peapod_boston's review
4.0
A stronger outing that the first Merlin book. The plot deepens and grows murkier, and yet the action moves faster. The sequence along the waterfront of Amber where Merlin goes in search of dinner rivals some of the better parts of the first Chronicles, in terms of writing, action, and intrigue. It would be worth reading just for that stretch.
titusfortner's review
3.0
The mystery is taking a while to unspool, which isn't bad it's just difficult to know at this point what the payout will be.
floar's review
2.0
Still not clicking and missing Corwin but quick enough reads to finish the series for a miracle ending
cheezvshcrvst's review
3.0
There's a lot of Amber-naysayers that methinks take these books far more seriously than they ought to. Insomuch as my humble opinion is seated (on a rock perhaps, pointed at a nice cloudless direction with lots of sunshine and mischievous mountains (this is all unnecessary)), this, the 2nd Merlin novel, is an excellent, if, as per usual with the series, brief adventure that does much by way of adding texture to the plot and pushing the story forward, even if it seems to neglect its characters a bit. Merlin, particularly, seems to carry himself with an almost unjustified sense of determination that we, the readers, seem to be not asked so much as told to just go with. This can easily be rectified if one takes into consideration the flashbacks that shine some light on Merlin's coming of age in the Courts of Chaos and (and to me this is the important thing) if one keeps in mind that Merlin is indeed the son of Corwin - meaning a high degree of self-confidence and willingness to plunge into the unknown, confident he is prepared enough to meet his end or else, preferably, overcome his obstacles. For me, this novel once made me immediately take more interest in Merlin's story and that was enough for me to enjoy the book (and, inevitably, the remainder of the Chronicles) and, upon this reread, has done so again.
dukegiesbrecht's review
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25
evanbernstein's review
2.0
I picked this up immediately after the other one because I was sick with a stomach bug and wanted something simple. I had to interrupt reading it with something else because it just kind of grated on me and bored me. I don't really like the writing style and am unsure if I'm going to finish the series. I don't like how the entire plot is wrapped up inside the one characters head as he hems and haws all the whirling schemes. So often he makes a choice that makes no sense to his character, simply because the author wanted the plot to move that way. But at which time someone is trusted or not trusted is completely inconsistent and so many times that answers and questions get left unasked because the author just just doesn't want to say yet. I felt that I was completely manipulated in the plotting and it is frustrating to the point of not caring.
nithou's review
4.0
La saga reprend de l'intérêt avec ce tome ci, alors que ce cycle était plus doux que le premier. On s'enfonce à nouveau dans les intrigues, les mystères et les complots. Le personnage principal devient extrêmement intéressant par sa dualité et l'univers d'Ambre prends de plus en plus forme.
brettp's review
4.0
Finished "Blood of Amber" by Roger Zelazny. We get to learn more, but at the same time I don't want to go into details. Read the series. It's well worth it.
Interestingly enough, though, the Mad Hatter and the hookah-smoking caterpillar made an appearance in this one, and I just coincidentally finished reading, for the first time, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. I picked up on the parallel immediately as a result. Pretty funny!
Interestingly enough, though, the Mad Hatter and the hookah-smoking caterpillar made an appearance in this one, and I just coincidentally finished reading, for the first time, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. I picked up on the parallel immediately as a result. Pretty funny!