Jerry Friedman writes: >_The Courts of Chaos_ made the whole rest of the Amber series worth >while for me. I was glad I put up with all the intrigue and >ferric oxide when I got to the scene where Corwin creates *CENSORED* >and the one where the *CENSORED* gives the *CENSORED* to *CENSORED*. >Of course there was plenty of good stuff along the way. I like Amber a lot, and the first 5 books certainly do things that Zelazny's shorter works cannot, but the better shorter works -are- better written. (the second 5 books are entertaining except when they're frustrating or boring, but the primary thing they did was put Z's kids through college). >My other Zelazny recommendations: _Lord of Light_, "He Who Shapes". "...And call me Conrad" (which I finally read; thanks for the remomendations!), _Creatures of Light and Darkness_, _Isle of the Dead_... >go on (though I'm looking forward to finding out). Will volume 19 >have to be titled _The Last Contract of the Saint_? Nah. It will involve Vlad, having gone past character development to royally screwing up, going back in time to assassinate his earlier self. :) Or it will involve him assassinating a god, probably Verra (hmm...what if the war with the Jenoine is all based on a misunderstanding sponsored by the Demon Goddess, who wants to keep things as they are? Couldn't be. :) -- Joshua Kronengold (mneme at io.com) "I've been teaching |\ _,,,--,,_ ,) --^--him...to live, to breathe, to walk, to sample the /,`.-'`' -, ;-;;' /\\joy on each road, and the sorrow at each turning. |,4- ) )-,_ ) /\ /-\\\I'm sorry if I kept him out too late"--Vlad Taltos '---''(_/--' (_/-'