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richardrbecker's review against another edition
4.0
As the fourth book in the series, The Hand of Oberon delivers a more complete picture of Zelazny's world that the first three books only hint at. It's here that we learn the world is significantly more intricate, with order at one end of the spectrum and chaos at the other.
As these opposing forces are better defined, along with their nuances, Zelazny also reveals where more of Corwin's family ambitions intersect. This includes Corwin as, for better or worse, readers understand he isn't a reliable narrator. No, he doesn't necessarily lie to the reader, but there are times he lies to himself as part of his transitionary path.
While the plot picks up the pace in this novel, it is considerably less physical than its predecessors. This is mostly true because he narrows his adversary (at least in this novel) from an entire kingdom to mostly his traitorous brother Brand. Brand hopes to reshape of the order of the universe to serve his own interests, a choice that both Oberon and Corwin have rejected. To do it, both bothers jokey for the Jewel of Judgment, making this book more of a quest than a conquering.
As these opposing forces are better defined, along with their nuances, Zelazny also reveals where more of Corwin's family ambitions intersect. This includes Corwin as, for better or worse, readers understand he isn't a reliable narrator. No, he doesn't necessarily lie to the reader, but there are times he lies to himself as part of his transitionary path.
While the plot picks up the pace in this novel, it is considerably less physical than its predecessors. This is mostly true because he narrows his adversary (at least in this novel) from an entire kingdom to mostly his traitorous brother Brand. Brand hopes to reshape of the order of the universe to serve his own interests, a choice that both Oberon and Corwin have rejected. To do it, both bothers jokey for the Jewel of Judgment, making this book more of a quest than a conquering.
heyt's review against another edition
4.0
I have to say after the disappointing transition that was book three this one picks up the pace and quality a bit more. I find that I enjoyed learning the backstory to how the world was created and the players involved and am once again excited to continue on after the ending reveal. Corwin and his family are still really effed up morally but I still kind of want Corwin to win despite his flaws.
brettp's review against another edition
5.0
Finished "The Hand of Oberon" by Roger Zelazny. (Again, this is my second time walking the Pattern.) I love this book for the simple fact that there is a world of Zelazny's construction, and unique aspects of that world play into the tension inherent in several of the scenes. This one is hard to put down!
localcourtjester's review against another edition
This is the longest amber book ever.
Oberon continues to be a dick and Corwin gets his ass handed to him by Benedict because...duh.
Oberon continues to be a dick and Corwin gets his ass handed to him by Benedict because...duh.
haramis's review against another edition
4.0
This book starts directly where the third book leaves off, which may be an issue depending on the time the reader spends between them. There is eventually a little bit of summary, but for flow it's probably better if there's not a gap. I chose to listen to the last chapter of the previous book before I went on. I am still very much enjoying the narrator.
My main issue with this one is that I love to be surprised, and the twist in this one is like a big, flashing red sign, like, "Hmm, that's really odd...and unlikely, maybe someone should look into that?" That ties into a pet peeve of mine in which puportedly smart characters do stupid things. I'll blame it on the fact that Corwin was injured and trying to track down half a hundred loose ends. Whatever. Speaking of tracking things down, I didn't love the fact that we had another hellride, for some reason.
I did still enjoy the book overall. I liked the plot for the most part, and it was fun to see all the characters realizing that maybe some of the family had finally grown-up. Oh, and I enjoyed the return of Dworkin. Oh, and BIG SPOILER
I'm looking forward to finishing up this series soon.
My main issue with this one is that I love to be surprised, and the twist in this one is like a big, flashing red sign, like, "Hmm, that's really odd...and unlikely, maybe someone should look into that?" That ties into a pet peeve of mine in which puportedly smart characters do stupid things. I'll blame it on the fact that Corwin was injured and trying to track down half a hundred loose ends. Whatever. Speaking of tracking things down, I didn't love the fact that we had another hellride, for some reason.
I did still enjoy the book overall. I liked the plot for the most part, and it was fun to see all the characters realizing that maybe some of the family had finally grown-up. Oh, and I enjoyed the return of Dworkin. Oh, and BIG SPOILER
Spoiler
It was fun to find out that the Hand of Oberon of the title was both literal and figurative.I'm looking forward to finishing up this series soon.
lottpoet's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
julius_light's review against another edition
4.0
Unlike The Wheel of Time, Amber is not a series of distinct novels, but rather one massive novel divided into ten parts.
jpv0's review against another edition
4.0
Heredity or environment? I wondered wryly. We were all of us, to some degree, mad after his fashion. To be honest, it had to be a form of madness, to have so much and to strive so bitterly for just a little more, for a bit of an edge over the others. He carried this tendency to its extreme, that is all. He was a caricature of this mania in all of us. In this sense, did it really matter which of us was the traitor?
This time around, Corwin et all go to the Primal Pattern (because that's a thing now) and manage to figure out what could have caused the Black Road and all the troubles that's been causing them. We proceed to get a pile more backstory / world building from Dworkin (
Upon returning, we figure out who the big bad of the whole series thus far is (
Overall, it's a solid enough book. It's nice to see a real villain and get some answers for what's actually been going on this whole time, even if it feels a bit abrupt. We do learn a bit more about how Corwin is growing and changing along. He's almost starting to feel like a worthwhile King now, rather than the just-as-bad-as-his-siblings feel from the first book.
Finally: That last sentence.
[^1]: Which supports the previous concern I had with the series: why in the world don't the various Princes of Amber just make their own kingdoms to rule? If there are four Patterns that are all sufficient enough for for these purposes (