num_pages: 772
description: Nine Princes in Amber (1970)Corwin wakes from a coma in a NY hospital to discover he's part of a royal family who wander among infinite worlds ("shadows") &amp; rule over the one true world, Amber. Some relatives take him to walk the Pattern, a labyrinth inscribed in Castle Amber's dungeons which orders the multiverse. This restores his memory &amp; powers to travel thru shadow. He attempts to conquer Amber, currently ruled by his elder brother Eric, who took power after the disappearance of their father, Oberon. He fails, is temporarily blinded &amp; imprisoned. After a chance encounter with Dworkin Barimen, the mad sorcerer who created the Pattern, he escapes.The Guns of Avalon (1972)Corwin's siblings believe gunpowder can't work in Amber. But he has secret knowledge. Shadow world Avalon, where he once ruled, has a jeweler's rouge that'll function as gunpowder in Amber. He plans to raise a legion of soldiers armed with automatic rifles from shadow world Earth. Gathering these forces he conceives a child with Dara, a woman reputed his great-grand niece. He discovers a threat to Amber, a black road running across universes from the Courts of Chaos. With his newly-trained army, he marches on Castle Amber only to find it already under siege. Eric is mortally wounded &amp; passes the Jewel of Judgment to him making him Regent. The threat is defeated but Dara threatens greater peril after walking the pattern &amp; revealing herself as a creature of the Courts of Chaos intent on destroying both Amber &amp; Shadows.Sign of the Unicorn (1975)Someone has murdered another brother, Caine, framing Corwin. This raises questions about missing relatives. Random tells of his attempts to rescue Brand. Corwin decides to learn what happened. After many intrafamily exchanges, Brand is rescued but is stabbed by a relative in the attempt. In the midst of the ensuing intrigue an assassination attempt is made on Corwin. He finds himself incapacitated on Earth. Before returning to Amber he hides the Jewel of Judgment on Earth. After Brand recovers, he tells Corwin of several incidents leading up to his capture. Corwin travels to Tir-na Nog'th, the mysterious, moonlit Amber-in-the-sky to gain insight into the situation. Upon his return he finds himself at the Primal Pattern rather than Amber.The Hand of Oberon (1976)Corwin finds the Primal Pattern partly obscured by a stain. Investigation reveals that a relative's blood causes such a stain. He descends to the dungeons &amp; meets with Dworkin who explains how the pattern might be repaired. After being chased from the pattern, he discovers Brand is responsible for the damage &amp; has the Jewel of Judgment. He must prevent Brand from attuning himself to the jewel or Brand's plot to destroy the pattern will succeed. His family unites to prevent this, recover the jewel &amp; discover their father Oberon, King of Amber, still lives.The Courts of Chaos (1978)Oberon organizes an assault on the Courts of Chaos. Oberon plans to repair the Primal Pattern at the cost of his life, &amp; offers the throne to Corwin with Dara as his Queen. Corwin refuses and is tasked to bring the Jewel of Judgment across the shadows to the ensuing battle after the pattern is redrawn. He sets off along the black road pursued by Brand &amp; a great storm. He comes to doubt his father's success. As he approaches chaos he is assailed by fantastic beings who try to dissuade him. He decides his father must have failed. He creates a new pattern &amp; uses it to get to the Courts. In a final confrontation with Brand, the Jewel of Judgment is stolen &amp; lost. It is recovered by a unicorn who bestows it on Random, who is accepted as the new King. The Trumps &amp; multiverse restored, Corwin begins to relate the first Five novels to his son Merlin.
language: English
title: The Chronicles of Amber: Two Volume Set
titlecomplete: The Chronicles of Amber: Two Volume Set
genres: Fiction, Science Fiction, Collections, Epic Fantasy, Speculative Fiction, Fantasy, Adventure, Sci Fi Fantasy, Science Fiction Fantasy, Classics
ratings_count: 3918
series: The Chronicles of Amber, Amber: The Corwin Cycle
publisher: Nelson Doubleday (Garden City, NY)