peapod_boston's review against another edition
3.0
Penultimate of the Merlin books and one of the weaker entries. Large portions of it are taken up by an admittedly allegorical contest that, while sparking some interesting imagery, largely consists of Merlin running on a set of rails. The one really bright spark is a confrontation in the halls of Amber that does some serious damage to the local architecture. Adequate for what it is, but not Zelazny's best effort.
dretnanich's review
adventurous
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Good, classic, escapist reading. I read this series in 80s and 90s and still enjoyed them while now noticing the writing style of the era.
anaximand's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
nithou's review
5.0
Un tome génial qui commence à clôturer la saga en beauté et laisse sur un cliffhanger extrêmement intriguant.
brettp's review
4.0
Finished "Knight of Shadows" by Roger Zelazny. It's nice to see the author tweaking the rules of his world to make things interesting! There are a lot of places where there is a wall of explanation disguised as the main character thinking back on what has happened to him, and there are a lot of characters to keep track of, but things seem to be coalescing now. Good thing, too - one book left!
localcourtjester's review against another edition
We took a fifty-page pretty-much-non-plot-relevant detour BETWEEN SHADOWS.
Besides that : quite enjoyable.
Besides that : quite enjoyable.
ianbanks's review
3.0
Back on form, although this isn't for casual readers. Merlin spends quite a bit of time restoring the Pattern before getting involved in a grudge match between it and the Logrus, its Chaos counterpart. Quite a bit of subconscious hi-jinx, a la The Courts Of Chaos before things come good and we get some set-ups for the next book, most of which suddenly crops up in the next-to-last chapter. Fortunately it's much better than the previous volume. Lots of the action occurs in Castle Amber (yay!) and we see the return of two minor but important characters from the first cycle, but done in such a way that doesn't feel like fanservice. Oh yes! - I almost forgot, we get glimpses of Corwin and what may have happened to him.
capellan's review
2.0
When the main character expresses frustration with the events of his life and a desire to not have to deal with them any more, it is probably not intended that I as the reader should empathise quite so much with the sentiment. Unfortunately, these second chronicles of Amber seem rather more interested in keeping secrets than keeping me entertained.