Nine Princes in Amber

The Chronicles of Amber, Book 1

By: Roger Zelazny

Narrated by: Alessandro Juliani

Length: 5 hrs and 31 mins

Publisher's summary

Nine Princes in Amber is the first of the 10 books that are The Chronicles of Amber; an epic fantasy series written by six-time Hugo Award winning and three-time Nebula Award winning author, Roger Zelazny.

The ten books that make up the series are told in two story arcs: The Corwin Cycle and the Merlin Cycle.

The Audible audio rendition of this classic sci-fi/fantasy series is kicked off by 2012 Audie Award nominee, Alessandro Juliani, who reads the first five books that make up the Corwin Cycle and whose narration vividly brings the world of Amber to life.

Amber is the one real world, of which all others including our own Earth are but Shadows. Amber burns in Corwin's blood. Exiled on Shadow Earth for centuries, the prince is about to return to Amber to make a mad and desperate rush upon the throne.

From Arden to the Pattern deep in Castle Amber which defines the very structure of Reality, Corwin must contend with the powers of his eight immortal brothers, all Princes of Amber. His savage path is blocked and guarded by eerie structures beyond imagining impossible realities forged by demonic assassins and staggering Forces that challenge the might of Corwin's superhuman fury.

©1970 Roger Zelazny (P)2012 Audible, Inc.

A great performance for a fantastic series.

I've been a fan of Roger Zelazny's Amber series since I discovered it decades ago, and was delighted to discover this new, unabridged adaptation of his masterwork. Alessandro Juliani does a great job as narrator, capturing Corwin's voice and personality well, and while some of his vocal choices for the rest of the family take a moment's getting used to, he manages to imbue each character with a distinctive voice and manner that draws you into the tale. Listening to the opening volume once more, I remember again why I was so drawn to this world, and can't wait to work my way through all ten books in the series. This one's definitely a must-have if you're an Amber fan, and if you're unfamiliar with the tales of the immortal city at the heart of all things, you're in for a treat.

Think Gaiman.

If you could sum up Nine Princes in Amber in three words, what would they be?

Entertaining Insane Ride

What was one of the most memorable moments of Nine Princes in Amber?

The moment when things turn fantastical and Corwin hurls an armchair across a room.

Which character – as performed by Alessandro Juliani – was your favorite?

Random. The voice, combined with the author's writings, combines to make a great character, if a little weasly.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

Gold may glitter, but nothing shines like Amber.

Any additional comments?

This is a great example of surreal fantasy.

Amber was my gateway to science fiction

What did you love best about Nine Princes in Amber?

The first several chapters of this book pull you in utterly. The character development achieved by Zelazny is outstanding. There is a slow building tension in the book that initially seems reality based then slowly shifts into the sci fi genre. It takes a while to figure out what is going on, however, once the "rules" of Amber are made clear, its game on for story time.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Corbin is focus of the story in the initial Amber books, the later books focus on his son Merlin. This book introduces you to Corbin and the other members of the Royal Family of Amber. Corbin is my favorite character, not because he is the focus, because he is the most easy to relate to. The faults revealed in Corbin's character are as appealing as his virtues.

Which scene was your favorite?

When Corbin walks the pattern and his memory begins to return is the best part of the book for me. This is when the back story of many of his siblings begin to emerge.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes. In fact I want all of the Amber books to be released in one comprehensive performance.

Any additional comments?

I listen to audiobooks regularly. I have a special place in my heart for Roger Zelazny as he was the first science fiction author I ever read. I tore into his stories of Amber with a great amount of zeal as a young man. The premise of shaping reality by mere force of will through infinite possibility was so enticing to me. The series backdrop is so well thought out that it allows for anything to happen, any plot to evolve any twist to take root. Roger Zelazny masterfully takes advantage of this in all of his Amber books. The story elements of family relations, politics, the romance of combat by blade, cunning and force of intellect. The underlying themes of balance in all things, Chaos and Order, Good and Evil, Right and Wrong, these books are all simply outstanding.

Great performance

What made the experience of listening to Nine Princes in Amber the most enjoyable?

A. J. Did a great job of bringing the characters to life.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Nine Princes in Amber?

The coronation of Eric.

Which character ??? as performed by Alessandro Juliani ??? was your favorite?

Dworkin

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

Family Fued

Any additional comments?

This was one of my favorite books when I read the paperback. Alessandro Juliani has made it one of my favorite Audible books as well.

Thank Heaven this made it to Audible

Roger Zelazny was a wonderful, gifted writer. If you like science fiction/fantasy he wrote some unbelievable stories. I am so glad that this series has made it to Audible. The series is as fresh for me now as it was forty years ago when I started reading it. I can't recommend it enough. It is pointless to talk about one of these books in a vacuum. You must read the first six books as one story. The second six are not as good, but I still enjoy them. I can only hope that more of the works of Mr. Zelazny will be coming to Audible in the near future.

Life is full of vicissitudes

I'll admit it, I have been a longtime fan of the Chronicles of Amber, in fact since I was in high school and finally found something I loved in the Library. I read the first five books like they were coal to my flame. As a gamer, I still play Amber Diceless Roleplaying (and still attend their conventions well after that game went out of print).

So I'm biased. You should know where I'm coming from after all.

But the Chronicles, in particular the first half of them (Books 1-5, which is Corwin's tale at the edge of Chaos; the underlying conceit of the first chronicles is that it is all a sort of extended flashback with Corwin as his own narrator) have earned a special place in my heart for a reason. I would recommend them to others, and in fact have done so many times. I have gone so far as to buy them for others as gifts. They are that good, and this is the first part.

A note on the narration: At first, I was not sure. I thought Corwin should have more weight, more gravitas. But as I listened to the books, more and more I got over that. Alessandro Juliani does a great job with the characters, he differentiates them relatively well with a few exceptions (his Lord Rein and Prince Random are not identical, but they are close; but luckily they share no scenes together in the books so that is immaterial). I would very definitely not think twice about getting a book that was given voice by this narrator. Kudos, Mr. Juliani, and to quote the meta-narrator (Corwin himself) "...you will be remembered in Amber forever!"

Wow....... buy this book!

Would you consider the audio edition of Nine Princes in Amber to be better than the print version?

I read this book in high school...........the story was great! 4 stars! The Narrator made story come alive and added to great writing. 5 stars!

What did you like best about this story?

The Writing......

What about Alessandro Juliani’s performance did you like?

He made the characters live.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

The walking of the pattern.

Best fantasy story ever written. Gritty, gripping.

It was amazing and never had a boring moment. The 1st person narrative let's you into the mind of Corwin while learning about Amber as he does. Read it years ago and still resonates today plus I get it more.

Great story

I have loved this book since I first read it, 20 years ago. I held off getting the audio book, hoping that they would compile more than one book into a purchase. (You can buy all 10 paper books in one large volume.) It is a great enough book to purchase each individually though.

recent book

this is new Lord of the Rings, but it is a classic fantasy novel, and it is good. The descriptions and setting are interesting, however they might be a little bit confusing. there are no particularly virtuous characters, however this doesn't come off like backstabbing for the steak of backstabbing every 5 minutes like some more recent stories do. I would suggest giving it a listen if you enjoy fantasy novels.