Chronicles of Amber, Vol. 1

With such an interesting premise, I was excited to read this book. Unfortunately, all the characters are entirely one-dimensional and the plot is so simplistic that I'll expect it to be adapted by Marvel to the silver screen any day now.

This book, along with those following, are some of the best fantasy on the market today. Most people, myself included, are completely hooked after reading the first five pages and it just keep getting better and better. Mr. Zelazny is a true story teller, a teller of stories with a wonderful imagination and a wonderful command of the language. This character developement is great and, like with any good fictional work, you start caring for and about the various characters. I highly recommend this one. Actually recommend you buy the thing as you will no doubt want to reread. Very much enjoyed.

Every series has to start somewhere, but I doubt that Roger Zelazny anticipated that the Amber series would run to 10 volumes when he sent Nine Princes In Amber to print. But for us readers, it was clear that Zelazny's story of Amber, the reality that lies behind all the phantom worlds we inhabit, had something special in the way of plot, concept, and characters. Examined carefully, there is nothing here that is deafeningly original but, as usual, Zelazny's magic is in taking a fresh look at the possibilities and making the result fascinating to the reader. Corwin is a typical Zelazny main character. Long lived (possibly eternal), provided with special powers, and a wry outlook that keeps the drama from becoming maudlin. Corwin awakes in a hospital with almost no clue of his identity, spends the first half of the book working out the details of his identity, and the second half trying to get even. He is a prince one of an almost countless number of Oberon's children who have a penchant for plotting, backstabbing, and power plays. With Oberon gone missing, brother Eric has moved on the throne and after 400 years of exile Corwin feels compelled to become the opposition. Zelazny has an instinctive feel for the dynamics of a story based on the ability to navigate, and perhaps create unreal worlds by 'remembering' where you want to be, step by step. The effects on character attitudes and activities like war waging is significant, and Zelazny avoids the feel of magic spell work, instead treating what Oberon's children can do as just another talent, for all its fantastic nature. In fact, one of Zelazny's traits is his matter of fact approach to what most of us would consider miracle working. As a result we never feel like we are suspending out disbelief. Corwin's worst challenge is his family, of courts. Countless brothers and sisters in unspecified relationships with seemingly little loyalty to each other. It is typical that it was an accident intended to end his life that triggered the end of his memory loss instead. And typical that relatives have become so used to baroque plots that Corwin's first fumbling efforts are taken as brilliance giving the rebel prince an opportunity to establish a foothold and join in the struggle against Eric. Zelazny isn't prone to excessive writing, but is a past master at conjuring up characters and landscapes with rapid brushstrokes. The dialog is always crisp as well. Even reading this story again after a gap of years, I could remember the details of the story and still found that the magic persisted and the Amber really was a throne worth pursuing.

Nine Princes in Amber is the first of the original five books in the Amber series. I have reread this series several times and each time it recaptures my imagination like few stories ever have. The unique nature of the universe Zelazny created, the twisting plots, the engaging noir/fantasy characters and the sweeping scope are guaranteed to impress any fan of fantasy or Sci-Fi. You will come to know the members of the royal family of Amber in great detail and you will love and hate them. The story will keep you guessing and the action is well paced. Zelazny is a tight writer and keeps things moving. These days I hear the Amber series described as a ten book series. This isn't accurate, it is composed of two five book series and the less said about the later five books the better. The first five books dealing with Corwin are a complete story that simply must be read. You owe it to yourself to read the five books of the original Amber series.

Its been nearly 20 years since I read the Amber series by Roger Zelazny (RIP good man.) The warning above regards the money your gonna spend (immediately) on the rest of the Amber series and how you will spend your time the rest of the week after you have finished Nine Princes of Amber. In fact, you'll wish there was a 24 hour bookstore nearby after reading Nine Princes of Amber get the next book NOW. Folks, this is a Classic (Fantasy and Science Fiction) in every sense of the word, as you may gather from the reviews on this page. Many of the excited reviews from readers are not exaggerations (including my own). I have only one piece of advice for you potential first time readers of Zelazny (particulary this book). Zelazny will put you immediately in his story so be patient. He dispatches with the spoon-feeding of his stories to the neophytes or the uninterested (godbless him). He treats his readers as a "literary adults". If you want a "Once upon a time" book, the Children,s Books section is over to the right, second aisle... 'Nuff said. This book is written in the first person, and the main character wakes up clueless, as will you be (for a while). You will learn as he does the complicated circumstance of his past, present, and future. Reading the reviews gave me goosebumps all over again. Well enough of my babblings, I'm gonna dust off that series again for another read. I suggest you do the same.