Friday, May 27, 2011

Nine Princes in Amber by Roger Zelazny

I just finished reading Nine Princes in Amber by Roger Zelazny. It's part of a six-novel reading list for my Writing the Novel class that I will be taking in the fall, where we will each write a 50,000 word novel.


I described Nine Princes in Amber to my brother as "Jason Bourne meets The Chronicles of Narnia."

The story follows a man named Corwin who has just survived a near-fatal automobile accident. He cannot remember who he is, but he slowly learns that he is the prince of Amber, the kingdom of the real world. There are shadow worlds and real worlds, or worlds of substance. Princes of Amber can travel and create shadow worlds.

Corwin and his brothers are all rivals for the throne of Amber because of some unknown event that removed their father from power. There's lots of treachery, sword-fighting, world-traveling, and magical twists.

Nine Princes in Amber is the first book in Roger Zelazny's Complete Amber Chronicles, of which there are 10.

Tuesday, May 24, 2011

Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer

I listened to Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer on audiobook this week (narrated by Nathaniel Parker).


The story is about a 12 year-old criminal mastermind who discovers a world of fairies and tries to exploit their magical powers to make a fortune.

Nathaniel Parker did a great job with the voices, bringing Artemis, Butler, Holly, Root, and the other characters to life. The story is exciting, with lots of twists, descriptions of fantastical creatures and their ways of life--and then some detailed descriptions of technology used by the fairies.