Sign of the Unicorn (The Chronicles of Amber #3) by Roger Zelazny

Sign of the Unicorn (The Chronicles of Amber #3) Reviews

• 
  Stjepan Cobets

  My rating 4.5
  
  The Sign of the Unicorn (The Chronicles of Amber # 3) is solid but is slightly slower than the previous two books in the series. But this is a solid book where the stories about Amber's Princes are increasingly complicated. Corwin sits on the throne but things are even a little bit not to simplify, deception and intrigue continues. Corwin is very well aware that he can not trust almost any of his brothers and sisters. But the murder of his brother Cain is even more complicated. Corwin someone tried to accommodate this murder but although he killed the murderer of his brother he knew they would blame him for the murder because he did not agree with Cain. The murderer is not usually being because he already fought with his kind, and what is worst of all, they know how to move through the shadows. Web of lies soon begins to unravel, but the more Corwin knows it all becomes more complicated. The dark side is obviously in conjunction with some of his brothers and sisters. He must at all costs to find out who is behind all conspiracy because real world of Amber is in danger. But finding the traitor will be all just easy.
• 
  Graeme Rodaughan

  Read this over the last handful of nights, not the last handful of months... life and other interventions, etc, etc....
  
  Zelazny wrote ... 80% of this story in conversations between the characters. Past deeds of daring were related, punctured with a real life rescue followed immediately by a pair of assassination attempts ... than more conversations, some filled with half-lies, mixed with half-truths. Followed by a journey to a tenuous land of moonlit dreams, the recovery of a magical artifact that echoes the hand of the Norse god Tyr, and the final discovery of the true and broken heart of Amber. And about all, a shimmering, emerald eyed unicorn with golden hooves, and whorled horn, guiding its champions to their quest.
  
  A beautiful, intense, intriguing, and above all, seamlessly constructed work of an imagination at the upper end of story-telling mastery.
• 
  Mike

  Let me start by saying that I enjoyed the first two novels of the Amber Chronicles. They were imaginatively written and entertaining. They had rich characters of noble birth if not entirely honorable dispositions. Perhaps best of all was the setting. Despite all that, I considered them to be 4 star novels.
  
  As good as those novel were, Sign of the Unicorn was that much better. This is the novel were things get really good. This is the novel that hooked me in and didn't let go. This is the novel that made me understand why Amber is considered a classic series.
  
  Going into the third novel, I thought I had a pretty good handle for what was going on, but, damn, was I wrong. In Sign of the Unicorn, Zelazy reveals what really happened in the first two books. You find out what all of Corwin's siblings were up to and it turns out that the story you thought you knew is actually way more complicated and interesting.
  
  The members of Amber's ruling family are a scheming and conniving bunch and they were were not idle while Corwin had his adventures in the first two novels. Zelazny really flushes out the background and mythology of Amber and its noble family and it gives the story a lot more depth.
  
  Highly recommended!
• 
  Darwin8u

  "...inside stories seldom live up to one’s expectations. Usually they are grubby little things, reducing down to the basest of motives when all is known. Conjectures and illusions are often the better possessions.”
  ― Roger Zelazny, Sign of the Unicorn
  
  
  
  Another solid Zalzny fanasy novel (they are practically novellas). It is 3/10 in the Chronicles of Amber decalog, or 3/5 in the Corwin pentalogy. The family drama of finding the King/Father and understanding the Pattern, the darkness that is invading Amber. A bulk of the novel centers on a family meeting (a meeting of siblings) in Amber. It allows for stories to get told, and more of the background of what is going on to gradually unfold.
  
  Again, like the previous novel in the series, I'm still kinda luke warm towads it. It is good enough for a diversion, but I'm not seeing anything here that is either hyper-literary or revolutionary. It is B+ escapist fare (so far). Good enough that I have no issue coming back to it between other reads, but I'll have to decide if I want to just read the pentalogy or if I'll actually read the entire decalog. We will see.
  
• 
  Stephen

  3.5 stars. Good, solid installment to the excellent Amber series by Zelazny. I didn't like this one quite as much as the first two installments mainly because, until the very end, nothing really new happened that added significantly to the storyline begun in the first two. Still, a fun and fast read with Zelazny's typical elegant prose.
• 
  Jenny

  *****3.5*****
  
  This edition of the book doesn't indicate at all that it's part of a series. Even the title on Goodreads doesn't mention a series number, so I thought it was a stand alone book set in the "world of Amber." I started reading it and found it confusing because past events are referred to as if the reader should know about them, though Zelazny does do a great job of exposition and explication. Still, I felt too thrown into this world. Then, I did more digging and realized that this is, in fact, in a series. Book Three, to be exact. That made much more sense. I had a dilemma--keep reading this book and go from there or stop and begin with Book One. I chose to keep reading since I was already at least halfway through. I'm glad I did, and now I'd like to go back to the beginning of the series.
  
  Even being thrown in, I'm fascinated by this world that Zelazny created. I can see why the Amber books are his most popular. The world is complex, and I love the concepts he uses like the Trumps, the Pattern, and Shadow. I also really like the characters and their tangled connections. The story is interesting although there is a lot of explication. I wonder if Zelazny knew he'd write so many Amber books or if he planned to stop shortly after this third one, which does end on a cliffhanger, so it was clearly meant to be followed by at least one book. Still, it provides a lot of answers to questions I'm presuming build up from Books One and Two. The way I see it is that this book answers past questions and now begins the actual plot that Zelazny needed to build up to. Of course, I could be wrong not having read the first two books, but not much actually happens in this one until the end, which is very packed with action and conflict.
  
  I will definitely be reading the first two books in the series and Book Four. I don't know if I'll read more after that, but I liked this one enough to want to know more before and after. I recommend the series to sci-fi/fantasy lovers only. It's a very genre'd book, so if you're not already a fan of this genre, you won't be able to get into it. Also, as a side note, I haven't read much sci-fi, and it took me time to get adjusted to the style, but I really enjoyed Zelazny's take on the genre, and I like the blend of genres in that there are clear fantasy tropes (see title), but the modern references to things like cars and other contemporary (at the time of publication) elements place it outside of fantasy as well. Overall, I like the book and can't wait to write a more well-informed review of Books One, Two, and Four, at least!
  ******************************************************************************
  Okay, I don't know why I gave this book 3.5 stars originally yet shelved it as a favorite, but whatever. I can't explain the processes of 2019-Jenny's mind. Creepily, I read this book from the 16th to the 26th last year and from the 21st to the 1st this year. Different months but oddly similar time frames. Anyway, I upped the rating because, as much as I liked this book the first time, it obviously makes so much more sense in context.
  
  What I noticed this time is that, while "stuff" happens in this book, for the most part, it's a medium through which Zelazny can elaborate on what I assume is the central plot. So, books one and two really set up some concerns (Corwin's accident, the succession, where is Dad?, there are weird things afoot with this black road, Dworkin, etc.), but book 3 shows very clearly that these issues are just the surface of the real problems that Amber faces. Clearly, it's not just about Corwin and the succession--there are riddles upon riddles here. The ending of book 3 (and the fact that there are seven more books) proves that the main issues have really just begun.
  
  I'm happy that, in this book, we get answers to some of the lesser concerns of books 1 and 2. We know who was really behind Corwin's accident, we find out what happened to Brand, we learn more about the black road and the creatures that travel it, and we have more layers added onto the whole Dworkin/Trumps/Pattern/Amber/Shadows thing, which is where the real story is as far as I can tell. We kind of find out more about Dad, at least why he left, which is satisfying, and we realize that things that seemed important in the first two books are really just secondary to the bigger picture, which I appreciate.
  
  So, now, I've read the two books that precede the one I happened to read first. Although I didn't know everything that happened in the first two, knowing what happened in the third just made me go "Ohhhh" more than anything else. Now, rereading book three in context, so much more made sense, from the characters' reactions to the actual story. Things that seemed more important I realized were less so in context and vice versa. It's strange to think that, now, I'll be reading book 4, and since it's after the one I read first, it's completely new territory, not just back story on something I've already read or rehashing of the story I've already read. I'm excited to see where the story goes from here because that ending is so interesting and really makes me wonder. Oh, the unicorn of the title is very curious as well. That was definitely not something that came up in books 1-2, and I know it will have an impact going forward because of what the unicorn does in the end.
  
  Altogether, I'm very happy I read books 1 and 2 and reread book 3, and I will most certainly be starting book 4. I can't say I'll finish the series, but since books 1-3 are on my "favorites" shelf, I think it's safe to say I'll be completing the entire Great Book of Amber...
• 
  William

  Sign of the Unicorn ups the intrigue, and give us some major revelations, and very well written plot twists. Like Corwin, my only option is to press onwards to The Hand of Oberon!
  
  As a side note, the overall style and feel of the Amber lore reminds me of the Strugatsky's Noon Universe. I absolutely love this style of atypical future-retro setting accompanied by efficient story-focused writing. I'm getting a similar feel reading Amber as I did reading "Beetle in the Anthill", which I also love. Upon finishing this series, I will start a quest to find other similar examples of this writing style which I cannot adequately describe.
• 
  Ivana Books Are Magic

  Corwin, be careful what you wish for. Just when it seems Corwin might get what he wished for, things become endlessly complicated for him. As usual his relatives are up to no good despite the fact that the threat to Amber (and all of them) is not going anywhere. Corwin's troubles seems never ending, but at least Corwin isn't prone to passivity so that usually means plenty of action. Besides, as much as I love Corwin, the guy had some things coming. The Guns of Avalon awoke Corwin's conscience just in time to have him torn over choices he has to make. What is a story without a good moral dilemma, right?
  
  The book opens up with a murder mystery. At the very start, we also learn a bit more about Random. In order to help Corwin get out of accusation for killing his brother, Random has to elaborate on a past adventure of his and this gives us an opportunity to listen to Random and get to know Random better. His role in the big scheme of things might not be as random as his name implies. I quite enjoyed his episode. As in other books, we learn more about the characters as the story progresses. In addition, there are some new characters introduced. There is even an episode where Corwin returns to Earth that I quite enjoyed.
  
  As far as the Amber Universe goes, there are many things going on. The plot keeps it interesting on its own, but that is not all. The reader finds out new information that makes him realize how much he didn't know. There are some definite surprises in this one, both for readers and Corwin. He starts off as a bit bigger than life, but Corwin in Sign of the Unicorn is about to learn some humility. It makes him more reliable and interesting, I'd say. What is more, Corwin makes startling discoveries about the nature of the universe. It seems not all is know about the world that casts of shadows. However, with every new answer, there are more answers coming up. On overall, I's say this novel shows a more vulnerable side to Corwin. For the first time, you see Corwin realizing that the crown might not be such a grand thing.
  
  ...“I can appreciate the feeling,” I said. “My own role sometimes makes me want to strangle the author. But look at it this way: inside stories seldom live up to one’s expectations. Usually they are grubby little things, reducing down to the basest of motives when all is known. Conjectures and illusions are often the better possessions.”
• 
  Ken

  With Sign of the Unicorn, the third entry in the Amber series, Zelazny's creation truly begins to get off the ground. I thought that the first book was mediocre, and the second held more promise but still wasn't compelling. Finally, here, Zelazny writes with authority and a sense of clarity about the characters he portrays. We have a lot of people to keep track of, with Corwin and his brothers and sisters involved in an intricate series of shifting alliances, schemes, and deceptions. We must rely on Corwin, our protagonist, to filter what is happening into something that makes sense. And, with patience, this does happen.
  
  I'm very bad at reading stories with a large number of characters who come and go. I tend to forget what I've read about someone by the time they reappear later on. Somewhere along the line as I read this book, I lost track of exactly who was allied with whom, and when I reached the end of the book I had only a vague notion of what was going on. I considered giving up on the series, but I'd honestly begun to enjoy Zelazny's writing -- so instead, I went back and reread a couple of key chapters, forcing myself to pay closer attention to the various motivations, suspicious and confessions of the characters. And this time, I finished the book looking forward to the next one, wanting to know what will happen next.
  
• 
  Karl

  This first hardcover edition is signed by Roger Zelazny.
• 
  OhWell

  "Of troubles I considered myself amply possessed. But those who have do seem to get. Some spiritual form of compound interest, I suppose. "
  One of my favourite quotes, right there on the first page! And it very well summarizes the entire story.
  
  Talking about quotable quotes, I loved the entire conversation between Corwin and Random in the first chapter, I just had to refrain from adding it here due to spoilers and lack of space. I have to confess I grew very fond of Random by the end of the book.
  
  Some pieces of the puzzle have started falling into place. The world and characters continue to evolve – or rather the reader’s understanding of them. I loved the twists, humour, turns of phrase and overall subtlety of the writing. It’s a short novel, but one you need to take your time with as every word counts. “They don’t write them like that anymore” would be a good way to put it. A pity…
  
  On a related topic, I was searching the Internet for Corwin and Random and stumbled upon a birth announcement for a Random Corwin. Cool name!
• 
  Olethros

  -La familia que conspira unida, permanece unida.-
  
  Género. Narrativa Fantástica.
  
  Lo que nos cuenta. Ha pasado menos de una semana en el trono y Corwin ya ha tenido que enterrar a un nuevo hermano, asesinado en una trampa que le implica también a él. Hablando con su hermano Random del asunto, el primero de ellos al que le cuenta lo sucedido, este recuerda cuando Brand contactó con él para pedirle ayuda para liberarse de un lugar no identificado, cómo fracasó y cómo acabó hablando por teléfono con Corwin tras el accidente de tráfico que le llevó a casa de Flora. Tras varias reuniones familiares de distinta naturaleza y del avistamiento del legendario unicornio de Ámbar, los hermanos deciden tratar de localizar a Brand combinando sus Triunfos, con lo que se produce una situación totalmente inesperada que traerá más sospechas a la familia. Tercer libro de la serie Ámbar.
  
  ¿Quiere saber más de este libro, sin spoilers? Visite:
  
  
  http://librosdeolethros.blogspot.com/...
• 
  Kylie

  3 stars. I enjoyed this one a little more than the previous two because we got to see all of the siblings together, which made for a "Clue" board game who-done-it feeling.
• 
  Dan Norton

  This third book in The Chronicles of Amber is better than the first two were, but in my opinion that's not saying much. The book's narrative was greatly strengthened by the fact that there was much less action and less frantic motion in this novel than in its predecessors. It says volumes though when a book series is improved by adding a book in which almost nothing happens. Instead, the book was something of a murder mystery vibe which does a great job allowing the reader to catch up with the many unanswered questions from the previous two novels.
  
  This review will strive to point out the best part of the book, the worst part, and 2 speculations as to Zelazny's writing style and intent in these works.
  
  Let's start with the best part of the book. The second chapter in this book was the first, and so far in my experience only, chapter to be told from a different perspective than Corwin's. And I LOVED it, but again mainly because of how different it was from the previous style. Random's chapter wasn't pretentious like Corwin's narratives had been, but it was self-deprecating and funny while still relaying important plot information and building the universe of the novels. I recognize that Random's style could never have carried a 10 novel series, but it was a refreshing change of pace which gave me hope for the continued growth of this series.
  
  Now for the worst. Towards the end of the novel, we as readers are suddenly in the ghost/moon city of Tir-na Nog'th, a place never before referenced in anyway. The sudden introduction of this location though doesn't bother me. The descriptions of it do. The following is the first paragraph of the chapter: "A raft of moonbeams . . . the ghostly torchlight, like fires in black-and-white films . . . stars . . . a few fine filaments of mist . . ." This oddly spaced ellipses heavy descriptive style continues for the whole chapter. I've seen may ways in which authors have created atmospheres of mystery, unease, and anticipation, but this was the first time I have seen anyone use the novel approach of simply not telling the reader what's happening.
  
  
  I will just come out and say this, I don't trust Corwin. The prose implies that he is telling these events to us, the reader, years after they happened. In this recounting he makes himself a "tropey" and cliche Classical hero like an Odysseus. What worked well for Ancient Greece though does not work well in modern literature all the time. Corwin is intelligent, brave, cunning, an expert swordsmen and rifleman, and secretly heartbroken over every one of his past romantic interests. It's vomit inducing.
  
  
  This book has made me question Roger Zelazny's writing abilities. It is very possible that he meant to create Corwin as an unreliable narrator and the major unanswered questions are there as Corwin is relaying this information to those who would already know the major parts of the story. There is some evidence to support this (Random's different narrative style) but I'm still uncertain as to whether that's what Zelazny was going for. At this time, it's equally probably to me that Zelazny was just aping classical mythology narrative styles and leaving major information gaps as ways to "hook" the reader. Bottom line though is that I can't tell either way after I've read 3 books and my first theory might just be me rationalizing a poorly written story
  
  Conclusion: I liked the fact that Corwin wasn't running around like an infallible Classical Greek hero every second of the novel, the change of perspective that Random offered in chapter 2, and that Zelazny finally answered questions that have been left unanswered since the first page of book one. However, I still find Corwin to be an insufferable toss-pot of a character and the intentionally vague descriptive style that Zelazny occasionally employs takes a series that was already threatening to become insufferably pretentious and turns it into a tediously grandiloquent affair. These are the first works I have read by Zelazny and I know he is widely considered one of the greatest in the history of Sci-Fi/Fantasy novels, but I am thus far disappointed. Again, I will continue to read the series as many people have told me it's a classic series and that it gets better "around book 2 or 3." In the end though, I have given these books several passes and I'm not sure if they warrant it any more.
• 
  Kat Hooper

  3.5 re-read on audio
  
  Originally posted at
  www.fantasyliterature.com
  
  Sign of the Unicorn is the third novel in Roger Zelazny’s CHRONICLES OF AMBER. At the end of the previous novel, The Guns of Avalon, Corwin finally got what he wanted: Eric off the throne. Corwin is now the regent of Amber by legitimate claim and he holds the Jewel of Judgment which has powers over the weather and, as Corwin learns, other powers that may be dangerous to its owner.
  
  You’d think that things might now be easy for Corwin, but not so. The forces of Chaos are crossing into Amber from the shadow worlds, and they must be stopped. But Corwin’s most immediate concern is treachery from his scheming siblings. One of them has just been murdered and someone is trying to frame Corwin. During the fallout, other murder attempts occur. It’s clear that Corwin is not safe as long as his siblings are alive, but he doesn’t know which of them he can trust. During his interactions with them he learns a lot of the history that he has been unaware of while spending centuries on Earth without his memory of Amber. These stories slow the action but serve to enlighten us further about Amber, the Shadow worlds, how the trumps and the pattern work, the alliances between the siblings, how Corwin lost his memories, and what may have happened to their father Oberon. Of course, Corwin knows that some of his siblings may not be telling him the truth… Looking for guidance, Corwin visits Tir-na Nog’th, the city of moonlight. Instead of the answers he wants, he receives ominous visions which suggest that the real truth is even more frightening than the petty sibling rivalries Corwin has been dealing with.
  
  Sign of the Unicorn continues Corwin’s swiftly moving adventure. Things slow down a bit during this installment while the siblings tell their stories, but there are lots of revelations and plot twists to make up for that. One thing that’s lacking in these stories, so far, is a sense of what Amber is like beyond of the realm of the royal family. We see very few people who aren’t related to Corwin — not even household servants. The story is so focused on the family intrigue that we really don’t get to know Amber outside that context, which is somewhat disappointing.
  
  Sign of the Unicorn definitely doesn’t stand alone — you need to read the previous books, Nine Princes in Amber and The Guns of Avalon, first — and after the final revelation in Sign of the Unicorn, you won’t be able to stop there either, so plan to have the fourth book, The Hand of Oberon, ready. In fact, go ahead and get the fifth book, The Courts of Chaos, because the end of The Hand of Oberon is a doozy, too.
  
  I read the entire CHRONICLES OF AMBER twenty years ago and am re-reading them now that they’ve been produced by Audible Frontiers. Each installment is rather short (only 5 or 6 hours on audio) which was usual for fantasy novels published back in 1970. Some of them had been previously serialized before being released in book form. The AMBER CHRONICLES are short and entertaining, but the length of each volume is something I’d consider when deciding whether or not to spend an Audible credit on them, especially since there are 10 books in the series (divided into two ARC). They are relatively inexpensive, though, and they’re certain to show up in Audible’s frequent sales. Alessandro Juliani does a great job with the narration — I really like him.
• 
  Neeta

  This book is a lot different to the previous 2 in the series. Sign of the Unicorn reads more as a mystery, 'whodunit' novel. The overall plot for the series builds very little until nearer to the end and so the book felt somewhat like a filler. I'm not quite sure that there was much point to a lot that happened. I thought it was blindingly obvious who the culprit was too. The only big surprise was right at the end when Corwin & co. stumbled upon the real Amber - did not expect that!
  Nevertheless, I had fun reading it simply because I enjoy the characters. We get to know a little more about Corwin's brothers and sisters, and there are a couple new appearances.
  3.5 stars.
• 
  ♥♫☻Olivia☻♫♥

  2.5 stars
  
  I still love the world but this book was a complete 180 from the previous two books. Nine Princes in Amber and The Guns of Avalon set up an interesting looming threat of the black road as a result of Corwin's curse and the mysterious girl that says she's Benedict's granddaughter and then this book barely mentions either of those things and turns into a standard whodunit that I've seen a million times already. And that basic whodunit setup is just an excuse to have a 190 page long recounting of events the previous two books covered from the perspectives of Corwin's brothers. The ending was the only intriguing part where something new happens and was a major cliffhanger and the only reason I'm continuing the series at all.
• 
  Caro the Helmet Lady

  Seven Princes in Amber?.. A tad too slow and info-dumpey for my liking. :/
• 
  Книжни Криле

  Посетете отново Амбър, загадъчна земя на приключения и романтика. Амбър, единственият истински свят. Всички останали светове, дори и Земята, са само негови Сенки - „Хрониките на Амбър – том 1” от Роджър Зелазни! Прочетете ревюто на "Книжни Криле":
  
  
  https://knijnikrile.wordpress.com/201...
• 
  Liam

  What an ending!
• 
  AndrewP

  Kind of disappointed with the one. The main problem, nothing much happened and the book ended without any significant conclusion. This obviously has to be read as part of the series rather than any kind of stand alone story so I will continue on with the next one.
• 
  Deborah Ideiosepius

  While this is not the first time I have read this, the third book of the Amber chronicles, it IS the first time I have started it directly after finishing the second. This is the way to read it! The story is continues enough that you just keep going, you don't lose any information from time between books and Zelazny is such a good author that you never feel like you are being given an information dump from previous books. He does update the reader on previous events, but he does so organically and it is enjoyable to read.
  
  Corwin has ridden into Amber with his army, Eric is dead (though not by Corwin's hand, he dies in battle again the invaders of the black road) but Corwin is having far from an easy time of it. Most of his siblings are suspicious of him, Benedict still believes he may have been responsible for the murders as well as disbelieving him about what we can see is the key plot element of Dara....
  
  In fact the book starts with the death of another brother, for whom Corwin is sure his will be blamed, the plots, the plotters and the fermenting atmosphere of the court are the setting we start with and they create a strong tension in the reading experience. On Corwins side are his brother Random, and his old Captain and comrade Ganelon, though here is where I started becoming suspicious of Ganelon (or maybe my memory was triggered).'
  
  The writing is as rich, gorgeous and exciting as ever, let me pause here to say, that in these days when no one seems able to write a book without trying for thousands of pages of 'epicness 'what a relief it is to find such a magical writer who is skilled enough to write a detailed, nuanced, plot AND character rich novel and do it in a couple of hundred pages?
  
  200 pages (admittedly, tiny print and small print spacing) where the court and it's characters are vividly described. No five page monologues here on the lemon damask of the dresses, the exact hairstyles and their meaning in society - here we just have STORY and it is a cracking good one!
  
  Another element that is perhaps better shown in the first two books but I was reflecting upon here, is the underlaying question of perceptions and reality which are a central theme for this author. Amber is the real world, all other worlds are shadows of it - the closer shadows have elements of The Pattern but the further shadows can be manipulated by it. What is reality? How can you tell?
  
  Well, in the final part of the book this question becomes even more relevant. Corwin goes through a dreamlike sequence in the insubstantial city of moonlight, Tir-na Nog'th which is neither real nor material but rather a place Amberites go for prophecy. He learns some interesting things there, but, on their way back to Amber he and his companions are hijacked through shadow, in a way that should not be possible, and find themselves looking upon a Pattern that calls all their beliefs about Amber into question and leads us on to book four
  The Hand of Oberon and I just can't wait....
• 
  Mir

  
  I would rather have Sign of the Unicorn than all the boys in the Valleys.
  --
  Among Others
• 
  Bella (Bella's Wonderworld)

  Rezension | Im Zeichen des Einhorns von Roger Zelazny Beschreibung Nachdem Corwin nun endlich wieder an die Regentschaft Ambers gelangt ist gerät er selbst in den Prüfstand. Als dann auch noch sein Bruder Caine unter ungeklärten Umständen ums Leben kommt, fällt der Verdacht zunächst direkt auf Corwin. Als die Geschwister zusammen kommen um den Vorfall zu besprechen muss Corwin um sein eigenes Leben bangen, denn er wird Opfer eines Attentats. Schwer verletzt findet Corwin auf der Erde nicht nur ärztliche Hilfe, sondern auch Antworten auf Fragen die sich aus seiner verschwommenen Vergangenheit ergeben. Meine Meinung Nahtlos reiht sich der dritte Band der Chroniken von Amber an die Ereignisse aus dem Vorgängerroman „Die Gewehre von Amber“ an. Daher war ich ganz froh, dass ich gleich nach dem zweiten Titel weiterlesen konnte! Mit „Im Zeichen des Einhorns“ entführt Roger Zelazny den Leser immer tiefer in seine fesselnde Welt, bei der man sich nicht sicher sein kann, ob man sich nun in der „zentralen“ Welt oder ein der vielen Abbilder – also in einer Schattenwelt – befindet. Die Situation die sich nach dem Mord an Caine ergibt erinnerte mich stark an einen Agatha Christie Film über einen Fall des Detektivs Hercule Poirot. Die Geschwister kommen in Amber zusammen um den Mörder zu entlarven, dabei spitzt sich die Angelegenheit rasant zu und endet schließlich mit einem Attentat auf Corwin. Diese kribbelnde Krimi-Atmosphäre hat mir ausgesprochen gut gefallen, da sie hervorragend Roger Zelaznys epischen Fantasystoff ergänzt. Die zum großen Teil mit Geheimnissen und Fragen umwobenen Prinzen und Prinzessinnen von Amber bekommen in diesem Mittelband etwas mehr Platz eingeräumt, was Ihnen mehr Kontur verleiht. Obwohl der Autor somit etwas mehr Licht in das Dunkel der familiären Verstrickungen und Beziehungen fallen lässt, bleibt nach wie vor vieles offen. Vielmehr bekommt man vermittelt, dass es um einiges mehr geht als bis hierher erwartet. Immer mehr stellt man sich die Frage, ob ihr Vater Oberon noch am Leben ist. Roger Zelazny konnte mich mit „Im Zeichen des Einhorns“ durch seinen bildhaften und wirklich eindrucksvollen Erzählstil überzeugen. Die komplexe Fantasywelt von Amber hat mich wieder ein Stückchen mehr in ihren Bann gesogen und hinterlässt mit einem Cliffhanger den Wunsch direkt weiter zu lesen. Fazit Der bisher spannendste Band aus den Chroniken von Amber!
• 
  Martina

  Wow. Sign of the Unicorn is even better than I remember. From start to finish, the book is packed with action, intrigue, new lore and new revelations popping up left, right and center. There is never a dull moment in this book and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
  
  I also appreciate the shift in tone in this novel. After Corwin was left de facto on the throne at the end of the previous installment, one has to wonder what will happen next. Corwin had attained his greatest desire before we reached the half-mark of the series, so what does that mean for his journey/character arc? Zelazny doesn't disappoint in that department. Corwin (and the readers) soon learn that things are not that simple. Throughout the novel we find out bits and pieces of new information that shed light on the events prior to and during the previous two books. The battle for the throne of Amber has started long since Corwin joined the game again and it was interesting to see Corwin in the role of a character to whom things are happening. It's an interesting contrast to the previous two books, where Corwin was setting the plot in motion (or so we thought).
  
  I also liked that the majority of Corwin's siblings had prolonged appearances in this book, which fleshed them out considerably. There is hardly anything worth criticizing in this novel; I truly enjoyed everything from the worldbuilding to the thoughtful themes.
• 
  Rhys

  The third volume in the first 'Amber' series takes the story on a wild ride full of changes of plot direction. The intrigues continue, old mysteries are partly resolved and new mysteries come to replace them, there are assassinations and assassination attempts. There is an amazing sequence in which brother Random visits a very distant shadow world in order to rescue brother Brand and is forced to flee from assailants while mounted on a levitating boulder. All the main characters have been introduced now. The ending of the novel is rather startling. There are a few passages of pseudo-lyrical nonsense but generally speaking Zelazny's prose style is both poetic and muscular. I am looking forward to the fourth volume.
• 
  Anna

  [4.5*]
  
  This feels very much like a middle book - which it is - so it suffers slightly from that. The exposition at the beginning is slightly tiresome but then the action picks up. As usual, Zelazny's inventiveness is what makes this series so great. I can't say that I've read a lot of fantasy in my life but this is certainly the most fascinating worldbuilding that I've ever encountered.
• 
  Dorin

  "Fostii prieteni devin cei mai rau dusmani".
• 
  Maja

  The plot thickens!
• 
  Tanabrus

  Terzo volume delle Cronache di Ambra, e il più chiaro fin qua.
  Dopo la psichedelia dei primi due libri, tra rivelazioni di multiversi, Ambra e le ombre, Avalon, Oberon e faide famigliari tra principi potentissimi, in questo terzo libro il ritmo rallenta e si fa un poco il punto della situazione.
  
  Corwin è il difensore del trono, dopo la morte di Eric sul campo di battaglia, ma si trova a dover fronteggiare diversi pericoli.
  La strada nera che riversa le Corti del Caos su Ambra e su tutte le ombre lungo il cammino, certo, ma ci sono anche altre minacce: cosa è successo a re Oberon? cosa è successo realmente a Corwin nel mondo d'Ombra, con il provvidenziale incidente che lo aveva fatto finire in coma? come entra Dana in questi schemi? e le creature che avevano aggredito lui e Random nel mondo d'Ombra?
  E poi, chi è che ha ucciso Caine cercando di incastrare proprio Corwin? Dove si trova Bran, sparito da troppo tempo?
  
  Tante, tantissime domande. E alcune di queste trovano risposta, concedendoci probabilmente il resoconto di quanto accaduto nel mondo d'Ombra a Corwin, smascherando le diverse fazioni di principi contrapposte, e delineando un po' meglio la situazione (molto precaria e brutta) in cui Ambra e Corwin si trovano al momento.
  
  Un Corwin che per sua stessa ammissione si scopre essere più accettabile come protagonista, più umano dei suoi fratelli, probabilmente a causa del lunghissimo soggiorno nel mondo d'Ombra.
  
  
  
  Comunque questo terzo libro ha rafforzato un'idea che mi stavo facendo su questa serie: i singoli libri, piuttosto che come tali, andrebbero visti come capitoli di un unico, grande libro.
  Primo capitolo, Corwin torna ad Ambra.
  Secondo capitolo, Corwin conquista Ambra
  Terzo capitolo, punto della situazione, smascheramento dei traditori, rivelazione finale.
  e così via.
  Del resto la dimensione estremamente ridotta dei libri aiuta in questo senso...