Prince Corwin of Amber
Swordsman, Rogue, Sorceror, and Hero


In another realm of reality, the true reality, a place called Amber, Corwin was born as one of the nine princes of the House of Oberon, King of Amber. The blood of the King Oberon and his children is that which formed Amber, the one true reality from which other realities are but an imperfect shadowy reflection, and this blood gave them great power in the form of strength, speed, agelessness, phenomenal capacity to heal, and most definitely in the power to walk through and manipulate Shadow. Corwin walked the Pattern, the great magical glyph of Order nestled deep within the bowels of Castle Amber, and with its imprint within him, he was set to step forth as a giant, a god to those lesser creatures found outside his family. As a means of survival and ego, he was taught intricate knowledge of the sword, his silver blade Grayswandir forged of moonlight and Pattern magic. Yet rivalry and jealousy did burn hot in the breasts of the princes and princesses of this fairest and most shining of all lands, and plots within plots and outright attempts at assassination did reign as common place. A more dysfunctional family has not existed, and in such an environment grew the hostility of Eric and Corwin for each other, a rivalry between brothers that crossed over into hatred.

Eric was the elder of the two brothers, his black curly hair and beard framing a dangerous smile. His expertise with the blade was outshone by few, and with great relish, he would lower defeat upon his arch rival Corwin. Luring his younger brother to a Shadow called Earth, Eric challenged his brother to a duel, greviously wounding him but choosing to instead leave him to die of the Black Plague on shadow Earth. Laughing, the elder sibling returned to Amber and remarked upon his brother's unfortunate death in a far flung shadow. Oberon did suspect Eric's hand in Corwin's reported death and marked him for it, further fueling Eric's hatred for now "dead" brother.

Yet, the hardiness of the Blood of Amber saved Corwin. His wounds healed, and he survived the Black Plague by matter of sheer constitution; however, the illness did take its toll on him, taking from him his memory of Amber and his origins, leaving him only with his skills and his name. He thus lived his life on shadow Earth, learning more of the art of duelo from the great Italian, French, and Spanish maestros, tricks unknown to his forgotten fellows in Amber. He served in campaigns as a general and moved unseen throughout history, never understanding his immortality but accepting that it was the way things were. The result of being amongst those of mortal nature, cherishing them, seeing them die, and appreciating them as equals did change his nature from that of the heartless egotistical bastard Prince of Amber to that of man of honor and adventure.

His long existence upon shadow Earth was rediscovered by siblings, first by Eric who let him live his pathetic existence without memory, preserving him as a trump card against his father's anger, and later by those who vied against Eric for power. When the prolonged and unexplained disappearance of King Oberon created a power struggle for the royal scepter in Amber, other siblings found evidence of Corwin's existence. When Corwin began to emerge from the centuries of amnesia, his wild card status grew dangerous, and one sibling found this to be too risky of a situation and arranged for Corwin's "accidental" death. Surviving an intentional car crash, head trauma threw him into an even deeper state of amnesia; however, instinct carried him on, and he found an opportunity to learn who he truly was. Using his natural cunning, he successively played his siblings Flora, Random, and Dierdre for fools, lulling them into giving him information, and finding his way back to Amber. Realizing his own dire straights in the family Jyhad, Random allied himself with Corwin, helping him reunite with the Pattern, and having it restore his memory and identity. A new Corwin was born---one full of fire and a thirst for revenge at his prior defeat yet tempered with the knowledge he had gained in his humble existence upon shadow Earth. He struck back, demonstrating to the other Princes and Princesses of Amber that their brother had returned with all of his charm and intrigue heightened to a greater power, and he taught Eric the taste of fear by besting him in a duel.

Thus spoken is but the bare beginnings of the tale of Prince Corwin of Amber, a tale best told by Corwin himself as recounted to his son Merlin at the closing of the PatternFall War in the Courts of Chaos.

The Chronicles of Amber is a five novel series written by Hugo Award winning author Roger Zelazny. The titles of these novels are in order "Nine Princes in Amber," "The Guns of Avalon," "The Sign of the Unicorn," "The Hand of Oberon," and "The Courts of Chaos." This is one of the most enjoyable series I have ever read, being notable for fun, humor, excitement, action, adventure, intrigue, and mystique. I will ever consider this series to be a "must read."

The Second Chronicles of Amber is a five novel sequel ("Trumps of Doom," "Blood of Amber," "Sign of Chaos," "Knight of Shadows," and "Prince of Chaos") that centers upon the character of Corwin's son Merlin, a sorceror and Prince of the Courts of Chaos and a Duke of Amber. The second series emphasizes Merlin's search for his missing father and his attempts to dodge a mysterious assassin, and it also further explains the polarity between Amber and the Courts of Chaos. The flow of the second series is comparable to that of the first; however, the end is disappointing, probably the result of deadline pressures placed upon Zelazny. How Zelazny would have amended the final chapter of "Prince of Chaos" will never be known following his unfortunate death in the summer of 1995.


View the Trumps of the Nine Princes of Amber


For Further Information on Roger Zelazny and Amber

Roger Zelazny
Zelazny and Amber
a brief summary of the career of Roger Zelazny
Zelazny and Writings
Roger Zelazny at Wikipedia
Zelazny Bibliography
the Amber On-Line Dictionary
Amber Review/Synopsis
Tony Jones Amber Role-Playing page



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