As the fourth book in the series, The Hand of Oberon delivers a more complete picture of Zelazny's world that the first three books only hint at. It's here that we learn the world is significantly more intricate, with order at one end of the spectrum and chaos at the other.

As these opposing forces are better defined, along with their nuances, Zelazny also reveals where more of Corwin's family ambitions intersect. This includes Corwin as, for better or worse, readers understand he isn't a reliable narrator. No, he doesn't necessarily lie to the reader, but there are times he lies to himself as part of his transitionary path.

While the plot picks up the pace in this novel, it is considerably less physical than its predecessors. This is mostly true because he narrows his adversary (at least in this novel) from an entire kingdom to mostly his traitorous brother Brand. Brand hopes to reshape of the order of the universe to serve his own interests, a choice that both Oberon and Corwin have rejected. To do it, both bothers jokey for the Jewel of Judgment, making this book more of a quest than a conquering.