The Great Book of Amber: A Novel (Chronicles of Amber)

Bought this to re-read. Story is great and can't wait for it to become a TV show one day.

I love the Amber series. I was introduced to it by the Science Fiction Book Club in the late 70's and picked them up as I found them in book stores through the years. When I heard that Stephen Colbert was producing a series for NetFlix I thought that I should re-read them. Sadly the books I had gathered over twenty or so years were scattered and now probably missing volumes. I bought this book so that I knew I could read all of them in the correct order. It IS nice to have them all in one volume, but at 1200+ pages it is cumbersome to read in bed. Being in the middle of the book seems to be the sweet spot. Starting was difficult and I expect ending will be difficult as well. The material is fantastic. The physical book itself is a bit of a beating.

"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.

TL;DR: An underrated fantasy masterpiece with compelling storytelling, but the book arrived in poor physical condition. ___________ Review on Content: "The Great Book of Amber: The Complete Amber Chronicles, 1-10" is a stunning work of fantasy literature. The writing style is mesmerizing, immersing readers in a world filled with a rich spectrum of artistry. It skillfully weaves philosophy, idealism, suspenseful battles, clever plot developments, and elements of love and fantasy. This collection is truly an underrated gem that deserves more recognition. Review on Condition: However, the physical condition of the book upon arrival was a letdown. The copy I received was marred with wear and tear - bent pages and visible marks, detracting from the joy of owning and reading such a remarkable series. Despite the condition issue, the Chronicles of Amber is an exceptional read for fans of intricate and well-crafted fantasy worlds.

This book was fervently recommended by a friend, and, being an obsessive compulsive book shopper, I bought it almost immediately. When I started reading it, I was both surprised and impressed by the responses I got to my posts on Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads and Google+ – all praising the Chronicles of Amber and/or Zelazny himself. Clearly I had missed out on something very important and my impulse shopping was not in vain. Amber is a realm that casts hundreds of shadows of itself, each one easily manipulated by those of royal blood, including Corwin, whom we first meet as an amnesia patient in the hospital under questionable circumstances. Despite his memory loss, his wits slip him out of captivity and into the home of his sister, where he slowly tries to piece his history together. Knowing nothing of Amber, who’s trying to kill Corwin, or the Trump cards that he finds, each depicting a person he comes to recognize as a sibling, the reader gets to tag along on this curious journey of discovery. Corwin is soon joined by his brother Random who is fleeing mysterious and deadly assailants. Together they make their way back to Amber in a bizarre process that sets the tone for the unusual way magic works in Zelazny’s world. As the threads unwind and Corwin’s memory returns, we learn that the king of Amber is missing, presumed dead, and one of the nine princes, Eric, has assumed the throne. Corwin is determined to usurp his brother's rule and sets about building an army. After the first book, which managed to go from memory loss, to walking the Pattern, to all out war in such a brief time, I quickly came to understand that nothing would be as I expected – including the motivations of each of the siblings and their companions. Zelazny fashions an unbelievably intense story of sibling rivalry, within a fantasy setting unlike any other. The transitions between worlds is so smooth and the language a perfect blend of contemporary and everything else. But the most striking thing for me was the way, as each book progressed, I felt like Zelazny was simply writing everything that spilled from his mind. It felt like he was adding twists and turns and new elements as they came to him – but everything fit in place like the world’s most perfect Tetris game. And when I got to the end of book four’s big reveal. Well .. fuuuhhh…. Side note: The book focuses mainly on Corwin and his interactions with his male companions and brothers. Initially, his sisters and the other women who vaguely show up are considered little more than useless fools. Fortunately, Zelazny seemed to gain a bit more respect for females by book four and five and the women at least served a bit more purpose and earned the respect of the nice men in their lives, too. Sort of. I actually bought the The Great Book of Amber, which includes ten stories within this world. The first five deal with Corwin’s incredible journey, while the second half follows his son Merlin. I have heard that the second half is not quite as good as the first. While this doesn’t deter me from continuing on eventually, I decided to focus on Corwin alone for this review.

História de fantasia incrivel! Por conter os 10 livros em um, essa edição é um pouco desengonçada, papel tipo jornal.

… published 27 Mar 23. All present and correct, all ten books. Epic collection of stories from Zelazny.

no coincide en absoluto con la portada. dentro en lugar de los 10 libros prometidos 3 páginas de texto publicitario. 3 paginas de publicidad por 9 euros!!!

アンバー10冊合本。後半は翻訳されてないです。マーリーンが、誰が真の敵かわからず、いろいろ動くのが印象的。