My original copies of The Chronicles of Amber were in two volumes, 2 and then 3 books each. I read the first volume multiple times, in part because I like that early amnesia story, Corwin coming into his own, and then especially the heroism in Shadow Avalon across The Guns of Avalon. I read and enjoyed the second volume, but it was a lot thicker, harder to follow, and more political (keep in mind Zelazny’s dirty court politics directly influenced George R. R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire, with the connection being a deeply obvious one.
Part of the reason I was so eager to reread these books is because they were formative for me, but also a little above my head as an adolescent. Sign of the Unicorn in particular I barely remember. I think I probably skipped over the bulk of some paragraphs, and other stuff that’s frankly psychedelic as hell (dude was a big psylocibin user in the 70s, in New Mexico if his bolo tie didn’t give that away) and went over my head. There’s a sequence in particular where, as Corwin, Gamelon, and Random ride through shadow in a place where shadow should not be allowed, they are described as traversing a “cubist landscape.” I promise I didn’t know what cubism was at age 12.
On reread however, I liked this sequence a ton. It takes place as Corwin begins to understand that his idea of reality, and of reality’s roots, may be completely flawed due to the ever-present Machiavellian movements of his father, Oberon. In doing so, they are in effect entering a corner of reality that is beyond any understanding they had up until this point. Of course things are going to get trippy.
Despite the fact that I spent less time with this portion of Amber’s story as a kid, I think book 3 is where we get out of a more classic fantasy story and into what makes Amber the foundational and well-regarded fantasy that it is. It adds a political intrigue that not many otherwise pulpy stories like this get to, and I’m thrilled I revisited this.
Definite recommend.
