Fantasy Book Club Series discussion

Here we are at the third book in the Amber Chronicles.
:).
Sign of the Unicorn


It starts as a kind of...... whodunit, with lots of family mistrust.
We begin to get more details of Random's entrance at the beginning of the series.

"I wish I had known this some time ago" said Corwin in reference to Random’s story about his entrance in book one.

Well I wish I did too. This was a time in book one where I wasn't sure what was going on but decided to just go with the flow. The story of Random along with the rest of the things that have been going on really puts things in the proper light. So that's what that was all about!

Just a couple of pages in and already one murdered Amberite (view spoiler)[brother Caine. There aren't that many remaining! (hide spoiler)] The usual suspects are the remaining royal family but they had the help of shadow beings.
It seems to be quite different from the previous books with much less action density. Random tells his story which seems to be this book's psychedelic episode with all it's shadow weaving and circulating stones. Some magic (wielding a storm) and politics (view spoiler)[(fighting Gerard, interaction with his sister) (hide spoiler)].

I noted a couple of nice citations:
"... but I can't spare any more brothers at the moment." Sums up the juggling between internal politics and external needs of defending Amber.

"While sex heads a great number of lists, we all have other things we like to do in between." I had to ROFL there.

And once again nice literaric references interleaved with morbidity: "... and be playing football with the head while composing a footnote to Clausewitz."

Interesting......

Hadn't noticed the "Clausewitz" reference before.

Finished the book. I absolutely didn't understand the chapter with Tir'Na'Nogh (?sp). Maybe I was too tired or it was just to psychedelic, I don't know, but I simply didn't get it. And I don't know why Tir'Na'Nogh - the Irish mythological otherworld - was referenced, here.

We get much more background story of Random and Corwin. I like the eponymous beast!

Besides of that one chapter it was a nice read with lots of interactions between the Amberite princes and astonishingly few action. As such it is an interesting deviation from the previous stories.

I'll set up the last chapters later. Just getting off from a long work day.
;)


I vaguely remember that scene, but I haven't gotten that far this time around.

Stay tuned for more.

Still getting to know all of these brothers and sisters as they ally for or against Corwin.
It seems to me, they are all more like one another, than any would like to admit.

Brenda ╰☆╮ wrote: "Still getting to know all of these brothers and sisters as they ally for or against Corwin.
It seems to me, they are all more like one another, than any would like to admit."

I don't think that the sisters make such a good figure at all - as Corwin stated it in book 1, chp. 7: "And what of my sisters? Forget it. Bitches all, they."
Defensing Amber is done by the brothers, Deirdre is a damsel in distress, Flora just an opportunistic follower. Maybe this is 70s style. Maybe Zelazny is just a sexist.

At this point, Fiona hasn't made her appearance yet but when she does I think you might like her. She's definitely my favourite of all of the sisters.

Yes ...I agree!
She has the most character.