Chronicles of Amber

[serak_the_preparer]

<i>I'd been a fool not to have expected this attack, especially now.<br /><br />You see, night had fallen a little over two hours ago.<br /><br />And night is when you can expect Moonriders out of Ghenesh to attack from above.<br /><br />The brave warrior who had stepped over thirty or so of his fallen comrades to face my blade soon joined them. Giving me the opportunity to step back within my circle of soldiers. Quickly sheathing Grayswandir, I withdrew my deck of Tarots from my belt, shuffled out the Trump depicting my brother Benedict, the master strategist charged with the realm's defense.<br /><br />Holding the card before me, I concentrated on the man who was even more than a Prince of the Realm - the greatest warrior, in fact, ever to live. Tall, thin, brown-haired and hazel-eyed, with a jutting jaw, he wore an orange cloak, yellow shirt and brown leather trousers. I concentrated, knowing the image would soon become reality, that, if he willed, my brother could step through the card to stand with me in this hopeless-seeming battle, or send reinforcements, or at least advise me on what action to take. If not, he could bring me and mine to wherever he was.<br /><br />But it was not brother Benedict who answered the call of the Trump I held.<br /><br />The features shifted, solidified, and became a face unknown to me, an ancient gentleman with a green beard and green eyes. The place he was in seemed to be under the sea, like the city Rebma near my home.<br /><br />He hailed me.<br /><br />'Wake, Corwin, wake. This cause is neither yours to win nor to lose. You wish to defend the throne of fallen Oberon? Then wake! And trouble Time's waters no more!'<br /><br />And I woke.<br /><br />I had dreamed the dream again...</i><br /><br />Not the best example, perhaps, of what Chad Orzel has aptly dubbed 'First Person Smartass' narration. But there you have it. The beginning of a never-completed (as far as I k

 

[a_lost_packet_]

I'd love to see something done with Amber as far as a "moving picture show" goes. Amber is so full of fiction goodness it's hard to know where to start. I'll read up on my lore and get back into it.<br /><br />I did find the segments after the "Courts of Chaos" a little weak. But, that's probably because I was still riding on the adrenalin of the first books.<br /><br /><font color="yellow">And there are even role-playing games based on Amber - ever played one? </font><br /><br />Many moons ago in college a friend of mine put together an RPG world based on a shadow of Amber. We had a lot of fun with it. It was a shadow-Amber/Gor type milieu.<br /><br /><font color="yellow">Packet, I agree. A trilogy would probably be best: Movie #1 to encompass Nine Princes in Amber and the immediate sequel The Guns of Avalon; movie #2 to manage the full-to-the-brim material described by Sign of the Unicorn; movie #3 to cover The Hand of Oberon and The Courts of Chaos. </font><br /><br />That sounds about right to me. So, what's keeping 'em? <img src="/images/icons/smile.gif" /> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <font size="1">I put on my robe and wizard hat...</font> </div>

 

[serak_the_preparer]

<i>I did find the segments after the "Courts of Chaos" a little weak. But, that's probably because I was still riding on the adrenalin of the first books.</i><br /><br />My opinion: This had nothing to do with adrenalin. The second series had very little of the magic, the sheer exuberant fun, of the first. With the publication of <i>The Courts of Chaos</i>, Zelazny proclaimed the series had reached its end and there would be no sixth Amber book. I'm one of those who wishes he had kept that promise.<br /><br /><i>Many moons ago in college a friend of mine put together an RPG world based on a shadow of Amber. We had a lot of fun with it...</i><br /><br />Somewhere in my house is a big brown handbook to an Amber RPG. Would probably take a week to find it...<br /><br />So what Amber character did you play?<br /><br /><i>So, what's keeping 'em? <img src="/images/icons/smile.gif" /></i><br /><br />Truth to tell, it's surprising here on Space.com to see so few fans of this landmark series. Do <i>The Chronicles of Amber</i> fail to age well? Or is it we, the fans, who have (most of us) gone quietly into that good night? Not dead exactly, but having moved on to other things. 'Painted wings and giant rings make way for other toys'?<br /><br />Sorry to wax so maudlin, but perhaps this is the reason, or part of it? If Zelazny were still alive, perhaps there would be more interest. But he's gone, new Zelazny books therefore no longer appear in bookstores. And his work may be dying, too, going out of circulation?<br /><br />You've got me. Maybe it's just about money?

 

[a_lost_packet_]

<font color="yellow">Serak_the_Preparer - But he's gone, new Zelazny books therefore no longer appear in bookstores. And his work may be dying, too, going out of circulation? </font><br /><br />I bought an omnibus addition of the Amber books not too long ago. Everything contained in one book. I was going to be taking some long flights and had several layovers so I wanted something easier to carry around. Of course, it weight 50 pounds.. but /shrug Waddya gonna do? The point is, his Amber series is still getting print so don't lose heart.<br /><br /><font color="yellow">So what Amber character did you play? </font><br /><br />Well, playing high-profile characters like that wasn't something we were able to do. We interacted with them on several occasions though and some of the mythos like walking "The Pattern" was included. My character wasn't, well... he wasn't a very "nice" guy. heh heh But, it was fun playing around with an author's creation to see how far you could take your imagination.<br /><br /><font color="yellow">Truth to tell, it's surprising here on Space.com to see so few fans of this landmark series. Do The Chronicles of Amber fail to age well? Or is it we, the fans, who have (most of us) gone quietly into that good night? Not dead exactly, but having moved on to other things. 'Painted wings and giant rings make way for other toys'? </font><br /><br />I think there are plenty of fans here. They just haven't spoken up yet. I was surprised to find the many fans of The World of Tiers here not long ago. But, they're here as well.<br /><br />Amber is a somewhat "different" story than most fantasy. It starts out in the mundane world and focuses heavily on court intrigue along with a good dose of action. At certain points, it can get confusing if you're not paying attention. Some of the unexplained "magical" scenes may cause people to tire of suspending disbelief until they have advanced far enough to understand the fictional m <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <font size="1">I put on my robe and wizard hat...</font> </div>

 

[yevaud]

<i>Truth to tell, it's surprising here on Space.com to see so few fans of this landmark series.</i><br /><br />The series is in my personal top 25 books to read of all time; the kind you'd choose if you were trapped on a desert island with nothing to do. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><em>Differential Diagnosis:  </em>"<strong><em>I am both amused and annoyed that you think I should be less stubborn than you are</em></strong>."<br /> </p> </div>

 

[a_lost_packet_]

So, if that's on your desert island book list, what's on your "periodicals" list? <img src="/images/icons/smile.gif" /><br /><br />Nevermind, I already have a good idea.. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <font size="1">I put on my robe and wizard hat...</font> </div>

 

[CalliArcale]

A movie? Wow! Oh, I hope they do it justice. Which means I hope it's not just one movie, but a series. Perhaps a miniseries a la Sci-Fi Channel's version of "Dune".<br /><br />I find it rather disturbing that Akiva Goldsman is the scriptwriter. "Batman Forever" sucked royally, IMHO. Of course, he did write "A Beautiful Mind", but I'm still shuddering from Batman Forever.<br /><br />I was introduced to Amber last spring. A friend loaned the original five books to me. I devoured them. <img src="/images/icons/wink.gif" /> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p> </p><p><font color="#666699"><em>"People assume that time is a strict progression of cause to effect, but actually from a non-linear, non-subjective viewpoint it's more like a big ball of wibbly wobbly . . . timey wimey . . . stuff."</em>  -- The Tenth Doctor, "Blink"</font></p> </div>

 

[serak_the_preparer]

<i>I was introduced to Amber last spring.</i><br /><br />????? Still recovering from the shock. And, yeah, jealousy. Wow. Zelazny's most famous work, and you've only just been introduced. An amazing thing he did, don't you think?<br /><br /><i> I devoured them. <img src="/images/icons/wink.gif" /></i><br /><br />Yep, betting that's what you think. Me, too. : )<br /><br /><i>I find it rather disturbing that Akiva Goldsman is the scriptwriter. "Batman Forever" sucked royally, IMHO. Of course, he did write "A Beautiful Mind", but I'm still shuddering from Batman Forever.</i><br /><br />Not sure, but I wonder if what that <i>Sci Fi Wire</i> snippet is referring to amounts to little more than the rights being optioned? Big talk from back in 1998, but now, nearly a decade later, little to show for it. If someone were to tackle this project now, I'd expect (and, like you, also hope) other folk would be brought aboard.<br /><br /><i>A movie? Wow! Oh, I hope they do it justice. Which means I hope it's not just one movie, but a series. Perhaps a miniseries a la Sci-Fi Channel's version of "Dune".</i><br /><br />Maybe this is the most likely scenario, at this point? Still, with studios taking a stab at Susan Cooper's books and Philip Pullman's <i>His Dark Materials</i> trilogy, perhaps someone will remember Zelazny and his <i>Nine Princes</i>? I've no doubt whatsoever that Zelazny envisioned his work being performed. (His M.A. was in Elizabethan and Jacobean drama, Corwin's journey back to Amber begins in Elizabethan England, and the books, of course, while peppered with references to Shakespeare, are also arranged as a tale broken down into five acts: Exposition; Complications; Climax; Falling Action; Transfiguration.) It would sure be nice to see that vision realized.

 

[serak_the_preparer]

<i>. . . my personal top 25 books to read of all time; the kind you'd choose if you were trapped on a desert island...</i><br /><br />Know what you mean. I've read it several times over the years (for me, 'several' hovers somewhere around 4). And can tell I'm about to read it again (as soon as I finish the book I'm reading now).<br /><br />Good seeing you around here, Corwin...er, I mean, Yevaud. : )

 

[serak_the_preparer]

<i>The point is, his Amber series is still getting print so don't lose heart.</i><br /><br />Good point. Just did a quick survey of sites devoted to, or at least pertaining to, <i>Amber</i> out on the Web. And was surprised to see so much out there. The gaming crowd definitely digs the series.<br /><br /><i>My character wasn't, well... he wasn't a very "nice" guy. heh heh But, it was fun playing around with an author's creation...</i><br /><br />Sounds like the sort of character who'd actually fit in quite well within the precincts of the Eternal City. Who might fit in even better within the dangerous and dysfunctional royal family itself.<br /><br /><i>Amber is a somewhat "different" story than most fantasy. It starts out in the mundane world.... Some of the unexplained "magical" scenes may cause people to tire of suspending disbelief....</i><br /><br />Maybe you're right. Me, I guess I've long felt that the coexistence of the mundane and fantastical realms, along with mechanisms (gradually revealed, I grant you) provided for the more fantastic stuff, would tend to endear <i>Amber</i> to the scifi crowd. My thinking on this ran sort of like: 'Here's an author who offers up a fantasy, but then goes on to provide rules for a deeper reality which manages to include the notably non-fantastical world we call Earth - quite a trick!'<br /><br /><i>For me, it was smack dab in the middle of my "I like" meter. For others, maybe not so much?</i><br /><br />But I see what you're saying. The ideas behind the story, which allow the story to 'work,' pushed too hard, may not hold up to the close scrutiny of more demanding readers. For the sake of 'what if,' I'm willing to cut the author a certain amount of slack - but not every reader may be so willing.<br /><br />For me, too, though, the story hits my 'I like' meter dead on.

 

[a_lost_packet_]

Regarding a new reader to the Amber series and why it may not grab them off the bat:<br /><br />This is from memory, years ago, so I may be off by a parsec or two in my description... <br /><br />The first book starts with a guy that is suffering from amnesia. He gets thrown into some pretty remarkable situations, gets mixed up with people that have no backstory to them at all and a heck of a lot of assumptions are made with no support.... yet. There isn't much "fantastical realm" stuff until much later in the story. It's mostly mundane, the opening, with a few weird elements thrown in that don't make much sense at the time.<br /><br />I'm usually willing to give an author time to develop a story and flesh things out so they make sense. I have only thrown a handful of books across the room in disgust and only used a couple of those as permanent drink coasters. <img src="/images/icons/smile.gif" /> My patience is that great. However, for some readers, theirs may not be. They may look at the first chapter or two and loose interest. Something shiny could fall on the floor or an interesting smell could be sensed coming from another room... Whatever the distraction or reason, some may have just not given the first book much of a chance.<br /><br />Of course, I love a good "Amnesiac Mystery" so I wasn't put off at all. I think that a film or series of films of the Amber series could be just as entertaining as the "Bourne xxx" series of movies inspired by Robert Ludlum. Similar action, similar type of starting character and lots of intrigue. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <font size="1">I put on my robe and wizard hat...</font> </div>

 

[CalliArcale]

Me too; I kinda like that method of providing exposition without having to make the protagonist a newcomer himself -- or having somebody asking otherwise ridiculously stupid questions. <img src="/images/icons/wink.gif" /> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p> </p><p><font color="#666699"><em>"People assume that time is a strict progression of cause to effect, but actually from a non-linear, non-subjective viewpoint it's more like a big ball of wibbly wobbly . . . timey wimey . . . stuff."</em>  -- The Tenth Doctor, "Blink"</font></p> </div>

 

[a_lost_packet_]

LOL, true.<br /><br />It's always sort of comforting for the main character to ask the same "ridiculously stupid questions" you want to ask. <img src="/images/icons/smile.gif" /> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <font size="1">I put on my robe and wizard hat...</font> </div>

 

[dragon04]

<font color="yellow">????? Still recovering from the shock. And, yeah, jealousy. Wow. Zelazny's most famous work, and you've only just been introduced. An amazing thing he did, don't you think?</font><br /><br />More shock atcha. I never read Amber until last year myself. Not that I hadn't heard of the work, but I was put off by the title.<br /><br />I figured it was some story about a chick named Amber.<br /><br />I was never overly fond of female protagonists as the central character in my sci-fi and fantasy reading.<br /><br />The War of the Spider Queen series of books kind of got me over that to a large degree, though. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <em>"2012.. Year of the Dragon!! Get on the Dragon Wagon!".</em> </div>

 

[yevaud]

If you ever get a chance, read "Bring me the head of Prince Charming." Zelazny had a sense of humor that would have had him fitting in here just fine. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><em>Differential Diagnosis:  </em>"<strong><em>I am both amused and annoyed that you think I should be less stubborn than you are</em></strong>."<br /> </p> </div>

 

[a_lost_packet_]

Ever read Michael Moorcock's short story "The Stone Thing?" <img src="/images/icons/smile.gif" /> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <font size="1">I put on my robe and wizard hat...</font> </div>

 

[serak_the_preparer]

<i>There isn't much "fantastical realm" stuff until much later in the story. It's mostly mundane, the opening, with a few weird elements thrown in that don't make much sense at the time.</i><br /><br />Well, I suppose it all boils down to personal opinion, but <i>Nine Princes</i> is a short book: my old Walotsky paperback from 1972 runs 175 pages. After amazing feats of strength and healing, Corwin, on page 48, reaches the pivotal realization which moves him out of the mundane into the fantastical:<br /><br /><i>Well, I'd heard </i>[Random]<i> speak of 'adding' and 'subtracting,' as though the universe in which he moved were a big equation.<br /><br />I decided -- with a sudden certainty -- that he was somehow adding and subtracting items to and from the world that was visible about us to bring us into closer and closer alignment with that strange place, Amber, for which he was solving....</i><br /><br />A little bit over a quarter of the way into a rather short book. Less than 10 pages later, we are with Corwin in the Forest of Arden when he encounters Julian and his Storm Hounds. Just a few pages after that, Cowin is wearing Grayswandir again and looking across the waves at the Lighthouse of Cabra, well within Amber. Of course, the inhuman zombies pursuing Random show up a lot earlier back in that mundane Shadow known as Earth.<br /><br />So, is that slow? Maybe it is. But a lot of exposition gets put behind the reader in the meantime, and it feels less like work and more like fun. An entertaining ride, right from the beginning. But, again, that's only one opinion, and the rather biased opinion of a serious fan at that. So maybe you're right.<br /><br /><i>I think that a film or series of films of the Amber series could be just as entertaining as the "Bourne xxx" series of movies inspired by Robert Ludlum. Similar action, similar type of starting character and lots of intrigue.</i><br /><br />Yes, a very apt comparison, I think. The highly developed training and refl

 

[serak_the_preparer]

<i>I figured it was some story about a chick named Amber.</i><br /><br />That was <i>The Chronicles of Debbie</i>. Doesn't get interesting until she sets out on her southbound odyssey from Colbert. : )<br /><br />(P.S. - The War of the Spider Queen?)

 

[serak_the_preparer]

Excellent recommendation. And I would add, if I could:<br /><br />A Night in the Lonesome October

 

[a_lost_packet_]

<font color="yellow">Serak_the_Preparer - So, is that slow? Maybe it is. But a lot of exposition gets put behind the reader in the meantime, and it feels less like work and more like fun. An entertaining ride, right from the beginning. But, again, that's only one opinion, and the rather biased opinion of a serious fan at that. So maybe you're right. </font><br /><br />Doubtful. <img src="/images/icons/smile.gif" /> It's been a while since I read it so I'm probably grasping at straws. Yes, the original print books were more like novelettes than novels. Tiny little things. In fact, many of Zelazny's other books were that way, IIRC. I think it had to do with some of the releases during that time as well. A LOT of very popular stuff was being written from short stories during that time. Maybe that was what the publishers preferred?<br /><br />Maybe the shadow walking turned some people off. I know I have a particular dislike for time travel stories where they bop about willy-nilly. I don't like that. Perhaps the change of venues hit those readers harder because they weren't the type to pay more attention to the characters than the milieu? That would make sense for some younger readers as well. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <font size="1">I put on my robe and wizard hat...</font> </div>

 

[serak_the_preparer]

<i>It's been a while since I read it so I'm probably grasping at straws.</i><br /><br />Me, too. Read on, MacDuff...<br /><br /><i>I know I have a particular dislike for time travel stories where they bop about willy-nilly. I don't like that. Perhaps the change of venues hit those readers harder because they weren't the type to pay more attention to the characters than the milieu?</i><br /><br />I think you've hit it. Niven rightly (in my opinion) views time-travel more as fantasy than science fiction. So are his time-travel stories science fiction...or fantasy? (See The Flight of the Horse.) And now here we have Zelazny's <i>Amber</i>, with a cast headed up by a royal family with hereditary superhuman - possibly even supernatural - powers, who roam the multiverse implied by the 'many worlds' interpretation of quantum mechanics. Science fantasy.<br /><br />Doesn't neatly fit into scifi or fantasy. Honestly, when I first read these books, they were sort of shoved at me. I did not impulsively pick them up, and didn't at first think they'd really be my kind of thing. It was the characters - just as you suggest - which first hooked me, the appeal of the story itself following on their heels.

 

[serak_the_preparer]

<i>Oh, I hope they do it justice. Which means I hope it's not just one movie, but a series. Perhaps a miniseries a la Sci-Fi Channel's version of "Dune".</i><br /><br />How about a 4-hour mini-series?<br /><br /><i><b>The Chronicles of Amber.</b> Based on Roger Zelazny's best-selling 10-volume series, this four-hour miniseries tells the story of a royal family with amazing powers over time and space, which is plagued by infighting as it tries to unite against a sinister enemy. Richard Christian Matheson will write the screenplay. Tom Patricia of Patriarch Pictures will serve as executive producer.</i><br /><br />- from SCI FI Slate Announced, 3-April-02<br /><br />Of course, this rumor was first circulated 5 ½ years ago, so it's a fair question to ask: Any progress reports? (None that I know of.)<br /><br />With <i>Battlestar Galactica</i> showing little sign of slowing down (Battlestar Galactica News (SciFi.com)), and also with other projects for the Sci Fi Channel to choose between, <i>Amber</i> may yet be a long way off. Still, perhaps there's hope yet...?

 

[serak_the_preparer]

<i>I think that a film or series of films of the Amber series could be just as entertaining as the "Bourne xxx" series...</i><br /><br />Not much as updates go, but I did find this:<br /><br />R.C. Matheson's career has taken him from Marvel's Hulk to Zelazny's Amber by Lisa DuMond (SCI FI Weekly)<br /><br />Dated August 11, 2003, in the interview Matheson mentioned that he was 'currently adapting Roger Zelazny's Chronicles of Amber into a four hour mini-series.' So, will the Sci Fi Channel ever get around to this project? Or will we have to wait for someone else to purchase the rights from them?<br /><br />But I don't think this series is going away anytime soon. It will probably be with us in one form or another - games, comics, new Amber books by new authors - for some time to come.<br /><br /><i>. . . Amber. I cannot flatter thee with words, first and most perfect of all the cities that have ever been or ever will be, heart of the realm from which all other places take their shapes.<br /><br />If you have never seen my city, then I can only tantalize you with hints of her elegance, her beauty. If you have seen her, then her name itself should be enough to summon memories of the immortal glory, of the terraced city that slopes down to the cliffs that hold back the sea, of the flowers, red and gold, which deck the thoroughfares, of the marble buildings, of the towers, gold and green, fragile and high, of the temples and the fountains...of Amber.<br /><br />The dwellings of many nobles lie within Amber, and we passed by some of them on our way to that palace beyond and above the rest. Rein smiled at the passers-by, who recognized him, Amber's finest minstrel, more easily than me, the prodigal prince. I'd been gone for centuries, gone though never quite forgotten, coming back only three times since - the first time to be immediately thrown into a dungeon, the second to take Amber with guns from A</i>

 

[a_lost_packet_]

Great news!<br /><br />I hope this makes it to television and doesn't get lost in the shuffle of "Giant Cockroach Eats Manhattan" stories that Sci-Fi has been producing. I'm currently hating, with extreme prejudice, anything Sci-Fi produces.. .especially "disaster" movies.<br /><br />But, they have a chance to redeem themselves with an Amber series. Heck, done right, it could win an Emmy. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <font size="1">I put on my robe and wizard hat...</font> </div>