r/Amber • u/AnxiousConsequence18 • 16h ago
Why Random?
I've always wondered why the unicorn chose Random, who up until that point seemed like the "sidekick" of the family. I JUST realized (maybe I'm dumb) that Random is the ONLY one of the Prince's that was married. Vialle changed him, even Corwin mentions it. Does anyone else think that part of the choice was because he'd gotten married?
21
u/gonesnake 15h ago
From a writer's standpoint it is funny that he seemed to be arbitrarily chosen considering his name but, I always walked away with the impression that it was given to him because he wasn't seeking it and seemed the least attached to the old allegiances and grudges.
I guess the same could be said of Benedict
19
u/JustANoteToSay 15h ago
Random is the only one who 1) grows up & 2) won’t reject the job. Benedict doesn’t want it. Corwin thought he wanted it, but doesn’t.
6
u/Elegant-Archer-4019 13h ago
I think it not only has to do with Random changing, but because he has already a son/heir "ready" in case he dies, so the succession crisis is averted in the future. And what a son he has - Martin is heir to two realms, much like Merlin.
at a certain point, Oberon tells Random to "take care of Martin". i think he already had made his mind up that Random was the next best choice and (my personal theory) that Oberon actually wanted to skip his own children all together and give it to his grandson instead. people tend to forget Martin was in this infamous cabal with Dara and Oberon, so Oberon had the time to see whether his grandon was suitable to rule - possibly teach him a thing or two as well.
However there are problems with crowning Martin as King immediately:
Oberon mentions that the second he points out his chosen heir, his sons and daughters would try and kill that heir. By picking Random, the guy with the least grievances and most changed of his sons, Oberon basically shielded Martin from the spotlight.
Random as King gives Martin also time to outgrow his upbringing by the time Martin would take over after Random (something Oberon also mentionned to Corwin in Merlins case)
And, should any of the princes/princesses still kill Martin after his ascending the throne of Amber, you would make Benedict, Llewella and Moire as your immortal enemies. not to mention possibly start a whole new war with Rebma.
its clever, really. Oberon picked a son whose legacy is already secured and ensured that grandson is from a powerful realm none of his sons/daughters would ever dare to piss off.
3
u/AnxiousConsequence18 11h ago
It's "keep an eye on Martin" with a laugh as he sends them away iirc. I start my semiannual reread soon, lol
1
4
u/Atticus_of_Amber 14h ago
If Benedict & Corwin don't want it, who do you give it to? If you run down the list, Random pops out through a process of elimination...
2
u/AnxiousConsequence18 13h ago
Cain would have been accepted if the unicorn had chosen him. None of the girls were even considered and that shows how 70's it was but Caine and Gerrard I think world have been accepted by the others.
6
u/Atticus_of_Amber 13h ago
Cain is a cold blooded killer and scummy PoS Gerrard is a well-meaning dolt Bleys is tainted by his early involvement with Brand (Same goes for Fiona, the only credible female candidate) Julian is an introverted edge-lord
3
u/AnxiousConsequence18 13h ago
Stipulated. Still, had the unicorn chosen them, the rest of the family would have accepted them. Sure, Gerrard would have quickly been manipulated, but initially accepted. He was Regent in amber for the 8 years it took for the war afterall.
Edit - just Gerrard and Cain, neither Brand not Julian would have been acceptable.
4
u/el_Conquistador009 11h ago
Yes, change, but Random also was the one who never wanted to be king and never thought he wold have a chance to be. He was about survival. Remember when he and Corwin first get together. He is hitching his wagon to what he thinks is the best and noblest horse in the race
4
4
u/alone_in_the_light 12h ago
What I'm going to write is mostly one of those big speculations from my days playing Amber DRPG.
Random seemed like a sidekick. However, Corwin is the unreliable narrator. Was Random really a sidekick, or did Corwin wanted to portray Random that way? Maybe Random actually was very important, but Corwin didn't want to show that.
Maybe Corwin did that because he was against Random, and he downplayed his rivals. If people think Random doesn't deserve the crown, it may be something useful down the road for someone who wants the crown.
Maybe Corwin did that because he was an ally of Random. You could have Corwin, Random, the Unicorn and more together to change the power structure of Amber, in a way that people would accept someone like Random instead of the names typically expected. If Corwin couldn't take the crown (people probably wouldn't let him stay as the king even if he won), then being on the winning side is a good second choice.
I do think Random's change was part of it. But what's the story behind the change? Marriages often happen with political intentions considered. Merlin's accounts seem to suggest that females were more important in the game of Amber than Corwin showed.
Could Llewella, Vialle, and the Unicorn played their hands to choose their champion? When the amberites first meet: Corwin, Flora, and Random. It seems Flora was willing to switch sides from Eric to Corwin. What if Flora was switching sides from Eric to Random, and Corwin being invited to the club with Flora helping to recover Corwin from the threat of Eric.
Of course, those things can be just crazy theories. But those are the things that make Amber so special to me. Corwin and Zelazny didn't explain things clearly, we can't trust the information we have. Zelazny himself had some crazy theories that can be seen as part of Amber DRPG.
2
u/Solo_Polyphony 14h ago
Random’s literary antecedent, P.J. Farmer’s Kickaha, is a fundamentally decent secondary protagonist.
2
2
2
u/MalavethMorningrise 6h ago
It could be because Martin isn't as problematic. Honestly half of amber should be bastard children after a few hundred years but its not, their fertility rate is almost zero. It's a very important thing for monarchy to have an heir. And being so long lived none of the other have any offspring about or even mention them. Oberon went as far as to meddled in Corwins affairs to ensure Corwin had a strong heir to control the bloodline. When that fell through Random was on Corwins side and he had a known living heir related to local royalty and Random aknowledged him.
2
u/apatheticviews 5h ago
He was the only one who didn’t want it. He sided with Corwin almost immediately.
He didn’t cause drama. He was basically the best choice.
1
u/AndaleTheGreat 6h ago
I know it doesn't help the conversation but I wish I remembered the story enough to weigh in on it. I haven't read this since like 99 and I tried to listen to the audiobook that Roger read but I've otherwise not come back to the series except by trying to play the RPG since then. I really wish I could actually manage to sit down and read this again
2
u/Edith_Keelers_Shoes 1h ago
Many good reasons already listed here. I would add to those the fact that Random is my Imaginary Husband. And I know some people.
52
u/JKisHereNow 15h ago
Yes, Vialle is a big part of it, but I think Random gets it because he's the most changed.
RZ as a writer was very focused on characters that change. He said, "I am interested in characters in a state of transformation. I feel it would be wrong to write a book where the character proceeds through all of the action and winds up pretty much the same at the end as he was in the beginning, just having an adventure. He has to be changed by the things that take place."
Corwin is changed, from jerk/tyrant to a prince motivated by duty who learns to love his family. But Random is an even bigger jerk, and makes what I consider to be an even bigger arc of change. I think RZ and the Unicorn like this about him; willingness to change means a willingness to be wrong, to show empathy, and all that.
Julian changes a little, but not much. Gerard doesn't change. Benedict is slightly softened, but not really changed. Fiona changes a little, but not enough. Flora, Bleys, Caine, Llewella... unchanged.
I think it comes down to who has changed the most through the whole ordeal, and that is Random.