Nine Princes in Amber

Nine Princes in Amber is the first in the Amber series by Roger Zelazny.

This excellent fantasy takes off from page one and never really slows down. The main character tries to discover his own name, his murky background, and who is trying to keep him "on ice." It's a classic book that inspired a number of more modern authors and reads like greased lightning. I envy the folks that can read this for the first time.

Zelazny has commented that he envisioned the series exploring the same story from the point of view of each prince of Amber, yet by the end of 'Nine Princes', he had fallen for the narrative of his protagonist, Corwin.

This book is not Zelazny's most ambitious, but is well regarded as a 'mold breaker' in the fantasy genre.