I have read a great many books and I am sure I have mentioned this in previous posts. But today I want to talk about a favorite series of mine; The Chronicles of Amber by Roger Zelazny. It is a dimension hopping, mystery filled adventure; where the world of Amber is literally the center of the universe.

    The first book opens with a man waking up in a hospital on our earth with amnesia knowing only that he is uninjured and has been heavily sedated. As he makes his way out and meets up with family he learns he is not even human, but an heir to the greatest kingdom of all the worlds; Amber and a member of one of the most dysfunctional families around. Corwin sets out to reclaim his memories, take the throne, get revenge, and to try not to die. All in the first book.

    Length wise these books are not too long, my old paperback copies averaging 190 pages while the ten book omnibus I have reaches almost 1300 pages. For ten books, this is not too bad. The books are narrated in a clever and snarky first person perspective that makes the pages fly by. The stories told are interesting, if at some points a bit bizarre.

    I have given a very bare bones description for the fact that there is a lot of twists and turns that I could accidentally spill. The first book in the series, “Nine Princes in Amber,” is one of my favorite books of all time. I would highly recommend this series to anyone looking for a fantasy series that is smart but as bogged down with plots and counter-plots as Wheel of Time or Game of Thrones.

    In the event that you want something a little bit more in the science fiction section Zelazny also wrote a very excellent and Hugo award winning novel called, “Lord of Light,” (written in 1967) that mixes in Buddhism, Hinduism, and very advanced technology.