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.

Revisiting the good old days

Amazing writer, great story - perfect narrator. What else can one wish for? A bunch more of the same coming up, that’s what :)

Good start and end, but bad middle

The beginning was great but I struggle with the boring middle. I forced myself through it hoping it would get better. finally got better but it was at the very end. not getting the second book

Good performance of an excellent classic

This is my all-time favorite book, and the narrator mostly gets it right. There were a few shaky moments here and there but overall he captures the personalities--if not always the full bombast--of the major characters. Well done.

Capturing

Couldn't put the book down. The narrator did amazing. I would definitely listen to this book again.

Ageless

I have loved the chronicles of Amber since first picking it up and the immortal city lives on in this shadow of Zelanzy's finest work.

God, this was good

Seriously. Just get past the first couple chapters and the main character’s annoying arrogance, if you can. He doesn’t stay arrogant, and eventually you’re relieved he’s so flippant and cocksure (because he has a heart, and his foes don’t?). I even started rooting for him, by the end. This is a wonderful book and a wonderful story. I’ll probably sink all my credits reading this series, and that’s all right for how much I (eventually) got out of this first book.

P.S. This voice actor? A-MAZ-ING. I don’t know who he is, but his interrelations of the characters delighted me. I don’t know if I could have stomached the main character half so well without his spot-on performance. He really leant Corwin an emotionality I don’t know I’d have picked up just from the writing. And I don’t often rewind scenes just so I can listen to an old, crazed man giggling.

Interesting premise, uninspiring execution

This book was interesting until the main character got his memory back. Before that, the story was full of possibility. After that, it was clear that the characters would never stop being two dimensional. They have little enough personality that there is no reason to care who rules in Amber, or to see that it makes a difference at all.

The narrator is generally cool and nonchalant, which works well at the beginning when the main character is putting up a strong front to hide his amnesia. But after that, in the rare moments where something actually causes Corwin to experience emotion, the narration stays plain and clipped, adding to the two-dimensional nature of the story.

Just awesome!

This book has become one of my favorite fantasy stories. I can't recommend it enough.

Great series, OK reader

Probably my favourite series ever. First read it in the 80s and reread it every few years. I'm sure it's partly nostalgia, but I think it holds up well over time. The audio performance is good with a glaring annoyance, the weird accents given to some characters. Random's sort of East Coast wiseguy accent was painful to listen to. The list goes on...

Who Am I?

This is a book and series that I have read over and over at various points of my life. This is the first time I have heard it as an audio book and Alessandro Juliani really captures the spirit of the novels. The main character awakes from a coma and has no idea who he is. But as the story unfolds, a wild flight of fantasy unfolds and the true reality is revealed. I enjoyed Juliani's character work. Each voice was unique, and captured the essence of the character in a unique fashion.

Bravo! I can't wait to explore the remainder of the series.