Trumps of Doom

The Chronicles of Amber, Book 6

By: Roger Zelazny

Narrated by: Wil Wheaton

Length: 5 hrs and 31 mins

Publisher's summary

Trumps of Doom is the sixth book of The Chronicles of Amber; an epic fantasy series written by six-time Hugo Award winning and three-time Nebula Award winning author Roger Zelazny.

The ten books that make up the series are told in two story arcs: The Corwin Cycle and the Merlin Cycle.

Trumps of Doom begins the Merlin Cycle, with Alessandro Juliani handing over his narration duties to customer favorite Wil Wheaton, who won the 2012 Audie Award for his engaging performance of Fuzzy Nation. Wheaton brings this classic series to a stunning close by giving voice to Merlin, Corwin’s son, for the final five audiobooks.

©1985 The Amber Corporation (P)2012 Audible, Inc.

Maybe the Best Action-Adventure Fantasy Series

When I read these books nearly 20 years ago, I remember feeling sad that there were only 10 of them. I'm starting to feel the same way as I work my way through the audio versions. After finishing Book 5, I hesitated before jumping into Book 6. I had grown even more attached to Corwin in the audio version than I had in the print version. But I am so glad I started the Merlin series! Merlin is fascinating in his own way, and Wil Wheaton does a very good job with him. Yes, he mispronounces the occasional word, but he has a wonderful grasp of Merlin's wry wit and dark humor. I once heard an old recording of Zelazny himself reading one of his books, and honestly, no one can ever hope do better than that anyway. But, Wheaton does a creditable job here. If you've read the first five books, go ahead and dive into Book 6. Merlin is a different character than Corwin, and he has his own way of approaching things. It's not simply more of the same character with a different name. There's more of Amber, this time with a dash of technology. There are more plots and schemes, and many of the familiar family members make reappearances (plus some new ones). Lots of fighting, problem-solving, wit, humor, weaponry, and creatures from other worlds. I love these books!

Wil Wheaton does an amazing job.

if you're this far in the books, then I need not explain anything. If you're coming here first, I highly recommend seeking out book 1.Things will make more sense and this book contains spoilers for the first 5.

the pacing is nice, characters are distinguishable for the most part and Wil does a good job. the books are masterfully written in my opinion, though they feel short after book 3. Zelazney built a great universe and always starts with world ending problems and spends many books telling you how it comes to be concluded. if you're looking for epic fantasy of a modern tone, look no further than Nine Princes in Amber and you'll be here soon.

Really liked it but not the narrator

Roger Zelazny is a great storyteller and I like this “Merlin” series as much as the “Corwin” series. However, I think Will Wheaton should have listened to Alessandro Juliani’s narration of the first 5 books of the series. It was excellent and a tough act to follow. Mr. Wheaton makes Merlin sound angry and that’s not a correct portrayal for the most part. It’s also difficult to tell which character is speaking sometimes because his voice seldom changes. As I said above, I’m way more impressed with Mr. Juliani. The narrator can make or break a good audiobook.

Wil Wheaton Makes ALL the Difference

Would you listen to Trumps of Doom again? Why?

Yes. Wil Wheaton.

What about Wil Wheaton’s performance did you like?

His reading has good pacing, sincerity and just the right amount of dramatic effect making it seem like you are reading the book yourself. It's not just a reading...it's a performance and one that is very well done. The prior five books were just readings with words thrown at the listener one after another without any attempt at performance and unconvincing and annoying character voices. Wheaton made this book a joy to listen to.

Any additional comments?

Wil Wheaton for the win y'all. I've forced myself through the readings of the first five books so I could keep up with the story. Wheaton has made the experience a joy.

Awesome book

A very good book. I find it more enjoyable listening to it than reading it on paper. Wil Wheaton is good , but he's no Alessandro Giuliani.

Wonderful imaginative suspenseful fantasy

As the entire Amber series this is a great book and wonderful performance. Stimulating to the imagination.

Narrator

The narrator has a good speaking voice. However, there isn't enough of a difference between character voices. at times it was unclear which character was speaking

Narration so-so

I was initially excited to see that Will Wheaton was the performer for this audio book but after listening to the first 5 books where the reader did different voices and accents for different characters, it was disappointing to discover that Will doesn’t do voices. It has been difficult at times to discern who is speaking in conversations because he reads most of the characters in the same voice. Everything else is great—just conversations are not as cool as in other audio books I’ve listened to.

April 30'th starts the new direction.

Would you consider the audio edition of Trumps of Doom to be better than the print version?

I cannot consider any audio version of a book that I've read multiple times as better... a new way of hearing it in my head, yes, Better?

What other book might you compare Trumps of Doom to and why?

Anything in the Amber Chronicles stands out as a thing on it's own. A unique and above all CONSISTANT system of magics, answers that get more questions brought up... It's addicting.

What about Wil Wheaton’s performance did you like?

Wil Wheaton brings to life Merlin, the son of Corwin of Amber. He brings the wry humor of the character in subtle ways. I manage to loose Wil and find Merlin within the performance.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

I'd have two separate choices.

1) "April Thirtieth will never be the same."

or

2) "Pick a card, any card."

Any additional comments?

The Amber Chronicles have been one of my favorite series for a LONG time. In the beginning we know just as much as the main character. By book five we have followed Cowrin through a long journey of change and discovery. Questions are raised, answered....and more questions come from the answers.
In this, the sixth book of the series we meet Merlin the son of Corwin of Amber, and Dara of Chaos. Merlin, it turns out, seems to have inherited his father's knack for troubles.
Who is behind the yearly attempts on his life? What is going on with his Ghost Wheel project? As he solves one problem another rises to take it's place... The Courts of Chaos, the Palace of Amber... Poles of reality of which everything else is but a reflection and shadow..between them lies the life of Merlin.

Great story

Very pleasant voice to listen to and a fantastic story.
The only drawback is the narrator doesn't use different voices for the characters. That being said, he has a great reading voice and I enjoyed this audio book very much.