WHAT IS AMBER
" We were both wonderfully drunk that night, and it seemed but a brief while that you talked - weeping some of the time - telling me of the mighty mountain Kolvir and the green and golden spires of the city, of the promenades, the decks, the terrace, the flowers, the fountains... "
Ganelon, The Guns of Avallon
" We had spent much of our time in wandering in Shadow, or in our own universes; It is an academic, through valid philosophical question, as to whether one with power over shadow could create his own universe. Whatever the ultimate answer, from a practical point of view we could "
Corwin, Nine Princes In Amber
The Amber universe was created by the American writer Roger Zelazny (1937-1995),
one of the great names of modern Science-Fiction. He's the author of
many short stories (A Rose for Ecclesiastes) and of novels
dealing with humanity great myths ; Hindu (Lord of Light ), Egyptian
(Creatures of Shadow and Light), Indian or Celtic (Amber).
Zelazny was a winner of both Hugo and Nebula awards for his
work.
At the beginning, Zelazny only had the idea of the opening scene of his first Amber novel, "Nine Princes of Amber" : an amnesic awakes in a hospital and escapes in order to find out who he is. The story exploded into an incredible story taking place in an even more incredible and varied universe, where all distinction between imagination and reality is swept away. Step by step, Zelazny built something more and more vast and complex , and if the Earth is the starting setting of the first novel , it quickly appears as being only one world among many others, ( actually, among an infinity, as all possible universes exist in Amber ).
The Chronicles of Amber is a series of 10 novels (5 in the original Chronicles and 5 in the second series) written by Roger Zelazny. The books in the series are:
The First Chronicles of Amber
Nine Princes in Amber (1970)
The Guns of Avalon (1972)
Sign of the Unicorn (1975)
The Hand of Oberon (1976)
The Courts of Chaos (1978)
The Second Chronicles of Amber
Trumps of Doom (1985)
Blood of Amber (1986)
Sign of Chaos (1987)
Knight of Shadows (1989)
Prince of Chaos (1991)
All the books have been (1994-1995) reprinted by Avon Books, so your local
bookstore is likely to carry them.
IN THE
BEGINNING
Originally, eons before, was only the Primal Chaos. From this Chaos emerged a race of beings able to adapt themselves to their constantly changing environment. They took the name of Lords of Chaos , built a civilization suited to the unsettled nature of the place, and called it the Courts of Chaos.
But one of these lords, Dworkin, revolted against his peers, stole a mysterious artifact called The Jewel of Judgement, and used it to create Amber, a place whose principle was the opposite of the surrounding chaos. Amber started to act as a center, an pole around which appeared all the possible universes. This field took the name of Shadow, because it contained an infinity of worlds that represent all the possible variations between Amber and Chaos, all the reflections of Amber more or less altered as they get close to the Courts.
Dworkin had an issue in Amber, and among all his descendants, his son Oberon became the King of Amber. He ruled there for millenniums and had his own descendants, the Princes and Princesses of Amber. His sudden disappearance provoked a serial of events related by his son Corwin in the five first books of Amber (the next five books being told by Corwin's son Merlin).
This is how Corwin describes the Amber universe :
" Now it is written that only a prince of Amber may walk among shadows, though of course he may lead or direct as many as he chooses on such courses. We led our troops and saw them die, but of Shadow I have this to say ; there is Shadow and there is Substance, and this is the root of all things. Of Substance, there is only Amber, the real city, upon the real Earth, which contains everything. Of Shadow, there is an infinitude of things; Every possibility exists in somewhere as a Shadow of the real. Amber, by its very existence, has cast such in all directions. And what may on say of it beyond ? Shadow extends from Amber to Chaos, and all things are possible within it. There are only three ways of traversing it, and each of them is difficult.
If one is a prince or a princess of the blood, then one may walk, crossing through Shadows, forcing one's environment to change until it is finally in precisely the shape one desires it, and there stop. That Shadow world is then its one's own, save for family intrusions, to do with as one would. In such place I dwelled for centuries.
The second means is the cards, cast by Dworkin, master of the Line, who had created them in our image, to facilitate communications between members of the royal family. He was the ancient artist to whom space and perspective meant nothing. He made up the family Trumps, which permitted the willer to touch his brethren wherever they might be. I had a feeling that these had not be used in full accord with their author intentions.
The third was the Pattern, also drawn by Dworkin, which could only be walked by a member of our family. It initiated the walker into the system of the cards, as it were, and at its ending gave its walker the power to stride across Shadows.
The cards and the Pattern made for instant transport from Substance through Shadow. The other way, walking, was harder. "
Nine Princes in Amber
It's of course impossible to summarize all the books, as a short description of events can't give an idea of how rich the universe of Amber is. Princes and the Princesses of Amber fought against each other in a struggle for the throne and a war broke up with the Courts of Chaos. Corwin endured many trials, old secrets rose, two brothers and a sister died, a new Pattern was created and a new king was chosen.
Now, if you want to learn more, read the links below, or better yet, find the novels and read them !
ROLE-PLAYING
GAME
The Amber universe was adapted in a role-playing game by Eric Wujcik (Amber, Diceless Role-Playing, Phage Press™). This game's cast of characters can include any inhabitant of Shadow Earth, but generally revolves around members of the Amber family or the families of Chaos, as both can travel through Shadow. And for those who don't know what a role-playing game is... well, let's say that it's part tale and part theater, as each participant has to play the role of a character and to improvise depending on the situations this character encounters. The game is supervised by a Game Master (GM) who describes the characters actions and the situations they face, play the role of all the people the player's characters can meet, and in a general way ensure the playing universe coherency. The only way to really understand what a role-playing game is about is to try it !. Most role-playing games use a system based on dice, meant to simulate random and give the Game master a objective ground for his descriptions or rulings. In the Amber role-playing game, no dice, nor any other trick to simulate randomness is used; everything is based on the GM decisions.
While most other role-playing games run in a limited setting, Amber is a completely open universe, and the player can at any moment decide to go in a Shadow of his choice; past history, other planets, Fairy tale realms, anywhere is possible to the imagination of the player, however the absurd the kingdom he wants to reach (The 8th book of the Amber cycle, for instance, begins in the world of Alice in Wonderland). But then, where is the interest of the game, if there is no limits ? The characters controlled by the players are almost immortal, have an access to a vast range of powers, and can find everything in Shadow.
Additionally, the amberites are not alone. The Courts of Chaos are a counterpoint to the power of Amber, and the relations between the two poles of reality are essential to equilibrate the powers (Zelazny didn't oppose Amber and Chaos as Good and Evil but only as two different conceptions of the universe)
Finally, Amber is above all a game of intrigue. Everything is centered on the complex games between the members of the family ; plots, seduction, treachery and political manipulations are the common day of an Amberite . Yet the game is not machiavellian (it's quite possible -and interesting- to play a young and naive character in Amber), but it is essentially based on psychology ; the Amberites can fight to stand on a better place on the succession list, or to gain access to a rare power, but the links they have with the others members of the family are also an important part of the game's atmosphere. (See for instance the complexity and the ambiguity of the emotions felt by Corwin towards Oberon, or towards his brothers and sisters). Actually, playing a character that lived centuries and has visited so many different places invites one to work hard on their character's personality. But here, once again, the best way to understand it is to play yourself !
