It starts out with a guy named Merle Corey
running away from this person who has been trying to kill him for the past three years. He gave this mysterious person the name S.

Anyway, this Merle Corey turn out to be Merlin, of Chaos.  He thinks that this whole thing is just a crazed man trying to kill him, but becomes much more.

What dose Trumps of Doom have to do with any of this.  A lot. They are these  cards that Merlin gets a hold of in the beginning of the story.  He got them from a lower worker of S.

The first card that he used actually sends him to the middle of nowhere. To take his first test.  Given to him by a sphinx. It was over the the sphinx's favorite thing other than eating, riddles.

This book is mainly science fiction, but also has some mystery to it.

There are many settings to this book.

Since this novel, the author has created many other books such as the following: Nine Prince of Amber, The Guns of Avalon, Sign of the Unicorn., The Hand of Oberon, The Courts of Chaos, Blood of Amber, Sign of Chaos, and Frost and Fire.

I think some one older who was into science fiction or mystery would like this book.