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3.75 AVERAGE
3.75 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Good pulpy writing, not much world building but enjoyable read.
I think, at the end, what killed me with this book was not the lack of descriptions of the actual fights or battles, the constant exposition, the setting which was incredibly inspiring for its time but feels kind of redundant now nor the sexism or classissm that its put forward constantly.
It was that I didn't care about any of the charactes. I just found all of them flat, all of them uninteresting and their actions and powers just there. Everything can be endured but this and while I can accept that this is the classic for multiverse stories and the shadow realm, this book is better read from articles, thesis and the works that it inspired that the actual work that is presented.
It was that I didn't care about any of the charactes. I just found all of them flat, all of them uninteresting and their actions and powers just there. Everything can be endured but this and while I can accept that this is the classic for multiverse stories and the shadow realm, this book is better read from articles, thesis and the works that it inspired that the actual work that is presented.
Kind of disappointed with this one. The world building is good enough, but the characters are kind of boring. The narrator seems like he doesn't really care much about what is going on and the author seems to hand wave a lot of important stuff.
Really an odd novel. It’s a low fantasy narrated by someone straight out of a Raymond Chandler novel. This makes for a weird tone that at times is just awful, but at other times is actually very engrossing. Half of this book I would rate 1 out of 5 and the other half is really great. There are nine more books in this series...I think I need a break before I consider revisiting it.
This was an entertaining read. As much as I love LOTR, it's so refreshing to read these stories written before things became so homogenized in the fantasy world. Guy wakes up in hospital eith amnesia, guy realizes he's a Prince from another world, of which all others are shadows. Guy realizes he has siblings and they are all dangerous. adventures ensue to fight for the crown of amber.
Another ancient bit of text from the recesses of my literary past. I can't even remember when I read these books, nor any plot specifics in the slightest - but I remembered that I liked them, and the general gist of Amber itself AND I was all out of new books to read. SO. There was that.
First off - the title is something of a red herring. I mean, technically I guess we learn the names of all nine princes, but only 8 are featured - and one only for a brief, confusing interlude. A more apt title may have been Seven and a Half Princes in Amber. I point this out only because I was expecting a little more about the individual princes (there are also four or six princesses not mentioned in the title, but I guess in Amber only a male can rule. Or something...).
Oh, and while we're talking about things that are first (we weren't, really, but now we are - sort of) - this book is written in first person! First person which I usually can't stand... thankfully it's first person past (the tale is being told to an unknown audience, but you get the sense that if the series progresses enough you'll find out who) and *not* first person present. Ugh. LOATHE. I mean. You know. Impersonally. Or something.
So yeah - it's simple and direct and short and sweet and quick to the punch and doesn't spend too much time on any one point - pretty much what you'd expect from 60-70s fantasy. Where it differs from some (many?) others is that I found it entertaining and engaging.
THREE AND A HALF STARS
A classic fast moving fantasy. Reminds me (and is contemporary to/with, I think) of Fred Saberhagen's Empire of the East series.
First off - the title is something of a red herring. I mean, technically I guess we learn the names of all nine princes, but only 8 are featured - and one only for a brief, confusing interlude. A more apt title may have been Seven and a Half Princes in Amber. I point this out only because I was expecting a little more about the individual princes (there are also four or six princesses not mentioned in the title, but I guess in Amber only a male can rule. Or something...).
Oh, and while we're talking about things that are first (we weren't, really, but now we are - sort of) - this book is written in first person! First person which I usually can't stand... thankfully it's first person past (the tale is being told to an unknown audience, but you get the sense that if the series progresses enough you'll find out who) and *not* first person present. Ugh. LOATHE. I mean. You know. Impersonally. Or something.
So yeah - it's simple and direct and short and sweet and quick to the punch and doesn't spend too much time on any one point - pretty much what you'd expect from 60-70s fantasy. Where it differs from some (many?) others is that I found it entertaining and engaging.
THREE AND A HALF STARS
A classic fast moving fantasy. Reminds me (and is contemporary to/with, I think) of Fred Saberhagen's Empire of the East series.
I decided to reread this series since I have fond memories of it from the first time I read it as a teen way back in 1984.
I enjoyed this entry point to the series but by today's standards, it can't be considered much more than a novella due to its length.
The story is imaginative but lacks the complexity that I prefer in the stories I read. I can't give this individual book more than that three stars for that reason, but the series as a whole may grade higher once I have finished books 1-5. If that is the case I will reevaluate my rating.
I enjoyed this entry point to the series but by today's standards, it can't be considered much more than a novella due to its length.
The story is imaginative but lacks the complexity that I prefer in the stories I read. I can't give this individual book more than that three stars for that reason, but the series as a whole may grade higher once I have finished books 1-5. If that is the case I will reevaluate my rating.
This came so highly recommended, I was excited to read it. It had a good start, but it was hard to care about the princes fighting over Amber.