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Summary: Hands-down: my favorite series of books, ever.
Review: I nearly cried the day I learned that Roger Zelazny had passed; I knew that there could never be another Amber novel again...This compilation is a "must-have" for any serious science fiction/fantasy enthusiast. It details the adventures of a family of god-like beings from the "One True Realm" -- Amber. Corwin, a Prince of Amber and the primary character of the first 5 novels (referred to as the "Chronicles of Amber"), is the quintessential epic hero. He fails as often as he succeeds, he often finds himself in far over his head, and ultimately comes to the realization that he must subjugate his own personal goals for the "greater good". The second 5 novels deal with the antics of Corwin's son, Merlin. And though his possesses great powers, much like his father in the first series he finds himself involved (many times as a pawn) in a struggle of epic proportions that he does not full understand. I have introduced countless friends to the joys of Zelazny's work in the 15+ years since I first read the "Chronicles of Amber"; my copies of those novels still sit on my shelf, battered and dog-eared, ready to be loaned out to the next friend who says, "Roger Zelazny? Who's that?" Don't be afraid of this book's monstrous size; Zelazny's writing in engaging -- it will suck you in such that you won't want to put it down. The plot is convoluted -- not that it is confusing; quite to the contrary. It keeps you thinking you know what's going on, only to find out 2 chapters later you were dead wrong. Wonderfully suprising! If you can find it, do yourself the favor and buy "The Visual Guide to Castle Amber" as well. Don't read it until after you've read the 10 novels; after you've looked at the "Visual Guide", then go back and read them all again!
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Summary: It is truely the GREAT book of Amber.
Review: This book contains all 10 of the Amber novels, and includes the "recaps" at the begining of each. Uncut and all-in-one. If you love the Amber saga, you need to snag this one! Trust me, it's not easy to find all 10 unused, or in good condition. Here is your chance to own all 10 new.
Rating:
Summary: A work of art!
Review: This is one of the greatest sci-fi/fantasy series' ever written. Roger Zelazny is a master, combining great story-telling with memorable characters and a penchant for unexpected plot twists that keep the reader guessing until the end-and then some. An delightful work that will not disappoint-satisfaction guaranteed!
Rating:
Summary: Outstanding
Review: Zelazny really outdid himself with this series. Fast paced, exciting all the way through, it's a great read. All worlds are but a shadow of Amber, where the Nine Princes strive through a mixture of politics, assasination, and swordplay to determine just who shall rule. Easily one of fantasy's best!
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Summary: Fantastic book of fantasy SF
Review: If you like SF, if you like fantasy, if you just like fine, exciting, brilliantly executed and 'lots of fun to read' fiction, you will not regret purchasing this collection of Zelazny's epics. Too long out of print, the first Amber quintet is amazing, the sort of books that you can describe as unputdownable (and how often do you find this sort of writing these days?). They are intelligent, witty, with a dry humor and a totally appealing but also completely human (well, sort of) hero, Corwin of Amber. Corwin has a host of siblings, some nice, some so-so, and some downright bad, or at least they are from Corwin's point of view. Being siblings, it is competition aplenty as they seek to become, or ally themselves with the one who becomes, the new ruler of Amber after their promiscuous father's death. Here be family mechanics, plot twists, numerous surprises, and a final competition with the forces of evil (Chaos). The adventures here are phenomenal, and Zelazny's writing is at its peak. He pulls together his version of mythologies from different earth cultures, expounds on spiritualities, gets the tragedy/regret/pleasure of human relationships down cold, and just delivers rousing good adventures. The second series, following Corwin's son as he searches for his missing father, lacks the energy of the first five books, but all the same it is Zelazny completing his epic, and the book(s) is well-worth having. Hoping that all Zelazny's out of print books will appear as well, like Dreammaster, Lord of Light, the short story collections, and the prophetic Today We Choose Faces.
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Summary: Finally, all of Amber in one great volume!
Review: 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.
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Summary: The Greatest Series Ever Written--Yep, It's True!
Review: 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!
Rating: 
Summary: Long Hard Year
Review: I read almost anything, but this has got to be the worst. The writings were childish conversations with new characters appearing every few chapters. Most 10 year olds could make up better stuff and get the point across. I still don't understand the theme unless it was mindless wandering. A few of the individual books of the serial novel could pass for real writing and were interesting -- most of character dialog felt as if it was writing in a junior high cafeteria. Don't waste a moment on this book!
Rating:
Summary: Once Again, from the Top
Review: 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 excess 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.
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Summary: Perhaps the most stunningly original story ever written
Review: This story begins in our world and moves in and out of it smoothly. The characters are wholly believable and while the overall plotline may seem familiar the execution of that plot is spectacular and the premise is like nothing you've ever conceived.
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