Sign of the Unicorn, chapter 11

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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To rest and to recover from the stab wound he has kept secret from his family, accompanied by Random and Ganelon, Corwin ascended Kolvir to visit the floating city of Tir-na Nog'th, which appears above the mountain only by the light of the full moon. In Tir-na Nog'th, he experienced several visions. The last of these, seemingly of the future, was of Dara on the throne of Amber with Benedict at her side. He has a mechanical arm, replacing the one he lost fighting hellmaidens in Avalon. She proclaimed herself the rightful queen of Amber and said Corwin had been dead for centuries. When Corwin challenged her, Benedict drew on him with his own sword, and they fought. But as day broke, Tir-na Nog'th began to fade, and Random reached out to him via Trump to draw him back.

In Tir-na Nog'th, the apparitions and Corwin were immaterial to each other. However, safely back on solid ground, Corwin learns that Benedict's metal arm is nonetheless solid enough to have grabbed him by the shoulder and be drawn back to Amber. Corwin, Ganelon, and Random have a meal, and they discuss the Amberites' complicated family tree and the line of succession to the throne.

Sign of the Unicorn, chapter 10

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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After being rescued from imprisonment in a tower, Brand was stabbed by an unknown assailant. Then, so was Corwin. Brand revealed that he, Fiona, and Bleys had conspired to take the throne of Amber from Oberon to prevent Eric from doing so. Corwin was presumed dead, so his reappearance on the Shadow Earth was a complication. To keep him out of the way, Brand arranged the car accident that put him in hospital. Finally, he revealed that the would-be murderer was Fiona. There was more to the story.

Corwin, Random, and Ganelon ascend Kolvir to an outcropping of stone into which three steps are carved. In the light of the full moon, the floating city of Tir-na Nog'th appears, along with the stairway to ascend to it. Corwin intends to go there, supposedly to rest.

Sign of the Unicorn, chapter 9

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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With the help of Corwin and the other Amberites, Grard and Random rescued Brand from his tower prison, but he was stabbed in the process. They try to piece together who was responsible for trying to silence him, but after their meeting, Corwin too was stabbed by an unknown person in his room.

He woke up in his house on Earth, where he got help for his wound from his lawyer friend Bill Roth, who found him and drove him to the hospital. There Bill filled Corwin in on some of his own backstory, still missing from his memories due to his amnesia. He had been committed to a sanitarium by his brother "Brandon Corey" and a psychiatrist, "Hilary B. Rand," but he escaped the day he had his car accident. Bill also revealed that he suspected Corwin was not exactly human.

Corwin has recovered from his wounds enough to move around on his own. He receives a Trump call from Random informing him that Brand is awake and wants to talk to him. So (surprising a nurse in he process) he teleports to Amber.

Sign of the Unicorn, chapter 8

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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After rescuing Brand from the Shadow tower where he was being held prisoner, Corwin, his brothers and sisters tried to piece together the nature of the conspiracy against Amber. The imprisonment and attempted murder of Brand, the disappearance of Oberon, Corwin's car accident, the murder of Caine, and the attacks on Amber by the inhabitants of the dark road through Shadow—all of them seem to be connected. Then, someone lying in wait in Corwin's room stabbed him, too.

Corwin awakes, still bleeding from the wound in his gut. He discovers that he is back in his house in New York. How he got there is unknown, but he thinks it might have something to do with the Jewel of Judgment still hanging around his neck.

Sign of the Unicorn, chapter 7

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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At Corwin's suggestion, all the Amberites simultaneously concentrated on contacting Brand, and succeeded in opening a clear gateway to his cell in the tower where Brand had found him. Gérard and Random freed him from his tower prison and brought him back to Amber. However, in the confusion, someone—;one of Corwin's brothers or sisters—;tried to kill Brand with a knife.

In chapter 7 the Amberites try and work out who is responsible for the stabbing, as well as the other attacks on Amber, such as the siege from the dark road and the murder of Caine, which are clearly connected.

Sign of the Unicorn, chapter 6

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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Caine was murdered in the Grove of the Unicorn by a creature from Shadow, apparently to frame Corwin. Corwin recognized the creature as of the same kind that had chased Random to Flora's mansion in New York. Random first encountered them at the far extents of Shadow, guarding a tower in which Brand was imprisoned. Caine and Gérard went to the grove to retrieve Caine's body where Corwin hid it after finding him. Gérard defeated Corwin in a fight and threatened to kill him, accusing him of conspiring against Amber with the dark Shadow creatures that besieged the palace. However, he relented, and before they left, they saw a unicorn, wondering what it meant.

Corwin again gathers his family together in the palace in Amber. Random retells the story of discovering the tower. Since no single person can maintain a connection to Brand, Corwin suggests that everyone concentrate on his Trump simultaneously. It works, but as Brand recognizes his brothers and sisters, Gérard grabs a battle axe and charges into the image, where he frees Brand from his chains and battles the deformed guardians in the tower. Random follows, and together they pull Brand back into Amber. Unfortunately, Brand has been stabbed, and it is clear it was one of the Amberites that did it. Gérard renders medical aid and appoints himself to guard Brand as he recovers, knowing for certain only that he is innocent. The rest try to figure out which one of them would want to imprison or kill Brand.

Sign of the Unicorn, chapter 5

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 was lured to the Grove of the Unicorn, in Arden Forest, under false pretences, where he discovered the body of his brother Caine, freshly murdered by a creature from Shadow. He broke the news of Caine's death to his brothers and sisters. It was met, variously, with indifference, acceptance, and doubt about Corwin's innocence.

Brother Gérard accompanies Corwin to the grove to get Caine's body where Corwin had hidden it. He challenges Corwin to a fight. They wrestle, and Gérard subdues Corwin, who regains consciousness to find himself being dangled over a precipice. Gérard accuses him of the deaths of Benedict's servants and Caine, putting Oberon and Brand out of the picture, and secretly allying with the enemies of Amber from the dark road. The rest of the family listens in via the Trumps. Gé relents when Corwin insists he is not guilty.

They continue to the Grove of the Unicorn, so called because Oberon claimed he had once seen a unicorn there, leading to him adopting the beast as the family symbol. They recover Caine where Corwin had hidden him. While there, they, too, see an apparition of a unicorn, and contemplate its significance.

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.