The Dresden Files > DF Spoilers
Chronicles of Amber
raidem:
Storm Front
Mac Bar: First Introduction
Upon Entering:
The dim, comfortable room was empty, but for a pair of men I recognized by sight at a back table, playing chess.
Upon Exiting:
The chess game in the corner was still in progress, both players puffing up a sweet-smelling smog cloud from their pipes.
There is a short story by Roger Zelazny where Corwin has to ride to Amber and make it in time to visit teh Hall of Mirrors. Upon his journeying he stops to rests for the night and wanders a bit. He hears a sound and spies upon Drworkin and Suhuy (representatives of Chaos and Order) playing chess, Chaos bets that Corwin won't make it in time, the players switch spots and Dworkin moves Suhuy's chess piece. Suhuy has to reflect on the move and bids the night. Corwin gets back to his camp and makes a beeline with his horse to Amber to get to the Hall of Mirrors in time.
Anyways, the jist is that these two players at Mac's are actually representatives of the cosmic powers and they are moving their chess pieces around.
“Blue Horse, Dancing Mountains”
--- Quote ---This story picks up with Corwin (yay!) after he leaves Chaos. He rides a blue horse named Shask, a Chaos creature who can talk and change shape. Shask warns Corwin about the Dancing Mountains which lie between the shadows of Chaos and the shadows of Amber and are constantly shifting.
At night, Shask turns to stone (apparently a hereditary condition) and Corwin sleeps until he is awakened by a sound. He explores to find a depression in the mountain where two figures are playing a game. One figure is seated on the ground and the other hangs upside down in the air as they move pieces on the board. Corwin recognizes the seated man as Dworkin, his grandfather. His game pieces include a griffin, the Unicorn, and Castle Amber. His opponent is soon revealed to be Suhuy, Dworkin’s counterpart in Chaos. His pieces are a Fire Angel, the Serpent, and the Thelbane (the king’s home in Chaos). Neither man can see Corwin, but Suhuy mentions that Corwin won’t make it back to Amber in time to find the Hall of Mirrors and get the answers he needs. Dworkin warns Suhuy not to underestimate Corwin. Then the two men shift position and Dworkin moves a Chaos piece, a woman, which Suhuy objects to. He needs to study the move, so both men agree to reconvene in a few days before disappearing.
Corwin returns to Shask and when the steed awakens, Corwin asks if he knows what a hellride is. Shask does, noting its often harmful effect on a mount’s sanity. Corwin thinks Shask’s mind is up to the task. Corwin knows he has to get to the Hall of Mirrors quickly and so they prepare to depart.
--- End quote ---
raidem:
Now in the above I was talking about Corwin racing to make it to the Hall of Mirrors. Let's say he did, which he did in the short story. And now after some time reaching the Dresdenverse and setting up shop, Corwin/Mac has a Bar of Mirrors.
--- Quote ---Mac keeps a player piano instead. It's less likely to go haywire around us. I say pub in all the best senses of the word. When you walk in, you take several steps down into a room with a deadly combination of a low clearance and ceiling fans. If you're tall, like me, you walk carefully in McAnally's. There are thirteen stools at the bar and thirteen tables in the room. Thirteen windows, set up high in the wall in order to be above ground level, let some light from the street into the place. Thirteen mirrors on the walls cast back reflections of the patrons in dim detail, and give the illusion of more space. Thirteen wooden columns, carved with likenesses from folktales and legends of the Old World, make it difficult to walk around the place without weaving a circuitous route—they also quite intentionally break up the flow of random energies, dispelling to one degree or another the auras that gather around broody, grumpy wizards and keeping them from manifesting in unintentional and colorful ways. The colors are all muted, earth browns and sea greens. The first time I entered McAnally's, I felt like a wolf returning to an old, favorite den. Mac makes his own beer, ale really, and it's the best stuff in the city. His food is cooked on a wood-burning stove. And you can damn well walk your own self over to the bar to pick up your order when it's ready, according to Mac. It's my sort of place.
--- End quote ---
nervousenergy:
Cool thread. The Chronicles of Amber has always been one of my favorite series, having read it shortly after the first series was completed with the Courts of Chaos. I hadn't considered the close parallels until reading this thread, other than the fact that Amber gets riffed on by a lot of urban fantasy.
I do like to pretend that the second series around Merlin wasn't written. One of the great charms of the original 5 was the character of Corwin himself, our narrator. This series was what first gave me my love of well-executed first person stories. I've always felt I've known Corwin better than some real friends. And like many great series, it didn't try to reveal too much. The second series didn't have nearly as unique a character to narrate in Merlin, and it tried to explain too much. Magic requires mystery.
Lots of great quotes in this thread. One of my favorite was a funny throw-away line Corwin uttered after his assassination attempt that I've stolen on occasion: 'If blood be the price of admiralty, I've just bought myself a naval commission...'
raidem:
A Game That Honed the Skills of Writers
NY Times, Jim Butcher, AmberMush (Read 4 times)
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/24/books/jim-butcher-one-of-the-authors-from-ambermush.html
raidem:
Another option for Mac is Bassor Thanlis Jim's personal character in AmberMush. Or, he could be one of the others he created there.
I still favor either Corwin or Corwin's son Merlin as for Mac's identity.
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