Zelazny was one of the greatest writers of speculative fiction ever. Period. However the "Merlin Cycle" as you call it was spotty and uneven compared to the "Corwin cycle" and only really took on life in the final book, IMHO. I haven't read them in years, but I recall a number of threads being left undone in the storyline. I think RZ had been diagnosed with cancer by the time he was writing the final book and wanted to end things.
@BankaiGrimmjow The name Oberon has been around since before Amber. The name has been classically pronounced several ways including Oh-bur-on, Oh-Brawn, and Aw-bur-on. I would highly advise doing some research on the subject.
@lycanfan While I'd tend to agree, I think that an animated version MIGHT be able to be pulled off. It would require top noch animation, but if it were done like, for example this: /watch?v=R2H_FsmxWzc , (which by the way took 7 years to make), i think it could be pulled off.
@lycanfan Yeah. I think the main problem would be the fact that the series relies so heavily on Corwin's and Merlin's internal musings, something that doesn't translate well to visual media.
@CavalloDiSpade True. But, internal monologues can work out given the proper wording and descriptive text. Obviously, that didn't really happen here. Still, it wasn't enough for me to dislike the Cycle.
just bought the big volume today (has all of them in it). on page 22 of Nine Princes. when u said SPOILER ALERT i screamed NOOOO at the top of my lungs and paused the video- dramatically.
I loved this shit. When I was like 14 or something this guy handed me a huge book and said if I damaged it he'd kill me. Then I read it, and read it again, and am reading it again. I'd blow Corey, Merlin, and go down on Fiona/Deirdre at the same time.
@aramilalpha And what exactly was so horrible about my review? I'm not trying to be a dick, I'm actually curious as to why you disliked my video so much. I mean, you clearly like the books and I gave them a glowing review, so what's wrong?
@lycanfan The second time through is less painful, but I still can't make it to the end. You say things like "utterly derivative" what exactly did it derive from? To be quite frank there is a certain intertextuality to all books. This is why we can have beginnings with names such as "en medias res" which is how you should describe this beginning as opposed to comparisons to soap operas.
@lycanfan Then you completely ignore all the beauty of Zelazny's writing and plot weaving and instead choose to focus more on the analogies and comparisons you obviously spent way to long thinking up and which are un-related to the story and unnecessary. You spend all this time with pop references and just summing up the books that the closest you ever got to a review was calling the book epic. Fail fail fail fail fail.
@aramilalpha I performed this review in a specific manner with one goal in mind: to entertain. I try to deliver my general opinion on whatever I am reviewing & simultaneously attempt to weave in a certain degree of simple entertainment. I tell joke and make pop culture references to to get viewers to relate to both myself & the subject of my critique. I have found that this generally gets my opinion across more effectively than simply detailing why something is great/terrible.
@lycanfan Everything you said about Zelazny's writing is completely accurate. Had I delved fully into this fact, spent the entirety of my videos on this, it would have taken a good bit more than just two. I choose to review things in a more colloquial manner as it drive home the overall point to a greater degree and tends to more concise.
I read once that the Amber series was one of the inspirations for Dungeons & Dragons. I've never read a series that I had such a hard time putting down. This is coming from a guy who has read a lot of SF and fantasy. It's Simply a masterpiece of writing.
@lycanfan Sorry to tell you, big fan of both Amber and D&D, but D&D came out between1976-78; Nine Princes in Amber, the first book, came out in 1970. However, the AMBER RPG came out in 1991: for me, the best RPG ever made.
@justifan Well, I was wrong about when Amber came out, but D&D came out in '75, not 76 (the 30th anniversary was in 2004 and I have one of the original books: copyright 1974). I've never played the Amber RPG, but I definitely be willing to try it. For me though, the best RPG's are Talislanta and Hunter: the Reckoning.
@bectonbrainwave im acutally on the fence about that... i definately liked the ending of the first series better, but i think Merlin was much more interesting as a charachter than Corwin.
Zelazny was one of the greatest writers of speculative fiction ever. Period. However the "Merlin Cycle" as you call it was spotty and uneven compared to the "Corwin cycle" and only really took on life in the final book, IMHO. I haven't read them in years, but I recall a number of threads being left undone in the storyline. I think RZ had been diagnosed with cancer by the time he was writing the final book and wanted to end things.
CoyoteBuddy 5 months ago
@CoyoteBuddy Oh god. I didn't know about Zelanzy being diagnosed with cancer. That's a bit of a shocker for me.
Anyway, thinking back on the books, I can what you mean on the Merlin Cycle. It didn't come together properly until the finale.
lycanfan 5 months ago
The king of Ambers name is pronounced (Oh-Brawn) Did you get that though you your fucking head?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!
BankaiGrimmjow 6 months ago
@BankaiGrimmjow The name Oberon has been around since before Amber. The name has been classically pronounced several ways including Oh-bur-on, Oh-Brawn, and Aw-bur-on. I would highly advise doing some research on the subject.
lycanfan 6 months ago
@Mikkedev at least 100 years. Personally, I think TCoA should remain in book format only.
lycanfan 6 months ago
@lycanfan While I'd tend to agree, I think that an animated version MIGHT be able to be pulled off. It would require top noch animation, but if it were done like, for example this: /watch?v=R2H_FsmxWzc , (which by the way took 7 years to make), i think it could be pulled off.
CavalloDiSpade 4 months ago
@CavalloDiSpade First off, wow, that trailer was great. Wow.
Anyway, while it could be done, I think that it shouldn't. The series is fine in a non-visual format, in out imaginations.
lycanfan 4 months ago
@lycanfan Yeah. I think the main problem would be the fact that the series relies so heavily on Corwin's and Merlin's internal musings, something that doesn't translate well to visual media.
CavalloDiSpade 4 months ago
@CavalloDiSpade True. But, internal monologues can work out given the proper wording and descriptive text. Obviously, that didn't really happen here. Still, it wasn't enough for me to dislike the Cycle.
lycanfan 3 months ago
just bought the big volume today (has all of them in it). on page 22 of Nine Princes. when u said SPOILER ALERT i screamed NOOOO at the top of my lungs and paused the video- dramatically.
jeannaegirl 10 months ago
@jeannaegirl Nice. Glad to see I had an impact. Or rather that the book(s) had an impact.
lycanfan 10 months ago
I loved this shit. When I was like 14 or something this guy handed me a huge book and said if I damaged it he'd kill me. Then I read it, and read it again, and am reading it again. I'd blow Corey, Merlin, and go down on Fiona/Deirdre at the same time.
Tripo1iSamson 1 year ago
@Tripo1iSamson Well alrighty then.
lycanfan 1 year ago
I would argue that the books have a strong internal logic. Also, I'd call 'em sci fi almost as much as fantasy.
JestaKilla 1 year ago
@JestaKilla I'd have to qualify them as both science fiction and fantasy, much along the lines of Star Wars or Warhammer 40K.
lycanfan 1 year ago
hmm. This is easily the Greatest Book EVER and possibly the crappiest review ever. I'm glad I have the power to shut it off.
aramilalpha 1 year ago 2
@aramilalpha And what exactly was so horrible about my review? I'm not trying to be a dick, I'm actually curious as to why you disliked my video so much. I mean, you clearly like the books and I gave them a glowing review, so what's wrong?
lycanfan 1 year ago
@lycanfan The second time through is less painful, but I still can't make it to the end. You say things like "utterly derivative" what exactly did it derive from? To be quite frank there is a certain intertextuality to all books. This is why we can have beginnings with names such as "en medias res" which is how you should describe this beginning as opposed to comparisons to soap operas.
aramilalpha 1 year ago
@lycanfan Then you completely ignore all the beauty of Zelazny's writing and plot weaving and instead choose to focus more on the analogies and comparisons you obviously spent way to long thinking up and which are un-related to the story and unnecessary. You spend all this time with pop references and just summing up the books that the closest you ever got to a review was calling the book epic. Fail fail fail fail fail.
aramilalpha 1 year ago
@aramilalpha I performed this review in a specific manner with one goal in mind: to entertain. I try to deliver my general opinion on whatever I am reviewing & simultaneously attempt to weave in a certain degree of simple entertainment. I tell joke and make pop culture references to to get viewers to relate to both myself & the subject of my critique. I have found that this generally gets my opinion across more effectively than simply detailing why something is great/terrible.
lycanfan 1 year ago
@lycanfan Everything you said about Zelazny's writing is completely accurate. Had I delved fully into this fact, spent the entirety of my videos on this, it would have taken a good bit more than just two. I choose to review things in a more colloquial manner as it drive home the overall point to a greater degree and tends to more concise.
lycanfan 1 year ago
I read once that the Amber series was one of the inspirations for Dungeons & Dragons. I've never read a series that I had such a hard time putting down. This is coming from a guy who has read a lot of SF and fantasy. It's Simply a masterpiece of writing.
Grumzyy 1 year ago
@Grumzyy The Amber series came out after D and D.
lycanfan 1 year ago
@lycanfan Sorry to tell you, big fan of both Amber and D&D, but D&D came out between1976-78; Nine Princes in Amber, the first book, came out in 1970. However, the AMBER RPG came out in 1991: for me, the best RPG ever made.
justifan 1 year ago
@justifan Well, I was wrong about when Amber came out, but D&D came out in '75, not 76 (the 30th anniversary was in 2004 and I have one of the original books: copyright 1974). I've never played the Amber RPG, but I definitely be willing to try it. For me though, the best RPG's are Talislanta and Hunter: the Reckoning.
lycanfan 1 year ago
first five amber books were the best action fantasy ive ever read...pt 2 was after his prime.......and its easy to understand.
bectonbrainwave 1 year ago
@bectonbrainwave All good things must come to an end.
lycanfan 1 year ago
@bectonbrainwave im acutally on the fence about that... i definately liked the ending of the first series better, but i think Merlin was much more interesting as a charachter than Corwin.
CavalloDiSpade 1 year ago
mmmmmm love child
flipdip12 1 year ago
@flipdip12 mmmmmmmm, creepy. LOL.
lycanfan 1 year ago
So being able to imagine that kind of stuff isn't normal?
Othikentthemad 1 year ago
@Othikentthemad Perhaps. But who said normalcy was any fun?
lycanfan 1 year ago
LIKE SOME KIND OF CRAZY TIME HITLER!!
yep thats eric for you,
THANK YOU!
FINNNALLLLY!
TEMPESTMARIENS 2 years ago
@TEMPESTMARIENS You are welcome.sir. Part two (the Merlin cycle) is coming later today.
lycanfan 2 years ago
YES I AM
IRJ53I 2 years ago
I take it you can picture the madness? Good. THEN I AM NOT ALONE.
lycanfan 2 years ago