Rating: 
Summary: The Great Great Book of Amber
Review: For those of us who have been through these book a lot, it was nice to get them all together in one volume. I bought this to replace the missing holes in my collection, after having lost them to various friends over the years (what is it that Zelazny says about friends and books?)I wish this volume contained the Amber short stories that Zelazny published after the 2nd series, just to ensure that it was complete.
Rating:
Summary: An fascinating read!
Review: Amber is an extremely hooking, page turning fantasy series. Once started, it is hard to put down. Never before have I read an enjoyable fantasy based in a 'modern' world. Few writers can include technology in their stories without greatly reducing the sense of mysticism that a good fantasy should convey. Zelazny makes a mysterious world that includes modern technology. This story is very unique in this way.
This collection includes two series that happen in the same world. In the first series, Corwin and the reader discover a fascinating world together. At some points the story gets very grim. Thousands of innocent people die in a war that does not involve them in the least. Characters are wounded, beaten, and tortured. However, though you might not think so, humor is a definite aspect of this series. The character named Random acts as a kind of comic relief at grim times throughout the story. Fierce politics rage throughout Amber in a race for the throne. Unusual creatures appear here and there. These creatures are normal in the life of the characters. In each chapter of this series, the reader encounters something extremely new and engaging.
The second series is not nearly as exciting and fascinating as the first. One problem is that many of its concepts contradict the first series. Characters you knew as an enemy somehow are no longer actually evil, and vice-versa. Also a huge number of new characters and ideas are introduced. These new characters are hard to keep track of, and the ideas don't seem to flow with the mood of the previous series. Worst still, the grand feeling of the beginning is diminished. Challenges and quests that test the skill of the characters in the first series are now completed many times over with ease. This series is still interesting, but I think it pales in comparison to the Corwin series.
One thing you can say about Amber as a whole is that Roger Zelazny creates very satisfying and complex characters. Corwin is by no means purely virtuous and good, even though he is the hero. He makes selfish decisions at times even though he also does the righteous thing at other times. He is very noble as long as it does not go completely against his personal desires. Corwin is also a skilled and tricky fighter; whether it is fencing or politics, he can usually find an intelligent way of winning. These characteristics make it quite enjoyable to go through a story with him.
Random and Benedict are also very unique characters in the Amber Chronicles. Random is appealing. His behavior is a bit like his name: random. However he is also calculating and ruthless. A gambler by nature, he is very tactful. Benedict in contrast, he is very honorable and dependable. He is a master swordsman and an army general. Once he takes sides, he stays that way unless something drastic happens.
The world of Amber is a magical world that is extremely unreal, but at the same time understandable and easy to relate to. The characters that live in it and the plots that move them are satisfying. It all fits together to make an enjoyable read. If you like complex fantasy I would most definitely recommend the first series, and you will probably wish to read the second series just to find out what happens.
Rating:
Summary: Best book ever to come!
Review: This book is great! It is made up of all ten books in the two series whitch are connected to make a great long and exciting story. I gave it a 5 because they didn't have 6.
Rating:
Summary: Wow, this reminds me why I miss Zelazny so much
Review: Zelazny was original, and Amber is a wonderful example of that originality. When 80% of the fantasy genre is STILL Tolkien rip-offs, deravitives and imitations, Zelazny's Amber series is original fantasy like no other. It was actually a bit, um, expensive to buy the originals as 10 separate short volumes. This book brings them all together. I never actually read 6-10 when they first came out, but in the last month I've read 1-7 in this volume and am enjoying the series immensly
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Summary: The Master Delivers...
Review: Zelazny is without a doubt a master of fantasy, and this book is no exception to the greatness of his works. For those people that complain about the last 5 "books" in this book, remember that zelazny died and thats a pretty good excuse for not wrapping things up as tight as the first 5 "books". I think it would be safe to say that he intended to write more of the Amber Chronicles, but sadly he did not. The 10 books here are an awesome achievment, and should be read knowing that these are the words of the award winning master. But beware, this is a massive Tome 1264 pages with small print on larger dimmension paper than a typical paperback... make sure you scedule is clear beacause once you start, you wont be able to stop..
Rating: 
Summary: Corwin and Merlin
Review: I agree wholeheartedly with most reviewers in that the first 5 books are the stronger of the two series: it's tighter and more coherent and has a marvellous finish. I disagree a little with others in that I think the series focussing on Merlin actually starts very well - the universe of Amber is built upon in a consistent and eye-opening way, especially with the presence of the Logrus as the counterpoint to the Pattern. But there IS a lot going on, and the series does seem to end in a vaguely unsatisfying manner. Whereas Corwin saves the universe and discovers himself in the process, Merlin doesn't achieve anything nearly that significant in either sense. Furthermore, the personification of the Pattern and the Logrus in the later parts of the series and the development of an sentinent antagonism between them didn't sit well with me. Still, I'm getting this book and its value is undoubted. Just don't expect series 2 to be as awesome as series 1... :)
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Summary: It Just keeps you interested
Review: Iabsolutly loved this book. the plots where well thought of, and the twists and turn made the book amazingly interesting.I also thought that the series started off with a bang. In stead of a chariter sort of telling you what there life was life, the charicter is triing to figure it out himself. The only bad thing about this book is the ending. Imean it just cuts every thing off. I wonder if he'll make a sequal? I wont tell you what happens in this book because that would ruin it for you completly. If you want a good book your looking at it.
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Summary: Come and Walk the Pattern
Review: For the most part, I'm going to reconfirm what other people have said about this book. Namely: should one buy it? Oh, yes. Ten books for under twenty dollars is a fairly amazing deal even if the books are only so-so... and the Amber series isn't so-so in the least. Personally, my favorite of this ten-book collection remains _Nine Princes of Amber_. Of all, it seemed the book in which the most happened, and the book which was most self-contained; you get a fairly complete story within that particular novel, while many of the others come off as sections of a grand narrative rather than a full tale in and of themselves. (With an omnibus edition like this, that doesn't matter much, but I would imagine it could be a bit of a bugger for the folks who read these as they first came out!) The ending certainly begs for a sequel, but all the same, I find myself amazed every time I read it anew and remember just how much happened in that short span of pages. That isn't the only good book in the collection, though; far from it! The four books which follow, and which complete the Corwin Series (the ten books are split into the Corwin Series and the Merlin Series, each comprising five), are excellent; they seemed less self-contained to me and did occasionally contradict each other in small ways, but by and large I enjoyed them. Corwin is a great protagonist; his sense of humor and innate style often had me grinning as I read. The worlds and their system of magic were beautiful--the latter particularly intrigued me, and I can easily see why many modern fantasy writers say that Zelazny was an inspiration to them. Some of the supporting characters are also fun. While Dara annoyed me from the get-go, I loved Random immediately, and I also got a kick out of watching certain of the others change Corwin's perceptions of them from moment to moment. For those first five books alone, this omnibus would be worth buying. The last five, however.... I'm not sure whether it's just that Merlin isn't as engaging a protagonist as Corwin--which in my opinion is true--or that the new settings aren't as engaging as Amber--which, again in my opinion, is also true. Maybe the problem I had with these lies primarily in that they don't take the series anywhere I wanted it to go. Too many random people were thrown into the Amberite mix; the ability to walk in Shadow suddenly seemed common and overused; the Pattern lost much of its mystery. I think, though, that what turned me off most about them is how sheerly confusing they were. I just finished reading the final three for the first time, and I was left wondering what exactly had *happened*. The plot moved too fast, jumped around too much, and had so many loose ends that it seemed to unravel as I turned the pages. I still don't really understand what (or why) Ghostwheel was, why a certain thing happened to Coral, what Mandor's real game had been, where spikards came into everything... I hear there are some short stories which clear up some of these points, but it's a shame they weren't cleared within the actual book. Or, alternatively, it's a shame that this omnibus didn't include those stories. All the same, I would recommend reading the Merlin books, because even as confusing as I found them they were also interesting and provide one with another taste of Amber. I personally find it better to almost think of them as having occured in a different world, though--a Shadow of the real Amber, as it were, that we saw in Corwin's narrative. In any event: this is a book well-worth buying, well-worth reading, and well-worth rereading from time to time. Come walk the streets of the One True City and learn why those who visit it through Zelazny's novels often love it as much as Corwin and his family do.
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Summary: This book was intended to maximize the imagination
Review: I am a science fiction buff and thought these stories were just a bunch of nonsense. But one I had gotten into the story line, I found myself not wanting to put it down. The whole idea of mortal/immortals with the ability to change demensions with the mind is beyond anything the imagination can keep up with. Smile You'll Live Longer
Rating:
Summary: Best Series in the history of Sci Fi
Review: About 2 years ago I lived in TX and got deathly sick, for about 3 weeks i couldnt get out of bed. My mom went to the local library and got Roger Zelazny's Amber book on tape, and she played them on my stereo...I dont know if it was the fact that i was partially delusional and hallucinating or just that these are some of the best books ever written, but ive become a hardcore fan of the series and am extremely glad to have all the stories compiled into one book.
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