Nine Princes in Amber (The Chronicles of Amber #1)
Amber, the one real world, wherein all others, including our own Earth, are but Shadows. Amber burns in Corwin's blood. Exiled on Shadow Earth for centuries, the prince is about to return to Amber to make a mad and desperate rush upon the throne. From Arden to the blood-slippery Stairway into the Sea, the air is electrified with the powers of Eric, Random, Bleys, Caine, and all the princes of Amber whom Corwin must overcome. Yet, his savage path is blocked and guarded by eerie structures beyond imagining; impossible realities forged by demonic assassins and staggering horrors to challenge the might of Corwin's superhuman fury.' to 'Awakening in an Earth hospital unable to remember who he is or where he came from, Corwin is amazed to learn that he is one of the sons of Oberon, King of Amber, and is the rightful successor to the crown in a parallel world.
At the time of writing my review, Roger Zelazny's weird and trippy Fantasy/Sci-Fi book, titled 'Nine Princes in Amber' has a Goodreads review of 4.11 (out of 5) from almost 39,000 reviews. Can all these people be so wrong about a book? It turns out that I don't believe they are. I've rated this book with 4 stars, bringing down the Goodreads rating by a fraction of a fraction. I apologize to Mr. Zelazny's ghost. But, unfortunately, I wasn't able to give it the full 5 stars. Why not? Read on.
Roger Zelazny certainly created one of the most memorable and unique Fantasy/Science Fiction books I have ever read. It differs from other books, by 1.) not being quite sure whether its more fantasy or sci-fi (but seeing as most folks put them into the same genre anyway, it won't bother me), 2.) the author most likely came up with this weird, trippy story while extremely high on some sort of drug, plant, or while at a VERY high altitude, 3.) The author must have dictated this to a six year old who didn't quite grasp the concepts of grammar or punctuation (please no mean comments, as I know, my grammar and punctuation are currently at a 3 year old level), and 4.) The story was so darn unique and original, and interesting!
The story is one of an exiled, amnesiac prince (from another world - or dimension if you please), who goes on a journey to rightfully claim what is his again. Along the way he must find out which of his siblings can be trusted, how to get back to the world he was thrown out of. He also needs to find out why he was exiled, all the while trying no to get killed in a very trippy landscape, where just using one's thoughts can influence events and make one travel long distances. As you'll find out, all roads lead to Amber.
Elements of this story were confusing to me at times, as unlike the author, I was not drugging myself, smoking plants or reading this book at a VERY high altitude. This however, must be my own fault. I hate taking meds, most drugs are illegal and alas, no mountains in my area.
As I mentioned above, the grammar and punctuation caused me internal distress, as I'd have to read some sentences 5 times before I could decipher the meaning, or in order to place my imaginary punctuation in it, so that it would make some sort of sense. Or, as my punctuation is at the aforementioned 3yr old level, and seeing as the author must have had a 6yr old write this, perhaps it was just too advanced for me. That's the reason I gave this book 4 instead of the full 5 stars. Either way, rereading the sentences just made the book longer for me, and I was somewhat sad to end the book. Luckily for me/us, the author has written many more books in this series.
If you enjoy the genre, enjoy strange and trippy fiction, have no problems placing your own punctuation in books, and wish to read this while at a VERY high altitude, this book will definitely be for you. Happy reading!
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