The Great Book Of Amber} Book One} Nine Princes In Amber

Continued from last posting.
This will be a more thorough look into this first book of the series. More of a summary of thoughts and ideas from each of the ten chapters within.

Again this is a book written by Roger Zelazny. And is a recommended book to any collection.

Chapter One> p.1-6

The writing in this first chapter is superb. We begin with nothing. All we see and know is through the limited sight and more limited memory of our narrator. However we begin to admire and feel connected to his character. His ability to ascertain and guess at a situation, and play the political odds in communicating with others is very inviting to us as readers. How will he get where he needs to be, when neither him nor I as his reading ally have no possible inclination to where that could be.

From his initial waking up in hospital he begins to analyze and figure what his  situation presently is. Is he being held captive, why is he here, can he leave willingly? How should be talk to the people dealing with him. Shortly his apprehensions are recognized by the forced medication the Hospital worker is attempting to intimidate upon him. Our character we soon learn is very strong physically and equally mentally. He is able swiftly to put this man down, and to make intelligent, humorous commentary throughout.

This character is far from bravado and conceit. He is we are shown, blind to his reality, and aware of his own potential darkness even in small ways. He tells himself on page one:
" Some natural skepticism as to the purity of all human motive's came and sat upon my chest. I'd been over-narcotized, I suddenly knew. No real reason for it, from the way I felt, and no reason for them to stop now, if they'd been paid to keep it up. So play it cool and stay dopey, said a voice which was my worst, if wiser, self." (emphasis mine)

He sees potential danger to his being right away, however recognizes this fear is likely based on a skepticism he has held for all human motives. This would suggest including his own. He also confesses the self directing him and keeping him safe, is his worst self, and worst especially if it was his wiser self. To imagine villainy and use this to rationalize fear and protection, is not a characteristic he admires in his self, he witnesses that it is his lesser self, his self being smart and cautious. This idea I think can be extrapolated to most any circumstance in today's culture. Getting vaccines, starting your RRSP's, planning your Holiday's, organizing when to get married, have children, organizing risky things, to keep it safe. With pretense of knowledge and knowing better. These are dark potentially and I am included in these temptations, I certainly rationalize fears, and plan, even while trying to tell myself I am not planning.

Let us continue.
Next we are taken to him feeling himself out. Trying to ascertain how his body, mind are working. What hurts, how can he move. The interesting piece here is that he discovers that although it is apparent that he was in an accident, a serious accident, and although his head is spinning, and he feels not very well, that he knows he can likely walk and on the mend. This discovery is soon to be dismissed by a new character int eh story. A nurse with a needle, charged to give it, ordered by the Doctor. She is dismissive of her patients statements of health, is unconcerned and in disbelief of his reports of being fine and wanting to leave. Her only responses are limited to her orders, I will report this, and it is not for the patient to decide but the Doctor.

This interests me, because this is the mentality often present in today's health care system, or even between the old and young, and young and old, or between spouses, or friends. The idea of disbelief, and I know better than you. The other always feeling they know more then the one. Now not to suggest that the one knows anything either. But only to disqualify the confidence in our knowings of others. In our assumptions and calculations. Which are 100% of the time in error, or largely flawed. As we are not intimate within the inner being, goings on of the one, as we are only ever the other. If even the one cannot be fully aware of the inner most happenings, how can the other pretend to be?

I am going to fast forward a bit, and talk now about the language and writing style, that adds to our story.
Our character leaves his room, and head to explore where he is, find the window with the light he viewed from his own, and try to escape this now proven medical prison. This journey is written not with overly descriptive lines and phrases, and yet the ones chosen are done so well, that there is excitement and anticipation, and the view through our characters eyes of exactly what we are seeing alongside him. I find very often in books/novels/short stories, that the descriptions become so expanded and specific. That they are these gigantic clouds of images and words, that I often get lost in, and fly past because I cannot imagine what is being described because it is too described, it is beyond empty spaces that allow some filling to form, it is filled with words and words that erase all potential of vision.

Here is a perfect example of the simple and spot on description by Roger Zelazny during this moment of escape of our main character:
" Doors, doors, doors, no lights from under any of them, the only sounds my footsteps from the too big borrowed shoes."  


And another example:
"I came to a stairway, off to the right, leading down. I took it. It was carpeted and quiet."

I see these images. I can imagine them easily. Think of what he might be feeling going through them. The concise descriptions also serve to bring us closer to our character, as the descriptions do not feel like a separate narration, but rather our characters calculative seeing.


The other interesting thing of note in this first chapter is the dialogue, pretty believable, considering our character is intelligent, fairly young, and has amnesia. The other is in the way it is presented, at times it makes it very fun.

For example, our main character has located the lit room he was in search for, searching for an exit, some information perhaps. And here is an example of the dialogue he has with the man he confronts:

" Good morning. You're in trouble."
People must always be curious as to trouble, because after the three seconds it took me to cross the room, his words were:
"What do you mean?"

This above example includes some inner narration.
Here is the second example:
" All right, Corey-if it will make you happy," he said, "your sister checked you in."
"?" thought I.

Both instances brought me to thinking about what was being said and shown to me, and both brought me moved to smile if not chuckle aloud.

Can you picture or imagine yourself saying in your mind "?". I can and do,do this very often. Or how about making notes in your mind about the greater humanity and ways of being we all so often exhibit in similarity to one another, such as the instance of curiosity about danger. Why would one do that? Is it a common attribute? It is funny and interesting both.

The last line I will note about this chapter is a description that is given from our main character about him. It is a description that leaves you unsure as to what it is describing until the end of the sentence. Some may think this pretentious, I find it delightful.

"I snubbed out my cigarette, picked up another, and removed perhaps two hundred pounds from my feet by resting in a brown upholstered chair beside his bookcase."

There is chapter one. I think I will next write perhaps of chapter two, more likely of a chapter in the middle of the ten, and again at the end.

Enjoy your reading, I hope this was a provocative and fun invitation to this book.
J.