I read this book during huricane Ivan, when three of my four homes (My dorm, My Parent's house, and my boyfriend's house) were pretty much falling down around me. A very awesome guy named Barry lent me his battered copy...and by battered I mean well loved. This book filled a lot of space that could have been spent in what Floridians know as a huricane coma. No lights, no Phone, no tv, just snuggling,reading and occasional looting!
I't will definately take you at least a week to read this bad mama-jama, so carve out some serious "me-time" before tackling it. The sub plots are some-what confusing, and the time line jumps around a bit, so notes may be helpful if your into that particular sort of nerdery.
Awesome book, buy it for yourself, and your children, definately in my top 3 favs!

I was quite pleasantly taken aback when Jamie told me recently that he loved this series of Amber, which I had bought for him for Christmas 2012, trusting that, some day, he may even read some of the books I had bought him over the years. Then, a month later, he said he was almost finished. When he came round, he couldn't praise it highly enough, especially the characterisation: 9/10, he gave it. It was just his stuff, medievalism, a bit of magic, lots of battles. I said I wanted to give it a look. So he brought it round. A good excuse for getting him here, too.

I was still further pleasantly surprised when I read Nine Princes [1970] and saw it started in the modern world as a psychological mystery. Of course, I knew Zelazny was a compelling fantasist because Lord Of Light [1967] was one of my favourite science fiction/fantasy books - more fantasy than sf, because of its use of the Hindu pantheon of gods. But after reading To Die In Italbar [1973], which was not especially gripping, I naturally had mixed expectations.

Although I found the style and content at times pure Zelazny brilliance blended with skimpy, rushed momentum, it was an easy and interesting read, and I found it a true attempt at creating an epic, in the same vein as King's Dark Tower series. So, having been introduced to all nine brothers (Corwin, Eric, Random, Julian, Caine, Gérard, Bleys, Benedict, Brand) and four sisters (Florimel, Fiona, Deidre, Llewella), still alive, I looked forward to their meeting. Already, the meeting of Flora and Random in Nine Princes whetted the appetite. Further, as each book was only 140 pages long on average, I realised I could race through the compendium, given the time, alternating breaks (other books), and a continued impetus. Not quite near the excellence of Lord Of Light, the Amber series is still a damn good read son.

But then there was the Merlin cycle. Deficient in world-building and character richness that the Corwyn cycle excelled in, our main protagonist was as weak as the devices Zelazny used throughout these poorer five novels to intellectually complete his world of Chaos as an equal mirror to Amber, of the Logrus to the Pattern. We pass through a series of nauseous interstices - the Ghostwheel, the vertiginous forces of the Keep of the Four Worlds, the monochromatic inbetween world at the fringes of the powers of the Logrus and Pattern, of insipid Pattern clones, of demonic possession (easily the most enjoyable part of the cycle, with Vinta Bayle the most interesting, yet poorly developed, of its characters) - and end up dropped, wham-bam-etc, into the weirdly tinted and dimensioned Court of Chaos amongst a bunch of weak secondary and eleventh-hour tertiary characters of little or no reward. Merlin's contention with such a range of forces hitherto has built to this expected climax; he suddenly has command of an entirely new power, he has the Ghost, he has powerful allies he doesn't even keep in the picture, let alone use. Merlin is a stubborn kid who doesn't grow up, and his final battle amidst all these immense forces ranged with and against him is a damp squib of a conker fight in the school playground against a backdrop of a child's firework's display. Zelazny, master world-builder, disappointed with the second cycle, with Merlin, and with Chaos, where he thrilled and rewarded with Amber and Corwyn.

Intellectually completist the Merlin cycle may have been, fun to read it was not. In the end I felt ill with all the shifts and jumps and interstitial greyness and colour inversion and clones and shades, and wanted it to end. What was a charismatic, colourful 8/10 series with the Corwyn cycle was reduced overall to a disappointing 6/10 particularly because of the last 2 books in the Merlin cycle, but largely because Merlin was not a strong character who got pushed about from here to there and back again by any circumstance or character who wanted to use him, and so lacked the integrity a principal should have, the integrity Corwyn had.

In my view, two books too far.

I couldn't finish this book. I just couldn't. I tried to like it because my husband recommended it. It was just awful. The plot it confusing and plot holes are too conveniently plugged (if at all) and it's almost straight dialog. There is little to no character development. I'm no feminist, but I couldn't help but notice the rolls of women were either silly and inept or sexpots. I couldn't relate to this book at all. It's the first time I'm refusing to finish a book, and I have no regrets. I really need to find something good to get this "Amber" taste out of my mouth!

This is all 10 books of the Amber series, but is not complete. It is nice to have them all in one place, but the book is a paperback & a bit delicate due to the size. Unless you're extremely careful, you'll only get a few reads out of this & it's a doorstop to put most others to shame. I prefer the smaller paperbacks for normal reading.

The biggest lack in this book is it doesn't have the prologue to Trumps of Doom, but only the HB issued by the book club had that, I think. It's also in Manna from Heaven, the "Collected Works" by NESFA, & possibly elsewhere. It's certainly around on the Internet along with the other Amber shorts. but they're illegal, pirated copies.

While I won't recommend piracy, I will say that publishers have made a good case for it with the lack of availability of the Amber shorts, including the prologue. The prologue is important to the series, but I didn't even know of its existence until years after I'd read it. There's just no mention unless you're a FAN or are told by one. Publishers shouldn't make it so difficult for the reader to get the entire series. Shame on you, Publishers!!! You bitch about piracy & then encourage it by being greedy & lazy - or possibly you're just victims of Byzantine contracts & copyright law. I don't know, but you get the blame until I hear otherwise.

Manna from Heaven is expensive, even used, often running $30 or more. It's worth the price - I've bought two copies & given one to my son who also likes this series & Zelazny a lot. A better deal is to pick up The Road to Amber, one of the NESFA 'Collected Works of Roger Zelazny'. That's a 6 set series with a 7th book, a bibliography, that is a must-have for anyone who really likes Zelazny's work.

I'll rate the volume a solid 4.5 stars, knowing that I read all 10 books back to back in this edition. It was quite interesting to observe the author's style changing along each volumes to get to a point the story gets you hooked. Changing from the father to the son's story halfway through was a nice twist that really spiked up my interest. it would have been a 5 star rating if it were not for the first 3 somewhat slow and boring books; and a slightly open ended finish. Great story nonetheless!

The Corwin Cycle - 5
The Merlin Cycle - 4

Possibly one of the greatest sci fi books ever written.
I've read it 4 times, and purchased it twice (loaned out never got back)

My favorite book series I've ever read, I read it once in my 20s and than again in my later 30s. Just as engaging the second time as the first if not more so!!

Том втори от „Хрониките на Амбър” съдържа поредните четири романа (части от 4 до 7) от многотомната фентъзи сага на доайена Роджър Зелазни. Легендарната поредица е задължителна за феновете на жанра и съвсем с право е включена в колекцията на издателство „Бард” „Велики майстори на фентъзи и фантастика”. Прочетете ревюто на "Книжни Криле":

https://knijnikrile.wordpress.com/201...

The Great Book of Amber is trippy people! Roger Zelazny is unlike any other author I have ever read before. He is disinterested in details and gives cursory descriptions of areas and people. Instead he focuses more closely on plot and the thoughts of the main character. The plot always centers around the search for answers. The setting is quite unique and interesting to learn about. Zelazny never makes his reader go through info-dumps and I found it interesting to puzzle out the workings of his world, Amber.

The first five books star a man named Corwin, one of the nine princes of Amber, who wakes up with a strange case of amnesia. In the first book Corwin staggers through Zelazny's version of earth looking for answers. I enjoyed the first book the most, mainly because the beginning was killer!

SPOILER - Corwin wakes up in a hospital and finds he is being forcefully sedated. When the doctor tries to put him under yet again Corwin clobbers him with a crutch! (Now that's what I call a hook.)

The first five books where well written but upon reading books six through ten I began suspecting Zelazny of doing drugs. His plots for the character Merlin start taking erratic turns. Don't get me wrong these peculiar parts are fun to read. Made me wonder what he was taking when he wrote them.(I'm speaking of the Corridor of Mirrors and the in-between shadow chapters here) He even had one of the side characters slipped acid. They then promptly descended into an Alice in Wonderland dream-scape to wait for the effects to wear off. Despite these bemusing plot decisions I still liked the Great Book of Amber. I don't think I'll be rereading it for a while though...

Though omnibus editions are great in some ways for convenience, they fail in a lot of ways, by their sheer size. This hefty novel weighs in at over 1200 pages, and unfortunately, my edition contains an unfortunate misprint, so I missed out on a chunk of the story. But, since they were originally published separately, I will take a separate look at each of the ten books this omnibus contains:


Nine Princes in Amber:

The series opens with an interesting hook. This first slim volume in the series originates from the early seventies, and I admit that the vocabulary dates the book. It definitely has a dated feel. And I can see why the book are not reprinted separately - this first “book” feels closer to a novella, and most certainly is not a complete story. Our narrator is likable, and his family is quite fascinating - and the structure of the magic described is certainly original. I am definitely curious to see where Corwin’s story will develop - his past certainly seems fascinating, so I hope that more is revealed there as well as future adventures throughout the next nine novels.

The Guns of Avalon:

Now that the introductions are made, this second book in the Chronicles of Amber feels even more enjoyable! As the family ties become more convoluted, the entire storyline becomes more fascinating! Zelazny has clarified more about the organization of magic in this series, which makes the storyline itself feel more coherent. This is a very unique series and the plot definitely holds some unpredictable twists. And what a cliffhanger of an ending! I am so happy that I have only to turn the page to begin the third book!

Sign of the Unicorn:

Zelazny has a real knack for ending these novels on cliffhangers, which reiterates my joy in having an omnibus. As this saga progresses, the mystery and intrigue deepens with each plot twist and turn. And many of these complexities to the plot come along quite unexpectedly. The characters, so far at least, are strong and I love how unique the entire storyline feels.

The Hand of Oberon:

In this novel, my misprinted copy does not contain about thirty or so pages, so this book on the whole feels a bit spoiled to me. At least the thrilling ending remains, though I am sure it would have been even more exciting with all the previous pages. Still, this one, like the three before it, ends on a cliffhanger. I hope that I am not missing anything too significant to the overall plot, because I am quite enjoying this intriguing storyline.

The Courts of Chaos:

I must admit, this fifth volume in the series feels more like a finale than a halfway mark. For the first time, Zelazny does not end it on a cliffhanger, and a great many of the lingering questions and mysteries are resolved here. Perhaps this is the original conclusion of the series? I like Corwin’s story, and am excited that there are five more books remaining, but I cannot begin to predict what they will be about!

Trumps of Doom:

Unfortunately, this sixth novel in the series really comes as something of a shock. In this omnibus edition, there are no descriptions or any sort of introductions into the next book. And while this is fine for the first five novels, as they all run together rather smoothly from one cliffhanger ending to the next scene. This one, however, is also told in the first person, but Corwin is no longer the narrator. Now the focus has moved to Merlin, Corwin’s son. And once over the initial shock and confusion, this book is an exciting and interesting start to a whole new plotline. And the cliffhanger endings are back, too!

Blood of Amber:

The plot thickens here, but despite interesting new developments, the ending here is rather convoluted. These later books are starting to reflect the past novels, creating new/old problems that are both fresh and familiar. Merlin is likable enough, I suppose, but I really miss Corwin. I hope that the series will shed more light on him...

Sign of Chaos:

These later volumes in the series simply are not as compelling as the earlier books. Maybe this is because I much prefer Corwin to Merlin, or maybe because I am wearying of the lack of resolutions in each individual novel. The cliffhanger endings add to the overall fun, but as the series progresses, I am finding it less and less satisfying.

Knight of Shadows:

Though a lot happens in this ninth book, it is hard to imagine that the entire series will be satisfyingly concluded in the last volume. Some missing characters turn up here, which makes for a pleasant surprise. And the more I see that Mandor, the more I like him. I am curious to see how it will all turn out in the next and final volume in the series - but I am also a bit hesitant, because I feel like it won’t be as complete of a conclusion as I am hoping for.

Prince of Chaos:
Though exciting, this book is hardly the grand finale that I expected. So many questions are left unanswered, and I ultimately, the beginning of the series is much stronger than the ending, giving the entire Chronicles a rather uneven feeling. Overall, it is a very unique series, but it would be a much stronger series if only it ended more satisfyingly. And the quality of the actual omnibus with its printing errors and lack of introductions to the separate novels is quite poor, adding to my overall disappointment.

Amazing fantasy world building and magic system!