done, thought, and felt. It would provide solace in times such as these when everything seems to be going wrong… Which is promptly rebutted by Corwin's less-than-savory brother: “You are spoiling my day’s effort at idealism.” ––CorwinAnd, finally: “Beginnings are always difficult. Wherever I begin, something preceded it.”
Putting this book down for about a week to attend to others, I found, when I returned to it, that I could not remember much of the action, and still less of the action and outcomes of the two novels preceding it, which I finished (for the first time) less than two months ago.It was my intention to read all nine Amber books, but I think I'll just give up now. There's nothing, as far as I can see, to keep me reading. Every book is a parade of fantastic but ultimately meaningless and indistinguishable events. The characters and their activities are futile to the last degree, since nearly every one of them could live as a god in a world of their own creation; Zelazny's attempt (in this book, IIRC) to explain away this fatal flaw in his plot superstructure is unconvincing to say the least.What a disappointment Amber has turned out to be. I enjoyed Roadmarks, thought Lord of Light amusing but badly overrated, but this series is just trash. I am a reader steeped in the classics of science fiction; from Asimov to Wells, I've read them all – not just the novels and short-story anthologies, but, in my teens, mountains upon mountains of magazine fiction as published in Analog, The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, Asimov's and more. Somehow I missed Zelazny. I must say I didn't miss much.
What do You think about Sign Of The Unicorn (1986)?
The third installment in the Amber series feels like a British locked-room mystery, except for the fact that the suspects can teleport in and out of the room at will. (I know, I know--then it's not a locked room mystery!) The way it truly feels like a British mystery is the multitude of characters, all with motives and means to commit the crimes. This is the best in the series so far: the action is tight, the time span is short (a few days, maybe) and the plot moves quickly. As other reviewers have said, I can't imagine picking up these books after a two-year hiatus in between them: this was published two years after its predecessor, but Zelazny expects his reader to remember dozens of details going back to the beginning of volume 1. (Remember the car crash? That all comes up again here.) The double-and triple-crosses get just about as complicated as can be; they reminded me of the first time I saw Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy--the four-hour Alec Guinness version. But Zelazny's pacing makes the complexities of the plot bearable and it's fun to keep juggling the characters: at one point, when Corwin says "the nine of us," I tested myself and was able to rattle off Corwin, Julian, Random, Benedict, Fiona, Flora, Deirdre, Llewella, Brand off the top of my head, proving that Zelazny had done his job.
—Daniel
These are my comments on the first 5 books in the Amber series (Corwin). I find the world he builds and the exploration of self, society and relationships to be utterly fascinating. The plot twists and motives are a little overdone and complex in my opinion. I also found the shadow hell rides to get rather long and the descriptions very hallucinatory. Those minor faults aside, I found the journey/adventure of Corwin to be wonderful. There was so much self realization and personal growth without sacrificing the action and the plot and this extended into the larger family as well. I am again going to compliment the Shadow and the one true Amber world. I especially loved that the true Amber as originally introduced is in reality the first Shadow. I think it is an excellent parallel to the idea that all of our own realities are really just the first or greater of shadow worlds. There are so many great books to read that even ones I really like usually don't get a second read. In this case, I suspect that there are a lot of subtleties that can be found with a second read.
—Julie Defilippi
Delightful pulp, the Amber series finally feels like it picks up steam in this novel. The first in the series really concerned with patching up many of the holes in the first two books, the Sign of the Unicorn is a high fantasy pair of locked-room mysteries. One of Corwin's brothers was murdered by an inexplicable creature that appeared once before, so Corwin interrogates his brother and sets out to solve this and another mystery. A limited cast of characters and extremely constrained setting allows for more breathing room in the short length. An unsatisfying ending doesn't undermine the delight of Corwin alternating between the roles of a mad fratricidal prince and an ultra-rational detective.
—Tulpa
