Product Description
As the Titan Cartel brings two hundred trillion tons of liquid natural gas down to Earth, maverick astrophysicist Hannibal Freede searches for signs of strange phenomena on the sun. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Not bad, but could have been better
Nothing to fancy here. It has a decent plot with ok characters. Over all its a good read that wont find a home on my shelf with better books. This doesn't rate up there with the Amber series for sure. If the author had gone into a bit more detail and depth throughout the book it would of vastly improved things. The best selling point for the book is a fairly unique look at the use of magic.

As it is its a good enter level fantasy book.

Interesting fantasy with a uniqe handling of magic.
"Wizard World" is actually "changeling" and "Madwand" combined.

In "changeling" we reveal that Pol Detson , a son of a sorcerer , and Mark Marakson , a son ofOur-world-computer-genius , have been switched when they were babies inorder to prevent the murder of the sorcerer's son.

Mark grows in a worldthat chose to go in the ways of magic , but his machanical talents arestronger within him. He does'nt care about the reaction he gets from hissurrounding , until he's almost lynched , and vows to revange.

Pol detson, mean-while , is in our world. He is an artist , a musician , a guy with afree soul and feeling he does'nt belong.

Since childhood , he had a whitestreak going trough his black hair. He has mild telekinetic powers , andwhile playing he sometimes build castles and dragons and such fromsmoke.

The day comes , when Mark , with the help of ancient technolegy ,is becoming a real threat to the delicate balance in his world. The onlyway to stop him is to confront him with Pol.

Pol is hauled into thisworld of magic by the old sorcerer that made the switch to begin with , andis amazed. He is in the land of his dreames.

Being from a long lineage ofsorcerers his powers grow. When he is recognized as belonging to thatlineage he is almost lynched himself , but eventhough he's been treatedhorribly he decides to confront Mark Marakson in protection of civilizationand in guarding the status-quo between technolegy and magic.

In"Madwand" Pol lives in his father's castle and is studyingsorcery. He is a Madwand - that is , a natural magician , but he too canlearn alot in matters of techniqe.

I can't reveal the plot since it's astory about how Pol is driven into the schemes and plots of the sorcereresguild , and finds out detailes about his lineage and father.

In thisbooks you will find a marvelous interpatation to magic - a combinedhallucination , based on telepathy , that makes all the"fireworks" in a strugle of will-power between psionicpeople.

Offcourse , when you read about Pol's "second sight"(the way he sees magic) and follow him in his understanding that everysorcerer sees magic diffrently , it's a little more exciting than readingit here.

I gave the book only four stars because I can't compare it to"Lord of light" or "Creatures of light and darkness" -those are 5 star books , but it is a very good fantasynon-the-less.

Recommended. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (10)

Wondrous
I'm glad to see this still in circulation.Some of Zelazny's stories here that can't be found elsewhere.I'm buying a lightly used one to replace my read-to-death copy.

Come, observe a Master at work...

Real chess for a fictional story
Anthology of short stories, especially love the first one - Unicorn Variations - Playing Chess with a Unicorn (real Chess game by the by).

Zelazny fan
I love most of Roger Zelazny's work and this is a very tongue in cheek book and I love the premis that our killing off species of animals, brings about the return of mythical ones,and the protagonist finds himself in a chess match with one of them, winner takes over reality. Great book. 5stars

Great stories
A fine selection of short stories from an excellent author if you like Zelazny I would recommend this book

Not Free SF Reader
A collection largely composed of quite short work, barring the brilliant Home Is the Hangman novella.In fact, multiple short-shorts to be found here, including a triple that starts with Fire And/Or Ice.A couple of stories rescued from fanzine and other death it seems, too.

Several of these are of the amusing variety.

There is also a sequel to the Devil Car story some people may have come across.

Included also are a couple of essays, one on sf and criticism and related topics, for when he had to think about talking at unis, and another on writing.Some short intros to stories are included.

As such, a little under the mark at 3.45 story average overall.


Unicorn Variations : Unicorn Variation - Roger Zelanzy
Unicorn Variations : The Last of the Wild Ones - Roger Zelanzy
Unicorn Variations : Recital - Roger Zelanzy
Unicorn Variations : The Naked Matador - Roger Zelanzy
Unicorn Variations : Dismal Light - Roger Zelanzy
Unicorn Variations : Go Starless in the Night - Roger Zelanzy
Unicorn Variations : But Not the Herald - Roger Zelanzy
Unicorn Variations : A Hand Across the Galaxy - Roger Zelanzy
Unicorn Variations : The Force that Through the Circuit Drives the Current - Roger Zelanzy
Unicorn Variations : Home Is the Hangman - Roger Zelanzy
Unicorn Variations : Fire And/Or Ice - Roger Zelanzy
Unicorn Variations : Exeunt Omnes - Roger Zelanzy
Unicorn Variations : A Very Good Year - Roger Zelanzy
Unicorn Variations : My Lady of the Diodes - Roger Zelanzy
Unicorn Variations : And I Only Am Escaped to Tell Thee - Roger Zelanzy
Unicorn Variations : The Horses of Lir - Roger Zelanzy
Unicorn Variations : The Night Has 999 Eyes - Roger Zelanzy
Unicorn Variations : Angel Dark Angel - Roger Zelanzy
Unicorn Variations : Walpurgisnacht - Roger Zelanzy
Unicorn Variations : The George Business - Roger Zelanzy


Mythological species replacement with sasquatch chess master.

4 out of 5


Car herd cull history comeback duel failure.

4 out of 5


Singing character end.

3 out of 5


Killer coupling.

3.5 out of 5


Prison project main sequence remains.

3.5 out of 5


Corpsicle history lesson.

3.5 out of 5


Hoping to mug Hercules definitely too Hopeful.

3.5 out of 5


Interstellar foster kid letter.

3 out of 5


Telefactor operation autonomy observation.

3.5 out of 5


Telepresence party prank has terrible results, robot killer wrongly represented afterwards, but does his duty despite detective.

5 out of 5


Twilight of the Gods nookie.

3.5 out of 5


End of play.

3 out of 5


New Year's repeat.

3 out of 5


Crime spree jealous computer chess double cross teamup.

3 out of 5


Flying Dutchman ship change no improvement.

4 out of 5


Taking over the mythic keeping job from uncle.

4 out of 5


Sun maybe not scary.

2.5 out of 5


Agents of 'Death', chosen for exception physical abilities and then enhanced and given cool toys. They also get two coffee breaks a day.

4 out of 5


Talking tomb programs.

3.5 out of 5


Stage fight.

3.5 out of 5




4 out of 5 ... Read more

Customer Reviews (9)

Excellent fantasy by a great SF author
I don't usually have patience for fantasy, preferring hard SF. However when the fantasy is written by Roger Zelazny, that is quite a different matter. Many of his greatest books have a considerable element of fantasy (the Amber series, Lord of Light, Creatures of Light and Darkness, Isle of the Dead to name but a few). And he brings to the field more discipline and tighter plotting than you would normally expect in a fantasy novel. "The Changing Land" is a sequel to the short story collection "Dilvish the Damned", and as might be expected the novel form gives Zelazny much more scope to outline and develop some really interesting ideas. The basic proposition - outlined in "Dilvish the Damned" - is that the Elf-descended warrior Dilvish once crossed the mighty wizard Jelerak, who turned his body into a statue and condemned his soul to Hell. Having escaped, with the aid of the steel horse Black (who, it is hinted, is a human being in magical guise), Dilvish heads straight for Jelerak's fortress stronghold Castle Timeless with the fixed intention of killing him. But Jelerak is away - seemingly detained by some unknown but powerful force - and the castle has been taken over by his apprentice Baran and the resurrected queen Semirama, while all the land around is periodically racked by lethal magic "storms" projected by the mad Elder God Tualua, the castle's longest-standing resident. Long before Jelerak's much-feared return, events in Castle Timeless have taken a violent and unpredictable turn. And then Dilvish weighs in...

If you enjoyed any of Zelazny's fantastic novels, especially the Amber series, you will find "The Changing Land" equally entertaining.

Fantastical Zelazny.
Read this book, hellfire read anything by Zelazny, the man just didn't know how to write a bad novel. It was a shame to lose him when we did.

Dilvish is back and ready to fight!
The Changing Land is a fun read ending the stories of Dilvish collected in "Dilvish the Damned".

Having finally tracked down his mortal enemy, the sorcerer who sent him to Hell, Dilvish and his comrade Black must cross a land best described as a dark magic hurricane.Reality there is not fixed and nothing is what it seems.Fire demons, roaming spells and even a field of maniacal giant hands stand between Dilvish and his vengence.

My only complaint is the end is a bit anti-climactic but the adventures woven by Zelazny here are still enough for me to rate this one 4 stars.

Read "Dilvish the Damned" first and then this one right after and you won't be disappointed.

Also starring Black, the demon horse
This book has the grandest theme, longest sentence, and the most strangely-named demon in all of fantasy.

Actually I'm not positive about the longest sentence, because I haven't read the complete works of H. P. Lovecraft, but Zelazny must come close.

The demon's name is Melbriniononsadsazzersteldregandishfeltselior.

The author includes a touching love story between Queen Semirama and a tentacled semi-elder-god who lives in a cesspit at the bottom of Castle Timeless. The Queen is a hard character to like since she is indifferent to prisoners chained in the castle dungeon, and only talks to her slave when she has to work in her back-story. She had been raised from the dust by the evil sorcerer Jelerak in order to communicate with the ancient denizen of the cesspit, who is a source of tremendous occult power even if he does resemble a gigantic, smelly octopus.

The theme of "The Changing Land" is the death and rebirth of the Universe, and the meddling of the Elder Gods in human, elvish, and demonic affairs. Some of the characters, such as Dilvish the Damned and his hell-horse, Black spring fully-formed onto the pages. They were actually born in this author's earlier short stories, collected in the book, "Dilvish, the Damned." It might be easier to read "Dilvish, the Damned" before you dive into "The Changing Land" because the latter fantasy has lots and lots of characters who act as though we should know them. There are gods, demi-gods, semi-demi-gods, black and white magicians, heroes, elves, mechanical horses, demons, and at least one Queen who you'll have to sort out and remember. A couple of them change bodies at least once, which doesn't make it any easier on the reader.

Castle Timeless is the center of the action, and the goal of every power-hungry sorcerer who has a staff to quaver at its numerous demons. Its corridors are a constantly changing maze, and the land surrounding it is a mad god's dream, exploding volcanoes of mud, hedged with flame, and alive with winged monkeys---

Oops, I don't think we're in Kansas anymore.

Zelazny had completed his fifth Amber novel by the time he wrote "The Changing Land" and there is a definite Amberish glow to the mutating landscape and castle of this book. Once you have the characters straight in your mind, it is a wonderful read. I can't think of another author who has the chutzpah to take his readers on a trip through the Death of the Universe, and back out again through the next Big Bang.

Mad gods and Dilvish man
This book has the grandest theme, longest sentence, and the most strangely-named demon in all of fantasy.

Actually I'm not positive about the longest sentence, because I haven't read the complete works of H. P. Lovecraft, but Zelazny must come close.

The demon's name is Melbriniononsadsazzersteldregandishfeltselior.

The author includes a touching love story between Queen Semirama and a tentacled semi-elder-god who lives in a cesspit at the bottom of Castle Timeless.The Queen is a hard character to like since she is indifferent to prisoners chained in the castle dungeon, and only talks to her slave when she has to work in her back-story.She had been raised from the dust by the evil sorcerer Jelerak in order to communicate with the ancient denizen of the cesspit, who is a source of tremendous occult power even if he does resemble a gigantic, smelly octopus.

The theme of "The Changing Land" is the death and rebirth of the Universe, and the meddling of the Elder Gods in human, elvish, and demonic affairs.Some of the characters, such as Dilvish the Damned and his hell-horse, Black spring fully-formed onto the pages.They were actually born in this author's earlier short stories, collected in the book, "Dilvish, the Damned."It might be easier to read "Dilvish, the Damned" before you dive into "The Changing Land" because the latter fantasy has lots and lots of characters who act as though we should know them.There are gods, demi-gods, semi-demi-gods, black and white magicians, heroes, elves, mechanical horses, demons, and at least one Queen who you'll have to sort out and remember.A couple of them change bodies at least once, which doesn't make it any easier on the reader.

Castle Timeless is the center of the action, and the goal of every power-hungry sorcerer who has a staff to quaver at its numerous demons.Its corridors are a constantly changing maze, and the land surrounding it is a mad god's dream, exploding volcanoes of mud, hedged with flame, and alive with winged monkeys---

Oops, I don't think we're in Kansas anymore.

Zelazny had completed his fifth Amber novel by the time he wrote "The Changing Land" and there is a definite Amberish glow to the mutating landscape and castle of this book.Once you have the characters straight in your mind, it is a wonderful read.I can't think of another author who has the chutzpah to take his readers on a trip through the Death of the Universe, and back out again through the next Big Bang.
... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Fascinating look at Navajo myth, alien hunter
This book is in many ways true Zelazny fun: exciting, fast-paced, science-fiction and interesting lead character.The basic premise of the book is a Navajo tracker, living beyond his years, who makes a pact with an alien shape-shifter he tracked and captured.The alien, agrees to help him if he can hunt and kill the lead character later.What begins is a gripping chase across the world.

Cat, the alien hunter, is a very interesting character, and Zelazny writes him well, while the hero is likewise a very interesting blend of Native-American archtype, but also a very worldly and unique character.

This book is a hidden gem among Zelazny's library of books.Enjoy!

Not Free SF Reader
A story about a track of Native American descent, and a very strange alien shapeshifter, and the very strange relationship between them.With the odd assassination.An exploration of mythology, as well, which is pretty common for Zelazny.

Two different sorts of hunters must come to an accomodation of sorts to accomplish their task, without destroying each other.

Eye Of Cat
Zelazny's unusual and wonderful creative style shapes this book.It is a delightful afternoon's reading.

Indian mysticism prevails.
William Singer, a Navajo tracker, is called upon to hunt down a shape-shifting alien assassin. Singer enlists the help of a one-eyed metamorph cat to help find the alien. Since Singer had previously caught and imprisioned the cat in a zoo, the cat agrees to help on the condition that it be freed to hunt Singer once the mission is over.

This book contains a lot of American Indian mysticism (Tony Hillerman is mentioned in the dedication) and is presented in the "stream-of consciousness" style of writing. Singers philosophy and way of life give him coping skills that were lost to modern civilization.

I am a fan of Roger Zelazny but this is not one of my favorite works. It lacks any humor and the abundance of "stream-of-consciousness" becomes tedious after awhile. Still, I recommend it somewhat because the story and the characters are interesting. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Excellent collection
Roger Zelazny is one of a few great prose stylists of the Fantasy and Science Fiction genere, along with Ray Bradbury and Jack Vance. His style is fierce and lyrical. This evident in all his stories, but especially inthe two Hugo winners collected here "Permafrost" and "24Veiws of Mt. Fuji, by Hokusia". The former is the story that conviceme that Zelazny is great writer, giving us a tale of Love and Hatred,Revenge and Betrayel of cosmic proportions. The latter mixes philisophicalmusings, martial arts, Japanese methology, and cyberpunk speculations. Alsothere are two essays on science fiction and fantasy along with ten othertreats. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (10)

A little disappointed by the ending
Cat was great.The various hunts were great.A little disappointed by the ending.I agree with some other reviewers that the mythology / ancient story telling was a bit heavy relative to the length of the rest of the book.

Full of surprises, unique, and entertaining.
In EYE OF CAT, Roger Zelazny tells the story of the last Navajo tracker, more than a full century into the future.In the world of this book, teleportation is possible, and all across the planet there are "trip boxes" that can be used to move instantly from one place to another.

The book's story follows the aforementioned Navajo tracker as he uses these trip boxes to run from an evil alien presence that he had previously made a deal with; as the tracker defends himself from the alien's mind-probing abilities, he descends into a primitive mindset that causes him to see the entire world as the spirit world of Navajo mythology.A group of powerful psychics attempts to help him, but even they are reinvented by the tracker's mind as native totems and cave paintings.The way Zelazny intertwines this unique--although not incomparable to that of his book BRIDGE OF ASHES--future world, with the surreality of Navajo myth, killer aliens, and the powers of teleportation and psychic ability is really cool, experimental, and well-done.

Best of all, it's frequently surprising--Zelazny usually is, and he doesn't disappoint here--and it's also funny, lyrically written, and a page-turner sure to make you neglect any other books you may be reading at the same time.

Read it, for sure.I just read it, but it strikes me as the sort of book I'll still be thinking about years from now.

Fantastic Book
Next to Lord of Light, Zelazny's best, and one of the all-time great sci-fi books.More than anything it is a study of psychology--how life and experience shape our character and world view.Singer builds a mental trap for himself that he can't escape and descends into schizophrenia, wrestling with the modern and ancient that conflict within him.At the end he finds closure, in a powerful and tragic manner.A deep, complex book that deserves multiple reads.Highly recommended.

Too much mythology
The plot is ok if you skim quickly over the many pages of indian folklore.If he had included more of the alien pursuing the main character it would have been much better.For a while there it was excellent.... but then back to the pages and pages of folklore.The end was very anticlimactic.

Stream of Conciousness Pschobabble
Usually, I really like Zelazny's work.Unfortunately, in this case, he's just gone too far with his mythological basis.I'd estimate that more than half of this book consists of nothing but his interpretation of snippets from Navajo mythology stuck smack in the middle of a story.There IS a decent action-packed plot buried in there, but it's just overwhelmed by the mythology.By the end, the whole thing becomes a psychological "experience" as Zelazny basically drops the plot so the protagonist can confront himself.Even worse, the very last pages leave me unsure about whether or not he succeeds.With a tighter linkage between mythology and plot, this could have been an excellent book.But, because the two elements are so disjoint, and because Zelazny emphasizes the mythology over the plot, it just fails.So, unfortunately, I have to rate this book at a Not Very Good 2 stars out of 5. ... Read more

Product Description
A riotous new fantasy series that will challenge the funniest the field has to offer--from the creator of the bestselling Amber series and one of the genre's legendary humorists. Azzy Elbub, demon, has his sights set on the Millenial Evil Deeds Award, given to the being whose acts do the most toward reshaping the world. But his evil plans go far astray. . . . ... Read more

Customer Reviews (13)

Funny Fairy Tale Spoof
Azzie Elbub is just another demon slaving away in The Pit, North Discomfort section 405, when he is summoned topside. Seeing a chance to improve his situation, Azzie comes up with a plan to represent the forces of darkness in the great Millenial Contest between good and evil. The plan: To recreate the Sleeping Beauty story with protagonists made of recycled body parts, the princess murdering the prince in the final act.

The future looks bright and rosy (or dark and gloomy, as the case may be) for Azzie until things begin to go wrong with his infernal plan. Inferior parts, shoddy workmanship, poor customer assistance - Who knew the forces of evil could be so uncooperative?

The story starts out fast-paced and funny, full of zippy one-liners, but as Azzie's difficulties and frustrations mount, the narrative loses its focus and hilarity. This may be intentional on the part of the authors, to make the readers sympathize with Azzie's situation, but I would have preferred a consistently funny story.

If you like this sort of story, you should try the On a pale horse (Piers Anthony's incarnations of immortality) - but only if you have a high tolerance for nauseatingly clever puns.

Not Free SF Reader
A fantasy comedy.You have fairy tale spoofs, of course, here.A demon goes about trying to win an evilness competition.Hilarity ensues.Think Good Omens crossed with Xanth, or that sort of thing.The demon is not that bad a guy, it seems, when you see things from his point of view, and what he has to get up to just to get along, particularly putting up with incompetent humans, and others.Fairly funny.

Not Quite Charmed
Zelazny always had a little bit of fun with his stories of various supernatural beings, and Sheckley was known for writing with a bit of tongue in cheek, so this novel portraying the exploits of one demon, Azzie Elbub, should have been a hand's down snap for them.

Indeed, the book starts smartly, as Azzie, through the fortuitous happening of someone in Hell grabbing a soul too early, and the higher ups not wanting to deal with the resulting lawsuit (obviously, lawyers are much worse than demons), gets to escort the poor soul back to the world of the living. Once there, finding it is the year 1000, and time for the millennial contest between Heaven and Hell for who will hold sway on Earth for the next 1000 years, Azzie conceives of a great plan for winning the contest. He will re-create the fairy tale of Prince Charming and Sleeping Beauty, but with one small difference: the Prince will be so much of coward that his quest will fail miserably, proving that man's basest desires and emotions are not noble, but belong to the Dark Angel.

For much of the first half of the book, things cook along quite merrily, given Azzie's problems obtaining the necessary body parts, the infuriating blockages he runs into at the otherworldly supply depot (What? You only have one castle in stock? And it takes how long to set up an Enchanted Forest?), more problems preserving and assembling his body parts into appropriate wholes, etc. But once all these preliminaries are completed, a lot of the fun seems to go away, and the story seems to gallop off in too many different directions at once, with the appearance of a Heavenly Angel to oversee his project, Prince Charming not reacting well to instruction, kidnappings, witches, dragons, etc. The book staggers from one incident to the next, with little cohesiveness to the plot, and worse, an almost total disappearance of all the funny wry jokes.

The ending is almost anti-climactic, and quite a letdown from the expectations raised by the beginning of the book. Net result: still quite readable, but not anywhere near the class of his Jack of Shadows, and even falling shy of his A Night in Lonesome October.

--- Reviewed by Patrick Shepherd (hyperpat)

A brilliant, very funny novel that fizzles toward the end
Bring Me the Head of Prince Charming starts out like gangbusters, starts to hit some slow patches midway through, and sort of just fizzles at the end, but it's still a very funny book by the writing duo of Roger Zelazny and Robert Sheckley.The main character is Azzie Elbub, a demon who finally gets the chance to get out of the pits and go back up to earth, thanks to the Grim Reaper's slightly premature harvesting of a certain soul; even the devil wants nothing to do with lawsuits, so he sends Azzie along to make sure the not-dead guy makes an easy transition back into life.Azzie's luck is even better than he initially thinks, as his return to earth just so happens to fall in the days leading up to the year 1000.Every millennium, the forces of Good and Evil stage a contest to determine who will control the universe for the next ten centuries.Azzie just so happens to have a great idea to pitch to the Millennial Evil Deeds committee.He will recreate the whole Sleeping Beauty-Prince Charming story, but this time evil will rise up and destroy any chance of a happily ever after ending.Having gotten his idea approved and received an unlimited credit card for the purchase of necessary supplies, he sets to work.He needs a good assistant, of course, and a couple of castles, and an Enchanted Forest which simply must have flaming trees and such, and of course he will need a fitting Prince Charming and Sleeping Beauty.Here is where the magic of his plan really shines, as he takes parts from different bodies and brings them together in an act of magical creation that guarantees, he thinks, the success of his nefarious plan.Thus, his Prince Charming has the legs of one of mankind's biggest cowards, Sleeping Beauty gets such nifty features as a left arm born for stealing, etc.

Of course, Azzie faces obstacles along the way.His otherworldly suppliers are less than cooperative with his requisition requests, he has to deal with an angel of good overseeing his whole operation (no cheating, even for Evil), and his initial plans for micro-managing the activities of Prince Charming in particular have to be rethought several times over.He does have an old witch flame at his side, and the god Hermes can always be counted upon to give good advice, but Azzie keeps falling into little traps set by little girls wanting wishes, dwarves who don't take kindly to having their precious gems forcibly loaned out, and other magical snares.

Unfortunately, the novel's cohesion threatens to come apart at the seams as the novel progresses.There is never a sense of discontinuity between both authors; rather, it is as if another author failed to deliver his part of the whole story.Transitions become much more rapid and forced, certain minor characters seem to be forgotten along the way, and the climax comes and goes so fast you might miss it.The idea behind the story is brilliant, and the authors clearly start out with the power and will to make it work, but something goes wrong along the way, making the second half of the novel feel forced and unsatisfying.Still, though, there is a lot of fun and laughs to be found in these pages, and the reader's thoughts about what could have been do not necessarily destroy the entertainment value of this farcical fantasy.

Harmless diversion
This novel is definitely worth reading, especially if a reader is looking for relaxation and fluff.The story is a cute, fast read.It promises more than it delivers, but I did not begrudge the authors as I certainly enjoyed the time spent.In actually reminds me of a "Myth" book that mythed its mark...good for rainy or sick days. ... Read more

Product Description
Zelazny is great in this series of Amber books-order and chaos, which shall prevail as the lords of Amber cruise through the shadow lands free 1st class mail upgrade ... Read more

Product Description
The great wars between gods and demons began five millennia ago--and ended with the demons' crushing defeat and banishment from their homeland. The demon race would have surely perished in the empty dimension of their exile had they not found a secret conduit to a safe and hidden plane...called Earth.

Greatest among the demons was Kai Wren--the Godslayer and Lord Demon--a master swordsman, dreamer, and glassblower who can contain entire universes in bottles of his creation; a legendary warrior who once, long ago, singlehandedly destroyed a god. But now, Kai Wren must seek vengeance for the murder of his devoted human servant, and he fears that this one death heralds the crumbling of a peace that has reigned for a thousand years.

Forced into a series of uncomfortable alliances, Kai Wren strives to preserve the Demon Realms. But his heart has become his fatal weakness, growing soft during years of peace. He has given trust where trust should not be given, only to discover that among his closest companions are those who will betray him--even destroy him--unless he can regain that which once made him LORD DEMON.

Fans will hear echoes of Amber: Kai Wren and his demon colleaguesrepresent Chaos; the gods live in Origin, imposing their will to orderthe planes of existence; the powerful demon He of the Towers of Lighthas sculpted his home to resemble Origin, and approaching it is muchlike walking the Pattern; and so on. What's unique is what Kai Wrenlearns in Lord Demon. The immortal doesn't fail, nor does hereturn triumphant to marry and rule his folk. This hero and the authorfinally accept the limits of superpower and the pleasures in being"only human." ---Nona Vero ... Read more

Customer Reviews (30)

An interesting and very well-written novel!
I greatly enjoyed reading Lord Demon; the writing style was fairly easy to read but still challenging enough to keep my attention (unlike Harry Potter, Twilight, Eragon, etc).Jane Lindskold has been a long time favorite author of mine and I think and Roger Zelazny did a wonderful job writing Lord Demon.I highly, highly recommend reading it!

lord demon
very good, very creative, colourful and flowing, the plot is excellent keeping you on edge until the very last moment, you wont be dissapointed and probably have a few sleepless nights rustling pages...

Final treasure from the Lord of Light
I was a bit surprised to read some of the scathing comments that other reviewers have posted about "Lord Demon," and from the general trend of these reviews I suppose myself to be among the minority of Zelazny fans who thoroughly enjoyed this book.So be it."Lord Demon" was fresh and original Zelazny fiction, full of warmth and wit and all of the other goodness that readers have come to expect from this master of letters.Zelazny was never an author to churn out endless carbon-copy reworks of the same tired themes, and once again he succeeded in breaking out of his own mold when he wrote this book.In fact, I suspect that many of the negative reviews about "Lord Demon" are rooted in the fact that this novel, like so much of Zelazny's fiction, is completely different from anything else that he's ever written.This book is not "Nine Princes In Amber," which is appropriate enough since Zelazny already has a book by that name!

Kai Wren is something of a self-imposed exile among demon-kind, concentrating most of his time and energy on the creation of fabulous (and potently magical) art glass.When a beloved human servitor is murdered by lowly "scrub" demons, however, Lord Demon's thirst for vengeance draws the lonely recluse back into demonic society and politics.

Yes, the reader sees much of what is coming long before Kai Wren catches on.Big deal.The story is told primarily from Kai Wren's perspective-- that is, from the perspective of an ancient and powerful being, confident in his own immortality and therefore blinded by arrogance-- so it shouldn't be too surprising that the reader often sees things that Lord Demon is incapable of comprehending, for all of his terrible power and ancient wisdom.The author's POINT is that Kai Wren is maddeningly overconfident and frequently underestimates his foes.Of course Kai Wren is oblivious to things that would come instinctively to lesser beings!When you, the reader, see Kai Wren walking blindly into danger, it adds depth to his character and heightens the novel's suspense.In fact, professional writers even have a name for this type of literary device:"foreshadowing."

I also see many reviews complaining about the "planes of hangers and socks."Ridiculous, yes, but also vintage Zelazny humor!I have a feeling that these reviewers haven't read much other Zelazny fiction, for his sense of humor always tended to run toward the absurd-- one of my favorite Zelazny short stories, "Unicorn Variations," is about beer-swilling, chess-playing mythical beings, and who could forget the 'Alice in Wonderland' bar scene from Zelazny's 'Amber' series?Personally, I thought The Walker's one-line explanation of the hangars and socks was hilarious, and a single quote from a novel hasn't made me laugh out loud like this in a long, long time!

Is "Lord Demon" Zelazny's best novel?Probably not.But Roger Zelazny's genius was such that even his second-tier efforts tower above most other fantasy and sci fi yarns!With "Lord Demon," Roger Zelazny delivered exactly what his fans have come to expect: a well-told tale about extremely human characters, told with wit and warmth, and offering a touching lesson or two along the way.You may even see a reflection of your own mortality in the dark eyes of Kai Wren-- Lord Demon.

I couldn't finish it!
I really loved the Amber series, also by Zelazny, so I purchased this book. Now, it is very rare that I do not finish a book, even if I dislike it. However, this was one that I could just not bring myself to finish. Even halfway through, I was unsure of precisely what the plot was. It was extremely strange and I found it hard to follow. I do not suggest this book, especially to fans of the Amber series. It was nothing like what I expected.

Not his best
While this book is certainly not a bad read, it did disapoint me a bit.I expected really good things from this book since I greatly enjoyed "Donnerjack", (another of the Zelazy, Lindskold "collaborations"), but it didn't deliver.Some of that Zelazy charm was there, but the characters just didn't jump of the pages like they do in "Donnerjack" or in other Zelazy's works.I guess everything can't be as good as the Amber books or "Lord of Light."So I guess I'd say, not bad, but not fantastic. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (8)

Zelazny Helped Create This Guide +++
As other reviewers have noted -- Roger Zelazny hepled create this guide to Castle Amber -- indeed he is one of the four folks listed on the title-page -- as a writer. So, not only do I find this book fun to read and look-at -- but it has much wanted and needed furher info on Amber and its Personages. I like the plans and pics -- well-done greytone is much more than nothing at all. For those who, for whatever reason, dislike the exact details of "Castle Amber" and its Personages as presented in "Roger Zelazny's Visual Guide to Castle Amber" -- well please recall the main storyline in which the true primal pattern is discovered -- after Shadow-shifting near "Castle Amber" to this actual primal pattern. If Shadow-shifting works near "Castle Amber" -- then it may be mutable-- as well as likely "Rebma" and surely "Tir-Na Nog'th" -- more like "The Courts of Chaos". So, there may be a multitude of such "Ambers" -- or at least a shifting one -- to comfort those who want to envision "The One True Amber" differently from this guide. I find it quite well-and-good -- and spot-on to envision "Castle Amber" and its Personages. I am amazed by the tour and amused by tour-guide Princess Flora. I especially like the info about Protector Benedict as he is so reclusive. For me, it is fine and fun to get the current gossip on places and people via Princess Flora. I also really like the final section, "Culture of Amber" -- with its quick Anthropology of "Amber" +++

Not Free SF Reader
Some detail on the layouts and structure of the most used setting in the Amber world.For afficionados only.

Castle Amber is just, that, a castle, so you woulud almost have to be interested in castles or castle design to be keen enough to get this, if not an Amber freak.

A Review from the Middle of the Road...
I've never understood the "love it or hate it" reaction that so many people have to this book.

Zelazny was interviewed by Randall and Hamilton for the express purpose of creating this little book.He described the people, the places, and the history of Castle Amber in more concrete detail than you get from the 'Amber' novels, and his descriptions were then "fleshed out" a bit with original prose and illustrations to create 'The Visual Guide to Castle Amber.'

Your guide is Flora, one of the characters from Zelazny's 'Amber' series, and her narration takes you on a floor-by-floor tour of the Castle.Each floor and many rooms of the castle are mapped and thoroughly described.There are also Trump illustrations, along with an incomplete family tree (the 'Visual Guide' appeared before all of the 'Amber' novels were published).Quite interesting, fairly well-organized and well-presented, and authorized by Roger himself.What's the fuss?

The way that fans react to this book has always been amusing to me.Depending upon the individual, the 'Visual Guide' is either a foul blasphemy that defiles THAT WHICH IS THE ONE TRUE AMBER, or else it's a definitive "last word" that was so important that Zelazny assumed flesh-and-blood form to deliver it to the unworthy masses.

I look at it this way:The 'Visual Guide' is ONE VIEW of what Amber might be like, informed by Roger Zelazny and expanded by a couple of self-professed Ambermaniacs.I've seen better, I've seen worse.Generally speaking, I like the maps fairly well but most of the Trump illustrations are run-of-the-mill.I enjoyed leafing through this book quite a bit, and I'd say it's worth reading if you're an 'Amber' fan like me, but I don't go back to it time and time again the way I do with Zelazny's fiction.

Taken for what it is, the 'Visual Guide' is a nifty piece of fan art and fiction, no more and no less.

Disappointed
I got this book expecting to read about the secrets of Castle Amber, to put a "face" on the Pattern, and to see some COLOR pictures of the beautiful artwork described in the books.None of that happened.There was no color, only black and white floorplans of everyone's rooms. ZZZ.Worse, they made all the Amberites obsessed with Earth.They made it seem like they were all there all the time, with everyone having a decor drawn from Earth.And worst of all, the authors made no effort to give a picture of the Pattern.I always have a hard time trying to visualize it.

For nonfans, this book is filled with allusions to the other books, so it may pique your interest to read the others.For someone familair with "Corwin's story", it was very very tame.

Much maligned, but quite interesting
Looking over the past reviews, one would surmise that this book is simply awful.Actually, quite to the contrary.Example:The illustrations are far from crude.In fact, they are well-drawn and very detailed.I think this is similar to the controversy surrounding the "Lord of the Rings" movies coming out.Many fans are crying "Heresy!" because the director's vision doesn't fit their notions of how the characters look and act.....Read this one, and enjoy, it is rich! ... Read more

Product Description
In our world, called the Verite, he is a Scottish laird, an engineer, and a master of virtual reality design. In the computer-generated universe of Virtu, created by the crash of the World Net, he is a living legend. Scientist and poet with a warrior's soul, Donnerjack strides like a giant across the virtual landscape he helped to shape. And now he has bargained with Death himself for the return of love.

The Lord of Entropy claimed Ayradyss, Donnerjack's beloved dark-haired lady of Virtu, with no warning, leaving a hole in the Engineer's heart. But Death offered to return her to him for a price: a palace of bones...and their first-born child. Since offspring have never before resulted from any union of the two worlds, Donnerjack accepts Death's conditions--and leads his reborn lover far from the detritus and perpetual twilight of Deep Fields to his ancestral Scottish lands, hoping to build a sanctuary and a self for Ayradyss in the first world.

But there is no escaping, because cataclysmic change is taking place in Virtu. A bizarre new religion is sweeping through this ever-shifting universe where the homely can be virtually beautiful, the lame can walk and the blind can see. Now it's threatening to spill over into Verite. And its credo is a call for a different kind of order. For all the ancient myths still occupy Virtu. And the Great Gods on Mt. Meru are amassing great armies in anticipation of the time when a vast computer system attempts to take over the reality that constructed it.Amazon.com Review
This "new" Roger Zelazny work was finishedposthumously with the help of his coauthor and friend, JaneLindskold. Unlike some after-the-fact "collaborations," thisone has Zelazny written all over it. It's a typical tale from one ofscience fiction's greats, a world-spanning story that deals heavilywith mythology and the ability to cross between two realities. In thiscase the realities are the real world, Verité, and the virtualworld, Virtù. When Donnerjack--one of the architects ofVirtù--loses his lover Ayradyss, he makes a pact with Death toreturn her from the dead. In return, Death demands their first-bornchild, who will be the first baby born from aVerité/Virtù union, and a force to be reckoned with inboth worlds. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (22)

Zelazny's last
A tech guru, avatars, a journalist, a thief and various representations of ancient religions make entries in this book. Death wants a son, and through the wonders of technology, can have one. The tech guru falls for an avatar, and death gets involved.
Zelazny wrote part of the novel, the rest was written by Lindskold at the request of Zelazny's widow. The book is rather good, has humour and fine development. For the naysayers who decry the combination of authors and believe that Lindskold somehow ruined Zelazny's writings, just remember, not everyone appreciated Zelazny so much as his fansbase did. I truly loved his writing, but I was also the person in my family who did so.

Not Free SF Reader
This is a book that is dealing with the mythology of death, involving virtual reality.Here, people are able to communicate between these two realms, but not travel freely.So, the protagonists are looking at a way to get around this, and to cheat Death, unfortunately involving their child.

donnerjack
i have to admit, i thought that zelazny would be better, after reading lord demon and the great book of amber i was a bit dissapointed, however it was creative and imaginative, if you all want to know how the real matrix started and include a bit of romantic fantasy- well here you are.

Reading Donnerjack Makes You Cry A Little, You Know
Reviews before me have noted the obvious correlation between the end of the first third of this book and the death of the author. Others have argued with such statements, and offered grand compliments to the entirety of Donnerjack.

Allow me to underline the sentiments of the first and blink oddly at the latter in honest confusion.

The first third of Donnerjack is a work of art. Not only to fans of Zelazny, which I do not really count myself as. Not only to science-fiction fans, or fantasy fans. It is a true mythological tale which is so rarely seen in any genre. Death seems to spring from the page. John D'Arcy is seared into our minds. Virtu itself seems to spring up around us.

It's astounding. It is one the better books in this decade.

And then, as you go along, your mouth gaping with unshamed awe, the author dies.

And so does the grand story, its porportions, its characters, and its quiet grace.

It is replaced with something that at times seemed to be a childrens' book, a bodice-ripper, and a book based on a D&D session.

I tried to go on. I honestly did. Having devoured the first part in a day, I continued slogging on for literally weeks. I dismissed obvious inconsistencies. I skimmed over plot holes. I even laughingly skipped over the multiple, multiple, multiple times the characters acted with simple childish /idiocy/.

And then I stopped, somewhere fifty pages from the end. Because I could not bear to go on. Donnerjack had died, a hundred and fifty pages ago. What was left wasn't worth the torture.

Donnerjack is amazing. It is an astounding story, astoundingly written, striking somewhere deep within the collective unconcious. But it only runs for 186 pages before it turns into something debasing and crude, and something inside you breaks at that loss.

I've never written a amazon.com review before, and I doubt I will again. But I had to write this one.

Donnerjack is amazing. Don't ever read it. You'll cry a little.

Good for the first half, but fizzles.
I agree wholeheartedly with the review here by Phil Thwing.Essentially, the book starts out in classic Zelaznyish fashion but suddenly shifts over to something else about half way through.Very disappointing.The first half is full of depth and then the second half turns shallow.About the only good thing you can say about the ending is that it seems to tie up all the threads.But, there's no satisfaction to it.I wish people would stop trying top publish a dead man's unfinished works.It just degrades his real legacy. ... Read more

Product Description
A collection of stories includes Zen encounters with aliens, wrestlings with shapeshifters, magic and battles in twentieth-century China, trips from exercise rooms into other dimensions, encounters with mystical masters, and more. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

A zen experience
Anyone who loves short stories is forever in search of the perfect combination of stories in one volume; if you enjoy tales of martial artists put to tests of skill, this is an excellent choice.With a foreword andintroductions by Zelazny himself, this book gives us glimpses into theminds of martial artists at the peak of their abilities - through the eyesof authors such as Jane Linskold, Michael Stackpole, Jeffrey A. Carver andothers.Each author covers a different angle on the martial arts - fromthe gentle brush strokes of "The Seventh Martial Art" to a battleto the death in "Master of Misery" - with a pause for humorousreflection in "True Grits".The collection was ingeniouslycompiled by one of the greatest authors of our time, and I'd give it morestars if I could.

A zen experience
Anyone who loves short stories is forever in search of the perfect combination of stories in one volume; if you enjoy tales of martial artists put to tests of skill, this is an excellent choice.With a foreword andintroductions by Zelazny himself, this book gives us glimpses into theminds of martial artists at the peak of their abilities - through the eyesof authors such as Jane Linskold, Michael Stackpole, Jeffrey A. Carver andothers.Each author covers a different angle on the martial arts - fromthe gentle brush strokes of "The Seventh Martial Art" to a battleto the death in "Master of Misery" - with a pause for humorousreflection in "True Grits".The collection was ingeniouslycompiled by one of the greatest authors of our time, and I'd give it morestars if I could. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

On a black throne reigns upright
I really enjoyed this book and its creative blending of the works of Poe. Not ground-breaking in any way, but fans of Poe would definitely enjoy seeing the his persona brought to life in such an interesting manner.

My First Disappointing Experience with Zelazny
This is by far the worst book I have read that was written by Zelazny.The story goes on and on without really getting anywhere and did little to hold my interest.The one redeeming aspect of this book and probably the only reason I finished it was the use of Edgar Allen Poe as one of the characters.Zelazny attempted to portray the true misery of Poe within the telling of this fictional story.The portrayal is good unfortunately the story itself does not live up to my expectations.

Brain candy for Poe and Zelazny fans
An enjoyable fancy playing on an explanation for Poe's behavior and his muses. This is not one of Zelazny's 10 best, but definitely worth a read.

Turgid and dull
This is the only one of Zelazny's books I have not found brilliant.I just could not get going with it, it seems to be an attempt to recall the work of Edgar Allan Poe.The action seems slow and Victorian.I have read good Victorian era stuff but this ain't it. ... Read more

Product Description
"A mindbender of a book, and a treat for Zelazny fans."

ALA BOOKLIST

The Road runs from the unimaginable past to the far future, and those who travel it have access to the turnoffs leading to all times and places--even to the alternate time-streams of histories that never happened.Why the Dragons of Bel'kwinith made the Road--or who they are--no one knows.But the Road has always been there and for those who know how to find it, it always will be!

... Read more

Customer Reviews (15)

Sojourner of the Open Road
This novel is an example of good Roger Zelazny. Not great Zelazny. Nothing like _The Dream Master_ (1966), _This Immortal_(1966), or _Lord of Light_ (1967). But like the Amber novels. Like _Isle of the Dead_ (1969). Like _Doorways in the Sand_(1976). Like them. It is nothing to sneer at. Good entertainment should not be derided. The setting is a vast highway built long ago by a race of dragons. It stretches through time-- way back in the past and way on into the future. Not everybody can do it, but there are a few who can find this road and travel up and down it to different historical periods. There is an ex-Crusader fleeing from the Holy land, who seems somewhat bemused that nobody can tell him for sure who won the Crusades. There is a short man who is suspiciously like Adolph Hitler driving down the road in a blue Volkswagon. There is a Victorian gentleman who is appalled at the violence that he encounters at a wayside inn. There are cops who patrol the highway (though not always as quickly as you might like). Charles Baudelaire and Walt Whitman appear, though not in forms that you might expect. And there is a Frenchman who might be Antoine de Saint-Exupery giving this advice to another traveler:

"You have never been beyond C Seventeen? My God, man, you owe it to yourself to get as far as at early C Twenty at least once in your life! To fly, that is why! A man is not complete until he has known the freedom of the heavens! Not the big sky- boats that came later, where you might as well be taking your ease in a provincial parlor-- no! You must leave your petty bourgeois concerns behind and get up in a light craft with an open cockpit and feel the wind and the rain, look down at the world, the clouds, up at the stars! It will change you, believe me!" (145)

And, of course, there is the hero, Red Dorakeen, who discovers that somebody has put a contract on him for no apparent reason and that somewhere up the road it looks as if he is bound to die. Zelazny tells his story tightly, always showing rather than telling. His tongue is firmly in his cheek, and for this reason it may appear that Red sails through crisis after crisis a bit too easily. But I believe that there was a reason for this. Zelazny wanted to capture a kind of comradship that is there on time's highway. It is a dangerous road to travel at times, but there is also freedom and fellowship that makes the journey worthwhile.

Recommended.

I own multiple copies
Ok so that's a little weird but it's a side effect of wanting to reread this book. I read this book back in high school. When I remembered it later in life I couldn't find it and bought a new version. It was just as good the second time as the first. Most books you remember how the story starts and how it ends and that maps to the first page and the last page. When you think of those books your brain fills in the middle, there usually isn't a great desire to reread most books. This book is not like that, the book and the story flow such that your brain can't fill in the middle as easily or remember if there was an end.

I am a Zelazny fan. I agree this book is too short I want more each time I read it. I have probably read this book 4 or 5 times over the last 25 years, and will read it again I am sure. Mr. Zelazny was one of the true masters of Science Fiction.

A great short novel
If you like gates into other worlds, then this novel is for you. The paperback cover is great, too. There is an old pickup truck on a road with a sign reading "Last Exit to Babylon." A dragon is flying overhead.

The Marquis de Sade versus Tyrannosaurus rex
The late author, Roger Zelazny was the progenitor of some of fantasy's greatest parallel world stories, most especially his Amber novels. "Roadmarks" is a sort of `Amber manqué' without Corwin and the rest of Oberon's homicidal brood of magicians.We miss them, but Zelazny's new hero and his beat-up blue Dodge pick-up soon take up the slack.

The basic parallel world theme is present: history can be reworked and branched in a new direction by, say, the misfiring of John Wilkes Booth's pistol in the Ford Theatre.When "Roadmarks" begins, Red Dorakeen is running guns to the ancient Greeks at Marathon, so that they will defeat the Persians and set history back on its `correct' track.As you might have guessed from the beat-up Dodge pick-up, Time is a multi-branching Road in this book, designed by the Dragons of Bel'kwinith and accessible only to certain special humans such as Red.

Unfortunately for our hero, someone has taken out a perfectly legal contract for his death.The assassins get ten shots (so to speak) at him, and it is really this device that drives the plot forward, rather than Red's rather vague notion of learning his true identity.The various hit men are limned in gleeful detail:

"...he can turn over a car, kick down a heavy door, run all day.He has perfect night vision.He also has attachments---"

And this would-be killer is one of the clunkers.

"Roadmarks" is Zelazny in top form and you'll ride all the way to the Last Exit to Babylon with Red and his friends without even noticing the passage of real (out of the book) time.

Average Zelazny yarn...
For a blazing read, please look into this book.I finished its 185 pages in two days.It's just too bad that it was a weak read.The plot, while reminiscent of Philip Jose Farmer's "Riverboat" series (which contained a cast of characters/real people from history all living at the same time), isn't very focused.Zelazny never quite figures out whether he is going to focus on the time-traveling 'Road' and who created it/why it is there, or whether he is interested in the idea of talking about famous people or places from times past.The chapters bounced around like a cat on a lit hibachi, and only coalesced in the last 70 pages of the book.This time vasolation was clearly meant to play on the idea that the characters are playing with time, but this created a chaotic narrative for the reader, making it difficult to remember what happened earlier in the book.While I thought this was an enjoyable book with some truly humorous pages and some interesting takes on time travel, overall I cannot give it more than 3 of 5 stars.An overall disappointment for a strong Zelazny supporter such as myself. ... Read more

Product Description
Surrounded and imprisoned by his enemies, Merle Corey, aka Merlin of Amber, is forced to place his trust in a beautiful shapeshifter in order to restore balance to his world and confronts a force that threatens Earth as well. Reissue. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

The plot thickens...
This one was quite interesting, though the ending was a bit convoluted. Still, I am interested in these new/old problems rising against the House of Amber. Merlin is a good character, though I do prefer Corwin (will we ever find out what happened to him?!).

Not Free SF Reader
Merlin has been imprisoned by Luke, but he escapes. He tries a different tack by do something nice for Luke, and ends in a crazy situation due to a weird Trump.

Those Trump things are just a lot of trouble, too many frequently encountered variant edition and different versions. Bad enough using them, imagine trying to collect them!

Should've been a masterpiece
Zelazny has a great sense of humor and is a master at putting an interesting story together.But there are certain things about his style that annoy me.

The main thing that annoys me is the way he pulls things out of his hat, out of nowhere, destroying the credibility of the story.Anyone can do anything at any time.At the end of this book, for example, he takes us to Alice In Wonderland World.I feel like screaming at him - cut it out, dammit!You have a good story here.Then you ruin it.

Another thing that annoys me about his style is that he over-plans.He has way too much detail to tease us with.He leaves us with so many loose ends.Who is this guy, who is that guy, what is the significance of this detail, and so on.Too much already.We know you are writing a story.We know you planned it out to the nth degree.We only know what you tell us.Stop leaving so many puzzles there for us, it's annoying.

Something keeps me reading this series.Book Six gave me hope that he would get sober and serious and just tell us a story, but then Book Seven took us to Wonderland and had us in Dungeon and Dragon land with the spells.Zelazny should have put some limits and some rules on his universe instead of just winging it in any direction he felt like going, from book to book.

The concept is interesting enough to rival Lord of the Rings, and the sense of humor far surpasses LOTR, which has very little of that.But Zelazny really should have taken this writing more seriously and given us a credible universe instead of an ever-changing cartoon.This whole series screams "wasted potential".

Out Of The Frying Pan And Into The Pattern
Merlin starts this volume by breaking out of a locked cave, challenging a cave demon, and spending his rest period watching a battle at the Keep of the Four Worlds while chitchatting with a deserter.So much for idle relaxation - Merlin keeps frantically jumping from one death threat to another always avoiding the falling horde or slashing claws by a hairs breadth.

Blood of Amber reveals a layered series of plots all of which want Merlin either dead or under close control.Relatives, friends, and potential mates all are suspect while the fate of Amber hangs in the balance - and perhaps the fate of all that lies in shadow as well.For the alternate Pattern created by Corwin to stave off the advance of Chaos has begin to create reverberations of its own and shadow storms are beginning to wreak havoc.

At some point, the reader will realize that all the intricate moves that comprise the action in Blood of Amber are getting too rapid to keep good track of.At this point one must simply go along for the ride from wasteland to wonderland.It is the nature of Zelazny's writing that this remains fun, rather than dissolving in the same chaos that threatens Amber.

Fantastic
You asked for a great book and you got it! It's this one. (And the whole 10 books of the series). This book features Merlin, Lord of Chaos, and magician, who also happens to have a computer science degree from Berkeley. In this book, Merle is in the woods sleeping when he hears a threateningvoice of an otherworldly creature that has appeared in the darkness thatsays "I am the enemy - the one you thought you would never come". Then there is a flashback while Merle remembers and philosophizes aboutseveral events in his life revolving around power.He then answers thevoice in the woods, saying "It's about time".This is veryZelaznian humor which is one of the great features of these books. Inaddition, there is lots of great adventure.Zelazny really can write.Hisis an evolved writing form, far beyond his contemporaries. ... Read more