I agree. Corwin is a better character than Merlin, and while I like Merlin's books, I'm not a big fan of his use of magic and the explanation of it. I liked it better when things of that sort stayed somewhat mysterious in the enormous multiverse - like the issue of Pattern/Logrus sentience. I didn't mind when sentience was implied in Corwin's books, but then in Merlin's series they are blatantly sentient and out to get everyone (although this does allow the reader to see the chillness of Corwin's Pattern). The one thing I really like about the Amber series is that its in first-person. Usually, you don't see that in longer sci-fi/fantasy stories. I heard Zelazny was planning a third series of five books, again with Merlin as the main character, but he died before he really got started on them.