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3.75 AVERAGE
3.75 AVERAGE
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
TL;DR Review
Fine, whatever. 3 stars because it wasn't a total disappointment as I predicted when I first started.
More reviews @ The Bibliosanctum
Longer Review
Narrator: Alessandro Juliani | Length: 5 hrs and 31 mins | Audiobook Publisher: Audible Studios (July 31, 2013) | Whispersync Ready: No
\The 70s and 80s must’ve been a time to be alive if you were SFF author. Despite how I may feel about the books that came from that era, a unique crop of stories emerged from that time. Thanks to a recent Audible sale I was able to snag the first book in Roger Zelazny’s The Chronicles of Amber series, which came recommended, from some people. I figured this could serve as my cautious first step into the series without committing to the omnibus.
A man, Corwin, wakes in a hospital with no recollection of his memories. He knows that he’s been in a car accident that should’ve been lethal. However, he doesn’t know why or how the accident occurred. He knows that the medical staff in the facility he’d been confined to had been using too much sedative to keep him under for some reason. He learns that his sister has been paying for his stay, so it’s with this knowledge his adventure begins as he tries to remember who he is and complete the path to power that he’s begun. Corwin is an exiled prince vying for control over his homeland Amber, a version of earth from which all other earthly realities are imperfectly copied. Their father has been missing for years and thought dead. Only a few brothers are believed to have a reasonable chance of claiming the throne, including Corwin. The other siblings act as pawns in the game, changing alliances as needed, giving support to one brother over another as it suits them.
When I started reading this, I wasn’t sure if I subscribed to the reasoning behind all this infighting between the siblings. On one hand, having the king’s children fighting over his throne is to be expected, but on the other hand, after a few revelations, I started asking, “To what end?” After about midway through the book, it started to feel like the real reason they’re fighting over the throne is because of the status symbol it’ll give them. I’m not sure if I even believe it’s worth all the effort they’re expending on it and each other. It’s petty and immature, and maybe that’s what Zelzany was going for–to show the fickle nature of these characters more than trying to get me invested in this story about a king’s abdicated throne and his warring children. People have fought for much less than a throne.
I don’t think I ever became too attached to any character, least of all Corwin. Okay, maybe that’s not completely true. I do think the ending did wonders in making me feel like I could like Corwin more if I kept reading. Most of Corwin’s siblings, aside from a few, aren’t in the story long enough for them to matter to me. I found elements of the story more interesting than the struggle between the characters such as the explanation of the Pattern, learning more about the trumps (playing cards), the shadows, etc. Zelazny really excelled there with his take on the magic of this world. Most of my rating comes from the fact that I liked the ideas he used in the story, and I can actually see why writers are inspired by his work in that sense.
The narration. Let’s see how I can condense this without falling into giggles. I’d read that these audiobooks are an improvement over Zelazny’s own self-narration of the story that existed for years. While I certainly have no quarrel with Alessandro Juliani, I can’t say that I cared for his narration of this book. It wasn’t terrible exactly. It just seemed strange, and it didn’t do the story any favors either. Some of the dated language sounded so stilted and silly coming from Juliani. His narration made it hard for me to take this story seriously, and that peppered my overall view of this book.
I’m still on the fence about this one. Admittedly, I probably should’ve gotten the omnibus and just read the whole thing rather than taking it bit by bit like this. While I spent much of this book with one skeptical eyebrow raised, I did like the ending considerably. It felt like the book had finally reached a comfortable stride and I was just beginning to really get lost in the story when this first book ended, which means I’ll probably be reading the next book soon.
Fine, whatever. 3 stars because it wasn't a total disappointment as I predicted when I first started.
More reviews @ The Bibliosanctum
Longer Review
Narrator: Alessandro Juliani | Length: 5 hrs and 31 mins | Audiobook Publisher: Audible Studios (July 31, 2013) | Whispersync Ready: No
\The 70s and 80s must’ve been a time to be alive if you were SFF author. Despite how I may feel about the books that came from that era, a unique crop of stories emerged from that time. Thanks to a recent Audible sale I was able to snag the first book in Roger Zelazny’s The Chronicles of Amber series, which came recommended, from some people. I figured this could serve as my cautious first step into the series without committing to the omnibus.
A man, Corwin, wakes in a hospital with no recollection of his memories. He knows that he’s been in a car accident that should’ve been lethal. However, he doesn’t know why or how the accident occurred. He knows that the medical staff in the facility he’d been confined to had been using too much sedative to keep him under for some reason. He learns that his sister has been paying for his stay, so it’s with this knowledge his adventure begins as he tries to remember who he is and complete the path to power that he’s begun. Corwin is an exiled prince vying for control over his homeland Amber, a version of earth from which all other earthly realities are imperfectly copied. Their father has been missing for years and thought dead. Only a few brothers are believed to have a reasonable chance of claiming the throne, including Corwin. The other siblings act as pawns in the game, changing alliances as needed, giving support to one brother over another as it suits them.
When I started reading this, I wasn’t sure if I subscribed to the reasoning behind all this infighting between the siblings. On one hand, having the king’s children fighting over his throne is to be expected, but on the other hand, after a few revelations, I started asking, “To what end?” After about midway through the book, it started to feel like the real reason they’re fighting over the throne is because of the status symbol it’ll give them. I’m not sure if I even believe it’s worth all the effort they’re expending on it and each other. It’s petty and immature, and maybe that’s what Zelzany was going for–to show the fickle nature of these characters more than trying to get me invested in this story about a king’s abdicated throne and his warring children. People have fought for much less than a throne.
I don’t think I ever became too attached to any character, least of all Corwin. Okay, maybe that’s not completely true. I do think the ending did wonders in making me feel like I could like Corwin more if I kept reading. Most of Corwin’s siblings, aside from a few, aren’t in the story long enough for them to matter to me. I found elements of the story more interesting than the struggle between the characters such as the explanation of the Pattern, learning more about the trumps (playing cards), the shadows, etc. Zelazny really excelled there with his take on the magic of this world. Most of my rating comes from the fact that I liked the ideas he used in the story, and I can actually see why writers are inspired by his work in that sense.
The narration. Let’s see how I can condense this without falling into giggles. I’d read that these audiobooks are an improvement over Zelazny’s own self-narration of the story that existed for years. While I certainly have no quarrel with Alessandro Juliani, I can’t say that I cared for his narration of this book. It wasn’t terrible exactly. It just seemed strange, and it didn’t do the story any favors either. Some of the dated language sounded so stilted and silly coming from Juliani. His narration made it hard for me to take this story seriously, and that peppered my overall view of this book.
I’m still on the fence about this one. Admittedly, I probably should’ve gotten the omnibus and just read the whole thing rather than taking it bit by bit like this. While I spent much of this book with one skeptical eyebrow raised, I did like the ending considerably. It felt like the book had finally reached a comfortable stride and I was just beginning to really get lost in the story when this first book ended, which means I’ll probably be reading the next book soon.
Written decades ago, this first in a series of ten novels reads in noir-style told in first person narrative by one of nine crown princes of Amber, a fantastical city somewhere on the other side of the Shadows (where Earth is located.) This prince is named Corwin, whom we first meet in a private hospital where nurses keep jabbing him with sedatives. He has amnesia and has no clue who he is or where, but he quickly realizes that nothing is wrong with his legs despite both being hobbled in casts. He shatters the casts, ignores an apparent injury to his head and escapes—but not before threatening a hospital administrator, forcing him to divulge the name and address of the person who’d committed him—and even getting a fat wad of cash from the guy!
Turns out, he visits his sister—one of a number of them. He breaks into a hidden drawer in her library and finds a deck of playing cards similar to the Tarot, only these are all his family members. The cards are magical and will enable him to reach out and physically meet anyone whose card he holds. Playing close to the vest, he learns who he is by degrees while asking vague questions that intimate he knows more than he does.
A brother named Random takes him to an underwater city somewhere near Amber where Corwin can rediscover himself by walking a ballroom floor called the Pattern. A brother named Eric will soon call himself king. Corwin confronts him in a duel:
“…I snatched things off the desk with my left hand and threw them at Eric. But he dodged everything and came on strong, and I circled to his left and all like that, but I couldn't draw the point of his blade from my left eye. And I was afraid. The man was magnificent. If I didn't hate him so, I would have applauded his performance. I kept backing away, and the fear and the knowledge came upon me: I knew I still couldn't take him. He was a better man than I was, when it came to the blade. I cursed this, but I couldn't get around it. I tried three more elaborate attacks and was defeated on each occasion. He parried me and made me retreat before his own attacks. Now don't get the wrong idea. I'm damn good. It's just that he seemed better.”
Corwin hooks up with one brother after another, amassing armies and warring on, & losing ships, while brother Eric controls the environment, hitting them with tempests. Corwin feels for all the soldiers who must die after their fleeting, small lives—he himself can remember living during the time of England’s first Queen Elizabeth.
If this goes on for ten books, I think I’d feel like the point of a blade was near my own left eye—and I might feel compelled to stick it in! The lingua franca of a previous generation fails for this modern reader, and so does the machismo kitsch. Thankfully I had less than 200 pages to wade through to make it through to the finish of Book #1.
Might’ve worked if I were a ten-year old boy, although there’s really no there, there, in which a ten-year old boy might learn something meaningful for his life.
Turns out, he visits his sister—one of a number of them. He breaks into a hidden drawer in her library and finds a deck of playing cards similar to the Tarot, only these are all his family members. The cards are magical and will enable him to reach out and physically meet anyone whose card he holds. Playing close to the vest, he learns who he is by degrees while asking vague questions that intimate he knows more than he does.
A brother named Random takes him to an underwater city somewhere near Amber where Corwin can rediscover himself by walking a ballroom floor called the Pattern. A brother named Eric will soon call himself king. Corwin confronts him in a duel:
“…I snatched things off the desk with my left hand and threw them at Eric. But he dodged everything and came on strong, and I circled to his left and all like that, but I couldn't draw the point of his blade from my left eye. And I was afraid. The man was magnificent. If I didn't hate him so, I would have applauded his performance. I kept backing away, and the fear and the knowledge came upon me: I knew I still couldn't take him. He was a better man than I was, when it came to the blade. I cursed this, but I couldn't get around it. I tried three more elaborate attacks and was defeated on each occasion. He parried me and made me retreat before his own attacks. Now don't get the wrong idea. I'm damn good. It's just that he seemed better.”
Corwin hooks up with one brother after another, amassing armies and warring on, & losing ships, while brother Eric controls the environment, hitting them with tempests. Corwin feels for all the soldiers who must die after their fleeting, small lives—he himself can remember living during the time of England’s first Queen Elizabeth.
If this goes on for ten books, I think I’d feel like the point of a blade was near my own left eye—and I might feel compelled to stick it in! The lingua franca of a previous generation fails for this modern reader, and so does the machismo kitsch. Thankfully I had less than 200 pages to wade through to make it through to the finish of Book #1.
Might’ve worked if I were a ten-year old boy, although there’s really no there, there, in which a ten-year old boy might learn something meaningful for his life.
http://www.nyx-shadow.com/2016/11/le-cycle-des-princes-dambre-t1-les-neuf.html
J'ai adoré ma lecture, excellente découverte !
En revanche question couverture, cette série n'est pas très gâtée je trouve... celle-ci est la seule que je trouve sympa XD
J'ai adoré ma lecture, excellente découverte !
En revanche question couverture, cette série n'est pas très gâtée je trouve... celle-ci est la seule que je trouve sympa XD
I received Nine Princes in Amber by Roger Zelazny as part of a Blind Date with a Book.
As soon as I got the match, I picked up the book on Kindle and did some quick non-spoiler blurb/review reading of what people had to say about the book. I was super stoked as almost everyone seems to love the series.
And I delved into the book on the same day pausing the other books I had been reading. That was 12 Days ago, and even though this book is a short read I have only been able to get through about 50% of it and struggling to get through the rest.
When the plot began with Amnesia for the main character, I was excited that we would get to know the world together , but then the sudden realizations which the main character has about people and situations around him without any prodding or explanations is getting a bit out of hand.
There seem to be a whole bunch of Princes ( I can't even remember how many..but going by the title I am guessing nine ) who can have a legitimate go at the throne, but as a reader I am given no explanation or motivation as to why I should cheer for Corwin from his point of view the story is being told.
Now I understand that this is the first in a series of much loved books and maybe I am being too judgemental too early.
And I also understand that not every book is for everybody, we all have our favourites which other people don't like and it is difficult to fathom how that can be.
But this one's not for me. So being moved to my (newly) created Could not finish shelf
As soon as I got the match, I picked up the book on Kindle and did some quick non-spoiler blurb/review reading of what people had to say about the book. I was super stoked as almost everyone seems to love the series.
And I delved into the book on the same day pausing the other books I had been reading. That was 12 Days ago, and even though this book is a short read I have only been able to get through about 50% of it and struggling to get through the rest.
When the plot began with Amnesia for the main character, I was excited that we would get to know the world together , but then the sudden realizations which the main character has about people and situations around him without any prodding or explanations is getting a bit out of hand.
There seem to be a whole bunch of Princes ( I can't even remember how many..but going by the title I am guessing nine ) who can have a legitimate go at the throne, but as a reader I am given no explanation or motivation as to why I should cheer for Corwin from his point of view the story is being told.
Now I understand that this is the first in a series of much loved books and maybe I am being too judgemental too early.
And I also understand that not every book is for everybody, we all have our favourites which other people don't like and it is difficult to fathom how that can be.
But this one's not for me. So being moved to my (newly) created Could not finish shelf
adventurous
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
2-2.5⭐️--mostly bad with some minor decent/good parts
Another series I started because of Among Others by Jo Walton. I did not get what I expected when I picked up this book. I was thinking it was more of a traditional high fantasy tale with lots of politics, a la George R. R. Martin.... but instead these battling princes are hopping between dimensions (it's an interesting setup, changing a tiny bit at a time until the realm more closely resembles where you are going) and raising armies and making power plays. I'll have to keep going with this series.
I liked this quite a bit when I first read it a long time ago (it would’ve been a 4 star for me back then), but I have to say that it didn’t age that well and I enjoyed it much less this time around.
The concept does get high marks from me, I really think it’s a very cool and interesting idea. I also liked the first several chapters of the book before it’s revealed what is going on. Also it gets bonus points for being a nice short read.
However, later in the book there are quite a few parts that I thought were just really weak, especially some parts that are so incredibly casual that it almost felt like I was reading placeholders that were intended to be fleshed-out but weren’t.
Overall a pretty mixed-bag in my opinion.
The concept does get high marks from me, I really think it’s a very cool and interesting idea. I also liked the first several chapters of the book before it’s revealed what is going on. Also it gets bonus points for being a nice short read.
However, later in the book there are quite a few parts that I thought were just really weak, especially some parts that are so incredibly casual that it almost felt like I was reading placeholders that were intended to be fleshed-out but weren’t.
Overall a pretty mixed-bag in my opinion.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
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
One of the most important series in the genre. Really great stuff.