Trumps of Doom

Every April 30th for the past several years, someone has tried to kill Merle Corey. He's learned to expect it—to almost plan around it—which tells you something about the strange, layered life he leads. A software designer by day, the son of Corwin of Amber by blood, Merle exists at the collision point of two worlds, neither of which he fully controls. When the attempts on his life escalate beyond the annual ritual, he's pulled into a chase across Shadow that forces him to reckon with inherited power, uncertain loyalties, and enemies who may know him better than he knows himself.

Zelazny opens his second Amber cycle with a lighter touch than the first—wry, fast-moving, and quietly funny in ways that never undercut the genuine danger. The choice to set much of the opening in contemporary San Francisco grounds the magic in something unexpectedly familiar before pulling the rug out entirely. At barely 180 pages, the book moves with the confidence of a writer who knows exactly how much weight a scene can carry, trusting readers to keep up. Merlin is a compelling heir to his father's voice: sharper in some ways, more uncertain in others, and worth following.