Nine Princes in Amber

The Chronicles of Amber, Book 1

De: Roger Zelazny

Narrado por: Alessandro Juliani

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.

30+ years later it's still my favorite Amber story

What did you love best about Nine Princes in Amber?

Like most "first in a series" fantasy books I enjoyed entering a new world, meeting and getting to know new characters, and of course experiencing the story as it unfolds. And this has been a particular favorite since high school. Perhaps it's the way Nine Princes progresses. Corwin learns of his family situation at the same time that we do, a masterful job by Rodger Zelazny of putting the reader into the story. If you have never experienced the world of Amber give it a listen. The performance might not be the best, but the story is well worth the credit. But be warned, you might just get hooked on the whole series.

What about Alessandro Juliani’s performance did you like?

I am sorry to say it was the performance that hurt this book and the reason I will likely not purchase the rest of the first half of this series. There is just something about Alessandro Juliani's voice, pacing, and inflection that takes away from the story, at least for me. This is the first of Alessandro's books I have listened too and I didn't care for it. I have listened to samples of other performances and he seems to get better.

Awesome with one slight downside

The reader was excellent except that his nonchalant attitude for the main character made me feel equally "meh" about the situations he was in

Great story, amazing narration.

I love these books by Roger Zelazny, and Alessandro Juliani's narration really brings the story alive. His audio is crisp and clear, and his voice acting helps you keep track of each character in moments of tense dialogue. Amazing performance.

Excellent novel, Jr High level narration

The first of Zelazny's famous Amber Chronicles, this is an excellent book, and a great read. Unfortunately, the lack luster narration is about what you might expect from a Junior high School play...except your kid isn't in this one, so why are you here?

Decent rendition of an old series I kinda remember

Where does Nine Princes in Amber rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Very much in the middle. ..which means it was worth the credit! Not a favorite but then I read the written series "long long ago in a universe far away" when it was being written. I liked the Amber series then but it was never an auto buy qnd I never read every book as the series dragged on.

How would you have changed the story to make it more enjoyable?

Don't believe I would change anything. I have pretty much forgotten the series and enjoyed rediscovering this story. It is a little medieval in an alternate universe. No complaints.

What about Alessandro Juliani’s performance did you like?

As I don't remember, it must have been okay but nothing to rave about. Since I gave him 4 stars immediately after listening to the book he is a good narrator but not the top (of which there are very few).

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

Not so much. Compared to my favorite authors which include Bujold, Eric Flint's 1632 series, David Eddings Belgarion and Mallorean series (not to mention the GREATS like Heinlein and Tolkien) this iw an interesting story and a series I will continue to follow when I need a new read and can't find one I REALLY want.

Any additional comments?

Good solid story and writing. If you like Game of Thrones or Christopher Stasheff's Wizard series you will likely enjoy this series. Beware. ..like the Ringworld books and other series I seem to remember that there's a lot of books in this series.