Sign of the Unicorn, chapter 4

Spoiler alert: This post is part of an in-depth discussion of Sign of the Unicorn by Roger Zelazny, which will inevitably reveal key plot points. I recommend reading the book first. It's short, I promise.

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Corwin discovered that his brother Caine had been murdered by an almost-human Shadow creature, of the same kind that had attacked him, his brother Random, and his sister Flora in her mansion in New York. He learned from Random that it was one of the guardians of a tower in the outskirts of Shadow, where he believed their missing brother Brand was being held prisoner. They chased him through Shadow to New York. Corwin and Random agreed that there was a conspiracy brewing in Amber, masterminded by someone with advanced knowledge of Shadow, but did not know who was responsible. Later, Corwin took the Jewel of Judgment, the weather-changing amulet he acquired from Eric, and used the Pattern to unlock its powers.

Now, Corwin continues his fact-finding by interviewing Flora. She does indeed recognize the Shadow thing from the attack on her house, but knows nothing more. She tells Corwin how she came to be his guardian in New York while he was hospitalized. She dwelt on Earth, as Corwin had once dwelt on Avalon. Although she had presumed Corwin dead by Eric's hand in the duel, she was surprised to have met him by chance at a party in Paris, shortly before the Reign of Terror, though he was still suffering from amnesia and didn't recognize her. Eric, who had also assumed he was dead, asked her to keep him under surveillance. After Corwin's car "accident," he instructed her to keep him under sedation.

Sign of the Unicorn, chapter 3

Spoiler alert: This post is part of an in-depth discussion of Sign of the Unicorn by Roger Zelazny, which will inevitably reveal key plot points. I recommend reading the book first. It's short, I promise.

I also realized this week that I had misnamed this book: it's Sign of the Unicorn (only one the). I've corrected my previous posts.

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With Eric dead and Corwin effectively the new ruler of Amber, his brother Caine (an ally of Eric) was murdered by a man-like creature from Shadow. The creature was similar to the ones Random encountered while trying to rescue his brother Brand from a tower where he was apparently held prisoner. These creatures, which can manipulate Shadow, were the ones that chased Random to Flora's house in New York.

Corwin and Random decide there is a conspiracy within Amber, and discuss who might be responsible. Since Brand arguably knew the most about manipulating Shadow, they contemplate a rescue. Their sister Flora also saw the creatures who attacked her mansion, so Corwin instructs Random to bring her to his rooms. Finally, he takes the Jewel of Judgment, a pendant that he obtained from Eric when he died, and walks the Pattern in the cellar of the palace to unlock the jewel's power to manipulate the weather. He then teleports to the tallest tower of the palace and summons a storm.

Sign of the Unicorn, chapter 2

Spoiler alert: This post is part of an in-depth discussion of Sign of the Unicorn by Roger Zelazny, which will inevitably reveal key plot points. I recommend reading the book first. It's short, I promise.

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Corwin made good his promise to overthrow his brother Eric and take the throne of Amber—at least, indirectly. Eric died in battle with the creatures of the black road as they besieged Kolvir, the mountain on which the palace of Amber sits. Dara, Corwin's supposed great-grandniece, was revealed as one of these dark creatures, and she threatened the destruction of Amber before disappearing.

A week later, Corwin is the de facto ruler of Amber. However, his brother Caine was murdered by another being from the black road, apparently intending to frame Corwin for the deed. His brother Random encountered these creatures before, so Corwin met privately with him and demanded some answers.

Chapter 2 is told from Random's point of view as he tells Corwin that story. He was visiting a Shadow where he could pursue his hobbies—namely, drumming, gliding, gambling, and women—when he suddenly receives a communication from his missing brother Brand, who is being held prisoner in a tower somewhere in Shadow. Random can see enough of the landscape in the vision to attempt to travel there.

He finds the tower in the far reaches of Shadow, surrounded by floating, orbiting rocks, and guarded by a giant, luminous warden in the form of a snake. Random attacks but fails to kill the snake, so he is unable to rescue Brand. He is chased away by the wounded beast and several other creatures from the tower. He defeats the snake beast by causing it to be struck by one of the flying rocks, but the other beings pursue him through Shadow. He kills several of them, but cannot lose them.

Random flees to Earth and California, where he is ambushed by the creatures in a bus terminal before he escapes by plane to New York and Flora's mansion, still pursued by the remaining six creatures. Here, he meets Corwin, and they dispatch his final pursuers, as we know from Nine Princes in Amber.

During the escape from the tower, Random communicates with Julian, who informs him that Oberon is missing and presumed dead. This left a vacancy on the throne that Eric wants to fill. Corwin has already fired us in on this aspect of Amberite family politics, of course. However, Corwin was also presumed dead by his siblings, thought to have been killed by Eric, rather than (as we know) exiled to Earth. Random was actually surprised that Corwin answered Flora's phone in New York, and assumed that it was him who had sicced the Shadow things on him. We already know that's not what happened. Possibly, a traitor in Amber has it in for the Amberites.

The tower where Brand is imprisoned is "somewhere where the shadows go mad." Like literal shadows, it looks like the farther away they emanate from Amber, the more indistinct Shadows become. The floating boulders around the tower imply that the normal laws of nature break down. Does this mean that Amber and less remote Shadow worlds follow a consistent set of physical laws—beyond, say, which materials are combustible or not?

Speaking of Shadow, up until now only the Amberites have been shown with the ability to manipulate reality and move between universes. The notable exception is Dworkin, the designer of the Pattern and Trumps, who doesn't have the innate ability that the Amberites do; but somehow, he has figured out how it works. Yet now we've discovered that these Shadow freaks also know to pursue Random through Shadow. Who are these guys, and who is using them to get at … Corwin and his allies?

"Childe Random to the dark tower came," remarks Random about his approach to the tower. This is an allusion to the Robert Browning poem, "Childe Roland to the Dark Tower Came," published in 1855 in his collection Men and Women. Clearly Zelazny's setting for the chapter was inspired by this poem. A few years later, Stephen King took more direct inspiration from "Childe Roland" for his Dark Tower series, even naming the protagonist Roland.

Corwin already knew Brand was alive, since Corwin successfully contacted him in Nine Princes. However, he never learned his location, while Random did. Corwin also knows Oberon is alive. I would guess that some kind of rescue missions are coming up.

Sign of the Unicorn, chapter 1

This morning we return, once again, to Roger Zelazny's Chronicles of Amber. We pick up the story at the beginning of the third novel in the series, Sign of the Unicorn. We also move from the first to the second volume of my Doubleday set. Though the cover is green instead of yellow, Boris Vallejo's depiction of a shirtless Corwin in tight jeans and a cape fighting two giant cats remains. I assume this is his encounter with the hellcats from The Guns of Avalon.

Spoiler alert: This post is part of an in-depth discussion of Sign of the Unicorn by Roger Zelazny, which will inevitably reveal key plot points. I recommend reading the book first. It's short, I promise.

OJ Simpson, 1947-2024

Orenthal James (OJ) Simpson died yesterday at the age of 76.

Those of us of an age still remember Simpson as a football Hall of Famer and a sometime actor, perhaps known best for rôles in the Naked Gun series and the conspiracy thriller Capricorn One. But for everyone alive today, all that was upstaged in June 1994.

Christ is King!

If Christ is proclaimed as raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain. We are even found to be misrepresenting God, because we testified about God that he raised Christ, whom he did not raise if it is true that the dead are not raised. For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied.

But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. But each in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, then at his coming those who belong to Christ. Then comes the end, when he delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power. For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death. For "God has put all things in subjection under his feet." But when it says, "all things are put in subjection," it is plain that he is excepted who put all things in subjection under him. When all things are subjected to him, then the Son himself will also be subjected to him who put all things in subjection under him, that God may be all in all. (1 Corinthians 15:12–28)

Today is Easter, the holiest Sunday of the year, celebrating the fact of the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.

In dying on the cross, Jesus acted as our infallible high priest: unlike mere human priests, who had to offer sacrifices over and over, for their own sins as well as the people's, he had no sins of his own, and hence his atoning death was able to appease his Father's wrath against sinners once and for all and to "save to the uttermost" (Hebrews 7:25–;27). And when he rose from the dead, he showed that the Father was satisfied with his sacrifice. Because Jesus rose from the dead, we too can have hope that there is life beyond the grave.

On that first Easter weekend, Christ conquered our two greatest enemies: sin on Good Friday, and death on Easter Sunday.

Everything has been put into subjection to him. Christ is King!

The Guns of Avalon, chapter 9

Spoiler alert: This post is part of an in-depth discussion of The Guns of Avalon by Roger Zelazny, which will inevitably reveal key plot points. Unless you're the sort of person who likes skipping to the last page, go read the book first.

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Corwin intends to use firearms to retake Amber from Eric. He and his ally Ganelon travelled to Avalon, a Shadow realm ruled by his brother Benedict, to obtain a large quantity of jeweller's rouge in Avalon to use as gunpowder in Amber, where actual gunpowder will not burn. They then travelled to our Earth to obtain firearms for their siege of Amber. Whole on Earth, Corwin visited his former house in New York state, where he found a letter from Eric, asking him to help defend Amber against attacks from creatures from the black road that has appeared in Amber and across all Shadows. Corwin ignored the request and resolved to continue with his plan to retake the throne of Amber from Eric.

The Guns of Avalon, chapter 8

Spoiler alert: This post is part of an in-depth discussion of The Guns of Avalon by Roger Zelazny, which will inevitably reveal key plot points. Unless you're the sort of person who likes skipping to the last page, go read the book first.

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Corwin of Amber arrived in a Shadow world named Avalon to obtain a quantity of jeweller's rouge to use as a gunpowder substitute, because gunpowder is inert in Amber, but rouge is explosive. His brother Benedict is the ruler of Avalon. While there, Corwin met and fell in love with Benedict's great-granddaughter, Dara. After purchasing the rouge, he and his ally Ganelon left Avalon secretly to travel to Earth, but they were pursued by Benedict, who wanted revenge on Corwin for a supposed murder. They defeated Benedict, and summoned brother Gérard to retrieve him while they escaped.

The Guns of Avalon, chapter 7

Spoiler alert: This post is part of an in-depth discussion of The Guns of Avalon by Roger Zelazny, which will inevitably reveal key plot points. Unless you're the sort of person who likes skipping to the last page, go read the book first.

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Corwin and his former enemy, now ally, Ganelon, arrived in a shadow Avalon ruled by Corwin's eldest brother, Benedict. They want to obtain a large quantity of jeweller's rouge in Avalon, and to buy firearms in Belgium on our Earth. Gunpowder will not ignite in Amber, but rouge will, so he intends to use it as a gunpowder substitute. In Avalon, he met Benedict's great-granddaughter Dara, and they fell for each other. Corwin and Ganelon then left Benedict's house secretly.

The Guns of Avalon, chapter 6

Spoiler alert: This post is part of an in-depth discussion of The Guns of Avalon by Roger Zelazny, which will inevitably reveal key plot points. Unless you're the sort of person who likes skipping to the last page, go read the book first.

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Corwin and Ganelon arrived in a shadow Avalon where Corwin's brother Benedict was the ruler. They decided to stay with him for a time, but he warned them not to use Avalon as a staging area for their planned assault on Amber. Corwin also met Dara, Bebedict's young great-granddaughter, who has a latent ability to manipulate Shadow but has not yet walked the Pattern in Amber that will fully enable her abilities.