The AMBUARY Reading Event is HERE !!!

[@michaelk.vaughan8617]

I accept full responsibility. 😅

[@GrammaticusBooks]

It was a GREAT idea of yours! Thank you for coming up with it...and letting me stea...er, borrow it!

[@DavidWiley7]

I finished Amber last year and loved every bit of it! More people reading Zelazny is a great thing.

[@GrammaticusBooks]

Amen to that David!

[@SleepyBookReader-666]

Always good to read more Zelazny!

[@GrammaticusBooks]

Absolutely Sleepy!

[@LiminalSpaces03]

That sounds fun! My next read from Zelazny is going to be Damnation Alley, but the novella version, not the novel. Zelazny himself has stated that he prefers the novella version!

[@GrammaticusBooks]

I've heard Damnation Alley isn't the best of his works Liminal. But I'd be interested to hear if the shorter version is a more tightly written book.

[@KevinSterns]

By pure coincidence, I am just finishing my FOURTH readthrough of the first 5 Chronicles.

[@GrammaticusBooks]

Awesome! I'm on my second, you have me by several rereads!

[@jamesonpace726]

Zelazny was my go to author when life got hard, or soft, or whatever, in my college years (8) in SF. Love his writing....

[@GrammaticusBooks]

I'm enjoying his work more and more. An underappreciated author James!

[@User_Un_Friendly]

Finally an event I can get behind on. 🐶 I'm thinking of rereading "Jack of Shadows", to see if my recollections are correct. I'm also going to read "Forever After", one of his more obscure works, which asks the question "what happens in a fantasy world, after the Big Bad is defeated?" I've never read it, and it was an impulse buy on my part. 🙄 I'm also going to reread "The Changing Land", in which Dilvish gets the vengeance he wanted so much, but finds little satisfaction in it. 🤓🤓

[@GrammaticusBooks]

Zelazny is a great writer User. Even when his books aren't that great overall. They're still fun to read. He always finds a way to make even a poor book interesting.

[@JosephReadsBooks]

Well, I am of course going to take part in this(now that I am aware of it).

[@GrammaticusBooks]

You are most welcome to join in! MKV came up with it last year as a bit of a gag, but I’m running with it!

[@MuleFace100]

Like you, the Amber series is one of my all time favorites (Probably read them 6-7 times). I recently bought a large lot of Zelazny books on ebay & am trying to read most or all of his published output. I've read Lord of Light, Jack of Shadows, The Dream Master, &To Die in Italbar. I'll probably get to This Immortal in February.

[@GrammaticusBooks]

Gotta move This Immortal up to January Mule! Buying Zelazny in bulk on Ebay...smart...probably what I'm going to have to do myself to fill in the holes in my collection. Which are numerous!

[@MuleFace100]

@@GrammaticusBooks Ha! You may have talked me into it...

[@DoctorFriday81]

Have a great 2025🎉

[@GrammaticusBooks]

You too Doc!

[@TheSadDane]

Maybe I'll try the Amber chronicles again. I've tried before and they haven't resonated, but I've really liked some of his other books - especially "Lord of Light". For a much faster/lighter read, "Roadmarks" is a lot of fun.

[@GrammaticusBooks]

So many good books by Zelazny Dane! I'll keep an eye out for Roadworks. And I hear you on Amber. It's very different in tone to his other works.

[@PeculiarNotions]

I'm looking forward to your Ambuary videos.

[@GrammaticusBooks]

As am I Seth! I should have the first review up tomorrow morning. Hopefully, I can find the time to keep this on schedule!

[@nunyabizness6595]

Ellison did a video i believe on the whole "grand masters" debacle where great writers were approaching old age and death and still not getting the award. I think it was one of the scifi channel's harlan ellison's watching video's available on youtube.

[@GrammaticusBooks]

I will definitely try and track that one down Nunya!

[@occultdetective]

I just might have to revisit "If At Faust You Don't Succeed".

[@ilanahalupovich]

There's also a collection of Amber stories.

[@GrammaticusBooks]

Another one I need to add to my list!

[@davidk6269]

Happy new year to you! I wish you and yours a very happy and healthy 2025!

[@GrammaticusBooks]

Thank you David and to you and yours as well!

[@vintagesf]

Challenge accepted. I will read the first book 'Nine Princes in Amber'. Perhaps you'd like to join me in a conversation about the book when I'm finished? Just a thought.

[@GrammaticusBooks]

I would love to join you in a conversation on the Nine Princess in Amber Richard! (Now I have to move that one up on the list!)

[@MusicMike939]

I have been rereading them on audible. Sorry to say the chaos series doesnt seem to have the same impact. Love all Zelazny though.

[@GrammaticusBooks]

By chaos series Mike do you mean the second five books? If so, I do agree. There's a slight drop off in the second series. Aka The Merlin Cycle.

[@cobbycaputo3332]

@@GrammaticusBooks Warning Spoilers (Of a Sort) I think the Merlin Cycle suffers a pretty common problem in book series that change narrators or POV characters as the series progresses. We spend five books living in Corwin's head, and he is a very engaging and well-written character. By The Courts of Chaos, I really felt his emotions, the exhaustion, the quiet pride in what he accomplished, and his growth as a brother. But the big loose end at the conclusion is what about that second pattern? Where does it go? And then when the next cycle opens up, we have a different narrator/main character and the loose end from the first series never really gets tied up. The second pattern is acknowledged, but it isn't the primary focus of the second series. It's a pretty big let down to lose your very familiar and charismatic narrator, and not immediately (or even late in the series) get back to the most compelling end of the first series plot point. I liked Merlin's cycle and have re-read it a few times, but it took a long time as I read them (as they were being published, so having to wait a year or so between books) to finally accept that Zelazny was not writing the sequel series I wanted to read.

[@GrammaticusBooks]

@@cobbycaputo3332 I did actually enjoy the Merlin Cycle. Just not quite as much as the Corwin series. Which is one of my all time favorites. And like you said, it took awhile to settle in with the new characters.

[@mass4552]

I don't know what is wrong with me but I think any avid reader checks out any book collection when we see it. I was wondering if you had your books in some kind of order behind you or you would be able to shuffle the books to show some more of your collection in the background.

[@GrammaticusBooks]

That is a GREAT suggestion Mass! And one that I've been meaning to do. I'll try and get around to it!

[@BookChatWithPat8668]

Hi Grammaticus. I left you a comment on this video yesterday, and it seems it's been deleted. I don't know why this happens....

[@GrammaticusBooks]

Pat I find sometimes comments of mine get deleted if I include certain words (that often have no rhyme or reason to it) or if I try to put in a link. I’m sorry your comment was deleted. Do you have my email address?

[@BookChatWithPat8668]

@ I do have your email address. I know you can’t put links in comments, but I didn’t. Weird. Maybe I listed someone’s name? I don’t know. I’ll email you…

[@GrammaticusBooks]

@@BookChatWithPat8668 Just responded back to you Pat. Sorry about the difficulties.

[@BookChatWithPat8668]

@@GrammaticusBooks No worries. I'll go check email now...