Nine Princes of Amber: the summary
Nine Princes of Amber
The main character awakes in a private hospital. He doesn't know his own name and who he is. He remembers that he has been in a car accident but nothing besides that. He learns that his sister Flora put him in a hospital and has been paying for his keeping there. He manages to escape from the place and goes to the Flora's mansion.
Flora is very afraid of him, because she doesn't know what he remembers. Corwin pretends he knows everything and talks to her for a while trying to retrieve some information. Then Flora goes away and Corwin searches the library in the mansion to get some clues for his past. He takes off the blade from the wall and understands that he is good at fencing. In a hiding place he finds a pack of cards with strange Trumps. There were some people pictured on them. He recalls their names but nothing more.
Suddenly, the telephone rings and Corwin answers. It is his brother Random who needs help and a place to hide away. He tells that some strange creatures are at his heels and he couldn't 'shift' them. Corwin invites him to the Flora's mansion. Random comes soon and these creatures come too. With combined efforts they could defend themselves and kill all the creatures. Corwin sees that they are not humans.
Corwin persuades Random to take a car and go to Amber together. Amber is the only true city which casts shadows - parallel worlds. Any other place is just a one possible reflection of Amber. Only princes of Amber can walk among shadows. Corwin doesn't remember how to do it but Random can.
After some obstacles they arrive to Arden forest near Amber. In the forest their brother Julian is hunting at the moment. He changes his target and begins to hunt for their car. By the miracle, Corwin overpowers Julian and takes him off from the gigantic horse Morgenshtern. He leaves him a life and they go further.
On their way they meet another relative - their sister Deidra, who was a prisoner in Amber and could escape but not far away as she was caught by the guards. Corwin sets her free and they three go ahead.
At that moment Corwin makes a confess that he doesn't understand what's the hell going on and that he has lost his memories. They decide to go to Rebma. It's an underwater city, an accurate reflection of Amber, so it has a copy of the Pattern - a strange curved labirint. Every son and daughter of royal family have to pass through this Pattern to gain a power for walking among shadows. They hope Corwin will pass through the Pattern and he will remember everything.
They go to Rebma. Despite the soldiers trying to capture them they arrive to Rebma successfuly. Random becomes a prisoner in Rebma because of his past sins. He has to get married with a blind girl and live with her at least a year.
Corwin goes to the Pattern and passes it through. While doing this he is recalling everything. Now he knows who he is and why he hates Eric - an usurper of the throne of Amber. He understands that Eric had overpowered him and sent him to the Shadow named 'Earth' where he had been living for centures. Eric hoped that Corwin would die there because of plague but Corwin survived, although he lost his memories.
Eric sent his sister Flora to keep an eye on him. Corwin lived a hard but wonderful life at Earth. He met Napoleon and Freid, he was a warrior and a doctor. However, all the time he had been trying to know who he was, but scientists and doctors only shrugged.
Now, after the Pattern he knows everything and he hates Eric even more. Using a magic of the Pattern he teleports himself to Amber and goes to the library looking for the cards. The cards are very important because they are a mean of communication and teleporting between relatives. They were drawn by a mad artist Dworkin who also draw the Pattern.
Suddenly, Eric comes into the library and sees Corwin. They take out their swords and begin to fight. Eric is a good fighter, maybe the best fighter after Benidict, their common teacher at martial arts. Corwin is a good fighter, too. He hurts Eric but he has to escape because of people hurrying up to help Eric. Corwin takes out the card of his brother Blays and connects to him. He makes a step and find himself near Blays, in his Shadow.
Blays hates Eric too. They decide to combine their efforts and make a great army against Eric. In shadows they collect some humanoid creatures who believe them. The creatures are sure that Corwin and Blays are good gods and Eric is a lord of evil and he must be overthrown.
They start their campaign. Corwin is ruling the fleet while Blays is leading the infantry. On their way to Amber they suffer from weather accidents like hurricanes, floods, storms and other obstacles. Later they learn that Eric has found how to control weather with Jewel of Judgment. Their army becomes smaller and smaller.
When Corwin's fleet has been completely destroyed, he teleports to Blays via his card and they continue to fight together.
They reach the Arden Forest and suddenly find themselves in a fire. Eric burned up the ancient forest to stop Corwin and Blays. Their army flee in panic.
At last, with small forces they reach the mountain Kolvir where Amber stands. This mountain has very narrow path to the top, so all soldiers have to make a line to go up, one behind another. But Eric's soldiers meet them going down the path. Blays and Corwin go together. Blays meets their enemies with a ruthless braveness. He killed many people but finally he is tired and falls to the abyss. Corwin throws the deck of cards to him and has to fight instead of him. At the top of the mountain he enters Amber and sees Eric who orders to capture him. They are lost. All their soldiers are killed or prisoned. Corwin is prisoned, too.
A bit later Corwin watches a ceremony when Eric becomes a king. After inauguration his eyes are burned out and he becomes a blind prisoner for years. He curses Eric and opens a new way to Amber for dark forces. You can read about it in more detail in the next book.
However, he is a prince of Amber and his body has a great ability to recover and regenerate. In four years he has his eyes recovered. He can see again!
Suddenly, in his chamber he meets Dworkin, a mad artist who had drawn the cards and the Pattern. Corwin is very surprised how Dworkin appeared here and Dworkin tells him his story. Dworkin had learned a way how to destroy Amber and the old king Oberon, Corwin's father, took him to the prison to keep it in secret. He might kill Dworkin but he was very valuable for the royal family. Despite the prison Dworkin found a way to go out. Oberon disappeared unexpectedly without naming a successor.
Corwin thinks quickly and asks Dworkin to depict a lighthouse of Cabra on the wall of his chamber. Dworkin agrees and makes a picture of the lighthouse and another picture of his own room for returning. Dworkin looks at the picture of his room, steps out and vanishes. Corwin looks at the picture of the lighthouse, steps out of the chamber and finds himself at the lighthouse. He is free again!
He spends some months at the lighthouse of Cabra and then goes away to find a quiet place for full recovering. He wants to find his city of Avalon when he had been a king before. He longs to collect a new army and overthrown Eric. |