A review by neglet
Trumps of Doom by Roger Zelazny

A re-read, but the first time in a decade or so. And I realize this book uses a technique that I’ve come to loathe: characters deliberately withholding information to artificially create “suspense.” So while we sympathize with Merlin as he tries to figure out who is behind the regular attempts on his life, we’re continually frustrated when each person he encountered withholds information. So we don’t really get that twisty political intrigue that I love from the series, plus Merlin is continually reacting instead of acting.

Interesting, though, that this first Merlin volume parallels the first Corwin volume by having him imprisoned by a relative. It will be interesting to see if the parallels continue from there.