''Knight of Shadows'' is a

fantasy Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction that involves supernatural or Magic (supernatural), magical elements, often including Fictional universe, imaginary places and Legendary creature, creatures. The genre's roots lie in oral traditions, ...

novel by American writer

Roger Zelazny Roger Joseph Zelazny (May 13, 1937 – June 14, 1995) was an American fantasy and science fiction writer known for his short stories and novels, best known for '' The Chronicles of Amber''. He won the Nebula Award three times (out of 14 nominatio ...

, published in November 1989. It is the ninth book in the

Amber Amber is fossilized tree resin. Examples of it have been appreciated for its color and natural beauty since the Neolithic times, and worked as a gemstone since antiquity."Amber" (2004). In Maxine N. Lurie and Marc Mappen (eds.) ''Encyclopedia ...

saga. Merlin continues to attempt to solve the mysteries in his life, in particular understanding why Julia turned against him, how she got involved with Jurt, and the person who is raging against him. After being trapped in a strange world peopled with ghosts induced by the Pattern, Merlin discovers that he is involved in a superpower quarrel between Amber's Pattern and the Logrus of Chaos.

Reception

Kirkus Reviews ''Kirkus Reviews'' is an American book review magazine founded in 1933 by Virginia Kirkus. The magazine's publisher, Kirkus Media, is headquartered in New York City. ''Kirkus Reviews'' confers the annual Kirkus Prize to authors of fiction, no ...

'' called the novel a "mega-yarn so hypercomplicated that Zelazny spends the first 50 pages here explaining--not always convincingly--who's been doing what to whom, and why." ''

Publishers Weekly ''Publishers Weekly'' (''PW'') is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers, and literary agents. Published continuously since 1872, it has carried the tagline, "The International News Magazine of ...

'' wrote: "Readers who enjoyed the poetic writing, skilled plotting and crafted characterizations of the original Amber books will be disappointed again." Drew Bittner of the ''

Asbury Park Press The ''Asbury Park Press'', formerly known as the ''Shore Press'', ''Daily Press'', ''Asbury Park Daily Press'', and ''Asbury Park Evening Press'', is the third largest daily newspaper in the state of New Jersey. Established in 1879, it has been o ...

'' wrote: "With his customary excellent imagery and strong characterization, especially the running dialogue between Merlin and his magical strangling cord, Zelazny's newest work is a worthy addition to the Amber series, adding a few more clues to the mysteries of Amber."

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Knight Of Shadows American fantasy novels The Chronicles of Amber books 1989 American novels 1989 fantasy novels William Morrow and Company books