Status
Available
Call number
Genres
Publication
Arganda del Rey (Madrid) La Factoría de Ideas [2006]
Description
Amber, the one real world, wherein all others, including our own Earth, are but Shadows. Amber burns in Corwin's blood. Exiled on Shadow Earth for centuries, the prince is about to return to Amber to make a mad and desperate rush upon the throne. From Arden to the blood-slippery Stairway into the Sea, the air is electrified with the powers of Eric, Random, Bleys, Caine, and all the princes of Amber whom Corwin must overcome. Yet, his savage path is blocked and guarded by eerie structures beyond imaging - impossible realities forged by demonic assassins and staggering horrors to challenge the might of Corwin's superhuman fury.
Media reviews
NBD / Biblion
Corwin verliest na een auto-ongeluk zijn geheugen en probeert beetje bij beetje zijn herinnering terug te winnen. Hij komt erachter dat hij acht broers en zussen heeft en dat zij prinsen zijn die strijden om de troon van Amber. Amber is een volmaakt koninkrijk dat slechts door de negen prinsen via
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een geestestoestand bereikt kan worden. De aarde en de vele andere parallelle werelden zijn slechts Schaduwen van Amber. Corwin verzamelt een leger om te voorkomen dat zijn broer Eric de troon bestijgt (deel 1). Corwin verliest en vervloekt zijn broer. Deze vervloeking bedreigt Amber als demonen van Chaos het koninkrijk binnenvallen. Corwin is genoodzaakt samen met Eric te strijden tegen deze Schaduwdemonen (deel 2). Als Corwin eenmaal heerser is, vindt hij via veel omwegen de legendarische eenhoorn (deel 3). Hoewel Zelazny veel heeft gepubliceerd, ligt zijn bloeiperiode toch in de late jaren zestig en de vroege jaren zeventig met de Amber-serie als hoogtepunt. Een SF-klassieker die gelezen moet worden. Normale druk. Show Less
User reviews
LibraryThing member Gwendydd
I don't get what all the fuss is about.
This guy wakes up from a coma with no memory of who he is, immediately realizes that his life is at risk, escapes from the hospital to his sister's house, and starts to get his memory back. He vaguely remembers that he and his siblings all hate each other (but
I guess I can see that this is some fun fantasy/adventure/swashbuckling stuff... but none of it makes any sense. There is no reason for this plot to exist. No motivation is ever given for any of the characters' actions, or mutual hatred, or anything. It's just a bunch of random adventure.
Maybe the later books explain all of this stuff a little bit better - maybe they give the backstory of what Amber is and why it's worth the deaths of hundreds of thousands to be king of Amber. But this book definitely doesn't explain it, and I don't have any desire to read any more, if they're all like this.
This guy wakes up from a coma with no memory of who he is, immediately realizes that his life is at risk, escapes from the hospital to his sister's house, and starts to get his memory back. He vaguely remembers that he and his siblings all hate each other (but
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no reason for this hatred is given). He realizes that they're all royalty in some magical realm (but never thinks this is odd). And then, for absolutely no reason whatsoever (other than, this is just what princes of Amber do), he decides to raise a massive army to fight and kill his brother so he can rule Amber.I guess I can see that this is some fun fantasy/adventure/swashbuckling stuff... but none of it makes any sense. There is no reason for this plot to exist. No motivation is ever given for any of the characters' actions, or mutual hatred, or anything. It's just a bunch of random adventure.
Maybe the later books explain all of this stuff a little bit better - maybe they give the backstory of what Amber is and why it's worth the deaths of hundreds of thousands to be king of Amber. But this book definitely doesn't explain it, and I don't have any desire to read any more, if they're all like this.
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LibraryThing member bjanecarp
Roger Zelazny's novel, Nine Princes in Amber, begins exactly like a bad weekend in Las Vegas, only without all the exotic pleasure of hangovers, nudity, gambling and dubious marriages. Our hero, Corwin, is naked, hospitalized, and can't remember his name. He can't remember a thing, in fact. He
Corwin, with the help of a few of his siblings, goes after Eric, who's soon to crown himself king. the brothers' kingdom, Amber, is not unlike the Platonic ideal of a kingdom, or universe. Earth itself, and innumerable other "shadow worlds," must be navigated to reach Amber and Corwin and his family are the only beings with the ability to see through these worlds and move between them. Family members can communicate amongst themselves with a special Tarot deck with their likenesses painted on the trumps.
OK. Let's be honest here. I thought the book stank. Without a doubt, Zelazny's Amber chronicles are classics. Many writers, including Neil Gaiman, heaped accolades on the man. His works have won 6 Hugo Awards, 3 Nebula Awards. three of the Amber novels have won, or been nominated for, Locus Fantasy Awards. Maybe it's "first of the series syndrome" and the novels will grow on me (I have the second novel in my coat pocket right now), but I found tedious Corwin and his tedious family to be tedious. Corwin is an intelligent stock run-of-the-mill superhero meatpuppet who smoked cigarettes so incessantly, I honestly thought of taking a shot of liquor every time Zelazny had the guy light up. I'd have been blind drunk by page 60. it reminded me of the old Thin Man movies, where, with each martini, William Powell and Myrna Loy killed yet another huge chunk of their liver. Corwin, of course, had superhuman lungs, and didn't really suffer from the surgeon general's dire warnings, (they were listed on United States cigarette packaging beginning in 1966). In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if it were Zelazny's not-so-gentle nod in that direction. Would Superman get lung cancer? I think not!
Zelazny's language is sometimes anachronistic. I shook my head, disbelieving the text, the first time one of Zelazny's characters used the word "dig" in the 60s sense, you dig my meaning? Zelazny went on to use the term a handful of other times in the 180 page novel. I shook my head every other time, too. Now I need a neck massage.
I liked the idea of navigating the platonic shadow worlds. I enjoyed the tarot deck communication. The writing was direct and interesting. Corwin had himself a very very bad couple of years at the hand of Eric. Ok. We don't like Eric now. We get the picture. On to book two.
Yes, I'm plowing forward through the series. I like to complete these series, and I have all 10 books ready for reading. The first one underwhelmed me, but the rest of the series may prove to be something as memorable as LeGuin's Earthsea novels. I've got my fingers crossed.
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quickly learns he has been in an car wreck, conveniently devised by his brother Eric. Eric has been picking on Corwin for centuries, we discover -- forcing him to live over the centuries through the Black Death, the Holocaust, Russian Internment camps, nuclear devastation. Corwin, with the help of a few of his siblings, goes after Eric, who's soon to crown himself king. the brothers' kingdom, Amber, is not unlike the Platonic ideal of a kingdom, or universe. Earth itself, and innumerable other "shadow worlds," must be navigated to reach Amber and Corwin and his family are the only beings with the ability to see through these worlds and move between them. Family members can communicate amongst themselves with a special Tarot deck with their likenesses painted on the trumps.
OK. Let's be honest here. I thought the book stank. Without a doubt, Zelazny's Amber chronicles are classics. Many writers, including Neil Gaiman, heaped accolades on the man. His works have won 6 Hugo Awards, 3 Nebula Awards. three of the Amber novels have won, or been nominated for, Locus Fantasy Awards. Maybe it's "first of the series syndrome" and the novels will grow on me (I have the second novel in my coat pocket right now), but I found tedious Corwin and his tedious family to be tedious. Corwin is an intelligent stock run-of-the-mill superhero meatpuppet who smoked cigarettes so incessantly, I honestly thought of taking a shot of liquor every time Zelazny had the guy light up. I'd have been blind drunk by page 60. it reminded me of the old Thin Man movies, where, with each martini, William Powell and Myrna Loy killed yet another huge chunk of their liver. Corwin, of course, had superhuman lungs, and didn't really suffer from the surgeon general's dire warnings, (they were listed on United States cigarette packaging beginning in 1966). In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if it were Zelazny's not-so-gentle nod in that direction. Would Superman get lung cancer? I think not!
Zelazny's language is sometimes anachronistic. I shook my head, disbelieving the text, the first time one of Zelazny's characters used the word "dig" in the 60s sense, you dig my meaning? Zelazny went on to use the term a handful of other times in the 180 page novel. I shook my head every other time, too. Now I need a neck massage.
I liked the idea of navigating the platonic shadow worlds. I enjoyed the tarot deck communication. The writing was direct and interesting. Corwin had himself a very very bad couple of years at the hand of Eric. Ok. We don't like Eric now. We get the picture. On to book two.
Yes, I'm plowing forward through the series. I like to complete these series, and I have all 10 books ready for reading. The first one underwhelmed me, but the rest of the series may prove to be something as memorable as LeGuin's Earthsea novels. I've got my fingers crossed.
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LibraryThing member jjmcgaffey
I've read this so many times it's very hard to review. I enjoy watching Corwin figure out what's going on, and I love the point at which he tells Random and Deirdre the truth. Once he teams up and starts fighting his way into Amber, it gets way too bloody - either I read it just on the surface -
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just numbers, with '1000 men gone' here and '1500 swept away by a flood' there, or I try to imagine the situation and I can't, it's just too nasty. Corwin suffers twinges about his recruits, but it doesn't stop him...the whole thing is way too much like an obsession. There's also some very weird language - one time Corwin says, approximately, "I'm sorry, my memory is so screwed up. What is thy wish?" - a serious mix of casual modern English and archaic formal speech (though by that time, he mentions, they're not speaking English any more. Still, the style variations probably persist). And all that aside - this is a fascinating bit of world-building, interesting characters, and a good story that is definitely just the start to more (but still pretty well self-contained). Show Less
LibraryThing member Frozeninja
I picked this book up on a whim, not really anything about Roger Zelazny and not knowing what to expect. Since I knew this was a series I expected the first book to be something of a slow build up, however I was hugely mistaken. Right from the start of the book we're thrown into the action, as the
The amount this book manages to cram into 200 pages is simply a phenomenal mix of action and politics. It starts off at a pace and doesn't slow down. From Corwin's escape from the hospital to his meeting of various siblings, to his eventual return to Amber, it's a fantastic read from start to finish and it leaves me thoroughly hungry to read 'Guns of Avalon'.
The only universe that comes close to the blend of fantasy and science fiction found in here for me would be Gene Wolfe's ' Book of the New Sun', though Amber has less psychology and more politics. A thoroughly recommended read.
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main character Corwin wakes up in a hospital not knowing who he is or why he's there. What looks at first like a simple case of amnesia becomes more sinister as Corwin escapes from the hospital and goes to seek refuge with his sister.The amount this book manages to cram into 200 pages is simply a phenomenal mix of action and politics. It starts off at a pace and doesn't slow down. From Corwin's escape from the hospital to his meeting of various siblings, to his eventual return to Amber, it's a fantastic read from start to finish and it leaves me thoroughly hungry to read 'Guns of Avalon'.
The only universe that comes close to the blend of fantasy and science fiction found in here for me would be Gene Wolfe's ' Book of the New Sun', though Amber has less psychology and more politics. A thoroughly recommended read.
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LibraryThing member tpi
I have read this book first time something like twenty years ago. It wasn't as good as I remembered, but it was good. A lot happens. so much that a few younger fantasy writers might take a small lesson of this book - it isn't necessary to write 500 pages, when you can tell a fine story in 200
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pages. However, at times to storytelling was even a bit _too_ rushed, and some things were skipped quit fast. Anyway, at least for me this is better that telling the same story on three or four thick volumes, like someone like Jordan might have done for this book. Show Less
LibraryThing member RBeffa
This short novel is a very mixed bag for me. It starts very well and is intriguing but once we get through a bunch of figuring things, the first half of the book, the story got sort of sloppy, cartoonish and stupid for me when I was expecting it to up the game. Let me put it another way ... I
The story holds up reasonably well for something written in 1970 although the beyond obsessive smoking in the story does date this badly, as well as interjecting "Dig?" and "Like". You know , like wow man, can you dig it sort of dig and like. This is the first in a series and I have really loved some of Zelazny's short fiction so I was of two minds about yes or no to continue the series to see where this goes. I first read this long, long ago I can see why I never continued the series the first time around and don't plan to continue now.
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couldn't care less what was happening. My biggest problem is that I was initially sympathetic but then realized I don't like the main character Corwin and have no reason to root for him (actually I could probably say most characters in here). The second half of the novel just really let me down and, for me, undermined any sympathy I may have had for the main character.The story holds up reasonably well for something written in 1970 although the beyond obsessive smoking in the story does date this badly, as well as interjecting "Dig?" and "Like". You know , like wow man, can you dig it sort of dig and like. This is the first in a series and I have really loved some of Zelazny's short fiction so I was of two minds about yes or no to continue the series to see where this goes. I first read this long, long ago I can see why I never continued the series the first time around and don't plan to continue now.
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LibraryThing member revslick
Zelazny has incredible world building skills and Amber is no exception; however, beyond the world building, the rest of the novel is one giant train wreck. Characters move from old English to modern slang free form without rhyme or reason. The magic is system is all fubar - one minute it works and
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the next zilch until somebody else comes along to use magic and help out this semi-omnipotent Prince of Amber. Everybody wants to be King but only half heartedly. The main character has amnesia and conveniently remembers some things and yet when he does rattles off pages. Imagine Phillip K Dick doing lots of acid and then rewriting Game of Thrones as a science fiction novel. Show Less
LibraryThing member usuallee
Decent concept spoiled by lazy writing. Stilted writing as well - why simply use the word "on" when you can use the word "upon" to try to imbue your John D MacDonald wannabe writing style with a bit more gravitas? This is a renowned fantasy book/series. Overrated, I say. One of my biggest pet
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peeves is when I am told, not shown, that a character has changed in some profound way. This book commits that cardinal sin. Recommended if you like: fantasy novels with zero human emotion, the word "thing" (i.e. "why should I do this thing?" when "Why should I do this?" would have sufficed. Over and over and over sentences ended with an unnecessary "thing".) Show Less
LibraryThing member jimmaclachlan
currently reading for the September 2009 read for the Zelazny group. Wow! It's still a fantastic read after all these years. That's amazing.I re-read this every 5 years or so. It's the start to one of the best series I've ever read. Zelazny is a super writer & this book started a series that has
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spawned a lot of other books. There are 4 other books that follow this one with Corwin as the hero, then Zelazny did another 5 about Corwin's son, Merlin. Gregory Betancourt is up to book 4 (let's hope the last, #5, gets published since the publisher folded) on Corwin's dad, Oberon. Some don't like Betancourt's books, but I think he's done a great job. A lot better than most of the novels others have finished for Zelazny. He's kept to the story line & a similar writing style. Zelazny & some others worked out the Visual Guide to Amber & Zelazny wrote 6 more short stories that fill in some of the holes between the series. I think all of them are in 'Manna from Heaven' Show Less
LibraryThing member danconsiglio
Impressive, imaginative plot. Amusing characters. Terrible, terrible, cliche-ridden writing. This is what I get for liking sci/fi so much. Read if you have always wanted a story about dimension-traveling super-heroes who fight over the lost throne of the medieval fantasy (dragonless) realm. Skip if
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you don't fit into this narrow category. Show Less
LibraryThing member BooksForDinner
I found this novel very strange. It's not the plot, or the characters, or anything like that; it's strange because while it is possibly the worst written 'famous' book I've ever read, I enjoyed it.
All at once, Zelazny writes in really bad make-believe Shakespeare prose and then later in the same
That said, the story was fun, and the world he created is original, especially for the early 70s when he wrote it. Being a huge fantasy/SF fan, and these stories being considered classics of the genre, I don't really have a choice but to give them a little more of a shot!
All at once, Zelazny writes in really bad make-believe Shakespeare prose and then later in the same
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sentence in goofy 70s hipster slang... not sure what he is going for with this idea, but I hope it either shows itself or goes away in the upcoming installments. Also, there are misspellings and sentence structure issues all over the place. It's kind of bizarre... almost like the book wasn't edited.That said, the story was fun, and the world he created is original, especially for the early 70s when he wrote it. Being a huge fantasy/SF fan, and these stories being considered classics of the genre, I don't really have a choice but to give them a little more of a shot!
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LibraryThing member nesum
Something strange happens when you read Zelazny. You enter this world of depth and history, with great characters and driving plot. You become absorbed in that wonderful imagination, and you feel at home there, like you have belonged there your whole life.
And then you look back on it, and it was
I say it's strange because he seems able to weave masterfully more in 175 pages than most authors can in 500. And I certainly have nothing against long books. Heaven knows I like a thick Fantasy novel. But the reason I like them is because of their depth. If Zelazny can do the same thing in a short book, all the better!
I am anxious to continue on into further Amber books now. Much like the Earthsea books, I almost feel a pull with this book. Very well worth the time.
And then you look back on it, and it was
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only 175 pages.I say it's strange because he seems able to weave masterfully more in 175 pages than most authors can in 500. And I certainly have nothing against long books. Heaven knows I like a thick Fantasy novel. But the reason I like them is because of their depth. If Zelazny can do the same thing in a short book, all the better!
I am anxious to continue on into further Amber books now. Much like the Earthsea books, I almost feel a pull with this book. Very well worth the time.
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LibraryThing member lunaverse
In the Amber series, there are many alternate universes -- and one real place called Amber. All other places (including Earth) are variations on Amber.
In Amber, there is one king, Oberon, plus 9 princes and 9 princesses. These siblings compete for power.
They also have the ability to travel between
Even though there are 10 books in this series (two series of 5 books each), it's a quick read because the story is engaging and the books are so short.
In Amber, there is one king, Oberon, plus 9 princes and 9 princesses. These siblings compete for power.
They also have the ability to travel between
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the parallel worlds.Even though there are 10 books in this series (two series of 5 books each), it's a quick read because the story is engaging and the books are so short.
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LibraryThing member Jefficus
The premise is that Corwin, one of the Lords of Fae, has been trapped in the mortal realm for a few centuries, living in his version of Hell and suffering from amnesia. He wakes up and slowly recovers his memories, just in time to learn that his claim to the throne is about to be usurped by his
Can you say "entitlement issues?" This entire book reads to me like a painful episode of Silver Spoons, or maybe 90210. One spoiled rich kid isn't getting what he wants, so he throws a tantrum and drags the rest of the family in, forcing them to choose sides, and causing a major rift in the family, all so he can try to take the ball away from his older brother, who picked it up first.
To be honest, I don't see what the fuss is about. The Amber Chronicles have appeared on so many lists of must-read fantasy, for so long, that I just had to check it out. Well, I've done that now, but I'm thinking, "Is that it?" I understand that it's only the first book, and that amazing stuff may be waiting for me in Book 2. Or Book 8. But I would only bother to read those if Book 1 had done its job, dragging me into a story that I feel compelled to see through to the end. Well it didn't, and I don't, so I won't.
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older brother. So he enlists a few of his other brothers and goes to war against the usurper, in an attempt to recover his perceived birthright.Can you say "entitlement issues?" This entire book reads to me like a painful episode of Silver Spoons, or maybe 90210. One spoiled rich kid isn't getting what he wants, so he throws a tantrum and drags the rest of the family in, forcing them to choose sides, and causing a major rift in the family, all so he can try to take the ball away from his older brother, who picked it up first.
To be honest, I don't see what the fuss is about. The Amber Chronicles have appeared on so many lists of must-read fantasy, for so long, that I just had to check it out. Well, I've done that now, but I'm thinking, "Is that it?" I understand that it's only the first book, and that amazing stuff may be waiting for me in Book 2. Or Book 8. But I would only bother to read those if Book 1 had done its job, dragging me into a story that I feel compelled to see through to the end. Well it didn't, and I don't, so I won't.
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LibraryThing member bluesalamanders
A man wakes up with amnesia and wounds that have healed faster than humanly possible. He escapes the hospital where he's being held and tricks people giving him help and information, but he realizes that he's in over his head when seemingly impossible events keep happening around him. He eventually
It's been a long time since I last read this book and I'd forgotten that the women in it were so utterly useless. I remember them being unimportant, but I didn't remember the dichotomy of most of the men being superhero tough and most of the women being pathetic. That was very disappointing. Also, the writing was nowhere near as good as I remembered, the dialogue was bizarrely inconsistent, and the plot really doesn't make that much sense.
It's not a terrible book, but it's just not what I remember. Sometimes old favorites should just stay memories.
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reveals his mental state to his brother, who then suggests a way to regain his memory.It's been a long time since I last read this book and I'd forgotten that the women in it were so utterly useless. I remember them being unimportant, but I didn't remember the dichotomy of most of the men being superhero tough and most of the women being pathetic. That was very disappointing. Also, the writing was nowhere near as good as I remembered, the dialogue was bizarrely inconsistent, and the plot really doesn't make that much sense.
It's not a terrible book, but it's just not what I remember. Sometimes old favorites should just stay memories.
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LibraryThing member Ma_Washigeri
Perhaps nearly four stars for the first book, and three for each of the other 4 Corwin books which I am not going to add separately. After the first one I tend to skip over all the shadow walking stuff as it gets a bit samey - so they end up more like long short stories. I think I like the books
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particularly because I like to inhabit the head of the narrator - a very satisfying character and an enjoyable rollercoaster adventure. Show Less
LibraryThing member TadAD
The first quintology in the Amber series forms a great story...original, well-written and exciting. The second quintology (see Trumps of Doom) is a huge disappointment. I would strongly recommend reading the first five and then stopping. You miss nothing...there's a clear ending in The Courts of
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Chaos. Show Less
LibraryThing member Radaghast
Nine Princes in Amber was a great read, and a bit of a surprise. The premise is misleading. Ostensibly, Nine Princes in Amber is about a struggle for the throne in a fantasy universe of which our world is merely a shadow. In actuality, Nine Princes in Amber surpasses that average description. It is
At the start of the novel, Corwin awakens in a hospital room with no memory of who he is, nor any memory of how he got there, save a brief flash of a car accident. We quickly discover that Corwin isn't merely a patient, but a prisoner, who is being kept sedated by his caretakers. Needless to say, Corwin escapes and begins his quest to discover himself and ultimately take the throne in Amber.
In my view, the novel doesn't really start until Corwin recovers his memory. The first sequences are good, but its the later sequences as Corwin battles through Amber that I enjoyed most. Nine Princes in Amber is an odd novel. It is about semi-immortal characters living in a land of ethereal purity. I don't think that's something I would likely read if this was the description I was given, but it works. The novel sometimes feels like a dream as you read. It helps that Corwin is a likable character. Zelazny makes it clear that his time on Earth has changed him. Corwin is more human that the rest of his family (though, I personally found Random to be a very human character as well). The novel's plot meanders a bit, but the overarching ideas and the fascination I developed with Amber overcame any of these shortcomings. It really feels like a world you are more likely to encounter as you sleep than any where else.
In the end, this is a novel about as strange place more than it is a novel of plot and that worked well for me.
(All that said, there's a lot of smoking in this novel. It was written in 1970, and that's not a really serious criticism, but I couldn't help thinking most of these characters should have gotten lung cancer by now, immortal or not.)
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truly about Corwin, the main character of the novel, who is a prince of Amber and has been suffering from amnesia for several hundred years. It's about his struggle to reclaim what he has lost, and ultimately his struggle with how much his time away from Amber has changed him.At the start of the novel, Corwin awakens in a hospital room with no memory of who he is, nor any memory of how he got there, save a brief flash of a car accident. We quickly discover that Corwin isn't merely a patient, but a prisoner, who is being kept sedated by his caretakers. Needless to say, Corwin escapes and begins his quest to discover himself and ultimately take the throne in Amber.
In my view, the novel doesn't really start until Corwin recovers his memory. The first sequences are good, but its the later sequences as Corwin battles through Amber that I enjoyed most. Nine Princes in Amber is an odd novel. It is about semi-immortal characters living in a land of ethereal purity. I don't think that's something I would likely read if this was the description I was given, but it works. The novel sometimes feels like a dream as you read. It helps that Corwin is a likable character. Zelazny makes it clear that his time on Earth has changed him. Corwin is more human that the rest of his family (though, I personally found Random to be a very human character as well). The novel's plot meanders a bit, but the overarching ideas and the fascination I developed with Amber overcame any of these shortcomings. It really feels like a world you are more likely to encounter as you sleep than any where else.
In the end, this is a novel about as strange place more than it is a novel of plot and that worked well for me.
(All that said, there's a lot of smoking in this novel. It was written in 1970, and that's not a really serious criticism, but I couldn't help thinking most of these characters should have gotten lung cancer by now, immortal or not.)
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LibraryThing member MorganGMac
It took a while to get into the series, but Zelazny hit a nice stride with character development and plot pace in this novel. I"m definitely going on to #3.
LibraryThing member llasram
The Chronicles of Amber is by far my favorite pulp SF series. Definitely worth a read if you're looking for some escapist diversion.
LibraryThing member iftyzaidi
A re-read. In fact I believe it’s the fourth time I’ve read this particular book (the first in the Amber series by Roger Zelazny). It is so utterly and compulsively readable that as soon as I read the first couple of sentences I’m hooked and utterly carrier away. A true pulp fantasy classic.
LibraryThing member jmoncton
I loved this series when I was in high school and picked it as a family read aloud. Great imaginative fantasy. In high school I really liked the creativity and plot of this series. Reading it aloud, I noticed how well written this story is - varied sentence structure, diverse choice of words -
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definitely not your typical trade SciFi paperback! My son is now hooked and is working on the other 9 books in this series. Mission accomplished! Show Less
LibraryThing member raschneid
Has some cool things going on, but hasn't quite shed a lot of pulp fiction tropes. Unless their inclusion is tongue-in-cheek? I honestly can't tell. Also, the first person narrator is a bit uneven and thus is starting to drive me crazy.
LibraryThing member ladypembroke
Very interesting. Did not turn out the way I expected, either. I like that in a book. Off to read more!
LibraryThing member helver
Nine Princes in Amber is our introduction to the world of Amber and its Wagnerian denizens. It fits, of course, that Oberon is the absent King. We start off by meeting Corwyn who finds himself an amnesiac, locked into a convalescence home of some sort. Being who he is, he doesn't really need much
I found the concept of this multiverse interesting - there is one true Earth (called Amber) and then there are Shadows of Amber which mirror certain aspects of Amber. There can even be certain Shadows that are bright enough and powerful enough to cast their own Shadows. Places and people and events in Amber cast analogs in the Shadows - sometimes quite similar, sometimes quite different. Definitely an interesting concept.
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help in healing. Not that he knows that. Our story here introduces us to Amber, the royalty, their powers and magic, the Pattern, and Zelazny's version of the multiverse. The book is quick with a decent, if somewhat unfulfilling, story. It's primary purpose is to be the hook that reels us in to subsequent volumes, and it does its job admirably. I greatly enjoyed it and will proceed with all due haste onto the next volumes.I found the concept of this multiverse interesting - there is one true Earth (called Amber) and then there are Shadows of Amber which mirror certain aspects of Amber. There can even be certain Shadows that are bright enough and powerful enough to cast their own Shadows. Places and people and events in Amber cast analogs in the Shadows - sometimes quite similar, sometimes quite different. Definitely an interesting concept.
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Subjects
Awards
Mythopoeic Awards (Finalist — 1971)
Locus Award (Nominee — Novel — 1971)
Locus All-Time Best (Fantasy Novel — 9 — 1998)
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
1970
Physical description
349 p.; 23 cm
ISBN
9788498002645