Sign of the Unicorn
core novel 1975 Chronicles of Amber
Record
| First published | 1975 |
|---|---|
| Original language |  EN |
| Work type | novel |
| Canon status | core |
| Reader rating | 4.14 (21,236 ratings, collected 2026-08-06) |
| Page count | 192 |
| First-edition ISBN | 0-385-08515-X |
| First-edition date | 1975-02 |
| Internal chronology | 3 |
Synopsis
Corwin, now serving as regent of Amber following the death of his brother Eric, is thrown into crisis when another brother, Caine, is found murdered and Corwin himself becomes the prime suspect, having apparently been framed for the killing. As he works to investigate the murder and clear his name, he also has to account for the disappearance of yet another sibling, Brand, who has vanished under mysterious circumstances that seem connected to the larger conspiracy. Navigating treacherous family politics and old rivalries among his brothers and sisters, Corwin travels between Amber, Earth, and the shifting reflective realm of Tir-na Nog'th, piecing together clues about a powerful magical artifact and family secrets that may explain what has been happening to the royal house of Amber.
Where it sits
- Universe: Chronicles of Amber
- Series: The Chronicles of Amber (Corwin Cycle) core; position 3 of 5 in the series' recorded order
- Author: Roger Zelazny
Awards (verified)
- Locus Award (Novel), 1976: finalist; Locus reader-poll placement, ranked 11. Category recorded as generic "Novel" -- the Locus Awards did not yet have a separate "Best Fantasy Novel" category before 1980; sfadb's own historical listing preserves this era-appropriate category name (confirmed via sfadb.com/Roger_Zelazny, human-verification pass 2026-08-07).
Notes
- From the series record (The Chronicles of Amber (Corwin Cycle)): Narrated by Corwin. Publication order = internal chronological order (OrderOfBooks.com).
Neighbouring works
Publication order and internal chronology are tracked as two separate orderings and are never conflated: a book's place in one says nothing about its place in the other.
- Publication order, within the series The Chronicles of Amber (Corwin Cycle): position 3 of 5: previous The Guns of Avalon (1972) · next The Hand of Oberon (1976)
- Internal chronology, within Chronicles of Amber: position 3 of 10: previous The Guns of Avalon (1972) · next The Hand of Oberon (1976)
Sources
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sign_of_the_Unicorn
- http://books.ofearna.us/zelazny.html
- https://www.isfdb.org
- https://www.sfadb.com/Roger_Zelazny
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