Large Print Reviews - Blood of Amber, by Roger Zelazny

Large Print Reviews

Blood of Amber
The Chronicles of Amber, Book 7
Large Print Edition
By Roger Zelazny
G.K. Hall, 2000
ISBN: 0-7838-9294-2
Genre: Science Fiction - Fantasy

Reviewed by Sheldon Ztvordokov - November 15, 2004

The seventh book in Roger Zelazny engrossing Chronicles of Amber Series, is the most action filled story up to date, it is also one of the funniest. The seventh book, the Blood of Amber finds Merle Corey, the son of Prince Corwin, still being pursued by a mysterious enemy that is bent upon his utter destruction. Worse, they'd be just as happy to cancel out the Shadow Earth that Merle has called home.

During this mad-hatter adventure, Merle, a.k.a. Merlin, discovers the identities of the assassins that have been hunting him. As the plot thickens, Merle joins forces with his would-be assassins in order to tackle a mutual enemy. In fighting the evil forces of darkness, Merle must deal with shape shifters, ghosts, sorcerers of every ilk, and, of course, his relatives, some of whom are his most dangerous foes. In addition to following Merle's adventures, we come to learn more about his cousin Luke and the role Luke is to play in helping to protect Amber from those who seek to destroy it.

Throughout, Blood of Amber is marked by Zelazny wit and zany brand of humor that enlivens what is, at least technically, a rather formalistic story. This, however, is nit picking. Blood of Amber is a fast-paced, magic packed story that draws you deeper in the world of Amber and the Courts of Chaos. The spell that this story, and the others in the series, invokes is unmistakable, and once bitten by the Amber bug, you'll be hooked for life.

Note: the following may be considered a bit of a spoiler, so read it with discretion...

At the end of this volume, Merle finds himself trapped in a topsy-turvy version of Lewis Carroll's Wonderland, complete with its own versions of the Mad Hatter and Cheshire Cat, plus some extras such as Humpty Dumpty. Zelazny leaves Merle in a tricky-wicket, and you'll want to have the volume eight in this series, Sign of Chaos on hand to find out what happens to Merle.

Related Reviews:

Sign of Chaos, by Roger Zelazny.
Book 8 in the Chronicles of Amber series. In this installment, Merlin escaped from Wonderland, and he tries to stop the overthrow of the rightful ruler of the Court of Chaos. (Large Print)
Trumps of Doom, by Roger Zelazny.
The sixth book in the Chronicles of Amber, in which the series protagonist changes from Prince Corwin, to his son, Merlin. Every year, on April 30th, someone tries to kill Merlin. Can he find out who is behind the attacks, and stop them, before they succeed? (Large Print)

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