In my last post about SF, I discussed about the first saga of Zelazny’s Princes of Amber. At that time, I had an open point about the sequel of the saga.

During my last trip to US, I purchased the Great Book of Amber which collects the ten books. The five first books recounted the story of Corwin of Amber. The five last books recount the story of Merlin, son of Corwin and Dara of Chaos! Merlin inherits of the power of the “¨Pattern” (La Marelle for the French readers) and of the “Logrus”. The “Logrus”,one of the many new elements in the story, is the alter ego of the “Pattern” for Amber.

I am a real fan of Zelazny, but I must admit that the sequel is not as thrilling than the first saga. This second saga adds new actors, new artifacts… THe saga has not high consistency. For instance, the Ghost Wheel is a computer that handles the shadows. Its role is unclear and clearly fuzzy at the end (Probably a wink to an earlier book “Jack of the Shadows” that opposed magic and science). The ghosts may have been some inspirations to the authors of the matrix. The end of the saga is, honestly, extremely deceiving.

Last point for the French readers: I had a lot of pleasure to read the first saga in its original version. Just do it.

Conclusion: Corwin Yes, Merlin No