Roger Zelazny's Chaos and Amber

The Dawn of Amber #2

by John Gregory Betancourt, Roger Zelazny (Series creator)

In the nationally bestselling Roger Zelazny's The Dawn of Amber, John Gregory Betancourt began the epic exploration into how the world of Amber and all of its shadow worlds came into existence. The young warrior named Oberon, who is destined to found a dynasty and rule over Amber, was rescued from attacking hell creatures by his father, Dworkin, and introduced to his brothers and sisters--and his heritage as a Prince of the Courts of Chaos.

But the shadow world called Juniper, the home of Dworkin and his kin, came under deadly attack by unknown and overwhelming forces. After sending the rest of the family to distant shadow worlds for their own safety, Dworkin and Oberon, and Oberon's half-brother Aber, traveled to the center of the known universe and the lair of their enemies, the Courts of Chaos, to put an end to the undeclared blood feud.



In CHAOS AND AMBER, the story picks up with the arrival of the fleeing trio in the shadow world closest to the Courts, known as "the Beyond."

The Courts of Chaos are hostile to Dworkin and his kin, and potentially deadly to Oberon--who barely survives several attempts on his life. Dworkin disappears after leaving for a meeting with King Uthor, ruler of the Courts. This leaves Oberon and Aber to uphold the family's honor on their own. But with the Beyond so close to Chaos, they know that their enemies are nearby and probably spying on their every move.

Rumors are rampant the King Uthor is about to brand Dworkin a traitor, making it open season on him and his family. Oberon seeks allies among those family members who have political ties to the Courts, little realizing that every alliance comes with a price. In this case, it is a betrothal to a distant, monstrous cousin, and a knife fight to the death with one of the Courts most powerful princes.

Genres: Fantasy, Fiction, Science Fiction, Adventure, Science Fiction Fantasy, Ebooks, Epic Fantasy

322 pages, Hardcover

First published September 2, 2003

About the author

John Gregory Betancourt is a writer of science fiction, fantasy and mystery novels as well as short stories. He has worked as an assistant editor at Amazing Stories and editor of Horror: The Newsmagazine of the Horror Field, the revived Weird Tales magazine, the first issue of H. P. Lovecraft's Magazine of Horror (which he subsequently hired Marvin Kaye to edit), Cat Tales magazine (which he subsequently hired George H. Scithers to edit), and Adventure Tales magazine. He worked as a Senior Editor for Byron Preiss Visual Publications (1989-1996) and iBooks. He is the writer of four Star Trek novels and the new Chronicles of Amber prequel series, as well as a dozen original novels. His essays, articles, and reviews have appeared in such diverse publications as Writer's Digest and The Washington Post.

Reviews

[Thomas · Rating 2 out of 5]

I discovered Zelazny's Amber series in my teens and devoured it. The cosmology was interesting, the characters were well-drawn (although sometimes a little lacking in depth), and the plot was engaging. I enjoyed the later Merlin novels, although perhaps not quite as much as the original Corwin series.

I was interested in seeing what Betancourt had done with the franchise after Zelazny's death. Overall, I'm pretty disappointed. The characters don't have much depth; where Zelazny may have done that with the supporting cast Betancourt does it with the main characters. I found the prose repetitive, particularly in its descriptions of the Courts of Chaos. The first three books sped along, carried on a reasonable but unremarkable plot that draws to a close in the third novel. The fact they're such quick reads and a sense of nostalgia are the main reasons why I finished the first three novel.

I picked up the fourth book hoping it would improve, that Betancourt would find some balance between nostalgia and orginal work and perhaps find his own voice in the series. To my great disappointment, it got much, much worse. The same characters are even more two-dimensional. One wonders how the main character actually manages to survive to the Corwin series based on his apparent lack of forethought in anything he does. But fear not, for every time a problem arises an unlikely solution surfaces no more than a few pages later to resolve the issue. We get carried through a few locations from the original series that Betancourt hadn't yet visited, and the result is totally unsatisfying. The whisper-thin characters and lack of plot (compelling or otherwise) reduce it to nothing more than window-dressing on earlier The Visual Guide to Castle Amber.

Fans of the original series may enjoy the first three novels for nostalgia. If that's the case feel free to indulge, but I recommend stopping there.

[Terelyn Marks · Rating 4 out of 5]

Must find the third book! This trilogy is the prelude to The Great Book of Amber and details how Amber began and how it is both separate from and a part of The Courts of Chaos.

Betancourt did an excellent job of writing in Zelazny's style. If I didn't know that he died in 1995 :( I'd think he'd written these books too.

[Иван Величков · Rating 3 out of 5]

Доста по-добра е от предишната, но пак страда от липсата на достатъчно талант в Бетънкорт. Героите претърпяват нулево развитие и сюжетът е брутално еднопластов.
Действието се развива основно в Хаос, където нашите принцове ги заместват в дворни интриги, докато нещо продължава да се опитва да ги пречука. Историята отново е съшита с кръпки от книгите на Зелазни, но този път са доста по-добре наставени. Влизат и обяснения за Лабиринта, Бурите на сенките, Рубина на Справедливостта и т.н. Авторът си е оправил повечето грешки от предишната книга, ама по малко смотан начин.
Продължавам нататък. Третата част изглежда ще ме зарадва.
До тук си струва да се прочетат, дори и само от носталгия по Амбър.

[Liutauras · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good action

[James · Rating 2 out of 5]

fun read but needs editing and formatting help

So, if such an accomplished writer can’t get a decent editor, what does that say about the publishing industry? Thats really my only complaint. the story is fun and well written,but I do feel a bit like I am being given bread crumbs with no real substance. Read on buy more. I have read self published books that are better edited. The characters, world building and visuals are all engaging but still superficial. Honestly, no contemporary writer can hold a candle to the old school masters. In a superficial world controlled by like minded publishing elites, style trumps substance. I miss old school.

[Nicholas Whyte · Rating 3 out of 5]

https://fromtheheartofeurope.eu/roger-zelaznys-chaos-and-amber-by-john-betancourt/

Second of the prequels to Zelazny’s great Amber series, and it is a step up from the first volume. Oberon and his recently acquired father Dworkin (and recently acquired brother Aber) battle their way through family feuds at the Courts of Chaos to head towards the creation of Amber itself (which will presumably happen in the third volume). It’s still rather flat compared to the originals, but at least it does not go on too long.

[Mekerei · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nine Princes in Amber prequel

This is the second book in a prequel trilogy about the creation of Amber.

I’m enjoying the telling, but feel that this could be one book, not a trilogy; unless book three is much l longer.

The tale is interesting but not compelling. If I hadn’t read Nine Princes in Amber I’m not sure if there has been enough to make me want to keep reading.

I will read the final book in the trilogy.

Three stars

[Christopher Schmehl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not as good as Zelazny; but in my opinion, not bad at all. Zelazny wanted Amber to end/close with his death. He died of fast-moving cancer. All his plans for a third storyline ended there.
But his estate commissioned more Amber novels from John Betancourt. I think he did a more than passable job with his prequel cycle about Oberon and Dworkin.

[Keith Zimmerman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very good book. This book had an alliance that I have never seen in a book before. It was very short-lived but thought it was interesting. I like when a book gives you something you do not expect.

[Keith Anderson · Rating 1 out of 5]

The writing is OK but the Kindle version is awful. It's the worst transfer into Kindle format that I have ever endured. Lines of text suddenly have a new line break in them - in the middle chapters it occurs on almost every page!

[Joel Jenkins · Rating 5 out of 5]

For those complaining there wasn't enough humor in the Betancourt pastiches, Oberon manages to get engaged to his three-eyed and horned hideous cousin and hasn't yet figured his way out of it by the end of the book. Though the start is a bit slow, there is plenty of drama and treachery.

[Marti · Rating 4 out of 5]

CHAOS AND AMBER is still not Zelazny but much better than Dawn of Amber.

[Larry W. Jewell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amber LIVES!

A most thorough world building, precursor to legebd. I read the first Amber books as they came out, now my journey nears completion.

[Scotty Marinara · Rating 4 out of 5]

i really enjoyed this book i couldnt put it down and read it in one day give it a shot! especially if you love amber and want more action and intrigues!

[Rose · Rating 5 out of 5]

For a Zelazny fan, this is a welcome addition to the Amber series.

[Tim Hicks · Rating 3 out of 5]

Adequate. I'm prepared to make allowances for an author writing in another author's world.

You have to have faith with this one, because it starts slowly and gets slower, before finally picking up some momentum and becoming worthwhile. They do eventually stop telling Horace to be sure to stay awake all night, even though for a while it seemed to come up about every third page.

In this volume Oberon moves from weak and reactive to proactive and coming-into-strength. That's what Betancourt had to achieve and he did it.

Betancourt completely fails in one respect: he doesn't explain why Dworkin's offspring don't punch him in the nose, repeatedly and at every opportunity. I know I would.

There are the usual copy-editing failures, which I didn't expect to see in a 2004 hardcover edition. I guess it was early in the automated-checking era.

I'll probably read the next one just to see how it turns out.

[Daniel · Rating 3 out of 5]

As I wrote regarding the previous Betancourt foray into the Zelazny Amber world ... this isn't Zelazny.

Of course it isn't Zelazny, it's Betancourt, but what's the point of having such a fantastic, well-developed series mauled by another writer?

The book is a quick read. Too quick. And while it's seems that there's lots of action, in fact, very little gets done. I'm fairly certain that the characters are no better off or even knowledgeable at the end of the book than they are at the beginning. (Okay...that's not entirely true, but the journey to the knowledge is NOT satisfying.)

One thing that struck me is that Dworkin acts a bit too much as Corwin did. Like father like son, or cheap writing?

So why do I read it? For the same reason Betancourt is writing it probably... it's a fun unvierse to visit. Sadly, the fun is wearing off now.

[bkwurm · Rating 2 out of 5]

Mundane. The obvious villain continues to be the obvious villain but his machinations are somehow never noticed by the protagonist. Dworkin's constant disappearances and refusal to deal with what would appear to be pressing matters are never explained and if this was because he was attending to far more important issues, those never seem to impinge upon the characters.

Freda, as a sister talented in the arcane is clearly a copy of Fiona from the original series. The motives of the characters make little sense. It is never clear why they are all still at odds in the face of a determined enemy seeking to kill them all. In the original series, at least, it was clear that the contest was for the throne. Here, the shadow world of Juniper has been destroyed and as everyone is free to go find their own shadow, you have to wonder why they don't do so.

[Dave · Rating 3 out of 5]

MUCH better than the first. This one reminded me more of the originals. It's still somewhat simplistic and his priorities seem a bit off (spending more pages on less consequential things and fewer on more pivotal moments, etc.). Oberon also finally starts coming into his own in this book as well, which helps make it much more interesting than the first.

[Debra Cleaver · Rating 4 out of 5]

Betancourt did a fair job of staying true to Zelazny's original version. I understand they worked together briefly before Roger Zelazny died, and Betancourt incorporated a lot of Zelazny's notes in crafting the prequels. The writing style is of course slightly different, but the overall feel of the books remains the same.

[Rebecca · Rating 2 out of 5]

With this volume, I can see where Betancourt was trying to keep within Zelazny's world, but I can also see how this series drove Amber fans up the wall. It's kind of like reading Donnerjack, really. You can see the potential of the ideas, but they just don't make it.

[Oliver · Rating 3 out of 5]

The middle part is very tedious. Picks up considerably at the end though. Have hopes for the third part.

[Jason · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must have trilogy for any Amber fan!

[Lynn Calvin]

ereader ebook

[Ashkhan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed the book. As a fan of the original it was a must-read for me.

[Alex]

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