The Amber Series (Magill’s Guide to Science Fiction and Fantasy Literature)
At a glance:
- Author: Roger Zelazny
- First Published: 1970
- Type of Work: Novels
- Type of Plot: Fantasy—heroic fantasy
- Time of Work: Contemporary on Earth and undefined but resembling medieval Earth on a variety of alternate worlds
- Setting: Earth, Amber, and the lands in between
- Genres: Long fiction, Fantasy
- Subjects: Magic or magicians, Twentieth century, Other worlds, Kings, queens, or royalty, Heroes or heroism, Computers
- Locales: Earth, Mythical lands
The Plot
The story of Amber is told in two cycles, consisting of ten novels. The tale is extremely complex, written over a span of twenty years, and involves dozens of principal characters who are related in various ways. Amber is depicted as the “real world”; all other worlds, including contemporary Earth, are shadows cast by that reality. It is a world of magic and swordplay ruled by members of a bickering royal family who form temporary alliances and then regularly betray one another.
Outside Amber, the characters “travel through shadows” by creating...
[The entire page is 1329 words long]
