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.

Great series! However, 1 credit a piece too much

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

Family w/ Daddy Issues.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Corwin of course

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

Not too hard, it's not very long.

Any additional comments?

There are 10 amber books. I read them all as a child, and am enjoying them again in audiobook format. I really loved the series. However, they are very short. 1 credit a piece is wrong. Amber was published as 'the great book of amber' in one large paperback. I'd rather pay 2 or 3 credits for that then 10 credits for the whole series. I got the first three, but sadly, I just cant see spending 10 credits on 10 books that are 7 or 8 hours long. Quality is there, but the value is not.

great story, horrible narration

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

I've read the stories years ago, and love them. But the narrator in this book is horrible. He is forcing accents on characters that don't have them, with little thought of how they match the characters. A high pitched nasal whine for Random, a British aristocrat for Ganelon, an inconsistent souther accent for Dara, and most bizarre of all a Texan accent for Benedict.

Would you be willing to try another one of Alessandro Juliani’s performances?

Doubtful

Good, Classic and Simple fun.

This book is pretty dated but it really does not matter. Ok the amount of smoking that takes place is comical and really the only thing that dates the book. It`s written so well that if not for the smoking you would be hard pressed to tell just how old it is if someone claimed it were new. The story flows very well and keeps you wondering about just what the hell is going on right up to the end and has a good mix of humor, action and mystery. It passes on long and drawn out descriptions of places and thing and sticks to the basics while giving you more than enough detail to completely enjoy the read. The narrator seems to know just how to read the book to give it that old detective novel feel while keeping you wondering why this book has princes in the title. It was really fun and a good imaginative story to boot!

Glad this series made it to audio

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

Great Opening Book

Any additional comments?

First rate job on the first book of the series which I read many years ago. The plot and sub-plots get more and more complex as things go forward, so it is going to be more and more difficult to do a good job in audio format.

Good Start for Series

Would you listen to Nine Princes in Amber again? Why?

The story centers on 1 of 9 princes of Amber who is fighting his siblings for the throne. The story intertwines many worlds all of which are various realities of what Amber could be. Twists & turns keep it interesting. This is one of those series where the end of book 1 doesn't conclude anything so it looks like this will be a multiple book commitment to get down to the end. Not really my favorite structure but I will listen to the next book at some point. Not sure if this was the author's 1st book but the verbaige is a little choppy with back to back short sentences. Hopefully that will improve as the series progresses.

What did you like best about this story?

The progression of the story line was original.

What aspect of Alessandro Juliani’s performance would you have changed?

None. Very good narration. All the character voices are distinct.

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

No

Great Start

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

In audio at last Alessandro Juliani reading is very good,let you known who talking thouthout the story!

What did you like best about this story?

Hear about this series many year ago just never got round to it first book is very good.

A good rendition

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

It had been a long time since I had read the book, and it was fun revisiting it through the eyes of someone else.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Corwin. He is the protagonist, and the story revolves around him.

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

Same.

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

No.

Any additional comments?

No.

Finally

Any additional comments?

I have requested this book for many years from Audible. I am so glad they were finally able to work with the publisher to make this fantastic story avaialbe to it's listeners. I have read this story many times and began reading when in the fourth grade. Roger was truly one of the masters, even if he is overlooked when reviewers begin comparing current works in the science fiction and fantasy genre. What a n amazing story teller. Roger narrated this story prior to his death in an abridged format with suncoast productions that i purchased on cassette many years ago. Although I enjoyed Rogers narration better than Alessandro, Alessandro did a wonderful job with voice differentiation and has a good rhythm and annunciation. Please enjoy as much as I have.

Believable fantasy fiction

Would you listen to Nine Princes in Amber again? Why?

It's an honestly good start to the series, and does a good job at setting up characters and, even on it's own while it doesn't finish the story arc (of course), it doesn't feel incomplete nor does it feel like there is anything left hanging that needs to be answered right away.

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

I honestly have a hard time deciding between how the character maneuvers around not knowing details & ability to get information, or just the personality in general of corwin (sp. error)

Which scene was your favorite?

I personally have no favorite scenes, but have to admit I liked the character building & exploration during the earlier chapters the most.

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

My interest was held the entire way through it. Got to dislike some characters, and enjoy it for what it was.

Any additional comments?

Wish to goodness sake that the 'Chronicles of Amber' book (All in one) was released as 1 audiobook download... but it's worth getting all 9 books.

so so experience

I find both the story and the performance a little lackluster. that being said, there are some interesting concepts in the world being portrayed here. shame the follow through wasn't equally appealing.