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.

In Tir-na Nog'th, Corwin has a vision of Lorraine, his dead lover from Ganelon's shadow. He sees Deirdre with an unnamed man, whom he recognizes (but does not name). Last, he sees a vision of the future, in which Dara sits on the throne and Benedict stands by her side (wearing a mechanical arm to replace the one he lost fighting Shadow creatures). Dara declares herself the Queen of Amber, as well as the great-granddaughter of Benedict and the hellmaid Lintra. She says Corwin has been dead for many centuries. Corwin and Benedict fence, but the sun rises and Tir-na Nog'th begins to fade. As the city comes apart around him, Random reaches out to pull him back to Kolvir.

Tir-na Nog'th was mentioned in chapter 5 of Nine Princes in Amber, where I remarked:

There are three Patterns: the original one in Amber, the reflection in Rebma, and a third one in Tir-na Nog'th, where for an undisclosed reason they cannot go. Tir-na Nog'th obviously alludes to Tir na nÓg, the abode of the gods and the dead in Irish Celtic mythology, in which it is depicted as an island paradise and a land of eternal youth.

Well, now I know why they couldn't go there. Tir-na Nog'th only exists for a few hours at the full moon. It's not the land of eternal youth of Irish legend; rather, the city is a land of ghostly apparition. Corwin himself is a ghost to them, who can only be seen because he wields the magical sword Greyswandir.

Corwin sees visions there. The ghost of Lorraine says she accompanied him and Ganelon to Avalon. In reality, she was murdered in Ganelon's Shadow, also named Lorraine, by a former lover. Like the Mirror of Erised in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, Tir-na Nog'th apparently dispenses neither knowledge nor truth. Are any of his visions true? Is Dara on the throne a vision of the future, a possible future, or a complete illusion? Was Benedict telling the truth when he denied any knowledge of Dara?

Brand said there was more to his testimony, or confession, or whatever you prefer to call it. It is only summarized. Brand revealed the source of the black road.

The Amberites assumed Shadow has limits: there are places close to Amber where Shadows are rational, like Earth; then "there is a place where shadows go mad," like the Shadow where Brand was imprisoned; beyond that, nothing. But, Corwin says, "Now I know that it is not so." At the other end of the road lie the Courts of Chaos. Once again, it isn't explained what that is. But if Amber is the reality at the north end of the black road, then the implication is that the Courts of Chaos are another reality at the south end, and presumably Shadow lies between them.

The Courts of Chaos are the source of all the unnatural creatures that have been attacking Amber and Shadow from the black road. Somehow, Brand and Fiona discovered this place (Bleys, presumably, was otherwise occupied with raising his Shadow army), and allied themselves with its inhabitants. They unwittingly unleashed something dangerous on reality.

There is one chapter left in Sign of the Unicorn. How will the novel conclude? What will the consequences be, if any, for Fiona's attempt to murder Brand and Corwin? Was she also behind Caine's death (lest we forget it was his murder that started this story)? Stay tuned for the conclusion, next Thursday.