An Introduction to Amber

Amber is the True City, of which all others are merely shadows.  The Chronicles of Amber are a series of books by Roger Zelazny, concerned primarily with the royal family of Amber and to a lesser extent the royal families of the Courts of Chaos, the other end of the universe.  The first set of books are written in the first person, from the perspective of Corwin, Prince of Amber:

Nine Prince in Amber
The Guns of Avalon
Sign of the Unicorn
The Hand of Oberon
The Courts of Chaos

They are generally considered the best books of the series.  I tend to agree that they are better written and carry a more mythic feel.   In roleplaying terms, the first five books seem to me to be source material concerning Non-Player Characters while the second five books seem to me more to be the chronicle of a roleplaying game, with several characters which are clearly Player Characters.  Still, I do like the second Chronicle.  I really enjoy the universe, the plotting and the characters.

The second set of five books are also written in the first person, from the perspective of Merlin, Prince of Chaos, son of Corwin of Amber and Dara of Chaos.

Trumps of Doom
Blood of Amber
Sign of Chaos
Knight of Shadows
Prince of Chaos

I feel that the series was structred such that there was a third series coming.  Unfortunately, Mr. Zelazny is dead and no more will be forthcoming.  There are a few short stories, published in magazines and collections of short stories.  There are six such stories of which I am aware:

The Shroudling and the Guisel
Blue Horse, Dancing Mountains
Hall of Mirrors
Coming to a Cord
The Salesman's Tale
Prologue to Trumps of Doom

I've read them all, now, I'm happy to say. The last two were provided to me by kind visitor to this very page. I can only say that they all allquite good and well worth reading.

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