A 9: Knight of Shadows

A lot happened in this installment - so much so that it is hard to believe that the next book will wrap everything up! I was quite glad that some missing characters appeared, and I am starting to like Mandor more and more. I am also very curious as to the resolution in this next book...

Zelazny manages to break out of his own pattern for a bit and some of the fog that moved in during Sign of Chaos begins to dissipate. Caught between the maneuverings of the Pattern and the Logrus, Merlin finds himself trapped and sent on a knight's quest in which he is force to make choices that will change the balance between the two forces. Pattern ghosts haunt his passage, and Merlin is hard put to determine who is real and who is just a memory. The key to the remaining story is the imbalance between the Courts and Amber which may unleash a series of events that threaten all of shadow. Merlin grows increasingly frustrated with the unending interference in his own life which keeps him perpetually at risk. Surrounded by arcane signs, warring wizards, and exploding castles Merlin would just like to enjoy life for a while but his efforts at hedonism simply dig him in deeper. Knight of Shadows still follows the 'travel a bit then fight a bit' pattern, but gradually the busy field of characters is starting to make sense. With a sigh of relief the reader can relax and enjoy the twists in Merlin's adventures as more than one character performs a perfect turnabout just so we will have to keep guessing at the real villain right until the last confrontation.

The Chronicles of Amber are the most masterfully written books in all of bookdom. I really enjoy reading them. I have read them all and keep reading them when i finish. I just can't stop thinking how good they are. I am hoping for another series. When I read the first five, I was blown away. That someone had the imagination to create such a magical world and call ours a shadow, was something I did not think possible. Not that I could have thought of it. Roger Zelazny, i believe, is the best author of science fiction/fantasy in the world. In the back of my mind, i always though that maybe he actually was someone from Amber. That he came here to tell a story about his life or his reletives. Having the power of the Pattern or the Logrus would be a great asset. I could sure use a pizza right about now. It would help if i didn't have to pay for it either. If I could just put my hands in the air and pluck it out of the nether...hehehe...

Son of Corwin (Amber series) goes to college in USA (Earth-shadow) and gets into all sorts of strange adventures. Merlin's computer (is this a throw-back to Illuminatus) is a great help or is it? Or should I say he? If you liked the Amber series you'll enjoy this. It is different. Merlin isn't Corwin and has a lot more naivitie (may irritate some readers) but it's the hero going out into the world to find ... what? Himself? His father? Who's trying to kill him? The world jumping is different from shadow-walking. I reccommend readers trying some world jumping themselves - it's amazing what can happen!

I have read the entire series of amber novels and this book left more unfinished business behind than all the others. Masterfully written by Zelany it filled me with couriousity makeing it a diffucult book to put down. Upon reading the final words I immeadieatly jumped on the net to see if there was a eleventh book. Finding there was not I was dishartend. This book capped of a sereis of spine-tingling adventure in an unusual way leading down to the best showdown ever. Now that I have completed this seris I think I shall go and read them over again. I would recomend these books to anyone I already have several of my freinds reading the series.