Amber Short Stories

Overview

These stories were Zelazny's deliberate effort to continue Amber after the Merlin cycle. In his 1994 interview with Warren Lapine, he said: "I have been using an occasional short story of late to tie up loose ends I'd left hanging in previous Amber books and stories, as well as to continue the overall narrative."

The first two stories stand on their own as seperate projects.

The last five completed stories form a single interconnected tale told from multiple perspectives, all set after Prince of Chaos. They appear to set up a third cycle that Zelazny never lived to write.

All seven were collected in Seven Tales in Amber, published in 2020.

1. Prologue to Trumps of Doom (1985)

First Publication:  Limited edition of Trumps of Doom (Arbor House, 1985) — only 500 copies. Later reprinted in Amberzine#4 (August 1993)

Perspective:  Third person — the only Amber story not in first person

Timeline:  Before Trumps of Doom — Merlin's passage through the Logrus

Length:  Very short, less than 3 pages

Characters:  Merlin, Suhuy

Synopsis:  Merlin completes the Logrus with only a piece of rope (which becomes Frakir). Suhuy confronts him, calling him "a lucky fool" for attempting it before he was ready.

2. A Secret of Amber (begun 1977–1992, published 2005)

First Publication:  Amberzine #12–15 (March 2005) — published posthumously

Co-Author:  Ed Greenwood (they wrote it in stages at conventions over 15+ years)

Perspective:  Corwin (first person)

Timeline:  Before the novels — early in Corwin's life, before Eric's attempt to kill him

Length:  Unfinished fragment, only a few pages

Characters:  Corwin, Fiona

Synopsis:  A conversation between Corwin and Fiona in Amber. Corwin finds his book blackened. The fragment hints at sibling tensions but reveals no major plot secrets. Ironically, this was the first Amber short story begun but the last completed (and never finished).

You can also read this "fragment exchange" online.

3. The Salesman's Tale (1994)

First Publication:  Amberzine #6 (February 1994); also in Ten Tales anthology

Perspective:  Luke/Rinaldo (first person)

Timeline:  Immediately after Prince of Chaos — picks up right where the novel ends

Characters:  Luke, Vialle, Delwin, the Pattern

Synopsis:  The story reveals that Luke spilled iced tea, not blood, on the Pattern — it was a diversion for his escape. He contacts Vialle to fill her in on Merlin's situation and advances his own position at Random's court. He also contacts Delwin about the spikards. This explains the title of Trumps of Doom — the Trumps Luke drew were the key to his trap for Merlin.

4. Blue Horse, Dancing Mountains (1995)

First Publication:  Wheel of Fortune anthology (AvoNova, 1995) — edited by Zelazny himself; also contains a story by Jane Lindskold

Perspective:  Corwin (first person)

Timeline:  After Prince of Chaos — Corwin flees captivity in the Courts of Chaos

Characters:  Corwin, a blue horse (sentient), Dworkin, Suhuy

Synopsis:  Corwin escapes through a surreal region called the Dancing Mountains. He encounters a sentient blue horse and witnesses a cosmic chess game between Dworkin and Suhuy, playing for control of the universe. The game pieces include a Unicorn (Amber) and Fire Angels (Chaos). The "gambling" theme fit the anthology, but the cosmic stakes hint at a larger conflict.

5. The Shroudling and the Guisel (1994)

First Publication:  Realms of Fantasy #1 (October 1994); also Amberzine #8

Perspective:  Merlin (first person)

Timeline:  After Prince of Chaos — Merlin in the Courts of Chaos

Characters:  Merlin, Rhanda (the shroudling), Ghostwheel

Synopsis:  Merlin awakens after speaking with Corwin at the end of Prince of Chaos. He discovers Rhanda — his childhood playmate and first love, whom he thought was a vampire. She's actually a shroudling, one of a race living in the space behind mirrors. She warns him that "the hidden one" (Jurt, working with Julia/Mask) has discovered how to use the mirror-world for surveillance and assassination. Worse, this enemy has found a guisel — a monster from shroudling myth thought extinct, which nearly destroyed their kind. Introduces major new villain and threat.

6. Coming to a Cord (1995)

First Publication:  Pirate Writings #7 (1995); also Amberzine #10 (October 1997)

Perspective:  Frakir (first person) — the sentient strangling cord

Timeline:  After Prince of Chaos

Characters:  Frakir, Flora, Luke, a guisel, a sorcerer

Synopsis:  The most experimental story — told from the perspective of Merlin's sapient artifact. Frakir has been abandoned in Brand's apartments while Merlin is under a spell meant for Rinaldo. Frakir investigates mysterious events, gains new abilities during recent travels "in the space between shadows," and battles a guisel alongside Flora and Luke. The cord's alien consciousness makes for a distinctive voice.

7. Hall of Mirrors (1996)

First Publication:  Castle Fantastic anthology (DAW, March 1996), edited by John DeChancie and Martin H. Greenberg

Perspective:  Corwin (first person)

Timeline:  After Prince of Chaos — the latest point chronologically in Amber canon

Length:  Novelette — the longest of the stories

Characters:  Corwin, Luke, Flora, Dara, Eric (in mirrors), Fiona, Mandor

Synopsis:  Corwin, ambushed in Shadow, becomes briefly insubstantial and returns to Amber. He teams up with Luke and they enter the Hall of Mirrors — a location that has become increasingly active in recent years. The mirrors show them Dara, Eric, and compel them to duel. Fiona and Mandor appear implicated in larger schemes but claim innocence. The story ends with Flora's observation: "Almost as if there's another player in the game... the castle itself." This was Zelazny's final Amber story.

The Narrative Arc

The last five completed stories form one continuous narrative:

1. The Salesman's Tale (Luke's POV) — Luke escapes the Pattern, contacts Vialle

2. Blue Horse, Dancing Mountains (Corwin's POV) — Corwin escapes Chaos, witnesses Dworkin vs. Suhuy

3. The Shroudling and the Guisel (Merlin's POV) — Merlin learns of the mirror-world and the guisel threat

4. Coming to a Cord (Frakir's POV) — Frakir battles a guisel in Brand's apartments

5. Hall of Mirrors (Corwin's POV) — Corwin and Luke confront the awakening Castle

Giving us some sense of where Zelazny was headed, the stories introduce:

• A new villain: "The hidden one" using the mirror-world for surveillance/assassination

• A new threat: The guisel, a monster from shroudling mythology

• Continued cosmic stakes: Dworkin and Suhuy playing a chess game for control of reality

• A new player: Castle Amber itself appears to be awakening as an independent force

Publication and Collection History

Manna from Heaven,  2003,  Prologue + 5 completed stories (not "A Secret of Amber") + 16 non-Amber stories.

Seven Tales in Amber,  2020,  All 7 stories, with an introduction by Warren Lapine, and James Zimmerman illustrations.