Chronicles of Amber (Corwin Cycle) by Roger Zelazny

Hello, Stranger.

Let's talk about Roger Zelazny's Chronicles of Amber (Corwin Cycle).

The Short of It

Plot: Amber, a parallel realm to ours, is in a state of turmoil. Fantasy hijinks ensue. 

Page Count: 

Nine Princes in Amber: 175

The Guns of Avalon: 223

Sign of the Unicorn: 192

The Hand of Oberon: 188

The Courts of Chaos: 189

Award: None, but Book 6 (which begins the next quintet) won.

Worth a read: Yes.
Primary Driver: (Plot, World, or Character)
Bechdel Test: Fail (Unsure...)
Technobabble: Fantasy Babble - yes
Review: Delightful fantasy. Wildly unpredictable, charming protagonist, neat world. A deftly handled update to the standard sword and sorcery formula. Clearly written with tropes in mind, and uses them (or subverts them) to excellent effect. This is not an impactful read; it is not profound, or deeply thought-provoking, or anything else. It is instead a perfectly streamlined snack, and as such it is one of the best.

The Medium of It

Spoiler Free! 

There are few good ways to approach a group review of all five of these that spoils nothing. This will likely be a bit shorter than many reviews. 

We can kick it off with some criticism. The tone of the writing here is often sardonic or detached, which can get grating. It can also lead to feeling a bit of distance from action: as if we're reading a distant narrator's summary of events. On the other hand, when the tone switches to tense, the change is striking - and thus ratchets tension up even further. 

Amber walks a dangerous line - it is either the single most generic fantasy adventure of all time or a brilliant play on fantasy tropes. I am inclined to view it as the latter, and enjoy it as such. But this is a matter of bias - after consuming so many of these books, twists on the formula tickle my funny bone. World building here is neat but sometimes shallow. Corwin, our hero, has no memory, and thus functions as an excellent stand-in for the reader, as both he and we learn about the world. 

I like Corwin. Characters who are good at a lot of things can be annoying, as can characters who are world-weary - but neither of these characteristics ever got to me. In general I enjoyed his antics - and was sufficiently invested in him as a character to cheer him on. 

There are two things which did bother me with this series. The first is a question of motivations. Corwin does what he does mostly for the sake of doing. Later on other motivations emerge, but... there is not a good reason for him to do most of what he does. The second is a plot issue, and possibly a minor spoiler. Possibly owing to the period of time over which this series was written, there are a number of characters whose allegiances switch willy-nilly. "Ah, you thought that I was your ally, but I was serving him, but it was actually to get close to him to help her, and she was actually in debt to you..." No other characters have the same depth as Corwin, and their vacillating loyalties are more annoying than immersion breaking - but it happens a fair bit. 

Let's make it three things. Women! Not treated too well here. Really not so great. There are a couple of women with personalities. But mostly either sex objects or backstabbers. Hooray?

On the whole an enjoyable series and a surprisingly quick read. With expectations set to "Enjoy" the Amber books should scratch that fantasy itch.

If you'd like to give them a spin, consider using the link below! I'll get a few cents at no cost to you.

The Complete Chronicles of Amber

The Long of It

Spoilers Ahead!

This is being written after reading all five books of the Corwin Cycle, and thus spoilers are included for any and all of those books. The Merlin Cycle will not be spoiled here.

While binging this series one has the inescapable feeling that they were not planned ahead. This is not itself a condemnation, as lots of excellent series are constructed on the fly. Here, however, it frequently means that characters will say things akin to, "I must have forgotten to tell you!" or, "You know, that might be possible!" Things that characters would probably know. Of particular note: that one can eavesdrop on magical communications. You're telling me that this intergenerational political conflict that has been going on for hundreds of years never led to eavesdropping? Nah, yo.

Some of the twists feel silly as well. There are big reveals for both Corwin's father and grandfather, which fall flat. I just did not care that much. They also came among myriad other twists, and were telegraphed ahead, so the final realization hits characters far after readers. 

There are suggestions about Corwin's past, many of which are left as hints and teasers, nothing more. This is one aspect that could definitely use more pages - we've got an immortal amnesiac blasting his way through hundreds of years of history. And we just get some notes about a woman in Paris, and how long it has been. Give us more!

Zelazny uses such a soft magic system that there are no rules at all. Death curses! How do they work? Well, you blast a final curse with all your power before you die. But what if you don't die? They can still work! Because reasons! Sure, some realms are real-er than others, which makes you less powerful... unless you really use your power correctly! In which case, sure, things work. This can be frustrating at points, as it undercuts tension - they'll think up something! But consistently killing off and/or severely maiming characters helps. There is also consistency within books, even if things get a bit wonky between them. At the start of Nine Princes in Amber, for example, there's a note about the speed at which Corwin heals - which becomes relevant at the end. 

For a series that is nearly 1000 pages long, this reads extremely fast. Despite all of my issues with this series, I found myself compulsively reading and heavily invested. It's worth a read for a fun jaunt.

Don't run out of words when you have too much to say, Stranger.

And don't forget to read a book!