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.

The engrossing first book in Roger Zelazny’s celebrated, yet regrettably under-remembered, Chronicles of Amber series.

Synopsis:
Amber - the one true world at the center of infinite universes, ruled by a royal family endowed with the power to create new realities or “Shadows” and walk between them. When their King mysteriously vanishes, a contest for the throne begins. On Earth, before the turn of the century, Corwin wakes from an artificially drugged state with no memory of himself, but an inexplicable sense of purpose and an intrinsic capacity for combat, deduction, and wry wit. When hunting down those responsible, he discovers the existence of his thirteen siblings, several of whom want him dead. Corwin plunges daringly into the show more fray, bluffing out information, discovering his inhuman speed and strength, and joining up with his brother Random to travel through Shadow. Impeded by monsters, they make it to Amber, fighting through opposing troops and rescuing one of their sisters, until Corwin must finally admit that he has no memories of his true identity. They travel to an underwater kingdom which perfectly reflects the center of Amber, including the glowing Pattern from which all reality emerges. Only those of royal blood can walk the Pattern and live, gaining its power. Corwin labors through the maze of power, so remembering himself and his centuries of leadership and feuds. He recalls his brother Eric, his bitter rival, the current holder of Amber’s throne, and the one who nearly murdered Corwin, stranding him on Earth. Corwin vows to take the throne and his revenge, and sets out again into Shadow to raise an army alongside his brother.

Zelazny does not grant his characters an easy victory, but instead sets the stage for a greater scheme and the fallout of a curse. Witty and poetic, Zelazny elevates an archetypal plot to an unforgettable saga of rivalry and magical wonder. The princes, though capricious and violent, entrance readers with a heavy wisdom and profound power earned from their centuries of life. On the other hand, the five princesses are shamefully diminished and largely irrelevant to the story despite possessing the same godlike power as their brothers. But the tantalizingly woven mystery, surprising twists, and ever-deepening characters will only draw readers further into Zelazny’s web.

A captivating tale of intrigue and rivalry, with unforgettable characters, and beautifully artistic prose.

I'm always on the lookout for adult fantasy books with 1 male POV character. I made a list of 21 more: https://creativecornerstones.com/2025/06/30/22-high-epic-adult-fantasy-books-wit.... show less

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 - 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 show more 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

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 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 show more 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. show less

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

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.