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lesserjoke 's review for:
Nine Princes in Amber
by Roger Zelazny
This 1970 series debut is a bit of a ride, but I've definitely enjoyed it. Opening on an earthly amnesiac gives the story both grounding and a distinctive flavor, and the fantasy worldbuilding is interesting once it does start to trickle in. I especially like the magical system of traveling to parallel worlds by slowly adding and subtracting various elements to bring yourself gradually closer to your target reality. Plus the action feels like an old swashbuckling adventure like Zorro or Zenda, which makes for a delightful throwback.
On the downside: the plot to this first volume ends rather abruptly with little resolution, and the female characters are generally not developed very well (and at one point dismissed categorically as "bitches"). The book also seems to subscribe to the 'great man' theory of social change, in that the narrative is concerned with the actions of a few immortal generals and not the hundreds of thousands of soldiers who die in their service with no name or particular characterization.
Overall, however, the title holds up pretty well a half-century after publication, and I've had fun spotting the influences it likely wrought on the genre that followed. Since this one was so short, I'll have to push on to the sequels as well.
[I read and reviewed this title at a Patreon donor’s request. Want to nominate your own books for me to read and review (or otherwise support my writing)? Sign up for a small monthly donation today at https://patreon.com/lesserjoke!]
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On the downside: the plot to this first volume ends rather abruptly with little resolution, and the female characters are generally not developed very well (and at one point dismissed categorically as "bitches"). The book also seems to subscribe to the 'great man' theory of social change, in that the narrative is concerned with the actions of a few immortal generals and not the hundreds of thousands of soldiers who die in their service with no name or particular characterization.
Overall, however, the title holds up pretty well a half-century after publication, and I've had fun spotting the influences it likely wrought on the genre that followed. Since this one was so short, I'll have to push on to the sequels as well.
[I read and reviewed this title at a Patreon donor’s request. Want to nominate your own books for me to read and review (or otherwise support my writing)? Sign up for a small monthly donation today at https://patreon.com/lesserjoke!]
Find me on Patreon | Goodreads | Blog | Twitter