Dragaera

The pleasures and quandries of getting older

Joshua Kronengold mneme at io.com
Fri Jan 30 10:56:50 PST 2004

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 '---''(_/--' (_/-'