Provides detailed information on Castle Amber.

Merlin is a Prince of Chaos and Amber, Corwin's son and heir. He has grown up knowing that his legacy is to one day follow in his father's footsteps, live up to his father's legend. When Corwin goes missing, that day comes far sooner than he could ever have expected. Merlin must find his own identity as the ruler of the worlds, and discover what kind of King he wants to be. Will he be a warrior like his father, or embrace his own path as a hacker-magician? A generation after Corwin's rise to the throne, Merlin is aided by powers beyond anything Corwin could have imagined. The epic magic from The Chronicles of Amber is wielded alongside sentient computers, a vorpal sword, and the ghosts of those who came before. Featuring the Locus award-winning Trumps of Doom, the Locus nominated Blood of Amber and Sign of Chaos, and the final two novels Knight of Shadows and Prince of Chaos, the Second Chronicles of Amber continues the epic story of Amber and the Shadow worlds.

In the final novels of his ten-book Amber series, Roger Zelazny rewarded readers with several startling revelations about his fantasy universe. Fans discovered for the first time that Amber is not the one true world of which all others are but Shadows. Rather, the mysterious Courts of Chaos preceded the creation of Amber. It was also revealed that the mad mage Dworkin was the father of Oberon, founder of Amber’s ruling dynasty, and that Dworkin’s origins go further back in time than the founding of Amber itself. The Dawn of Amber is a prequel series, exploring events that precede the first novel in the series, that answers these intriguing questions. Here, in Book One, you’ll meet the young soldier known as Obere as he’s whisked away from the kingdom and world he has known and defended his entire life, and placed on a knife’s edge of turmoil, intrigue, domination and death. He must learn what he can on the fly, unwilling to let friend and foe alike know how little he understands of this strange universe and the dangerous creatures that rule it. His life is in jeopardy, as is the entire House of Dworkin—the result of an ages-old blood feud that threatens to destroy Obere’s new-found family and any hope for a universe of light to balance and oppose the forces of Chaos and darkness. To achieve his legacy of power and become a player rather than a pawn in this deadly game whose rules he is yet to discover, Obere must journey into the serpent’s lair, the home of his enemies . . . the Courts of Chaos.

All Hail King Oberon! At last, Dworkin has created the magic Pattern, and Amber has been established with its own myriad of shadow worlds. Now, King Oberon works on repairing Castle Amber after winning his epic battle with the forces of Chaos. And his world is at peace . . . until he is attacked by a nightmare creature that refuses to die, while everything in its path withers and turns to dust. Oberon leads the monster away from Amber, on through an almost infinite number of Shadows, and still the creature presses ever closer. At last, Oberon travels to the world of the Pattern itself—his source of power—to make a stand against it. His fight, from the center of the Pattern, rips the world asunder—even damaging the Pattern itself. But Oberon manages to defeat the deadly monstrosity . . . and the Pattern repairs itself. Still, much time has passed, and much damage has been done. Among other things, when Oberon returns to Amber, his father tells him that the Pattern has been magically transported to the bowels of the castle. Further examination reveals that the original Pattern remains where it was drawn, and Castle Amber now possesses its identical double. But more damage than that may have been done. In a single evening, Oberon discovers that Amber hosts another race of creatures—a whole civilization living beneath the ocean in a mirror duplicate of Amber. He learns that it, too, has had a copy of the Pattern appear in its depths, that the Queen of the undersea kingdom knows all about him and desires him to get rid of the Pattern from her realm; and that she has plans for him . . . and the powers to perhaps make her wishes real. “Fans of the late Roger Zelazny’s popular AMBER series should flock to this...”—PUBLISHERS WEEKLY

Amber is the one true world of which all others are but shadows. Collected here in one binding are seven tales of Amber. It was Zelazny's intent to use these short stories to tie up unfinished threads from his amazing Chronicles of Amber. With stunning illustrations, this edition is sure to be a treat for the legion of Amber fans. "A storyteller without peer. He created worlds as colorful and exotic and memorable as any our genre has ever seen." -George R.R. Martin . . . his performance was never anything other than dazzling. -Robert Silverberg Roger Zelazny's work excited me. It was intoxicating and delightful and unique. And it was smart. -Neil Gaiman

This new collection includes all five previously uncollected "Amber" stories, plus the prologue from the rare limited edition of Trumps of Doom, and 16 other fantasy and science fiction stories (including a collaboration with Harlan Ellison).

A thematic assessment of the US science-fiction author's 30 books and many short stories; a brief review of his life; and an account of the various literary and artistic, visual and musical influences on him. Includes a chronology and a selected primary bibliography. Draws on extended correspondence with Zelazny. Annotation copyright by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR