I read the first half, 5 novels, which forms a complete cycle in itself. I think this is the worst writing I’ve read in my life, and I’ve read some pretty trashy fantasy in my time (eg. Elric). It also contains remarkably little fantasy invention, the one thing that can save fantasy from bad writing. We get a host of characters that are completely uninteresting and unconvincing. It all seems like something that was written by someone in a desperate hurry making it up as he went along. The worst aspect is the way the language flits back and forth between contemporary American English and Trashy Fantasy Archaic English. Zelazny couldn’t even be bothered to remember which his characters spoke, making it obvious he didn’t care about his characters either.

Pity. I enjoyed A Night in the Lonesome October a lot.

I absolutely adored these books. You just read right through them and feel hungry and unhappy once it’s over. The world and charaters Zelazny created are fascinated. The “ambiance” of the books will just get to you and absorb you to the end.

This is one of my favorite books of all time. I read it when I was 16, and since then I’ve read everything Zelazny wrote. One of few authors to attempt a mash-up of sci-fi and fantasy—something that I’ve always felt worked better than the two genres by themselves. The result is like nothing you’ve ever read before. Once you’ve finished, proceed to Lord of Light….

:-O

Zelazny creates a completely believable fantasy world and drags you into it within the first few pages of this series. Corwin of Amber is a wonderful, flawed hero.

Zelazny creates a completely believable fantasy world and drags you into it within the first few pages of this series. Corwin of Amber is a wonderful, flawed hero.