Nine Princes in Amber

A reread for the umpteenth time in 30 years. This effort has a sense of urgency. I'm trying to get in a little more time with this universe before the TV adaptation stamps its mark on it. I can't think of a first book that does more world-building and tone-setting work so quickly or well. This book hits the ground sprinting. Zelazny throws out big, new, wild fantasy ideas almost on every page, and that detached, mannered, sardonic, allusive prose is so addictive.

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 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.

I loved this book as a kid - read it over and over again, however, I haven't read it in a couple of decades, and couldn't remember the plot. As books go, this isn't as good as I remembered. But, I still love books where alternate universes exists. However, its definitely a product of its time - writing is sparse, characters are written as the most basic stereotypes. This isn't a bad thing, just a popular style in the 70's and 80's. As for the plot, its pretty basic - Stolen throne, fight amongst siblings, weird magic, etc etc.

3/5

This is the opening novel of Zelazny's lengthy Chronicles in Amber series, detailing the lives and exploits of the princes of a magical realm adjacent but removed from our own, who are locked in a power vacuum struggle for the throne and title to the greatest city that ever was or ever shall be. There's also this neat idea of infinite worlds with unlimited possibilities, that only the princes have the power to jump between. It opens with a tired but effective literary trick, where the main protagonist, Corwin, is suffering from amnesia, and slowly uncovers his history and powers along with the reader.

Nine Princes in Amber is a romp, a tight tale told compellingly, that despite some sagging in the middle has excellent pacing. This is show more the type of story that you can read cover to cover in a day, and not just because of its pages length. It's an entertainment forward read that has a good balance between vivid action sequences and glimpses into the mystical vale that Amber inhabits. Unfortunately, it's also essentially just a prequel to a much larger story, which most of the time feels like a scam to me, but here at least Zelazny leaves you with a conclusion that could theoretically be satisfying on its own.

Something that held Nine Princes in Amber back from a higher rating is Zelazny's insistence on using 70's slang and fourth wall breaking quips towards the reader that clashed with the rest of his high fantasy ideas. Why did Zelazny choose to do this? Who's to say other than him, but it's hard to see the value in the main character, who is infinite powerful and part of a royal bloodline, sarcastically saying things like "Ya dig?". Perhaps Zelazny was trying to hedge his bets, uncomfortable with how the novel would sell, and tried to make it more relatable to the reader of the time, but it just serves to degrade the authority of the work and will forever date it as a work of its time.

Is Nine Princes in Amber fun? Yes. I had an enjoyable time with my glimpse into this world, and am tempted to continue that peak with at least one of the many sequels. Ultimately though, at its heart Nine Princes in Amber is a boy's power fantasy that does little to become something greater. There is little room for anyone other than the arrogant male characters, while the prince's many sisters are summarily dismissed as unimportant and/or stupid. There are lengthy portions of description dedicated to the power, strength, and ingenuity of the princes, without nuanced exploration of their internal lives, emotions, or the political drama that rules the land. Perhaps the sequels are more complete works, but this one is mostly a work of escapism in a vivid, dream-like land. show less

In 'Among Others' by Jo Walton, Mori, the main character, is pretty excited about the Amber chronicles by Roger Zelazny. Because I already had the first chronicles on my To Be Read pile (mountain), I figured I'd better read them.
Carl Corey wakes up in a medical clinic (in the US, present day) and while he has lost his memory, he figures out he shouldn't be there and escapes. He soon arrives at his sister's house, and while hiding his amnesia, finds out he is a member of a family of not-humans who can travel to another world called Amber. In fact, Amber is the original world, and he and his family can travel to Shadow's, worlds all just a bit different from Amber. Our Earth is such a world. He also discovers card, like tarot cards, of show more the members of his family. Those cards enable him to contact them, and to travel to them through the cards. In this book Corey, who is actually Corwin, gets his memory back, and starts fighting his brother Eric for the throne of Amber. Along the way he discovers just what has happened while he was away, who is allied with whom, and what he is fighting for.
I liked the story, but even though the parts were all released separately, I am sure they are better in one volume. The idea of Amber and Shadow worlds is a very good one, and I like the rest of the world mechanics that Zelazny created. On the other hand, the story somehow felt rushed, like he wanted to use all elements in a story, but only had about 190 pages to do it. Not brilliant but entertaining, three out of five stars. show less

I read the Amber books in high school--thirty years ago-and have just reread them to see if they still hold up. I can understand why I loved them so much as a 10th-grader: there's plenty of action, the narrator is an often-ironic tough guy, and the plot (involving alternate realities and Machiavellian characters) is just complicated enough to make someone keep reading. I even had the two-volume edition of the first five books from the Science Fiction Book Club. (That's how cool I was.) They hold up just fine, and while I remember some of the big surprises, I had forgotten how much work Zelazny had to do to pull them off.

I've also come to appreciate the lack of explanation Zelazny provides and even some of the aspects of the books about show more which other Goodreads users complain. There's no glossary to explain a bunch of esoteric terms, there's no map of Amber, and there's no family trees that the reader needs to continually consult. Zelazny never really explains how the alternate realities "work" (other than that those of the royal family can manipulate them) or why so many members of the family don't simply create alternate worlds where they have all they could ever desire (other than the notion that the royals want Amber because it's more meaningful to them). Zelazny also has a light touch: he never takes himself as seriously as countless other writers of fantasy: no bad poetry or songs sung by Elves. So while these books are not Great Literature, they are enjoyable and have held up, at least for me. Robertson Davies says somewhere that we should read all the great books as teenagers, as middle-aged adults, and as old folks. Rereading books that I loved as a high school sophomore is enjoyable because doing so reminded me of the times when I read purely to find out what happened next. I enjoy reading more now because I understand language more deeply, but there's something to be said for the pleasure of raw plotting and escapism. show less

He wakes in a hospital bed not knowing who or where he is, the truth when he discovers it lies in another realm.

This is one of those books I should have read as a teen. It’s been somewhat over-hyped and ended up being quite the disappointment when I finally got round to reading it. It’s.… fine? I guess? Nothing in it was particularly compelling, and I have zero interest in reading any sequels. It’s also a novel of its time, and though probably better than most, I still found the touches of quotidian misogyny unnecessary and off-putting. Also, for a throne-grab there is a deplorable lack of politicking. Not for me.