- Paperback: 218 pages
- Publisher: Avon Books; Reissue edition (31 Dec 1988)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0380755661
- ISBN-13: 978-0380755660
- Product Dimensions: 20.1 x 13.2 x 1.5 cm
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 435,842 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Synopsis
Provides detailed information on Castle Amber.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
9 reviews
23 of 24 people found the following review helpful
A Review from the Middle of the Road...
8 Oct 2003
Format:Paperback
I've never understood the "love it or hate it" reaction that so many people have to this book.
Zelazny was interviewed by Randall and Hamilton for the express purpose of creating this little book. He described the people, the places, and the history of Castle Amber in more concrete detail than you get from the 'Amber' novels, and his descriptions were then "fleshed out" a bit with original prose and illustrations to create 'The Visual Guide to Castle Amber.'
Your guide is Flora, one of the characters from Zelazny's 'Amber' series, and her narration takes you on a floor-by-floor tour of the Castle. Each floor and many rooms of the castle are mapped and thoroughly described. There are also Trump illustrations, along with an incomplete family tree (the 'Visual Guide' appeared before all of the 'Amber' novels were published). Quite interesting, fairly well-organized and well-presented, and authorized by Roger himself. What's the fuss?
The way that fans react to this book has always been amusing to me. Depending upon the individual, the 'Visual Guide' is either a foul blasphemy that defiles THAT WHICH IS THE ONE TRUE AMBER, or else it's a definitive "last word" that was so important that Zelazny assumed flesh-and-blood form to deliver it to the unworthy masses.
I look at it this way: The 'Visual Guide' is ONE VIEW of what Amber might be like, informed by Roger Zelazny and expanded by a couple of self-professed Ambermaniacs. I've seen better, I've seen worse. Generally speaking, I like the maps fairly well but most of the Trump illustrations are run-of-the-mill. I enjoyed leafing through this book quite a bit, and I'd say it's worth reading if you're an 'Amber' fan like me, but I don't go back to it time and time again the way I do with Zelazny's fiction.
Taken for what it is, the 'Visual Guide' is a nifty piece of fan art and fiction, no more and no less.
Zelazny was interviewed by Randall and Hamilton for the express purpose of creating this little book. He described the people, the places, and the history of Castle Amber in more concrete detail than you get from the 'Amber' novels, and his descriptions were then "fleshed out" a bit with original prose and illustrations to create 'The Visual Guide to Castle Amber.'
Your guide is Flora, one of the characters from Zelazny's 'Amber' series, and her narration takes you on a floor-by-floor tour of the Castle. Each floor and many rooms of the castle are mapped and thoroughly described. There are also Trump illustrations, along with an incomplete family tree (the 'Visual Guide' appeared before all of the 'Amber' novels were published). Quite interesting, fairly well-organized and well-presented, and authorized by Roger himself. What's the fuss?
The way that fans react to this book has always been amusing to me. Depending upon the individual, the 'Visual Guide' is either a foul blasphemy that defiles THAT WHICH IS THE ONE TRUE AMBER, or else it's a definitive "last word" that was so important that Zelazny assumed flesh-and-blood form to deliver it to the unworthy masses.
I look at it this way: The 'Visual Guide' is ONE VIEW of what Amber might be like, informed by Roger Zelazny and expanded by a couple of self-professed Ambermaniacs. I've seen better, I've seen worse. Generally speaking, I like the maps fairly well but most of the Trump illustrations are run-of-the-mill. I enjoyed leafing through this book quite a bit, and I'd say it's worth reading if you're an 'Amber' fan like me, but I don't go back to it time and time again the way I do with Zelazny's fiction.
Taken for what it is, the 'Visual Guide' is a nifty piece of fan art and fiction, no more and no less.
15 of 17 people found the following review helpful
A Guide from the Lord of Fantasy
30 Mar 2000
Format:Paperback
This book is a walk through guide not an actual story, it gave an in depth look into the world of Amber. It icludes character discriptions and backgrounds, timelines geneology and a complete map of castle Amber and the city around it. It also tells the story of the Unicorn and Dworkin, how the Pattern was created, and where the Jewel of Judgement came from. I highly recomend this book to any one that is a fan of Roger Zelaznys fantasy world Amber.
6 of 8 people found the following review helpful
Much maligned, but quite interesting
28 Jan 2003
Format:Paperback
Looking over the past reviews, one would surmise that this book is simply awful. Actually, quite to the contrary. Example: The illustrations are far from crude. In fact, they are well-drawn and very detailed. I think this is similar to the controversy surrounding the "Lord of the Rings" movies coming out. Many fans are crying "Heresy!" because the director's vision doesn't fit their notions of how the characters look and act. ....Read this one, and enjoy, it is rich!
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