Nine Princes in Amber by Roger Zelazny

GWC Community GWC Book Club
#1

Well, it was inevitable since I’m a big fan of Roger Zelazny and the Amber 'verse, and would love to be able to share Nine Princes in Amber with the GWC book club.

Zelazny’s Nine Princes in Amber and Terry Brooks’ the Sword of Shannarra were likely the first two books that I can point to as my life-long romance with Sci Fi and Fantasy. I read them back when I was playing a lot of DND (Basic in the light-purple box and blue box, as I was transitioning to Advanced with the rule books), and I’ve bought and lent more copies of the Amber chronicles than I can count.

Each book in the Amber series is a pretty short read, and serve as a great introduction to Zelazny’s writing style (master of the first person IMHO). I could go on and on about these books, but I doubt I could do them justice, and it’s honestly more fun to go into these worlds blind and explore them without knowing what to expect.

Wikipedia link to the Amber Chronicles (Spoilers, but some people will do it anyways) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Chronicles_of_Amber

You can probably find a copy of Nine Princes in Amber at your local used book store, but I just noticed that Amazon has “The Great Book of Amber”, which has all 10 books in the two arcs, on sale for $16.99. Now that’s value :slight_smile:

Vote Amber!

#2

Thanks for the suggestion :slight_smile: I read a few of Zelazny’s short stories growing up but never got the chance to read his novel-length works.

(As for Sword of Shannara… I suffered through that earlier this year… some books just don’t hold up over time :()

#3

That’s too funny. I’ve actually never gone back and re-read any of the Shanara books, as I had a sneaking suspicion that might be the case.

Zelazny has some great standalone novels outside the Amber chronicles too. Lord of Light blends sci fi with Hindu mythology, and Lords of Light and Darkness draws some parallels from the Egyptian mythos. I found Doorways in the Sand in a used bookstore while on vacation this tear, and although the chapter structure drove me batty at first (starts each chapter with the highlight, then backs up and works up to it) it was still a solid book. :slight_smile:

#4

Alright, with the release of the Magician King in trade paperback now (instead of just hardcover) I’m pretty sure it will be the Nov/Dec 2011 selection (hell, I’m voting for it)…

But, I’m bumping my “Nine Princes In Amber” thread in support of my pick, because, what kind of Amberite would I be if I didn’t support it :slight_smile:

Vote Zelazny!!