Nine Princes In Amber

Rating:
Summary: Meet Fantasy's First Family
Review: "Nine Princes" begins the Chronicles of Amber, perhaps the most utterly fun series in Sci-fi/Fantasy.

As it begins, the narrator Corwin - Prince of the magical realm of Amber - wakes up in a hospital with amnesia after an apparent murder attempt, aware only that it was probably a member of his own family who tried to do him in. Leaving the hospital with intentions to interrogate the sister who admitted him, he meets wild child youngest brother Random. Initially keeping his condition close to the vest, Corwin learns that his father and brother Brand are missing, throwing the family power struggle - involving the family's nine princes and to a lesser extent their sisters - into chaos. With little other choice, Corwin decides to trust Random and put his life into his hands. It turns out to be a lucky gamble - he's run into the right brother first, and Random points him to a magical means of restoring his memory, promising (and more importantly actually intending) to stick with him. Through the next four books Corwin - sometimes solo and sometimes with major and minor assists from Random (who becomes the story's "safe place") - begins the long process of finding out what happened to his father and Brand and who wants him dead. On the way, he discovers that some of his siblings were exactly what he thought them, others were better or worse than he believed, some have changed and some he never even really knew at all.

The series is always suspenseful, often darkly funny, and sometimes even surprisingly moving. A second series followed, but it in no way compared to the original first five novels.

This is one of the greats. Buy the next four books too, or you'll regret the wait in between.

Rating:
Summary: This is the best!
Review: A man wakes up in a hospital bed not knowing who he is. That's how it starts, and then the reader is off on a truly imaginative
adventure involving sword fights, battling armies, monsters, the real Earth and possibly an infinite number of false ones, the real King and a pretender, a city under the sea...and it just goes on and on and on. A nifty little novel, even though it's over 30 years old (which is why, before the days of PC, everyone smokes on nearly every page). Even though it's not up to the level of Zelazny's classis _Lord of Light,_ this is still an engrossing book, which nearly everyone will enjoy.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent introduction to a new universe
Review: Beginning as some other Zelazny books, the main character comes to and realizes all is not well (in a similar manner does Coils begin). He has amnesia and is drugged and stuck in some strange place. Effecting a quick escape, he tracks down a familiar name and encounters a few memory-jogging relatives. From there begins quite an odyssey, the five book series known as the First Chronicle of Amber. These five books tell a grand story of the grand conflict within an ancient kingdom ruled by demi-godlike individuals.

Corwin, the narrator and protagonist, is one of these ruling individuals. He is one of the Nine Princes in the book's title, and he is a leading contender for the succession. His brother Eric, however, has his own designs. Corwin works to recover his memory and is embroiled in a conflict for the throne of Amber. There are many mystical aspects to the realm of Amber and the royal family. And considering how darn many there are, he does a great job of personifying them all.

Told in the first person, Zelazny of old did a wonderful writing job in this novel. Excellent exposition, great fight scenes, good atmosphere, wonderful descriptions. Easily among the top notch of his novels. The ending is not as grim as the action right after the climax, which is a good respite. Suffice to say that Zelazny does not always leave the heroes to be the grand saviors with all enemies falling before them.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent introduction to a new universe
Review: Beginning as some other Zelazny books, the main character comes to and realizes all is not well (in a similar manner does Coils begin). He has amnesia and is drugged and stuck in some strange place. Effecting a quick escape, he tracks down a familiar name and encounters a few memory-jogging relatives. From there begins quite an odyssey, the five book series known as the First Chronicle of Amber. These five books tell a grand story of the grand conflict within an ancient kingdom ruled by demi-godlike individuals.

Corwin, the narrator and protagonist, is one of these ruling individuals. He is one of the Nine Princes in the book's title, and he is a leading contender for the succession. His brother Eric, however, has his own designs. Corwin works to recover his memory and is embroiled in a conflict for the throne of Amber. There are many mystical aspects to the realm of Amber and the royal family. And considering how darn many there are, he does a great job of personifying them all.

Told in the first person, Zelazny of old did a wonderful writing job in this novel. Excellent exposition, great fight scenes, good atmosphere, wonderful descriptions. Easily among the top notch of his novels. The ending is not as grim as the action right after the climax, which is a good respite. Suffice to say that Zelazny does not always leave the heroes to be the grand saviors with all enemies falling before them.

Rating:
Summary: Slim volume leaves questions for later stories to address
Review: Corwin is one of the titular nine princes who vie for the throne of Amber, the one true city, of which the Earth we know and countless other realities are mere reflections. He has been suffering amnesia on our world but recovers his memory and, in uneasy partnership with some of his siblings and outright conflict with others, attempts to wrest Amber from his brother Eric, who has assumed the throne.

The main drawback of this imaginative novel is its brevity. Roger Zelazny's story is epic in scope but he relates it in less than two hundred pages, making for a narrative that is extremely sketchy at times, reading more like a synopsis than a finished novel. At one point, Corwin and his brother Bleys travel to a Shadow world, insinuate themselves into the local culture, become worshipped as gods, and forge an army ready to march on Amber and fight with the zeal of Crusaders in a holy war--all in the space of two or three sentences! In addition, I was never quite clear on the nature of Amber and its powerful ruling family. What does it mean for one world to be a "shadow" of another? The brothers seem godlike at the times with their abilities to manipulate the environment of shadow worlds through willpower alone and affect change in Amber itself by pronouncing curses. What does this say about the nature of reality? Ultimately, my opinion of Zelazny's series will depend on how well he addresses these concerns. I am sufficiently intrigued that I look forward to reading more.

Rating:
Summary: Slim volume leaves questions for later stories to address
Review: Corwin is one of the titular nine princes who vie for the throne of Amber, the one true city, of which the Earth we know and countless other realities are mere reflections. He has been suffering amnesia on our world but recovers his memory and, in uneasy partnership with some of his siblings and outright conflict with others, attempts to wrest Amber from his brother Eric, who has assumed the throne.

The main drawback of this imaginative novel is its brevity. Roger Zelazny's story is epic in scope but he relates it in less than two hundred pages, making for a narrative that is extremely sketchy at times, reading more like a synopsis than a finished novel. At one point, Corwin and his brother Bleys travel to a Shadow world, insinuate themselves into the local culture, become worshipped as gods, and forge an army ready to march on Amber and fight with the zeal of Crusaders in a holy war-all in the space of two or three sentences! In addition, I was never quite clear on the nature of Amber and its powerful ruling family. What does it mean for one world to a "shadow" of another? The brothers seem godlike at the times with their abilities to manipulate the environment of shadow worlds through willpower alone and affect change in Amber itself by pronouncing curses. What does this say about the nature of reality? Ultimately, my opinion of Zelazny's series will depend on how well he addresses these concerns. I am sufficiently intrigued that I look forward to reading more.

Rating:
Summary: Entrancing start
Review: Don't you just hate it when you wake up from a coma and discover that your scheming, murderous siblings are trying to bump you off? That's the problem Corwin has at the start of Robert Zelazny's "Nine Princes in Amber," the tightly-written opener of his ten book Amber series.

A man wakes up in a hospital and strong-arms his way out -- he doesn't know who he is or where he came from. But then he finds a woman, Flora, who says she's his sister, and starts to piece together his past -- his name is Corwin, he has several siblings (most of whom he has a not-so-pleasant relationship with). And the word "Amber" -- it brings something to mind, but he can't quite remember what.

Corwin gets a bit of help from his brother Random, after he saves Random from a bunch of Shadow creatures. Their cruel elder brother Eric is crowning himself king of Amber, but all the siblings are catfighting for the throne. Corwin and a few of his allied brothers band together with their armies and navies, determined to stop Eric -- but with disastrous results.

The Amber series is more like two long novels than ten short ones, and the big blinking "To Be Continued" at the end of "Nine Princes in Amber" is proof enough of that. It doesn't finish the story, but just stops. Even though that's frustrating, it stops in a fairly satisfying place -- there's no cliffhanger, just the question of what Corwin will do next.

Zelazny is known for having spare, snappy writing. And he's in peak form in "Nine Princes." His descriptions are minimalist, but very vivid (someone's weathered skin is "porous as an orange rind"), and his dialogue is sharp and to the point. And he has a good handle on his fantasy world, whipping up mind-bending idea like the Pattern, green-haired merwomen, magical Trump cards, strange shadow-horses and vaguely-human beasts.

Corwin himself is a sort of action-Bogart character -- very tough, seasoned and cynical, but with a mushy core somewhere in there. Most of the characters aren't explored fully, except the Flora, who isn't very bright, and Random, who wants desperately to prove himself. But with all these schemes and secret motives, they all promise more depth in future.

"Nine Princes in Amber" does just what the start of a series should do -- it draws you in and makes you desperate to know what's ahead. Solid, creative family-feud fantasy.

Rating:
Summary: Hooked by page two while still in the book store.
Review: I just happened to see this on a bookstore shelf and was curious about the twelve-hundred-page behemoth (it is the Amber Chronicle compilation). After reading the back cover description I wasn't much interested, but I was bored so I started in on the first chapter. Wow, was I ever surprised. Zelazny hooked me with the first pages and I could not stop reading. I found myself wondering with just as much interest as the narrator who he was and why he was in a hospital with no memory. It may sound hackneyed but Zelazny makes it work just by sheer power of his writing.

I also wanted to figure out why the book was in the Sci-fi fantasy section of the store and why the story I was reading seemed to have nothing to do with the covers synopsis.

Needless to say I, and the narrator, did eventually figure it out. I finished the first story, out of ten, later that night and I have just started the second, "The Guns of Avalon". I'm happy to say that so far it is even better than the first and I can't wait to finish this review and get back to reading it.

I highly recommend this collection. If you do purchase the "Amber Chronicles" in the ten volumes set you may want to consider putting clear packaging tape along the spine as mine is showing signs of wear already and I'm afraid that such a thick book may rip at the binding. Happy reading!


Rating:
Summary: A great beginning to a great saga
Review: I started reading Zelazny's Saga of Amber five or six years ago. I never finished the series (i only got about half way through), but it was something I knew I'd pick up at a later date and read (and now I've purchased the Great Book of Amber, which contains all ten books in the saga, and I'm currently reading it). Zelazny published the first book, Nine Princes in Amber, in 1970. And it turned out to be not only well written, but one of the most original ideas in the world of fantasy (like Tolkien's Lord of the Rings, Marion Zimmer Bradley's Avalon series, Jordan's The Wheel of Time, Weiss & Hickman's collaborations, the Dark Elf books of R.A. Salvatore, and so on). The book deals with a family fighting for control of the known world, Amber, and all other worlds, which are 'shadows' of Amber. The reader visits many different worlds, we get swordplay, intrigue, and a cast of great characters. And Zelazny writes in the first person, told from one the brothers, Corwin. But in the beginning, Corwin has amnesia, and doesn't know who he is, or the story of his family. It makes for a great voice and helps keep the reader in a state of suspense and 'knowledgable' confusion, that isn't seen elsewhere in the series, or in many other books. The chronicles of Amber is a highly original, well written series, and Nine Princes of Amber is the best of them.

Rating:
Summary: Captured my imagination and never let go
Review: Nine Princes in Amber is the first of the original five books in the Amber series. I have reread this series several times and each time it recaptures my imagination like few stories ever have. The unique nature of the universe Zelazny created, the twisting plots, the engaging noir/fantasy characters and the sweeping scope are guaranteed to impress any fan of fantasy or Sci-Fi.

You will come to know the members of the royal family of Amber in great detail and you will love and hate them. The story will keep you guessing and the action is well paced. Zelazny is a tight writer and keeps things moving.

These days I hear the Amber series described as a ten book series. This isn't accurate, it is composed of two five book series and the less said about the later five books the better. The first five books dealing with Corwin are a complete story that simply must be read.

You owe it to yourself to read the five books of the original Amber series.