The World of Amber Sunday, Jan 25 2009 

1 , loveofbooks 1:23 pm

Prince and Princesses

As I have previously written, I am now taking a slight detour in order to describe the world of Amber. Those who are already familiar with Amber must be a little patient although I might describe things somewhat differently than they remember them. Amber is the only real world from which all other worlds reflect. The world of Amber is ruled by a person by the name of Oberon. Oberon is generally not present and the world pretty much seems to run itself. Oberon’s offspring are the princes and princesses of Amber. These have unique abilities beyond the ken of mortals. First of all, it seems that they do not age. In addition they are stronger and more fit than any human. They are also more skilled than any human. In part this is due to their incredibly long lifespans which have granted them the opportunity to learn so much and in part this is due to their inherent nature. Finally, Oberon’s offspring are capable of travelling from shadow world to shadow world. Many of the princes of Amber can also use magic, shape shift or posses other powers.

Corwin of Amber

The first five books in the series are told by Corwin, one of the nine (known living) princes of Amber. The stories are told on the edge of shadow at the border of the kingdom of Chaos (which is sort of the opposite of Amber which symbolizes ultimate order) to his son Merlin.

 

A Story of Shadows Sunday, Jan 18 2009 

1 loveofbooks 7:21 am

The World of Amber

Although it has been a very long time since I have re-read the Amber series by Roger Zelazny, I though that it was time to take a slight break from the previous blog line and spend some time contemplating the world of Amber. For those of you readers who are familiar with the Amber series, I suspect that you will find some fascinating insights into Roger Zelazny’s epic creation. For those who have not had the opportunity, go out and read the series! It might aid your understanding to read my blog entries as well but there are many spoilers here so continue at your own peril!

A Reality Question

Despite my previous warning, there are those who have not read the series and will read on. There are also those who simply need their memory refreshed. For their benefit I am writing the next few paragraphs. The concept behind the world of Amber is that there is a single ’real’ world and this world casts infinite shadows throughout existence. These shadows are realized as worlds with varying degrees of similarity. The various shadow worlds all have their own laws of physics that govern them. Many of these worlds don’t even run in the same time frame as the true world of Amber. Thus, our modern world of Earth is in reality only one of many shadow worlds. Some people can travel amongst these worlds and of these some are more ‘real’ than others. The story that unfolds about the world of Amber is about these people, their conflicts and adventures.

 

Elminster of the Realms Monday, Jan 12 2009 

1 loveofbooks 7:30 am

Another Character From The Realms

Having received a great deal of positive feedback from my previous blog entry, I decided to discuss another well known character of Forgotten Realms. As you may have guessed from the title, I am talking about the mage known as Elminster. Elminster is a wizard who lives in the world of Forgotten Realms. He stars in many books and makes several appearances in many others. Like Drizzt, Elminster also has made several star appearances in various role playing computer games. Since he is an older creation than Drizzt he has also starred in some of the more primitive computer games like “Pool of Darkness”.

A Permanent Character

In fact, the character concept of Elminster is a standard creation that exists in nearly every fantasy world. Elminster is the mighty wizard who has cheated death several times. Has been presumed dead more than once and always outsmarts his foes in the end. His power his so great that nothing really seems to stop him. In fact, he is practically immortal. Again, when we look to the Old Testament, we find a similar character. Surely Elijah the prophet is not much different. He accomplishes several miracles, each greater and more showy than the last. He raises the dead and finally, when he completes his missions, he ascends in a fiery chariot to Heaven. The question must than be raised; what is the reason for the existence of such a character? What about such a character makes his existence so vital that we just can’t do without him?

 

The Wimp Tourist Sunday, Jan 4 2009 

1 loveofbooks 2:02 pm

The Wimp Motif

In my previous blog entries, I have described and begun the discussion of what I called the wimp motif. I have also described one of the reasons why we readers are naturally attracted to such a motif. If we readers were the only ones attracted that would probably be enough of a justification for the use of such a motif. Even so, I suspect that there is another use for the wimp motif. This is the reason why authors also find the wimp character such an attractive one. Of course, the authors using the motif might only have the readers in mind and they might read what they write as though they are readers themselves yet there is another storytelling advantage to the wimp motif.

The Wimp Tourist

The wimp participating in the epic adventure is often one who begins the adventure with a very narrow view of the world. He has not travelled much nor has he any great understanding about the various wonders of the world that he lives in. If magic exists, he generally knows very little about it. Fantastic beasts and their like are not part of his common knowledge. This makes the wimpy character a tourist who inspects everything around him and everything seems to him new and novel. This tourist approach justifies the author describing his fantastic world in all its glory. If the hero were an experienced wizard adventurer, he would not need other characters to explain to him all sorts of things about magic and monsters. This would be part of his common knowledge. If that were the case the author would have to find various creative ways to provide us readers with the knowledge that the character possesses and we do not. The wimp who is unfamiliar with all this makes things a lot easier for the author. This tourism use is frequently employed by authors who have imagined a very detailed and involved world that they wish to share with reader.