Background of Study
Roger Zelazny (1937-1995), was a popular American science fiction and fantasy author often associated with the “American New Wave” of authors who entered the scene in 1960s. These authors were often less concerned with hard sciences, like physics and astronomy, and more interested in exploring the human condition using science fictional settings as backdrops. Zelazny worked for the Social Security Administration, but was able to leave this position in 1969 to pursue writing full time. He lived in the Baltimore area, where he was involved in local fandom, and eventually moved to Santa Fe, where he spent his final years.
Zelazny focused on the craft of writing, using different viewpoints and structures for his tales, often to great effect. His language could be quite evocative, and he wrote poetry in addition to prose. He wove themes involving myth and legend into both his science fiction and fantasy. This included not only European myths, but also those from a variety of different regions and cultures. His characters were often cynical and even unsympathetic, and he sometimes used a narrative voice that would not be out of place in a detective novel of the era. His works were also marked by close attention to detail in the fight scenes, for which Zelazny drew upon his lifelong studies in the martial arts.
Zelazny was already an established science fiction author before he began writing the work he is most widely known for; The Chronicles of Amber. I encountered his fiction frequently in the various “best of” anthologies that were common in that era. Two of his stories in particular stand out in my memory: A Rose for Ecclesiastes, set on Mars, and The Doors of His Face, the Lamps of His Mouth, set on Venus. These are among the last science fiction stories written before probes confirmed that conditions on those planets were not even remotely Earth-like, marking Zelazny as not only a member of a new generation of science fiction authors, but also one of the last authors of the classic planetary romance era. His work appeared in a variety of magazines, including Amazing, Fantastic, and Fantasy and Science Fiction, and eventually Analog, Asimov’s and Omni as well. Two of his best-known novels that fall outside the Amber series are This Immortal and Lord of Light, with the second being one of my all-time personal favorites.
Zelazny received numerous awards in his career, including six Hugo Awards and three Nebula Awards. He was inducted into the Science Fiction Hall of Fame in 2010. Many contemporary writers mention Zelazny as a major influence, including notables like George R. R. Martin and Neil Gaiman.
Literature Reviews
Nine Princes in Amber
The first five Amber books, later to become known as the “Corwin Cycle,” were published between 1970 and 1978. They tell of the struggles of Prince Corwin of Amber, first against his hated brother Eric for the throne and later against the forces of Chaos who threaten Amber and the very fabric of reality itself. The books proved to be very popular, by far the most popular thing Zelazny had ever written. And so he wrote another five books, the “Merlin Cycle” describing the adventures of Corwin’s son, between 1985 and 1991. Most critics will tell you that the series declines in quality almost linearly, a half-step or so at a time starting right from the second book. The first book, Nine Princes in Amber, while much more straightforwardly written and plotted than the likes of Lord of Light, breathes the old Zelazny magic as we learn about this grandly mysterious multiverse and are introduced one by one to the family of Amber and their Shakespearian intrigues and rivalries.
The story opens as our protagonist awakens in a hospital room with no memory and his legs in casts, a noir-ish beginning through which Zelazny evokes the detective stories of writers such as Raymond Chandler. The protagonist refuses sedation from a very insistent nurse. He breaks off his casts to find his legs feeling pretty good. He vaguely remembers an accident, but figures he must be a fast healer. A large, brusque orderly shows up, and the protagonist knocks him out and steals his clothes. He is, apparently, a man who knows how to fight. He finds a man in an office who tries to pull a pistol on him, but disarms him, and gets the name of the woman who committed him: his sister. He demands the cash in the office safe as a “settlement” for the private hospital’s “malpractice,” and heads out to pay his sister a visit.
His sister, Flora, is surprised to see him, as the hospital had been ordered to keep him sedated and confined. He plays a dangerous game, trying to draw information from her without revealing his amnesia. She calls him Corwin, and mentions his brother Eric, which evokes a strong reaction. She mentions other brothers as well, and he feels himself react each time, often without knowing why. And then she mentions Amber, a place Corwin does not remember, but knows is home. Here I must point out a feature of the book that has become more obvious in passing years. Corwin has sisters, but as you can guess from the title (Nine Princes…), the women all play supporting roles. While this focus on male characters was typical of the time when the book was written, it has not aged well (nor has the fact that the characters are constantly smoking).
Corwin sleeps, and when he awakens, Flora is gone. He searches her office for clues, and discovers a deck of strange tarot cards, with trumps depicting his family members. And then the phone rings. Corwin answers it and hears the voice of his brother Random, who is in trouble. Corwin says he will help, and Random arrives with ruffians on his heels. The ruffians are not human, with grey skin and an abundance of sharp teeth, but are quickly and violently dispatched. Corwin and Random decide to head to Amber, taking one of Flora’s cars. As they drive, Corwin notices reality mutating around them as Random gives him directions. Their inhuman attackers, and this surreal process of moving through the “Shadows,” are fantastic, but Zelazny’s blunt narration makes everything feel very real and grounded even as it becomes stranger and stranger. They are pursued and harassed, and finally captured by their brother Julian, but Corwin overcomes him and wins their freedom. They use Random’s Trumps to contact their sister Dierdre. Corwin admits he does not remember who he is, and Random and Dierdre suggest they make their way to Rebma, an undersea replica of Amber, where Corwin can walk the “Pattern,” regain his power to travel among the Shadow worlds, and restore his memory. They run into some scrapes along the way, but Corwin walks the Pattern, and finally remembers everything. Their father, King Oberon, is missing, and Corwin’s brother Eric plans to take the throne—a throne Corwin wants for his own.
The rest of the book moves in a headlong rush toward an epic confrontation in the capital city of Amber, which sits atop the mountain of Kolvir. Corwin cuts a deal with his brother Bleys, who also wants the throne. They decide to make common cause, and if both survive, they will then figure out who should rule. Gunpowder does not work in Amber, so this conflict will be decided with blades and bows. They gather allies, make deals, and build mighty armies and navies. But they are confronting a brother who is in the seat of power, leads massive forces, has other brothers supporting him, and even controls the weather. There are battles, epic in scope, that cost thousands of lives among the forces they raised. Finally, Corwin and Bleys, their troops decimated, are reduced to forcing their way up a long stairway, rough-hewn into the rocky slopes of Kolvir, in one of the most gripping battle scenes
Corwin loses, is blinded, and thrown into a dungeon. He slowly regains his sight, and is visited by another prisoner, Dworkin—the wizard who created the family’s magical tarot decks.
Significance of the Study
Nine brothers battle for an inheritance left when their father disappeared, ultimately fighting for his vacant throne of Amber—the one true world, of which all others are merely shadows. The novel begins with our protagonist Corwin awakening in a medical care facility and suffering from retrograde amnesia. Like a fantasy version of The Bourne Identity, Corwin must discover who he is and why so many people wish him harm. He partially deduces his situation from the reactions of those around him, and bluffs his way into escaping from his drug-induced captivity. As he explores, his memory is jogged by his surroundings and conversations, and he gradually remembers his past and what he believes is his destiny.
Within the first couple of chapters, he learns that he is a prince of Amber, which basically means he has godlike powers. He can create shadow worlds, communicate with his family members through a deck of tarot cards, and walk The Pattern—an intertwined, labyrinthine inscription which brings order to Amber. (One of the more engaging parts of the novel is when Corwin travels to Rebma, the undersea mirror image of Amber, to walk The Pattern there.) He is also an expert swordsman, can lift cars, etc. As he remembers his siblings, he has vague feelings about them—some he recalls fondly, but with others he shares a mutual animosity. His brother Eric plans to soon coronate himself as the new King of Amber, and Corwin launches an attack to make his own claim; some of his brothers join his side, others support Eric, and some choose to be uninvolved in the conflict.