The Great Book of Amber: The Complete Amber Chronicles, 1-10

I read a lot of good reviews for this series, after someone from work recommended it. I feel like a lot of the reviews must have been written in nostalgia, because this series is a mess of words thrown together. The sentence structure is weird, the phrasing and dialog is odd and over all, the story is uninteresting. I made it through the first book, and I am currently half way through the second. I will continue reading the series and come back to edit my review if my opinion changes

I have loved Zelazny's Amber series for many years now, and recently tried to find all of the novels again, only to learn that many are out of print. But with the "Great Book of Amber" all of the Amber books are in one volume.This volume includes the original Amber series, in which Prince Corwin is the central character relearning his place in the monarchy and dissecting the politics and palace intrigues. The royal family draws its power from the Pattern in Amber, Amber being the original world from which all other universes are mere shadows and combinations.The second Amber series is included as well, in which Corwin's son is the central character. He is a prince of both Amber and Chaos, and is a master of both Amber's powers (the Pattern) and the magical/wizardly powers of Chaos.I love the magic and the epic nature of the adventures, and each individual novel within the series is a wonderful read. The volume as a whole builds a world and a saga that will stick with you for ages after you've read it. If you like Tolkien's Lord of the Rings, you'll probably enjoy this volume as well.

Roger Zelazny wrote many popular and award-winning books during his long and distinguished writing career (e.g., "Lord of Light" and "Madwand.") Truth be told, though, I didn't care for most of them. They seem too esoteric and not particularly interesting to me. Ah, but then there's the Amber series. Now that's a different story!If I told you that this is the best series of books that I've ever read (and I've read thousands of books), would you believe me? Probably not. But it's true. Zelazny captured lightning in a bottle when he wrote these 10 books--I only wish there were a hundred!The 10 books of the Chronicles of Amber (collected here at last in a single volume!) are divided into two separate, interlocked series. The first tells the adventures of Corwin, Prince of Amber; the second, those of his son Merlin. If you twisted my arm, I'd say that the first series is better than the second. But read them yourself and you can decide.Amber is one of the most intricate, original, and fascinating fantasy worlds you will ever find outside of Tolkien. It is a world of magic, science, illusions, and reality. The basic principle is that the universe consists of an infinite number of parallel worlds, all of which are echoes and reflections (called Shadows) of the one true city of Amber. The people, cultures, traditions, histories, even the physics of those Shadows exist in a multitude of varying degrees. Whatever kind of world or time or place you're looking for, it exists somewhere in Shadow. (Earth as we know it, for example, is merely one Shadow.)The only people who can move freely throughout those Shadows are the Princes and Princesses of Amber, the Royal blood of the ruling family; a large collection of siblings of various ages and dispositions who find it very hard to get along. That is where the brilliance of the Amber series comes in: the endless struggles, alliances, betrayals, and machinations of this very driven and political family who all want to gain control of Amber. Clausewitz would be proud of the ruthless cunning displayed by this clan. Their battles and adventures make for incredible reading.I'm not going to try to describe the plots of the books to you. Part of the joy of this series is the fascination of discovery. I return to these books every few years and read them again with joy and awe. I can think of no other group of books that I would recommend so highly to you. They are to be read and cherished, again and again. Buy a copy today!

These ten books compiled into one are simply some of the greatest, most imaginative, and mind-blowing fantasy ever written. (What was the late great Roger Zelazny smoking when he began this series back in 1970?) "Nine Princes in Amber" is the first in a series of ten books chronicling the ever-feuding bloodlines of the House of Amber -- the true kingdom of Order in the Universe -- and the struggle with its eternal nemesis: the Courts of Chaos. The protagonist of the first five books, Prince Corwin, is all at once fallible, noble & just and wise-cracking, street smart. His son, Merlin, continues the saga in the closing five. Zelazny has created a universe so original, and dozens of characters so rich that it truly boggles the mind. And instead of whisking us off to some remote fairyland, he combines modern day Earth (a mere shadow world) with his infinitely rich universe. For starters, where else are you going to find MIB's (Men in Black), a fast food chain called "Kentucky Fried Lizzard Partes", teleporting Tarot cards and swordfights all in the same book! I agree with many others that only Tolkien and perhaps Frank Herbert have managed to create such intricate, compelling worlds. Roger, we will sorely miss you.

It's great that the Amber series is finally all in one volume. The only better fantasy series is the Lord of the Rings, and the Amber books are an easier and more involving read. The books are about the royal families of the universes which underlie all other realities. Family plotting, escapades, wars, and love interests involving play out smoothly, revealing layer after layer of detail over time. Plots, counterplots are everywhere; motivations both base and lofty keep the characters complex and involving. The central characters (Corwin, a prince of Amber, and his sorcerer son, Merlin, a prince of Chaos) have powers far above human, yet they and their families' foibles are all too human and easy to sympathize with. This is an examination of power and influence far removed from the human world, although our modern (and sometimes historical) Earth figures prominently in the tales. As is typical with Zelazny, deep, intelligent characters, smart dialog, brilliant and innovative use of language, and unmatched flights of imagination abound. Amber is a true original, quite different from any of its predecessors, and is the perfect example of epic fantasy with a modern twist. Its enormous plot, scope, and characters simply are as good as fantasy gets.

This book is your passport to the real world, of which all others are reality-warped Shadows. From the moment strong, handsome Corwin awakens in a hospital, amnesic and possessed of strange powers, the plot kicks into high gear. On pure instinct and bluff he bulls his way into a wild hell-ride towards the ultimate reality, regaining his name and pride along the way. In Amber, the capitol of the real world, Corwin's brother Eric reigns uneasily, wondering when Corwin will return for revenge. Corwin falls easily into his brothers' eternal and unchanging round of wars and plots, but with a difference: years on the Shadow called Earth have taught him humility and humanity, and tempered his pride with wisdom. After centuries of youth he is becoming a man at last and fit to rule, but can anyone without the lost secrets of King Oberon or his wizard Dworkin keep the throne against the dark forces of Chaos? Corwin must unite his kingdom and conquer his own internal chaos in order to survive, and possibly to save the universe. The second series follows Corwin's son Merlin, whose approach to magic is completely different from Corwin's due to his upbringing in the Courts of Chaos. Merlin must find his father and understand what lies beneath reality in order to save Amber and Chaos alike. The books are filled with strange beauty and eerie magic, as playing cards talk and prisoners escape into pictures, and with amazing ideas and places, cities in the sky and undersea. This is vintage Zelazny, and some of the best; almost impossible to describe. Anyone who's never read these books is in for a treat, and for those who have it's a great chance to get them all together and read them again. It's a long hellride to the brink of Chaos. Better get started soon.