The Guns of Avalon

After Corwin escapes, he decides to try something new in his struggle with Eric. Firepower. Having spent time on Earth, he goes travelling to build up a force equipped with a large number of guns. With his force, he returns to Amber and makes an assault to try and unseat his brother and take over.

I have read very few books whose climax is towards the beginning but I'm thinking that it has to do with the series as a whole and I don't believe you should read them as individuals. What a mess our hero was in at the end of book one. All I can say is that the series only gets better. I just finished Guns of Avalon and I could not stop! I had to start Sign of the Unicorn right away. The intrigue thickens as the relatives start to show their motives. I have to go finish the third book now. If you like any kinds of Robert Jordan-esque fantasy or you have read all of Tolkien and are looking for another great series look no further.

Book two of Rodger Zelazny's first series of Amber novels follows Corwin, prince of Amber on his path to unseat his usurper brother Eric from the throne of Amber. After having his eyes burnt out with hot irons and five years of imprisonment, Corwin has grown new eyes and escaped. I found this novel to be one of the more interesting of the original Amber novels. You get more of a feel for Corwin than you did in the first book of the series. The characteristics of a scion of Amber that makes them such interesting characters are all there, the scheming, the majesty, the style, even the pettiness. Having discovered a compound that will work as gunpowder in the mystical realm of order he sets out to move once more in his quest to take the throne for himself. The characters are interesting and the style is enchanting. The only thing I would have liked to have seen elaborated on was the nature of pattern magic. As it was none of those details were really dealt with at all until the beginning of the second series (With Trumps of Doom). If you have not read this series before get Nine Princes in Amber and treat yourself to one of the great science fiction/fantasy series of all time.

This is the second book of the Amber Chronicles (the first one is Nine Princes in Amber). Get ready to read eight more (Sign of Unicorn, Hand of Oberon, Courts of Chaos, Trumps of Doom, Blood of Amber, Sign of Chaos, Knights of Shadows, Prince of Chaos) - you will not be able to stop!

Roger Zelazny is a wizard of words if nothing else. In this book the familiar meets the exotic as Zelazny adds the Authurian tales to his already popular fantasy world, Amber. Zelazny gives just right amount of the original story to keep the reader in touch and smiling while adding enough of a twist to keep the reader guessing and dreaming. Here Prince Corwin of Amber revisits the fabled land of Avalon in preparation for the ultimate war to claim the throne in the true world, Amber. Like a true master, Zelazny answers many questions that left the reader on the edge of his seat, but also raises new ones. More plots and hidden schemes arise as new characters jump into the story and some old characters reappear. For those that have read the previous novel, this book will not let you down, for those that have not, you will. A perfect score all the way