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richardrbecker's review against another edition
4.0
The fifth book in the Chronicles of Amber series ends the original series, but clearly sets up the next set of five. At only 189 pages (one more than the 4th in the series), the book is almost too short for its own good — until you remember that the entire series was originally published as a serial.
For those who read all five, the fifth is among the most revealing and once again brings together myths, legends, religion, and pop philosophy into the mix. Even Corwin's meeting with Ygg (a talking tree mark the border between Order and Chaos) is similar to Dante's meeting with a talking tree in the "Inferno." Ygg is also based on Yggdrasil, a tree that holds up the sky in northern Germanic and Icelandic myths.
It's these allusions that, in part, that helped the series earn a place as a classic of imaginative literature. Where else can one find Earth as a mere shadow between two contrasting "true" worlds, Amber and Chaos? Nowhere.
For those who read all five, the fifth is among the most revealing and once again brings together myths, legends, religion, and pop philosophy into the mix. Even Corwin's meeting with Ygg (a talking tree mark the border between Order and Chaos) is similar to Dante's meeting with a talking tree in the "Inferno." Ygg is also based on Yggdrasil, a tree that holds up the sky in northern Germanic and Icelandic myths.
It's these allusions that, in part, that helped the series earn a place as a classic of imaginative literature. Where else can one find Earth as a mere shadow between two contrasting "true" worlds, Amber and Chaos? Nowhere.
tis_sandor's review against another edition
5.0
I thoroughly enjoyed the series. It feels like there's a lot packed into so few pages, the world and mythology that Zelazny built is truly magnificent.
julius_light's review against another edition
4.0
And so ends the first half of the narrative. I'm low-key anticipating Corwin to address the reader more explicitly than a goodbye and hello, perhaps along the filmy of "Reader, I married him", to shatter the even truer wall beyond the nothingness that lies beyond the dark citadel. The emotions he felt after completing the etching of the chestnut blossom-inspired Pattern... those are the selfsame feelings the writer, or otherwise creator of fiction, has. I'm highly intrigued by the presence of Merlin, the son of Corwin, and wondering if he'll take the reins at the conclusion of Book Ten. With each successive novel I'm more and more convinced that Zelazny believes that he is writing the title of fantasy (I'm not sure I'd laud that position, but I do have five more to go and the fixations of Fate are steadily growing stronger in the burnished distance of geography). I was greatly saddened by Deirdre's (apparent) death, and I use parentheses because if we don't see a body, she's not 100% confirmed dead right? and the Unicorn came from the abyss, and it went back in! She can't be dead! Please! Sure, if I felt sad that means that Zelazny conveyed Corwin's love for her well; but there just wasn't enough. We only got like, what, two solid instances of interaction between the two? "I was always a sucker for that."
capellan's review against another edition
4.0
I found the travelogue that takes up much of the first half of this book to be a little too episodic and structurally repetitive (Corwin meets a lot of people who want to philosophize with or kill him, often both), but it storms home in the second half, with a suitably compelling series of encounters and challenges. I especially like how it is shown that Corwin is not the only one actively trying to protect Amber. Good stuff.
nevenareadsstuff's review against another edition
2.0
It's not in any way worse than the rest of the books, but most of the book is comprised of Corwin just travelling around and I didn't find it that much interesting.
jpv0's review against another edition
4.0
Good-bye and hello, as always.
So. Oberon is back. Things are still going wrong. The Pattern is breaking apart and Brand / the Courts of Chaos are trying to hurry things along.
Oberon tries to fix things on one end by repairing the Pattern while at the same time sending Corwin on a Hellride to end all Hellrides out to the Courts of Chaos.
We get some interesting worldbuilding in the way of references to other works--something we've seen all along, but these are a bit more obvious. Ygg the talking tree (Yggdrasil). The raven Hugi (one of Odin's ravens). The Spinx. Merlin. It's interesting to see, but a bit weird change of tone.
Crazy battles. Huge storms. The end of the world. Some fantastic writing in the descriptions and battles there, I'll give Zelazny that.
And... now there might be
Overall, I'm glad I read the series. It was certainly interesting. Not my favorite books I've ever read though. I think it might be time for a break before trying the [b:Trumps of Doom|536790|Trumps of Doom (The Chronicles of Amber, #6)|Roger Zelazny|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1418027077s/536790.jpg|16179287].
felyn's review against another edition
3.0
I wish the ending of the Corwin Cycle was more satisfying. It took a lot of pushing to finally finish the last 50 pages or so.
I don't know if it's worth it to start the Merlin Cycle after this.
I don't know if it's worth it to start the Merlin Cycle after this.