The Books of Amber 6-10, care to share your opinion?

[Squire James]

Heh, Amber books are short enough that you can READ them in less time than it takes to think about reading them!

If you're going in to them with the expectation of reading a good story, you won't be disappointed. One must also accept that Merlin is more naive than Corwin, and some of his decisions may seem stupid compared to his father (who had over 500 years more experience than him). You could almost say the Merlin saga was a higher-level game that had to be played by less-experienced players.

Of course, anyone who's read all the Amber books would get the idea that the world's worst enemies are always within one's own family! Which makes me wonder about poor dead Zelazny a little...

 

[Hand of Evil]

They are okay but this is a case of something that should not have happened!

The first group were classic must reads, the second group was the answer to demands of the public. They had to live in the shadow of the prior books. Add to this years in between, tech, fandom, etc., all had an effect on the story.

 

[Malexin]

The first five books are well worth the time expenditure and the second five while not as good as the first five are decent reads.

And yeah Blue football fields suck. What were they thinking?!?

 

[Welverin]

And yeah Blue football fields suck. What were they thinking?!?

That's what I was thinking. Brings up an interesting question though, what's worse a blue football field or green ice in a hockey rink?

 

[CCamfield]

I'm pretty much in agreement with the consensus. If this is an issue of actually buying the books, then there are better things out there. If you haven't read all of Zelazny, try Lord of Light, and A Night In the Lonesome October.

Oh, ok, I see you've borrowed the Great Brick of Amber. Well... I dunno. If it's free, and you have nothing better to read, go for it.

 

[Michael Tree]

You're better of reading something else you're interested in.

Roger Zelazny writes by sitting down at his typewriter, starting from scratch, and seeing where he goes from there. In the first Amber series the result was an amazing story with interesting characters and a remarkably coherent and original plot. However, with the second series the result is a mediocre story, with irritating characters (Merlin has many striking similarities to Wesley Crusher - a clueless twit who the author has gifted with tremendous powers), and a plot that meanders randomly, full of gaping plot holes, with several major subplots that are dropped in the middle and never resolved.

Worse yet, it invalidates some of the really cool aspects of the first series by giving them hokey explanations. Don't sully your vision of Amber with the 2nd series. Let it remain the cool and original place that it was in Corwin's books.

 

[CCamfield]

When Zelazny fanatics attack!

Roger Zelazny writes by sitting down at his typewriter, starting from scratch, and seeing where he goes from there.

He wrote the Amber series that way, but not all of his works.

 

[AuroraGyps]

In the monority

I actually enjoyed the second series almost as much as the first. The ending is very weak, but there's still some cool stuff in there too. I enjoyed Merlin dealing with both his backgrounds/families... and I liked Mandor enough to have him as my PC's Dad in Amber DRPG. In all, the series is such a quick read that, while it might not measure up to the first series in some people's eyes, a reader may still find something interesting and/or useful in them and not spend that much time doing it.

 

[KnowTheToe]

I have to agree that if you have the books, that they are such a quick read that you should not pass them up. Zelazny has a few other books I really enjoyed, but can't remember their names.

One was about a struggle between angels and demons and the demons try to ruin prince charming (from the fairy tales) by creating him out of different people, thieves, cowards etc.

The second book was a modern fantasy mix with two babies being switched between the worlds and the impact it has and the conflicts that arise.

Both books were worthy reads.

 

[Lady Mer]

One was about a struggle between angels and demons and the demons try to ruin prince charming (from the fairy tales) by creating him out of different people, thieves, cowards etc.

That would be 'Bring Me the Head of Prince Charming', cowritten by Robert Sheckley. It was the first Zelazny novel I ever read. Incidentally, it does have two sequels- 'If at Faust You Don't Succeed' and 'A Farce to Be Reckoned With'.

I have no idea what your second example is, I'm afraid.