Rating: 
Summary: Can't go wrong with this one.
Review: If you haven't read the series yet, by all means do so. Nothing could be written in a review to do justice for this masterpiece. If you already read the books and just want to own the series, I belive this is a good choice as well; all 10 books for [this price] is a steal. Only improvement I can think of for this Item, is I wish it was a Hardcover one.
Rating: 
Summary: Among the best SF series of all time, still fresh today...
Review: Many authors have made a respectable living snatching ideas from Tolkien's archtype-filled world of Middle Earth, and peppering their writing with Tolkien props such as elves and dwarves and dragons and glowing swords and what-not. But none have had much success riding the coattails of Zelazny's inimitable Amber series, especially the original series of five books. In part this is because the beauty of Zelazny's Amber universe comes from the fact that Zelazny is among the best first-person storytellers SF has seen. The greatest strength in the two five-book Amber series, as with all of his books and short story collections, is not his world-building, but his creation of a distinct narrator that metes out the story in an immensely readable fashion. This collection is actually two series of five books written over 30 years, starting back when Zelazny won his awards for the SF classic "Lord of Light" and finishing just as Zelazny succumbed to cancer in the 1990s. The basic idea of the Amber series is pretty cool: Amber is the "one true" world of which all others are mirrors and echoes. These parallel worlds, which incidentally include Earth, are the beautifully imagined playground of a colorful family of squabbling, immature spoiled princes and princesses who only care about one-upping each other and becoming the next to rule in Amber. Corwin, the protagonist and narrator of the first series, is one of the best characters brought to life in Science Fiction/Fantasy. His narrative voice is reminiscent of the character of detective Easy Rollins ("Devil in a Blue Dress"), or Robert Heinlein's female super-spy Friday, from the book of the same name. Zelazny allows Corwin's practical mindset, simple descriptions, and subjective, cynical impressions to show, not tell, a very compelling and at times funny story of an imperfect narrator coming to understand who he is and where he fits into the scheme of things. Of course, it helps that the fate of the universe hangs in the balance. The first series is a must-read. The second series is a read for people who loved the first series. The story: Corwin awakes with amnesia in a private hospital in upstate New York. He curses immediately, waps an orderly he calls "Laughing Boy" over the head and bluffs his way out of the hospital. As the book proceeds, Corwin and the reader discover together that he is immmortal, and one of the most powerful beings in the universe. He has lived the life of an amnesiac and an exile on Earth for centuries. The series starts as he stumbles his way back into his memories and into the political intriques among his juvenile brothers and sister from the "one true world." All the while he gripes and smokes and realizes that his time on Earth made him grow up a bit-- and that he's not the Crown Prince he used to be. The second series, centered around Corwin's son Merlin, is rich in narration and represents a valiant effort to expand the vision in the first series. At times it is brilliant, but at other times you slap your forehead wondering what happened: suddenly after the fourth book the series meanders and instead of coming together, it falls apart and ends weakly. Other influential writers who blossomed in the 1950s and 1960s such as Isaac Asimov were brilliant in their ideas, but their writing left something to desire. But with Zelazny, as with Ursula le Guin, there is no separating the teller from the tale.
Rating:
Summary: Excalibur, Highlander, and 2001:A Space Odyssey combined!!!!
Review: The best fantasy novel and series that I have ever read.Its kind of like the movies Excalibur or Highlander with alot of alternate realities and worlds thrown in...Its got swords, shields, and automatic rifles, combined with a royal family whose siblings are all plotting against each other for the throne.Its sword and chivalry combined with time travel, and political intrigue...If you like this, also check out George R.R. Martin's A Game of Thrones series too.....
Rating: 
Summary: Imperfect fantasy
Review: There are many for whom Amber is the be all and end all of modern fantasy. I am not one of them. Personally I find the "science" of Amber cumbersome and the narration mechanical and contrived. You can find entertainment in this series -- but for me it rings a little hollow. Better than this in the genre would be Moorcock's Elric books.
Rating:
Summary: A Story in Amber
Review: The Amber series is probably Zelazny's most popular work, and the first two or three books in the series were among his better (though not best) work. The first five books are all good Zelazny, and the first book of the second set of five was a very good read, but the story seems to have gotten away from him before it was finished and leaves too many unanswered questions to satisfy at least this reader. From another author, it would've earned at least four stars, but Zelazny, as I've noted before, can only be compared to Zelazny.
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Summary: Zelazny is king!
Review: Tolkien, take your hobbits and go back to Bag End! This is THE penultimate fantasy saga. Any fantasy fan who hasn't read the Amber books (or Zelazny period) should do so immediately.
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Summary: It's Incredible!!!!!
Review: I bought the book thinking it might be just an ok book, like so many fantasy ones out there.... I was in for a surprise! As I read the first paragraph I knew it was good... by the time I noticed the time again, (it was past 3 am ) I just knew it was amazing... I couldn't put it down. I wanted to keep reading without stop, and yet I didn't want the book to end. It's one of the most exciting stories I had ever set my eyes on. It wraps you up in a world of magic and mystery... and keeps you on your feet the whole time, one surprise after another. You start looking at Corwin as your long lost friend. The connection between him and the reader is incredible, you can really see what he feels and how he feels, no many writers can achieve this... reach out and touch the readers this way... its simply incredible!!!!!
Rating:
Summary: very original
Review: I was getting pretty worn out on the fantasy genre. The books were either flat and predictable or too formulaic. Having been a huge fan of Glen Cook's "The Black Company" series, I became spoiled and jaded because nothing would measure up to such a compelling series. Then I read "The Great Book of Amber." While this series, IMHO, is not as gripping as the Company books, it has to be one of the most creative and original stories in the fantasy category. "How could one possibly combine monster, sorcery swordsmen with modern day life, technology weaponry, etc.?" I asked myself. Well, the author does this and in a convincing way. And ten books put together into one volume creates an excellent value. If you enjoy fantasy and want a fresh and creative style, do yourself a favor and give this one a try.
Rating:
Summary: A Journey through Shadow
Review: "The Great Book of Amber" combines all ten of Roger Zelazny's Princes of Amber novels into one volume, and I wish he were still alive to continue the series with number eleven. Parts of his Amber novels were serialized in the SF/Fantasy magazines of the 1970s, and it shows in his adventure-a-minute, cliff-hanging writing style. I also understand that DC Comics was going to do a series on Amber, and I think that would work, too, because Zelazny's writing is very visual, character-driven, and episodic in nature. He was one of the great fantasy writers of the last four decades, and he collected the hardware to prove it: six Hugos; two Locus Poll awards; three Nebulas; one Apollo; and two Balrog trophies. I originally read each of his Amber novels as they were published, and having all of the stories collected into one volume certainly makes it easier to keep track of the machinations and counter-plots and vendettas of Amber's homicidal First Family. The Amber novels start out as a chronicle of a royal family feud as narrated by Corwin, son of King Oberon and presumptive heir to the throne of Amber (if his immortal father should ever die). Corwin has spent the last three hundred years on Earth (which is a mere shadow of the one real world of Amber) in a state of amnesia, courtesy of one of his eight scheming siblings. He manages to survive the Great Plague of London, numerous wars, and an addiction to chain-smoking before his would-be murderer shifts through the shadows from Amber to Earth and tries to kill him again, this time via an automobile accident. Corwin survives the car crash and starts to regain his memory of who and what he is. His return to Amber and the search for his would-be assassin drives the plot from "Nine Princes in Amber" through "The Courts of Chaos". Then, after five books, Corwin's son Merlin takes over the narrative. Whereas Corwin was a hard-boiled, wise-cracking 40's kind of guy who was irresistible to women and possessed supernormal physical prowess, his son Merlin is a kinder, gentler 60's kind of guy who is irresistible to women and possesses supernormal physical prowess. He doesn't fight nearly as many duels or kill nearly as many folks as his father did. Zelazny's Royal Amberites are affable, interesting, and even noble at times. However, they are supermen so don't expect too much in the way of character development. The women are especially two-dimensional: beautiful and ineffectual, for the most part although they do evolve into something a bit more interesting as the series continues. The real reason to read "The Great Book of Amber" is the journey through the parallel worlds of Shadow. The notion of shifting to a slightly different reality as you walk or drive or ride is endlessly fascinating. Zelazny is at his most lyrical as the shadow of a tree turns from black to emerald or another sun appears in the sky. When travelling through Shadow with him, it is hard for me to remember whether I'm awake and reading, or asleep and dreaming of an effortless, exotic, changing reality. If Coleridge took opium to dream of Xanadu, what did Zelazny take to dream of Amber? You really ought to journey through Shadow with this fine author at least once in your life.
Rating:
Summary: Great series- terrible edition
Review: Let me start by saying that the Amber series is truly a work of art. I have read and enjoyed the entire series (and all the short stories I could find). I recommend that everyone read these books. That said, this edition is terrible. The quality of the binding is poor (my copy had pages falling out when I first opened it). Their are also a number of errors in this edition, that are not present in other editions, from simple typographical errors, to entire paragraphs being left out. If you can get the series in no other way, then get this book. Try to get the previous editions first, however. You will be glad you did.
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