Reviews

Sign of the Unicorn by Roger Zelazny

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olivera420's review against another edition

2.0

2.5 stars

I still love the world but this book was a complete 180 from the previous two books. Nine Princes in Amber and The Guns of Avalon set up an interesting looming threat of the black road as a result of Corwin's curse and the mysterious girl that says she's Benedict's granddaughter and then this book barely mentions either of those things and turns into a standard whodunit that I've seen a million times already. And that basic whodunit setup is just an excuse to have a 190 page long recounting of events the previous two books covered from the perspectives of Corwin's brothers. The ending was the only intriguing part where something new happens and was a major cliffhanger and the only reason I'm continuing the series at all.

tstevens3's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious fast-paced

4.25

olletokstolle's review against another edition

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adventurous

3.0

lesserjoke's review against another edition

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3.0

I appreciate that this third Amber volume makes time to revisit a few open questions from the first novel, and it's as fun as ever to see the squabbling family of reality-hopping sorcerers and their swashbuckling antics. On the other hand, I still don't feel as though we know most of them well enough for all the intrigue and backstabbing to land effectively, which is a real problem so deep into the series. When the narrative slows down for some character beats with the protagonist's brother Random or his friend Bill back on earth, it's pretty great! But too many of the rest of the players here register as little more than interchangeable names, to the detriment of the story author Roger Zelazny seems trying to tell.

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t_shaffner's review against another edition

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4.0

Unexpectedly, this book in the series REALLY stood out from the others. This was true mostly because the middle of it was a lot of fun scenes involving relationships and other such dynamics, which I always enjoy, and this still amidst and interesting plot and world.

mbs1236's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.75

Reread Update:
A much less action focused book than the previous two though that is not a bad thing. So many political reveals were made showing as to how the actions leading to the first book happened and the family get together in this book and the interactions of all the siblings was great and a joy to read. The ending of this book was also rather dreamlike and serene. Another masterful book that contributes in setting up the final stages of the First Chronicles of Amber.