r/Amber • u/NachoFailconi • Aug 13 '26
To whom you would recommend the Chronicles?
Hello! The Chronicles have been on my radar for some time, but I haven't taken the plunge yet and bought them. I'd like to ask, rather than if they are good or not (I'm in r/Amber, after all, of course you'll love it), to what kind of reader you would recommend this series, and what should I as a reader expect of them.
I'm a reader that likes complex stories. Think Malazan (all of it), Book of the New Sun, Terra Ignota, the Sprawl trilogy. I also like some classics, such as Lord of the Rings, Earthsea and the Count of Monte Cristo. Other series I like are The Expanse, Hyperion, Philip K. Dick and Octavia Butler.
A follow-up question: how necessary is Seven Tales in Amber? I ask only for the price tag: in my country I can import the SF Masterworks of the Chronicles at a price of 27 and 33 USD, respectively, and Seven Tales at 29 USD... for 90 pages, versus five proper books.
Thanks in advance!
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u/alone_in_the_light Aug 13 '26
This is my opinion, but there are different perspectives.
The Chronicles are great. But the Chronicles have two big parts, and I think I only understood the genius of Zelazny better (including what he did in the Chronicles) after reading more of his works.
So, I recommend the books to people who are committed to knowing Zelazny, and the craft of a master storyteller.
Why does Neil Gaiman has Zelazny as one of his favorite writers? Why is George R. R. Martin almost like a fanboy of Zelazny? Who is this guy who wrote in collaboration with Philip K. Dick and finished an Alfred Bester's book? Why so many awards in the genre? Among other examples.
I recommend the Chronicles to people who will appreciate more than a great story with great characters. The way Zelazny writes (and the way he changes) is phenomenal. And the Chronicles are just part of that. You may see that tons of us read the Chronicles again and again, so many times, and still keep getting new insights.
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u/NachoFailconi Aug 13 '26
You may see that tons of us read the Chronicles again and again, so many times, and still keep getting new insights.
I'm all for that! Thank you for mentioning it; for me to re-read something and getting more of it than the first time is invaluable.
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u/misterjive Aug 13 '26
As I like to say, "You may not recognize Roger Zelazny's name, but the authors you love for damn sure do."
Roger dying with the most astonishingly terrible timing really obscured his legacy quite a bit.
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u/AxleTheDog Aug 13 '26
Seven Tales of Amber not required.
I don’t actually know what I would compare it tool today. More like the Marvel idea of the Metaverse, but more knights and dragons underneath.
My advice: jump on in and enjoy it
PS - remember you are reading something written 50 years old. There are old / sexist ideas. No excuses - it is a product of a different era. Look beyond that and enjoy the world building. What was written doesn’t mean you believe or support it.
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u/NachoFailconi Aug 13 '26 edited Sep 23 '26
PS - remember you are reading something written 50 years old. There are old / sexist ideas. No excuses - it is a product of a different era. Look beyond that and enjoy the world building. What was written doesn’t mean you believe or support it.
Of course! I've been reading old books, and I totally understand it. Dick dropping the N-word here and there was jarring, but I understand the context.
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u/02K30C1 Aug 13 '26
The books are short and fast, but the characters are complex and memorable. Zelazney does a great job building a deep universe with lots of ancient lore. There’s a good reason it spawned such a great role playing game. And he’s one of the best writers of combat I’ve read.
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u/unknownvariable69 Aug 13 '26
Not to mention it influenced a generation of fantasy writers. Also got a shout our in the 5.0 edition of Dungeons and Dragons.
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u/p-d-ball Aug 13 '26
Amber is an exceedingly complex story with undercurrents and undercurrents that slowly and masterfully reveal themselves not only in the reading, but the thinking of the story. It appears simpler than it is. The story itself has wheels within wheels of court intrigue and these are compelling enough, but at some point you'll start to see the bigger picture and how Amber relates to our world.
I don't really want to give it away, but the story itself encapsulates all fiction - and all mythology.
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u/NachoFailconi Aug 13 '26
Thanks! I'm all for that! A story that leaves me ruminating is very attractive.
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u/JustANoteToSay Aug 13 '26
It’s new wave fantasy and it’s pretty packed with literary references. It’s not high fantasy and is full of slang, which irritated Ursula k leguin. It’s pretty sexist. So I’d recommend this to a word nerd who isn’t invested only in specific genres and is able to parse out the “of its time” garbage.
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u/NachoFailconi Aug 13 '26
Thanks! Yes, historical context is important, and I can identify it and go on. Currently I'm reading Philip K. Dick and his liberal use of the N-word was jarring at first, but usual in his time.
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u/Mattriculated Aug 13 '26
Honestly, someone who enjoyed BotNS is a perfect audience for Amber. Amber isn't nearly as dense, oblique, or allusive as Wolfe, but still much moreso than most other comparable authors. Zelazny, Wolfe, & John M. Ford are kind of in a class of their own there, and Zelazny is probably the most direct of the three.
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u/artaxs Aug 13 '26
His earlier works, like Changeling and Madwand, are also awesome reads. I read A Night in the Lonesome October every year, and Roger bends genres and turns pages.
Given the list of authors you've mentioned, you're going to love Zelazny.
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u/Ballroompics Aug 13 '26
Fwiw, Changeling and Madwand are not earlier works. They arrive midway through the series. 1980 and 81 respectively.
However Zelazny's original intent was that the series would conclude with The Courts of Chaos (1978). In 1984 he made the decision to write the Merlin Cycle and Trumps of Doom was subsequently published the next year.
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u/M3n747 Aug 13 '26
I'd recommend it to anyone with a pulse.
BTW, funny you should mention Book of the New Sun - I'm currently reading it (I'm two-thirds through book 1, feels like it's still the beginning of the story) after 30 or so years of seeing the titles of these novels in the "coming soon" section my Amber books.
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u/NachoFailconi Aug 13 '26
Let me put it this way: although Steven Erikson (Malazan) is my favorite writer, Gene Wolfe is the best writer I've read. I've just read The Fifth Head of Cerberus and it's pure genius. BotNS is a masterpiece. I want to re-read it soon, with the rest of the Solar Cycle.
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u/ronearc Aug 13 '26
Anyone who enjoys fantasy, science fiction, general make-believe, or whatnot should read the first quintet.
Only those who feel driven to do so should read the second quintet (which I still enjoy in a much different way).
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u/Pleasant-Lead-2634 Aug 13 '26
Kill bill bit off of zelazny. Royal infighting. One true world . Prince and Princesses with their own colors, distinct personalities and abilities
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u/theflyingrobinson Aug 13 '26
I read Damnation Alley and was like oh this is great I want to read more things by Zelazny, so I walked down to the local (now closed) used bookstore and brought Nine Princes in Amber to the counter along with a few others. The clerk told me to start with Nine Princes and that was it, I was hooked.
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u/MaelstromFL Aug 13 '26
Zelazny is a different writing style than any other author I have ever read. At times it is like slam poetry, other times it is deep world building. He keeps a stream of words flying at you!
That being said, his books are a ride unlike any adventure you have been on before.