Reviews

Another very good novel. I love the whole Amber setup with it's idea of changing the world around you and living in shadow worlds and so forth. All the talk of family politics and infighting over who is going to get the throne is all a little much for me. To be quite honest I'm one of those people who couldn't give a monkey's who attains the throne. I'm far more interested in shadow and chaos and so forth than pretty infighting amongst the family. I was also expecting a little more in the way of direct confrontation with the darker, more chaotic forces than I actually got though, so a little disappointed there.

Very good.

darwin8u's review against another edition

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3.0

"...inside stories seldom live up to one’s expectations. Usually they are grubby little things, reducing down to the basest of motives when all is known. Conjectures and illusions are often the better possessions.”
― Roger Zelazny, Sign of the Unicorn

description

Another solid Zalzny fanasy novel (they are practically novellas). It is 3/10 in the Chronicles of Amber decalog, or 3/5 in the Corwin pentalogy. The family drama of finding the King/Father and understanding the Pattern, the darkness that is invading Amber. A bulk of the novel centers on a family meeting (a meeting of siblings) in Amber. It allows for stories to get told, and more of the background of what is going on to gradually unfold.

Again, like the previous novel in the series, I'm still kinda luke warm towads it. It is good enough for a diversion, but I'm not seeing anything here that is either hyper-literary or revolutionary. It is B+ escapist fare (so far). Good enough that I have no issue coming back to it between other reads, but I'll have to decide if I want to just read the pentalogy or if I'll actually read the entire decalog. We will see.

realbooks4ever's review against another edition

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4.0

SIGN OF THE UNICORN is the third book in the Amber Chronicles. Corwin has returned to Amber and is trying to find the imprisoned brother Brand, with the help of his brothers and sisters. Two brothers are killed, and an attempt is made on Corwin's life. The origin of the black road is a mystery, as well as the creatures who attacked and killed one of the brothers (and previously attacked Corwin on Earth in NINE PRINCES IN AMBER).
There is a surprising question at the end of this book, which propels me to start the next entry in this series!

rafalreadersinitiative's review against another edition

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4.0

To zdecydowanie najlepszy z trzech czytanych przeze mnie tomów "Kronik Amberu", wyraźnie widać, że w tym momencie Zelazny "złapał grunt pod nogami" i znakomicie rozegrał - nomen-omen - atuty, które gromadził od samego początku. Największymi z nich okazały się... niedopowiedzenia, które w "Znaku jednorożca" skrzętnie wykorzystuje, uzupełniając wiedzę czytelnika o wiadomości i wątki, które być może zaplanował od samego początku, a może nie... Jakkolwiek by nie było, wszystko świetnie się zazębia, do tego stopnia, że trudno znaleźć jakąś lukę, która przeczyłaby twierdzeniu, że autor miał skrzętnie przemyślany koncept na wielotomowy cykl powieści.

Najciekawsze jednak, że "Znak jednorożca" okazuje się być... kryminałem! Tak, książka to kolejny krok ku rozwiązaniu zagadki tego, kto stoi za spiskiem mającym na celu unicestwienie Amberu, z Corwinem w roli detektywa i - ponownie - niesamowitą woltą w finale! Polecam!

hammard's review against another edition

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3.0

A transitional book largely devoted to establishing what will happen in the second half of the series.

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