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Foomy's Reviews > The Great Book of Amber
The Great Book of Amber (The Chronicles of Amber, #1-10)
by
by
The name Zelazny is used in conjunction with words like "Classic" and "Quintessential" high fantasy. So I went into this dictionary-sized tome with high expectations of fantastic locations, rules, and characters. I got the first two.
The idea of Amber, being the only "real" world, with countless other "shadow" worlds branching off (think alternate universes, but not quite), is a great concept. Unfortunately, I'm a big fan of strong characters and their growth, and I just didn't find that here.
None of the characters seem to have any reason for their actions at any point. There is one big overriding motivation for most of the characters, yes, but all the specific actions they take and decisions they make don't make sense in context. And no, they don't have these grand plans where eventually all their little quirks and unexplained actions come together in a giant epiphany at the end; they just do things. It feels like certain things had to happen for the plot to move forward, so the characters make these things happen regardless of how much sense it makes from their point of view.
I was very disappointed by the book, honestly. I feel like an ambitious author could take the setting of Amber and make a spinoff novel or series with strong characters that would make a better story than the original.
The idea of Amber, being the only "real" world, with countless other "shadow" worlds branching off (think alternate universes, but not quite), is a great concept. Unfortunately, I'm a big fan of strong characters and their growth, and I just didn't find that here.
None of the characters seem to have any reason for their actions at any point. There is one big overriding motivation for most of the characters, yes, but all the specific actions they take and decisions they make don't make sense in context. And no, they don't have these grand plans where eventually all their little quirks and unexplained actions come together in a giant epiphany at the end; they just do things. It feels like certain things had to happen for the plot to move forward, so the characters make these things happen regardless of how much sense it makes from their point of view.
I was very disappointed by the book, honestly. I feel like an ambitious author could take the setting of Amber and make a spinoff novel or series with strong characters that would make a better story than the original.
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Reading Progress
Finished Reading
February 14, 2009
– Shelved
