Roger Zelazny's The Dawn of Amber

Book excerpt: In the final novels of his ten-book Amber series, Roger Zelazny rewarded readers with several startling revelations about his fantasy universe. Fans discovered for the first time that Amber is not the one true world of which all others are but Shadows. Rather, the mysterious Courts of Chaos preceded the creation of Amber. It was also revealed that the mad mage Dworkin was the father of Oberon, founder of Amber’s ruling dynasty, and that Dworkin’s origins go further back in time than the founding of Amber itself. The Dawn of Amber is a prequel series, exploring events that precede the first novel in the series, that answers these intriguing questions. Here, in Book One, you’ll meet the young soldier known as Obere as he’s whisked away from the kingdom and world he has known and defended his entire life, and placed on a knife’s edge of turmoil, intrigue, domination and death. He must learn what he can on the fly, unwilling to let friend and foe alike know how little he understands of this strange universe and the dangerous creatures that rule it. His life is in jeopardy, as is the entire House of Dworkin—the result of an ages-old blood feud that threatens to destroy Obere’s new-found family and any hope for a universe of light to balance and oppose the forces of Chaos and darkness. To achieve his legacy of power and become a player rather than a pawn in this deadly game whose rules he is yet to discover, Obere must journey into the serpent’s lair, the home of his enemies . . . the Courts of Chaos.