Chronicles of Amber (Merlin Cycle) by Roger Zelazny
Hello, Stranger.
Primary Driver: (Plot, World, or Character)
Bechdel Test: Fail.
Technobabble: Mild fantasy babble.
Review: A remarkable job of creating a sequel series. Takes the previous five books as a foundation and develops it, filling in details of the world. Also adds a new magic system – or, more accurately, adds new aspects to the already neat system of magic. Zelazny struggles a bit in giving Merlin a distinct voice from Corwin. Pacing stays quick, writing is cleaner than the earlier books. Merlin’s motivations are much clearer than Corwin’s as well. Totally enjoyable.
This contains spoilers for the previous series – read the Corwin books before this review.
The Merlin books manage to correct many of the issues with
the previous series. They feel much more directed – it seems likely that a
fuller outline of the plot existed before these were written. Plus, building
upon the established world allows for much clearer vision – working from the
base to add new aspects. These are remarkably consistent with the world as
explained in the first five books.
The returning cast of characters are all important but it is
a relief to see new characters take positions of prominence. It is a tough
balancing act, especially given just how many characters there were already,
but it is executed well. All of the new characters that come with Merlin add
their own pieces to the puzzle, though a few are underdeveloped. Merlin’s
closer companions, however, get more depth than any side characters from the
Corwin books.
Motivation was one of the main issues with Corwin: everything he does is a question of momentum. For Merlin there are much more personal stakes. These help both in-universe justification for him doing everything he does and our dedication to him as readers - we get why he does do what he does when he does it, dude.
It is not a perfect series but it is one of the most readily digestible I have encountered. A breeze to read.
If you're interested in reading this, consider using the link below! I'll get a few extra cents at no cost to you.
Full Chronicles of Amber as a Single Volume
Individual Books/Audiobooks/Ebooks
The Long of It
Spoilers Abound!
One of my only major issues with this series is that Zelazny shrinks the universe he has built. While we gain a cast of characters on the Chaos side of things, everyone is related to the same set of characters established in the first series. Mysterious stranger? Probably a cousin. Need to go to someone for help? It's going to be an aunt or uncle. Amber 1-5 set up an extensive universe with unlimited parallel dimensions - anything is possible! Here it feels as if most of that is irrelevant. I had hoped for closer doppelgangers, for more worlds that were almost-images of Amber, and instead ended up with a tangled web of familial relations butting heads.
This also means that most of the times a character is introduced, the question is not, "Is this person related to the main Amberites?" It is always a matter of time before it is revealed that we met them with a different face, or that they were an ex-lover, or frenemy, or estranged relation...
Conversely, some of the best parts of this book are drawn from these close relationships. Kicking things off with the death of Merlin's ex-girlfriend offers direct personal stakes. These are developed more by looping her back in later on - which also gives her a more complete arc than "impetus."
Perhaps my favorite addition to the world - and the best use of parallel worlds - is Merlin's creation of Ghostwheel, a sentient computer who runs on magic. Everything involving Ghostwheel is a blast.
Find ye a new world, Stranger.
And don't forget to read a book!
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