Post originally by Eclectic wave at 2004-06-25 12:32:34
Converted from Phorums BB System

"Also, I can't think of anyone in the series faking such a homicidal rage. It doesn't make sense to me, IMO, for Benedict's character. He isn't, say, Bleys..."

I would disagree with that 100 percent. In fact I always found the fact that Benedict goes into such a Homicidal rage totally out of his character! It's the one and only time in the either series that Benedict is shown to be out of control (althrough truth to tell, it's Julien who has the legendary self control as Corwin describes in the time he beats Julien at his favorite board game and Julien throws a fit).

But it's interesting to note that you believe that there is no way that Benedict could fake such a homicidal rage, yet, under such a homicidal rage would still not fall for the "Black Grass" trick if his Warfare was in the "Godlike" range. In that battle, Corwin comments to himself that the only reason Benedict doesn't kill him right off is that Benedict is not thinking, he's too angry to think. So, if Benedict is not thinking, is too angry to think, he's going to fall for the Grass trick, "Godlike" warfare level or not.

But again, you are missing my point, that you have several beliefs about the Amber series that you feel are unarguable canon, which several others can argue are not. I've had conversations with people who did NOT believe that Brand was the real villain in the novels and was a tool for someone else and had large involved stories who this someone else was, and that Zelazney's explanation was wrong! Certainly a testimony to a writer's ability if you can get people so involved with a story, the story lives beyond the writers actual words.

Don't ignore the fact that a novel or series of novels is not static as an author writes it either. What is "truth" in the first book can certainly change by the time it reaches the last book, and then there are just mistakes. Like the fact that although Brand supposedly is the one who shot out the tires on Corwin’s car when he had amnesia, (putting Corwin in the hospital and starting the whole story off) at the same time he was being held captive in that tower...