Don't Forget to Read a Book!

Hello, Stranger. Let's talk about Roger Zelazny's  Chronicles of Amber (Merlin Cycle). The Short of It Plot: As much as Merlin wants to be his own person, Amber keeps pulling him in. Page Count:  Trumps of Doom: 184 Blood of Amber: 215 Sign of Chaos: 217 Knight of Shadows: 251 Prince of Chaos: 241 Award:  Trumps of Doom: 1986 Locus Fantasy  Worth a read : Yes 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. ...

Hello, Stranger. Let's talk about Roger Zelazny's  Chronicles of Amber (Corwin Cycle). The Short of It Plot:  Amber, a parallel realm to ours, is in a state of turmoil. Fantasy hijinks ensue.  Page Count:  Nine Princes in Amber: 175 The Guns of Avalon: 223 Sign of the Unicorn: 192 The Hand of Oberon: 188 The Courts of Chaos: 189 Award: None, but Book 6 (which begins the next quintet) won. Worth a read : Yes. Primary Driver:  ( Plot, World, or Character ) Bechdel Test : Fail (Unsure...) Technobabble:  Fantasy Babble - yes Review:  Delightful fantasy. Wildly unpredictable, charming protagonist, neat world. A deftly handled update to the standard sword and sorcery formula. Clearly written with tropes in mind, and uses them (or subverts them) to excellent effect. This is not an impactful read; it is not profound, or deeply thought-provoking, or anything else. It is instead a perfectly streamlined snack, and as such it is one of the best. The Medi...

Hello, Stranger. Let's talk about Roger Zelazny's Lord of Light The Short of It Plot:  The Hindu gods have kept the world in the Dark Ages: it is time for them to die. Page Count:  319 Award:  1968 Hugo Worth a read : Yes Primary Driver:  (Plot,  World , or Character) Bechdel Test : Fail Technobabble:  Minimal Review: A fascinating depiction of religion and reincarnation supported by technology. Multiple stories (7) of varying quality come together well, though pacing can be a bit all over. Superb world-building and novel use of Hindu myths.  The Medium of It Spoiler Free! There are a handful of quotes in this part of the review. They all come from the first ten pages, so fear not that all shall be spoilt. It shall be alright. The opening scene of Lord of Light is an excellent hook. His followers called him Mahasamatman and said he was a god. He preferred to drop the Maha- and the -atman, however, and called himself Sam. He never claimed to be a g...

Hello, Stranger. Let's talk about Roger Zelazny's  This Immortal. The Short of It Plot: A (somewhat) immortal man guides a group (including an alien) on a tour of post-nuclear-war Earth. Page Count: 174 Award:  1966 Hugo Worth a read : Yes Primary Driver:  (Plot, World, or  Character ) Bechdel Test : Fail Technobabble:  Minimal Review:  This was originally serialized and you can feel it while reading; it does not have a plot so much as a series of events. Narrator is hilarious without being unbearable - worth reading for his excellent commentary. The Medium of It Spoiler Free! This short book is carried entirely by the charisma and humor of Conrad, the first-person narrator. He pushes right up to the line of obnoxious without crossing it, and his dry zingers and one liners had me do a few spit-takes. I do not wish to ruin them, so I'll only provide one example: Crossing a room can be a ticklish and time-consuming business: if it's full of people, if th...