| Title: | The Hand Of Oberon | |
| Author: | Roger Zelazny | |
| Rating: |  |
In The Hand of Oberon, the fourth volume of the first Amber Chronicles, we see the return of someone we thought was long missing (or dead), and more of the plotting by, between, and against various family members starts to resolve itself. There is still a lot that isn't clear yet, of course, and there is also the chance that a lot of what we've learned to date is partially or totally wrong. But that's the fun of these books. In a manner somewhat like a mystery novel, they reveal facts only as the main character pieces them together, so the reader has no more knowledge than the Corwin, in this case.
Oh, and I just now realized that the title of this book is actually a pun on certain events described in it. I hadn't noted that ever before, and now I find it amusing. I wonder if Zelazny's editors picked that title or if he did? I'd guess he did it, and I doubt they ever noted the pun. Zelazny's sense of humor would easily allow for that from what I can tell.
There is a surprise at the end of this book, but I have to admit that I was expecting it. I actually guessed it perhaps 50 pages before the end, I believe. I honestly don't know if that's because I have some dim memory from my last reading of these all those years ago, or if I just figured it out. I'd like to believe the latter, but I'm not 100% sure.
The next book is the last in the first set of five, and am I looking forward to finishing it and seeing the current set of questions resolved.
I haven't mentioned it in the last couple of reviews, but I am still encountering some typos in the books as published in this omnibus collection. I am starting to think I may have to get the individual volumes for later rereading if I want to avoid that issue. That doesn't make me happy, but what can I do?
On to the book five!
