[Sir Thursday]

I posted this mini-review of the Chronicles of Amber on the Reading at the Moment thread in the inn, but I thought I would repost it here to see what some other people thought:


I really enjoyed the Chronicles of Amber (note: only 1-5). Memory loss is sometimes overused as a plot point, but I feel that Zelazny used it to perfection as a way to introduce the concept of Amber to his protagonist as much as the reader. There is backstabbing, intrigue and hardship, shades of grey characters (Corwin, through whose eyes we get the story, is not exactly the typical hero who can do no wrong) and some original ideas. Zelazny has done a great job of gradually revealing the true actions of the key players in his very complex game of politics, which is unmatched for deviousness in anything else I've read (yes, that does include A Song of Ice and Fire!). I would definately recommend this to you - read it as soon as possible!

One slight drawback is that because it was originally written as 5 separate volumes, he does tend to sum up previous events at the beginning of the next one, which can be a little annoying. And I suppose you could say that some of the characters, particularly at the beginning, are a little too trusting. But despite these points, it is still a superlative work of fantasy.


Comments? Thoughts? Points of Contention? Post away!

Sir Thursday

[Dagger]

A good summary. The recaps were typical for the era those books were written in. You might want to include something about the surreal quality of the hell rides or whatever it was they called it when they manipulated the shadows. Those were a real acid trip (wonder if Zelazney ever dabbled in peyote, I mean the guy lived in New Mexico after all).

[Astra]

I read it 1 year ago. I liked all 10 books. Only the 9th was a bit borring, sort of pc game quest. Cannot say I liked the first 5 more than the last 5.

[Valgard]

I have read them and love the series it is great Zelazny, is brilliant I also recommend his Lord of Light book a great book with a brillant take on religion.

[Reborn]

The first five books of the Chronicles of Amber are fantastic, and I would even go so far as to call them masterpieces. They are smart and original, and I loved the fact that the story never stood still even so much as a second before moving onward again, and that, as soon as you thought you had come to understand what it was all about, something that changes your view on everything occurs. I wish I could experience that again someday. The five last books are also very good, i liked them alot, but the story is much more chaotic, and the absence of anything even remotely resembling av red thread makes me frustrated.

And Lord of Light, which Valgard mentioned, is a book worth reading, well, about a hundred times.