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A review by mardukzero
The Courts of Chaos by Roger Zelazny
4.0
I'm not quite sure how to describe this one.
I started off feeling like Zelazny suddenly realized he only had so many pages left to hit certain plot points, as the book starts off with some events happening rather suddenly. Remembering the serialized origin of the narrative makes it more forgivable, but it threw me off.
Then, we hit the meat of the story (the 'Acid Trip', as some of my friends call it). This was really, really good. Zelazny spends a majority of the novel taking us through an increasingly surreal and unreal landscape. Unlike the impressionism of the hellrides (which I think of as the most purple Zelazny usually gets in the Amber stories), this really evoked an 'Ends of the Earths' feeling. The unsettling strangeness of places so far from what is familiar was amazing. It's something I really like, and it was done well here. Many of the scenes are reflective and philosophical, but mostly manage to hit home as opposed to feeling self-indulgent.
A few parts here made me uncontrollably laugh out loud (specifically, the Giant in the mud). Zelazny goes from hauntingly introspective to Pythonesque, and he makes it work. Even the occasional philosophical dialogues (in the classical sense) don't feel that out of place (well, the assumption can be made that he was legitimately tripping during at least part of the writing here).
The climax was... not what I expected. And that's the only way I can really think to put it. The pacing of events is not what I expected, nor are the outcomes. I didn't know what to expect, just that it wasn't any of what happened. And that's not a bad thing.
But, it makes me wonder. Was Zelazny trying to make a statement with these choices? Thematic consideration follows, which may be considered spoilery.
There is a running theme that I noticed in earnest with book 3. When Corwin begins to have the conspiracies of his siblings revealed to him, we suddenly have a protagonist who has been more pawn than player. When, the subsequent events show Corwin again being directed by the actions and decisions of others.
This is not to say that he's a weak protagonist. I get the feeling this must be intentional. It's something I'll be discussing with friends, for sure.
Similarly, the revelation of and playing a rather large role in things is an interesting choice. It feels a bit deus ex machina, but at the same time those events didn't require that particular character to be involved, so it's not a cop-out resolution. Reveals are fun, but like other parts of the ending here, I can't decide whether it's 'good, bad, or indifferent' -- which means I'm, for the time being, defaulting to 'fine, not a problem'.
And that goes for the rest of the ending, as well. Do I honestly think I would have preferred a more 'concrete' ending? No, the openness is befitting. Does it leave the story in my head? Yes, it does. I've tried to think of this series without the existence of its sequel series. If this were The End, I feel I would be a bit frustrated, despite the room for interpretation being rather fitting.
Again, going to have to discuss this with friends.
It's been a long time since I read [b:Nine Princes in Amber|92121|Nine Princes in Amber (The Chronicles of Amber #1)|Roger Zelazny|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1416090973s/92121.jpg|1383240], and I'm glad to have finally continued the series. I wasn't sure quite what to expected, and it's definitely been different that I might have anticipated, but I've enjoyed the journey a lot.
I started off feeling like Zelazny suddenly realized he only had so many pages left to hit certain plot points, as the book starts off with some events happening rather suddenly. Remembering the serialized origin of the narrative makes it more forgivable, but it threw me off.
Then, we hit the meat of the story (the 'Acid Trip', as some of my friends call it). This was really, really good. Zelazny spends a majority of the novel taking us through an increasingly surreal and unreal landscape. Unlike the impressionism of the hellrides (which I think of as the most purple Zelazny usually gets in the Amber stories), this really evoked an 'Ends of the Earths' feeling. The unsettling strangeness of places so far from what is familiar was amazing. It's something I really like, and it was done well here. Many of the scenes are reflective and philosophical, but mostly manage to hit home as opposed to feeling self-indulgent.
A few parts here made me uncontrollably laugh out loud (specifically, the Giant in the mud). Zelazny goes from hauntingly introspective to Pythonesque, and he makes it work. Even the occasional philosophical dialogues (in the classical sense) don't feel that out of place (well, the assumption can be made that he was legitimately tripping during at least part of the writing here).
The climax was... not what I expected. And that's the only way I can really think to put it. The pacing of events is not what I expected, nor are the outcomes. I didn't know what to expect, just that it wasn't any of what happened. And that's not a bad thing.
But, it makes me wonder. Was Zelazny trying to make a statement with these choices? Thematic consideration follows, which may be considered spoilery.
There is a running theme that I noticed in earnest with book 3. When Corwin begins to have the conspiracies of his siblings revealed to him, we suddenly have a protagonist who has been more pawn than player. When
Spoiler
Oberon reveals himselfThis is not to say that he's a weak protagonist. I get the feeling this must be intentional. It's something I'll be discussing with friends, for sure.
Similarly, the revelation of
Spoiler
Caine being aliveAnd that goes for the rest of the ending, as well. Do I honestly think I would have preferred a more 'concrete' ending? No, the openness is befitting. Does it leave the story in my head? Yes, it does. I've tried to think of this series without the existence of its sequel series. If this were The End, I feel I would be a bit frustrated, despite the room for interpretation being rather fitting.
Again, going to have to discuss this with friends.
It's been a long time since I read [b:Nine Princes in Amber|92121|Nine Princes in Amber (The Chronicles of Amber #1)|Roger Zelazny|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1416090973s/92121.jpg|1383240], and I'm glad to have finally continued the series. I wasn't sure quite what to expected, and it's definitely been different that I might have anticipated, but I've enjoyed the journey a lot.