Decades before Game of Thrones, Zelazny had already penned the quintessential sprawling fantasy epic. Amber instilled in me an abiding passion for thoughtful intricate plotting, complete with a multitude of exquisitely drawn characters whose distinct personalities leap from the page. Indeed, the first installment of what eventually became a vast tome in 10 parts was entitled Nine Princes in Amber. The nine princes are the sons of Oberon, the mythical realm of Amber’s powerful and enigmatic ruler, who has disappeared leaving no instructions for succession. Before all is over, you’ll get to know each and every son–and all their sisters too. The sons’ struggles for survival (and the shifting allegiances they entail) rock the very foundations of existence–itself an overarching theme that takes the concept of world-building to a fascinatingly literal extreme. Zelazny assembled the story in installments, each intertwining with and adding complexity to the one before it. The work is a testament to the ability of detailed organically grown storytelling to keep readers enthralled. With his signature elliptical style, which always left out just enough of the current machination to keep me slightly off balance, Zelazny kept me ever hungering for more. I confess Amber inspired the Tarot Cards that appear in the Heiromancer Trilogy, and though the use to which I’ve put them is entirely different, my chapter entitled “Trumps of Doom” is an homage to the identically titled 6th installment in the Amber series. For my money, Amber Trumps Thrones any day!
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