Chronicles of Amber
So I finished The Chronicles of Amber, what, a few weeks ago, but have been waiting for my brain to decide what I think of the whole thing (also, been sick, of course, which hasn't helped, but still...)
Well, I really liked Corwin's Saga, with Guns of Avalon probably my favorite of the lot (maybe because it's one of the coolest titles ever, while Nine Princes in Amber is both clunky and somewhat confusing (this is, apparently, one context where I can't think of "amber" other than as the tree sap substance), and the rest are pretty much interchangeable.) The worldbuilding is neat, though not my personal cup of tea (I mean, the Shadows idea is cool -- and all of a sudden more geeky references make sense -- and the Amber/Remba/city in the clouds I can't spell are lovely, but don't have the same appeal to me as Middle-Earth or even some of the better M-E knock-offs. Except for the steps of Kolvir -- that part's just awesome). The plot -- well, you can't get more convoluted and self-reversing in a book of this length, I'm pretty sure, and it unfolds very nicely over the course of the five books (a bit more on that later), and even forced me to do something I hardly *ever* do -- go back to a previous book and re-read the scenes in light of a new development (especially after Hand of Oberon). The prose -- two things stand out: Corwin's mannerisms (quotes and allusions and Corwin-referencing narration, all of which I found adorable even when they were distracting) and the... present tense... and ellipses... of the hell-rides. Which were sometimes startlingly beautiful and sometimes merely annoying (and I can't see doing anything but skipping right over them on a re-read, really), but certainly a memorable device. What I loved most, as as often the case, were the characters -- in this case, not the individuals themselves so much (we don't get much of an insight of anyone except Corwin and to a lesser extent Random), but the ensemble cast -- the dynamics of "family".
And then I went on to read Merlin's saga, and, it sort of went from "meh" to "WTF?". For one, I found Merlin to be a much less engaging protagonist and narrator than his father. Part of it is maybe a general preference for an embattled pro in desperate straits vs. an ingenue trying to make his way in the big scary world, buffeted by forces he doesn't understand. Part of it is that I really *liked* Corwin, as a person as well as a character -- his bouts of angst/philosophy were just that, bouts, and he had a sense of humor about them. While Merlin, though he had his cute moments (with Luke) just didn't click for me -- too much with the "Woe is me, I never wanted this, blah blah blah". And the plot sort of follows the same sort of difference -- in Corwin's saga, we have the stakes being raised ever higher (pretty much by Corwin himself, though it's not like he's not being manipulated) as the plot unfolds, from recovering his memory, to obtaining the throne, to destroying the Black Road, to saving the world. Whereas with Merlin -- WTF heaped upon WTF. The first two books were OK. The bad trip in the third book (I think...) was fairly amusing. I forced myself, with gritted teeth, through book #4 (finding the plot dull and the main characters unexciting -- not much Luke), hoping things would get better once Merlin was out of the monochromatic in-between. But, nope, didn't enjoy #5 any better, and at that point was mainly reading just to see how it all would end, even though it was pretty clear the answer would be "unsatisfyingly". And, after some more random WTF moments (the vampire girl -- what was the point of *that*?), the denouement was -- that's right -- unsatisfying.
And Merlin's advancement along the line of royal succession was just plain laughable. Some of the descriptions and world-building in the Courts of Chaos was pretty cool, but still felt pointless without a strong emotional center to anchor it -- 'cos Merlin? Didn't much care about him, as I may have mentioned. And the spikard was a total deus ex machina -- in fact, too many magical options open to Merlin all together -- where's the challenge in that? And also -- sentient Pattern and Logrus *really* taxed my suspencion of disbelief. I was fine with the *possibility* of sentience -- the way it was earlier on, when Coral and Merlin first addressed the Pattern. And Pattern and Logrus ghosts are actually a really neat idea I would have loved to see explored further (especially as a way of getting to know more about the otherwise-absent Amberites like Eric, Caine, etc.; incidentally, upon reflection this reminded me of the persons generated or co-opted by the abstract forces in Strugatskis' A Billion Years Before the End of the World). But this business of Pattern and Logrus manifesting directly and talking to Merlin and fighting and all -- that just crossed over into farce for me.
Anyway, I found Merlin's Saga to be rambling and random and generally extraneous-stuff-thrown-in-ny. And the thing is, I can believe this being done by intent (don't know if it was actually or not, but it would make sense) -- if the first chronicle sort of follows the Pattern, with continuous plot twists and major obstacles (like the windings of the Pattern and the Veils, etc.), but very much a coherent arc for everyone involved and a guessable destination from Book 1, the second chronicle is a lot more like Chaos/Logrus, with heretofore unguessed forces cropping up conveniently or in-, plot lines bursting out of nowhere and many, many things not being actually resolved. (For instance, *all* of the magic in the first chronicle revolves around the basic components of Pattern, Jewel of Judgement, and blood of Amber, all of which are inter-related, plus the unexplored power of Chaos; in the second chronicle, we get not only the Logrus/Chaos counterparts of this (which was fine and neat), but also: Ghostwheel, magic-dampening blue cave, Broken Patterns, the magical fountain at the Keep of Four Worlds, the spikards, and I'm sure I'm forgetting some other random stuff, which appear to be largely separate from the established magic of the previous books. So, anyway, I can appreciate the "random stuff happening" structure of the second chronicle as a nice counterpoint to the Pattern-ness of the first series, theoretically, but... it just doesn't work for me as a reader. Maybe it wouldn't matter if I cared about the characters more, but I didn't -- not about Merlin, or Jurt, or Ghostwheel, or any of the Chaosites; and there's only that much Luke in the series.
Speaking of characters, I wish we would've gotten to see more of the first chronicle characters in the second. The glimpses of Random as king were definitely my favorite part (I *definitely* prefer him this way, with his drum solos and shooting practice which only marginally surprises the guards, and everything; and he still has the *coolest* name). And then we get tantalizing bits of Eric and Caine and Oberon as Pattern ghosts (actually, what did Zelazny have against Caine, that
he is required to be dead, or presumed so, throughout... um, 89% of the books? Did he run out of actual personalities and didn't want anyone to notice?). And what about Julian and Bleys, the two characters I actually was looking forward to getting to know better (I guess the 85% absent thing applies to Bleys, as well...). OK, there was some Fiona, and more than enough Flora (what *is* the point of her, anyhow?), and enough Deirdre to determine that she was boring as a Pattern ghost, too... Really, why not more Julian and Bleys?
Those are my two favorite "minor" brothers, coming out of the first chronicle. Bleys I liked ever since he appeared in Nine Princes -- something about someone collapsing into his brother's arms that pushes my buttons, and I did already like Corwin at that point. The battle up the steps of Kolvir sealed that. Guy dying (or, whatever) heroically and spectacularly in a fight against incredible odds -- totally my thing. Finding out he was part of the traitorous trio didn't matter. I just wanted more of him, and not behind the scenes or in a stupid mirror.
And Julian. Julian, Julian, Julian. (Am I unconsciously echoing Corwin here?) I think he may be my favorite, overall -- or at least the one I'd like to know more about the most. This is a surprise to me, as my initial reaction to him -- when Corwin sees his trump -- was disappointingly negative, and that was only slightly shaken by that first meeting -- even the "I'm not going to beg" didn't help, though it's the sort of thing that would normally appeal. Probably, the narratorial negative bias was too strong. And, of course, he hasn't got a very cuddly role in the whole coronation/imprisonment arc. But the references in Guns of Avalon must have softened me somewhat (the whole brother tending injured brother thing again, when they drop in on Benedict). And from Sign of the Unicorn onward, he really grew on me. The separate oath he takes regarding Brand, the "Now you can talk about me" posturing -- it's all very adorable. And, of course, the much-revealing conversation with Corwin towards the end -- that was impressive, when he could have very conveniently played to Corwin's bias and blamed a dead man. So, really liked him. Really wanted to see more. And the brief glimpses of him in Merlin's saga weren't terribly satisfying -- I guess Merlin didn't really have a reason to be interested in/close to him, but I was still bummed.
OK, Corwin, Random, Bleys, Julian. Who does that leave from the first chronicle? I don't really remember Caine at all, except for the bit right after Patternfall -- and am therefore surprised that people apparently think he is cool. I guess I really need to re-read Nine Princes and see what it was he was doing there with the fleet and all and see what I think of him then. Maybe I'll also find something to think about Deirdre, too, as I don't have much of an impression of her, either, except as a chick in armor and Corwins *really favorite* sister. But I mainly want to re-read it to see how Eric comes across post Julian's revelation -- something tells me, I'll like him a lot more this time; I already did, as a Pattern ghost kicking Dalt's ass. Gerard... mainly annoyed me by taking screentime away from more interesting characters, but I definitely feel for him -- poor guy, to be honorable and less than devious in a family like that! Flora was similarly boring and annoying. I liked Fiona well enough, in a slightly embarrassing, narcissistic way -- as I fully expected, I scored as her on all the Amberite quizzes I could find; except for the stabbing part -- I couldn't do that. And therefore am fairly amused that Julian fancies her. I keep nearly forgetting Benedict -- because while he is very cool, I don't find him particularly enticing -- or maybe I would like to see him through less start-struck eyes than Corwin's, or, you know, everybody's. Oberon's, maybe. Llewella I, frankly, don't see the point of -- unless that *is* the point, as Corwin seems to conclude. Brand -- I really liked Brand as a villain -- that little story about the rug was quite priceless -- or, rather, did, until it turned out that it was the super-duper magical procedure at the Keep of the Four Worlds that was at fault -- copout! Why can't he be insane on his own terms? Loved Oberon -- but then, I've always had a weakness for the Zeus-types (as my English teacher once put it, "he was *really* the father of his country") -- and would like to see him in action, undisguised, though he was plenty cool as Ganelon, too. And I liked Dara well enough until -- maybe out of sympathy with Corwin -- until the idiocy at Patternfall (which did seem a bit forced). *Hated* her in the second chronicle. OK, I think I'm out of characters...
Second chrincle is much easier -- I've already voiced my opinion on Merlin. I started out liking Mandos, but as the whole Courts of Chaos story degenerated into randomness, my fondness also waned. Coral was not too exciting, and neither was Dalt (the stumbling into a berserker spell -- fairly lame way to get out of a plot corner, if you ask me). Nayda was annoying, as were Julia and Jurt. Jasra (what's with the profusion of J names, anyhow?) was OK, but, interested me more as part of Luke's environment. Because Luke -- Luke I *loved*. I don't even know what it was (other than collapsing injured in Merlin's apartments -- cousin is almost as good as brother...) -- although, what's there not to like about a fast-talking, hard-playing charming fellow who exhudes apparent sincerety and can take a punch? I even find his mother issues a lot more endearing than Merlin's. The relationship between Merlin and Luke was also rather cute, and incredibly fluffy, given the circumstances. The cutest part was when Merlin wore blue and gold to Luke's coronation, and Luke noticed -- awww! (And I'm not just saying that because I'm a Berkeley grad too. Still -- Go Bears!)
So, in summary -- loved the first 5 books, especially 1 and 2 (and really need to re-read #1), was disappointed by Merlin's saga. Yay Corwin, Julian, Bleys (when he's around), (later) Random, and Luke.
But now I'm wondering -- where's the fandom? I scoured the Internet to the best of my googling ability, and while I found a bunch of Amber campaigns and records thereof, and some dead links leading to a mailing list purportedly dealing with fanfiction -- WHERE IS EVERYBODY? There are a couple of fics on FFN, most of which appear to be background stories for campaign characters, anyhow. There's a site with poems and a play, which was all well and good, but much more a reflection on canon and not a further exploration of it. How can this be? Here we have this sprawling novel, with a worldbuilding foundation which can accommodate any original setting one wants to write, with multiple (pretty much immortal!) colorful characters who are constantly double-crossing each other, where nobody knows the whole truth, where people can never be trusted to be really dead, where long-lost relatives are pure canon, shape-shifting/demonic possession, with an unreliable and highly biased narrator (all the better to write different POV pieces for), and HEAPS of unanswered questions -- is this not a fanfic writer's paradise? So much potential! Exploring what Bleys and Caine and Oberon were doing while supposedly dead, getting inside Brand's head, exploring Eric's angst at Oberon recognizing Llewella, what happened between Corwin and Julian, anything at all from Gerard's point of you (has got to be entertaining), there's all this STUFF!
And, maybe I've been corrupted by the HP fandom or something, but how can there not be Amber slash? I mean, really? Corwin/Bleys hurt/comfort (OK, that might be just me), Eric/Corwin (what *really* happened there), Eric/Julian (for teh pretty), Corwin/Bill Roth, Luke/Merlin fluff (come on! Luke calls him "baby" -- what more does one need?). Is it the incest? But they're only half-siblings, and that's essentially canon, in an UST way, at least (het, but still) -- and then there's Merlin/Coral and Luke/Coral, which, OK, half-aunt, but that's not any better.
Is it because the canon's so old? Is there some other reason? Am I just hallucinating the whole thing?
Guess I'll just have to go back and re-read Nine Princes in Amber and Guns of Avalon instead. Perception's changes so much, it should be *almost* like reading something new.
Actually, a somewhat related post-scriptum: Some time ago, I picked up Elizabeth Wiley's The Well-Favored Man at the library. I never did finish the book, but as I was making my way through Corwin's saga, I gradually realized what Well-Favored Man was supposed to remind me of -- the parallels are really quite... extensive. Apparently, Wiley's book has even been referred to as Nice Princes in Amber, which is fairly accurate -- much healthier family dynamic there, at least between the siblings, and, therefore, also not nearly as exciting to read about. I may give it another shot, though, now that I have a more solid foundation in the literary sub-genre from whence it sprung.
Well, I really liked Corwin's Saga, with Guns of Avalon probably my favorite of the lot (maybe because it's one of the coolest titles ever, while Nine Princes in Amber is both clunky and somewhat confusing (this is, apparently, one context where I can't think of "amber" other than as the tree sap substance), and the rest are pretty much interchangeable.) The worldbuilding is neat, though not my personal cup of tea (I mean, the Shadows idea is cool -- and all of a sudden more geeky references make sense -- and the Amber/Remba/city in the clouds I can't spell are lovely, but don't have the same appeal to me as Middle-Earth or even some of the better M-E knock-offs. Except for the steps of Kolvir -- that part's just awesome). The plot -- well, you can't get more convoluted and self-reversing in a book of this length, I'm pretty sure, and it unfolds very nicely over the course of the five books (a bit more on that later), and even forced me to do something I hardly *ever* do -- go back to a previous book and re-read the scenes in light of a new development (especially after Hand of Oberon). The prose -- two things stand out: Corwin's mannerisms (quotes and allusions and Corwin-referencing narration, all of which I found adorable even when they were distracting) and the... present tense... and ellipses... of the hell-rides. Which were sometimes startlingly beautiful and sometimes merely annoying (and I can't see doing anything but skipping right over them on a re-read, really), but certainly a memorable device. What I loved most, as as often the case, were the characters -- in this case, not the individuals themselves so much (we don't get much of an insight of anyone except Corwin and to a lesser extent Random), but the ensemble cast -- the dynamics of "family".
And then I went on to read Merlin's saga, and, it sort of went from "meh" to "WTF?". For one, I found Merlin to be a much less engaging protagonist and narrator than his father. Part of it is maybe a general preference for an embattled pro in desperate straits vs. an ingenue trying to make his way in the big scary world, buffeted by forces he doesn't understand. Part of it is that I really *liked* Corwin, as a person as well as a character -- his bouts of angst/philosophy were just that, bouts, and he had a sense of humor about them. While Merlin, though he had his cute moments (with Luke) just didn't click for me -- too much with the "Woe is me, I never wanted this, blah blah blah". And the plot sort of follows the same sort of difference -- in Corwin's saga, we have the stakes being raised ever higher (pretty much by Corwin himself, though it's not like he's not being manipulated) as the plot unfolds, from recovering his memory, to obtaining the throne, to destroying the Black Road, to saving the world. Whereas with Merlin -- WTF heaped upon WTF. The first two books were OK. The bad trip in the third book (I think...) was fairly amusing. I forced myself, with gritted teeth, through book #4 (finding the plot dull and the main characters unexciting -- not much Luke), hoping things would get better once Merlin was out of the monochromatic in-between. But, nope, didn't enjoy #5 any better, and at that point was mainly reading just to see how it all would end, even though it was pretty clear the answer would be "unsatisfyingly". And, after some more random WTF moments (the vampire girl -- what was the point of *that*?), the denouement was -- that's right -- unsatisfying.
And Merlin's advancement along the line of royal succession was just plain laughable. Some of the descriptions and world-building in the Courts of Chaos was pretty cool, but still felt pointless without a strong emotional center to anchor it -- 'cos Merlin? Didn't much care about him, as I may have mentioned. And the spikard was a total deus ex machina -- in fact, too many magical options open to Merlin all together -- where's the challenge in that? And also -- sentient Pattern and Logrus *really* taxed my suspencion of disbelief. I was fine with the *possibility* of sentience -- the way it was earlier on, when Coral and Merlin first addressed the Pattern. And Pattern and Logrus ghosts are actually a really neat idea I would have loved to see explored further (especially as a way of getting to know more about the otherwise-absent Amberites like Eric, Caine, etc.; incidentally, upon reflection this reminded me of the persons generated or co-opted by the abstract forces in Strugatskis' A Billion Years Before the End of the World). But this business of Pattern and Logrus manifesting directly and talking to Merlin and fighting and all -- that just crossed over into farce for me.
Anyway, I found Merlin's Saga to be rambling and random and generally extraneous-stuff-thrown-in-ny. And the thing is, I can believe this being done by intent (don't know if it was actually or not, but it would make sense) -- if the first chronicle sort of follows the Pattern, with continuous plot twists and major obstacles (like the windings of the Pattern and the Veils, etc.), but very much a coherent arc for everyone involved and a guessable destination from Book 1, the second chronicle is a lot more like Chaos/Logrus, with heretofore unguessed forces cropping up conveniently or in-, plot lines bursting out of nowhere and many, many things not being actually resolved. (For instance, *all* of the magic in the first chronicle revolves around the basic components of Pattern, Jewel of Judgement, and blood of Amber, all of which are inter-related, plus the unexplored power of Chaos; in the second chronicle, we get not only the Logrus/Chaos counterparts of this (which was fine and neat), but also: Ghostwheel, magic-dampening blue cave, Broken Patterns, the magical fountain at the Keep of Four Worlds, the spikards, and I'm sure I'm forgetting some other random stuff, which appear to be largely separate from the established magic of the previous books. So, anyway, I can appreciate the "random stuff happening" structure of the second chronicle as a nice counterpoint to the Pattern-ness of the first series, theoretically, but... it just doesn't work for me as a reader. Maybe it wouldn't matter if I cared about the characters more, but I didn't -- not about Merlin, or Jurt, or Ghostwheel, or any of the Chaosites; and there's only that much Luke in the series.
Speaking of characters, I wish we would've gotten to see more of the first chronicle characters in the second. The glimpses of Random as king were definitely my favorite part (I *definitely* prefer him this way, with his drum solos and shooting practice which only marginally surprises the guards, and everything; and he still has the *coolest* name). And then we get tantalizing bits of Eric and Caine and Oberon as Pattern ghosts (actually, what did Zelazny have against Caine, that
he is required to be dead, or presumed so, throughout... um, 89% of the books? Did he run out of actual personalities and didn't want anyone to notice?). And what about Julian and Bleys, the two characters I actually was looking forward to getting to know better (I guess the 85% absent thing applies to Bleys, as well...). OK, there was some Fiona, and more than enough Flora (what *is* the point of her, anyhow?), and enough Deirdre to determine that she was boring as a Pattern ghost, too... Really, why not more Julian and Bleys?
Those are my two favorite "minor" brothers, coming out of the first chronicle. Bleys I liked ever since he appeared in Nine Princes -- something about someone collapsing into his brother's arms that pushes my buttons, and I did already like Corwin at that point. The battle up the steps of Kolvir sealed that. Guy dying (or, whatever) heroically and spectacularly in a fight against incredible odds -- totally my thing. Finding out he was part of the traitorous trio didn't matter. I just wanted more of him, and not behind the scenes or in a stupid mirror.
And Julian. Julian, Julian, Julian. (Am I unconsciously echoing Corwin here?) I think he may be my favorite, overall -- or at least the one I'd like to know more about the most. This is a surprise to me, as my initial reaction to him -- when Corwin sees his trump -- was disappointingly negative, and that was only slightly shaken by that first meeting -- even the "I'm not going to beg" didn't help, though it's the sort of thing that would normally appeal. Probably, the narratorial negative bias was too strong. And, of course, he hasn't got a very cuddly role in the whole coronation/imprisonment arc. But the references in Guns of Avalon must have softened me somewhat (the whole brother tending injured brother thing again, when they drop in on Benedict). And from Sign of the Unicorn onward, he really grew on me. The separate oath he takes regarding Brand, the "Now you can talk about me" posturing -- it's all very adorable. And, of course, the much-revealing conversation with Corwin towards the end -- that was impressive, when he could have very conveniently played to Corwin's bias and blamed a dead man. So, really liked him. Really wanted to see more. And the brief glimpses of him in Merlin's saga weren't terribly satisfying -- I guess Merlin didn't really have a reason to be interested in/close to him, but I was still bummed.
OK, Corwin, Random, Bleys, Julian. Who does that leave from the first chronicle? I don't really remember Caine at all, except for the bit right after Patternfall -- and am therefore surprised that people apparently think he is cool. I guess I really need to re-read Nine Princes and see what it was he was doing there with the fleet and all and see what I think of him then. Maybe I'll also find something to think about Deirdre, too, as I don't have much of an impression of her, either, except as a chick in armor and Corwins *really favorite* sister. But I mainly want to re-read it to see how Eric comes across post Julian's revelation -- something tells me, I'll like him a lot more this time; I already did, as a Pattern ghost kicking Dalt's ass. Gerard... mainly annoyed me by taking screentime away from more interesting characters, but I definitely feel for him -- poor guy, to be honorable and less than devious in a family like that! Flora was similarly boring and annoying. I liked Fiona well enough, in a slightly embarrassing, narcissistic way -- as I fully expected, I scored as her on all the Amberite quizzes I could find; except for the stabbing part -- I couldn't do that. And therefore am fairly amused that Julian fancies her. I keep nearly forgetting Benedict -- because while he is very cool, I don't find him particularly enticing -- or maybe I would like to see him through less start-struck eyes than Corwin's, or, you know, everybody's. Oberon's, maybe. Llewella I, frankly, don't see the point of -- unless that *is* the point, as Corwin seems to conclude. Brand -- I really liked Brand as a villain -- that little story about the rug was quite priceless -- or, rather, did, until it turned out that it was the super-duper magical procedure at the Keep of the Four Worlds that was at fault -- copout! Why can't he be insane on his own terms? Loved Oberon -- but then, I've always had a weakness for the Zeus-types (as my English teacher once put it, "he was *really* the father of his country") -- and would like to see him in action, undisguised, though he was plenty cool as Ganelon, too. And I liked Dara well enough until -- maybe out of sympathy with Corwin -- until the idiocy at Patternfall (which did seem a bit forced). *Hated* her in the second chronicle. OK, I think I'm out of characters...
Second chrincle is much easier -- I've already voiced my opinion on Merlin. I started out liking Mandos, but as the whole Courts of Chaos story degenerated into randomness, my fondness also waned. Coral was not too exciting, and neither was Dalt (the stumbling into a berserker spell -- fairly lame way to get out of a plot corner, if you ask me). Nayda was annoying, as were Julia and Jurt. Jasra (what's with the profusion of J names, anyhow?) was OK, but, interested me more as part of Luke's environment. Because Luke -- Luke I *loved*. I don't even know what it was (other than collapsing injured in Merlin's apartments -- cousin is almost as good as brother...) -- although, what's there not to like about a fast-talking, hard-playing charming fellow who exhudes apparent sincerety and can take a punch? I even find his mother issues a lot more endearing than Merlin's. The relationship between Merlin and Luke was also rather cute, and incredibly fluffy, given the circumstances. The cutest part was when Merlin wore blue and gold to Luke's coronation, and Luke noticed -- awww! (And I'm not just saying that because I'm a Berkeley grad too. Still -- Go Bears!)
So, in summary -- loved the first 5 books, especially 1 and 2 (and really need to re-read #1), was disappointed by Merlin's saga. Yay Corwin, Julian, Bleys (when he's around), (later) Random, and Luke.
But now I'm wondering -- where's the fandom? I scoured the Internet to the best of my googling ability, and while I found a bunch of Amber campaigns and records thereof, and some dead links leading to a mailing list purportedly dealing with fanfiction -- WHERE IS EVERYBODY? There are a couple of fics on FFN, most of which appear to be background stories for campaign characters, anyhow. There's a site with poems and a play, which was all well and good, but much more a reflection on canon and not a further exploration of it. How can this be? Here we have this sprawling novel, with a worldbuilding foundation which can accommodate any original setting one wants to write, with multiple (pretty much immortal!) colorful characters who are constantly double-crossing each other, where nobody knows the whole truth, where people can never be trusted to be really dead, where long-lost relatives are pure canon, shape-shifting/demonic possession, with an unreliable and highly biased narrator (all the better to write different POV pieces for), and HEAPS of unanswered questions -- is this not a fanfic writer's paradise? So much potential! Exploring what Bleys and Caine and Oberon were doing while supposedly dead, getting inside Brand's head, exploring Eric's angst at Oberon recognizing Llewella, what happened between Corwin and Julian, anything at all from Gerard's point of you (has got to be entertaining), there's all this STUFF!
And, maybe I've been corrupted by the HP fandom or something, but how can there not be Amber slash? I mean, really? Corwin/Bleys hurt/comfort (OK, that might be just me), Eric/Corwin (what *really* happened there), Eric/Julian (for teh pretty), Corwin/Bill Roth, Luke/Merlin fluff (come on! Luke calls him "baby" -- what more does one need?). Is it the incest? But they're only half-siblings, and that's essentially canon, in an UST way, at least (het, but still) -- and then there's Merlin/Coral and Luke/Coral, which, OK, half-aunt, but that's not any better.
Is it because the canon's so old? Is there some other reason? Am I just hallucinating the whole thing?
Guess I'll just have to go back and re-read Nine Princes in Amber and Guns of Avalon instead. Perception's changes so much, it should be *almost* like reading something new.
Actually, a somewhat related post-scriptum: Some time ago, I picked up Elizabeth Wiley's The Well-Favored Man at the library. I never did finish the book, but as I was making my way through Corwin's saga, I gradually realized what Well-Favored Man was supposed to remind me of -- the parallels are really quite... extensive. Apparently, Wiley's book has even been referred to as Nice Princes in Amber, which is fairly accurate -- much healthier family dynamic there, at least between the siblings, and, therefore, also not nearly as exciting to read about. I may give it another shot, though, now that I have a more solid foundation in the literary sub-genre from whence it sprung.