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.

All roads lead to Amber

The beginning to one of my favorite series of all time. The author's masterpiece. Gods among men, and question whether the author is lying to you, for his own advantage.

Fantastic narrator, quick & fun story

Quite pleased with the narration. Such a pleasant and clear voice. Fun, short fantasy story. Like Borne Identity meets The Count of Monte Cristo.

Opening some new fassets every time

I love to return to the Amber chronicles every now and then. Audible production is great

Somewhat lacking

This honestly feels like the SparkNotes of the actual book. The story just glosses over so many things with barely a mention. It's an interesting story, but not my style of story telling.

It's been YEARS since I read this...

I hadn't read this in decades, but I remembered that I enjoyed it back then. I was not disappointed with the narration, and enjoyed Mr. Juliani's performance of it.

Why is this not a TV series?

I read this series thirty years ago and absolutely loved it. I've actually put off buying the Audible series for a couple of years, partly because I didn't want to ruin that memory if the series if it was not all I remembered it was. I ought not to have worried. It is every bit as good as I remember.

BRING ON THE NEXT BOOK!

Still fast and fun.

The first tarot-inspired book of Amber. Revisiting this, I'm struck by the frank tone of Corwin's narrative. It's a fantasy of warring, modern demi-gods but with the style of pulp fiction or noir.

Great begining of the series

I have heard this book read by Roger Zelazny himself. Whereas he wrote an excellent story in this series, he himself is NOT a great dramatic actor. The reading by Allessandro Juliani really added to the series- When Zelazny himself read this book, I didn't notice any differences between characters when he read. Juliani's reading is superior and adds a lot of enjoyment to the series. I am not sorry I got this book again even after having heard the author's version of it. I am looking forward to seeing how the entire series feels now with Juliani's reading.

If you are like me and are looking for great new series, you might like this one. Fair warning: from what I recall, the series' quality did degrade towards the end, but the beginning parts was excellent; it climaxed, then left some questions unanswered. Through it all, though, it provides an enjoyable experience.

Everything isn't for everyone. This series has been around for a while so I'm sure a lot of people have opinions about it. Before you commit to it, please find out what other reviewers think. If there's a series you've enjoyed, please share it. Thank you.

All roads lead to Amber

What did you love best about Nine Princes in Amber?

The story is compelling and fascinating. I love the transitions between the different worlds and the way Zelazny worded them.

What other book might you compare Nine Princes in Amber to and why?

I cannot think of a comparison that equals these first five books. They are of themselves a very good body of work.

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

Corwin of course. He rocks

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I named my youngest daughter Amber and would have named a boy Corwin. How's that for extreme? My wife and I both enjoyed the Amber series maybe a bit too much, but what a great escape from this world.

Any additional comments?

A must listen. And I listen to a lot of books.

Great performance, so-so story

Loved Juliani's skillful narration of this book, but I had a hard time caring about Corwin, the book's narrator. Written in a style frequently reminiscent of hard-boiled detective novels, awkwardly combined with the occasional bit of pseudo-Elizabethan dialog, this very short book follows the adventures of a man who wakes up, amnesiac, in a private hospital, and makes a daring escape, followed by the eventual revelation of his true identity as a royal price of Amber, a kingdom located in a alternate universe.

Once he discovers who he is (and that he's part of a large brood of seemingly-immortal, mostly-amoral siblings), he reveals himself to be mostly self-centered, ambitious, and ruthless, with occasional flashes of decency and compassion (though not enough to make him a very sympathetic character). His goal--to prevail against his other brothers, and seize the throne of his late father.

To do this, he forms and breaks alliances with various of his other brothers and sisters, and recruits a huge army of gullible aliens who believe him a god, to use as cannon-fodder. He promptly gets every last one of his followers killed in an ill-advised attack upon Amber, and his own life is in grave peril.

Where the book failed to spark my interest in listening to subsequent volumes is that I simply didn't care whether Corwin became king, or one of his other brothers. They all seemed equally arrogant and awful to me, the entitled, privileged scions who considered all those not of royal blood to be mere pawns in their game of thrones.