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hawkeyegough's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
hopeful
mysterious
tense
fast-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
5.0
Zelazny has yet another winner in The Courts of Chaos. This author has a really incredible gift for combining fantasy and mythological elements with esoteric science in a genre-bending swirl that is delicious. Added to this, the main character has continued to evolve and develop over the course of five books now in a consistent and believable way. This is an excellent way to keep the reader involved, and is a good example of one of my absolute favorite aspects of Zelazny's writing: he manages to leave out every unnecessary syllable and yet say volumes in the dense text that remains. This is apparent in the Corwin, the protagonist's reckoning with his existence as some kind of demi-god and the meaning of morality, duty and virtue as well as responsibility. Throughout this series, we are following Corwin in a series of tumultuous events, and this challenging time of his life is making him consider his extremely long life and any meaning he's derived from it. Zelazny's choices of what events and interactions to leave out or hint at manage to emphasize and lend impact to text he chose to use and keep.
Additionally, Zelazny's prose is second to none. He manages to simultaneously keep the tone light and sometimes hilarious in a dry, subtle way while treating us to some incredible metaphors and descriptive passages. An example is when the author has a character begin to allow himself to feel hope near the climax. Corwin describes this as drops of liquid hope landing on his heart, which felt somehow accurate to a sensation we've probably all felt at some point. This is just one example of an author who has created an immersive, finely-crafted world and some enjoyable characters within it. This whole series has wildly exceeded my expectations, and I will be revisiting it soon in the 6th installment.
Additionally, Zelazny's prose is second to none. He manages to simultaneously keep the tone light and sometimes hilarious in a dry, subtle way while treating us to some incredible metaphors and descriptive passages. An example is when the author has a character begin to allow himself to feel hope near the climax. Corwin describes this as drops of liquid hope landing on his heart, which felt somehow accurate to a sensation we've probably all felt at some point. This is just one example of an author who has created an immersive, finely-crafted world and some enjoyable characters within it. This whole series has wildly exceeded my expectations, and I will be revisiting it soon in the 6th installment.
greaydean's review against another edition
3.0
A satisfactory conclusion. While not spectacular, I will probably go on and read the other 5 books in the series, as I did think it did a good job of rounding out the story and bringing some insight to the human condition.
salaciousss's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
webjoram's review against another edition
3.0
Final de la saga de Ámbar, por lo menos en cuanto al personaje de Corwin, aunque el final de este último libro queda lo suficientemente abierto como para que sea posible volver a retomar los personajes mostrados. Quizás este hecho es lo que mas me ha defraudado de este último libro, hubiera preferido un final mas cerrado pero en cualquier caso creo que es una saga muy buena.
Me encanta la estructura de la historia y como nos va racionando la información , en cierto modo vamos descubriendo la historia que nos cuenta al mismo tiempo que nuestro protagonista y como el vamos cambiando nuestra opinión del resto de su familia y de las circunstancias que han llevado a la situación en la que se encuentran y la lucha que deben llevar a cabo para salvar Ámbar y toda la realidad que conocemos.
Mi valoración personal sobre este último tomo de la saga es de tres estrellas porque creo que el final de la historia desilusiona un poco, le falta intensidad pero en el conjunto la saga creo que merece cuatro estrellas.
En definitiva y a pesar de que existen algunos momentos en que la historia flojea merece la pena leerla.
Me encanta la estructura de la historia y como nos va racionando la información , en cierto modo vamos descubriendo la historia que nos cuenta al mismo tiempo que nuestro protagonista y como el vamos cambiando nuestra opinión del resto de su familia y de las circunstancias que han llevado a la situación en la que se encuentran y la lucha que deben llevar a cabo para salvar Ámbar y toda la realidad que conocemos.
Mi valoración personal sobre este último tomo de la saga es de tres estrellas porque creo que el final de la historia desilusiona un poco, le falta intensidad pero en el conjunto la saga creo que merece cuatro estrellas.
En definitiva y a pesar de que existen algunos momentos en que la historia flojea merece la pena leerla.
dantastic's review against another edition
4.0
Much like the last time I read the Amber saga, I wolfed down the last two books in one day. As far as series enders go, this one his hard to beat. All the questions get answered and the fate of the world is resolved.
Fifteen years ago, I said this was right up there with the Dark Tower and the Elric saga. I still feel that way. Sure, some of the monologues get a little long-winded but this is a very well crafted fantasy mystery that is epic in scope. Zelazny stuck the landing. Unlike last time, this is where I stop. 4.5 out of 5 stars.
Fifteen years ago, I said this was right up there with the Dark Tower and the Elric saga. I still feel that way. Sure, some of the monologues get a little long-winded but this is a very well crafted fantasy mystery that is epic in scope. Zelazny stuck the landing. Unlike last time, this is where I stop. 4.5 out of 5 stars.
bkoser's review against another edition
5.0
It's really tough to rate the books in this series separately. Overall though, 5 stars. I love the politics, the mysteries, and the constant re-evaluation of characters and events when given new information. It's an exemplar of the man-from-Earth-travels-to-fantasy-world subgenre. (Has anyone written one of those in the last 30 years?)
4.5 stars
4.5 stars
sandin954's review against another edition
3.0
A well done final installment of the first set of the Chronicles of Amber. Listened to the audio version which was narrated by Alessandro Julian who did a nice job with the entire series.
kenlaan's review against another edition
5.0
A very satisfying end to (the first half of) a series that didn't quite live up to my high hopes for it, based on its reputation and the strong beginning, but one I'd nonetheless recommend to those that enjoy high fantasy and want to experience something outside the usual bounds of the Tolkien-influenced stuff.
Loose plot threads were tied up, things were revealed and explained, and the action moved faster than the middle entries.
I'll certainly read the second half of the series, but probably not before next year, and book 5 ends with some degree of finality.
Loose plot threads were tied up, things were revealed and explained, and the action moved faster than the middle entries.
I'll certainly read the second half of the series, but probably not before next year, and book 5 ends with some degree of finality.
neglet's review against another edition
Re-reading an old favorite for the first time in a decade... And it hasn’t aged well for me. This conclusion doesn’t have a whole lot of plot—just more hell rides (which I end up skimming at this point, the novelty is gone) and a couple of big battles. Corwin seems to have learned some lessons, but I don’t feel like he’s really changed or grown. Aside from now he doesn’t want the throne—not an earth-shaking emotional insight.
I love this world and the basic plot concept, but on a re-read it falls short for me, especially when it comes to character development.
I love this world and the basic plot concept, but on a re-read it falls short for me, especially when it comes to character development.
sjbanner's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0