Throwback Thursday: The Chronicles of Amber Are the Original—and the Next?—Game of Thrones

Said circumstance only makes the announcement last week that Robert Kirkman, the mind behind The Walking Dead, is bringing Roger Zelazny’s classic fantasy series The Chronicles of Amber to television more exciting for fans of George R.R. Martin’s saga. To put it simply, if you love Game of Thrones and can’t wait for the next season to get here already, The Chronicles of Amber offer a perfect way to spend the interim profitably—as these five arguments will demonstrate.
A matrix of inspiration
Martin and Zelazny were peers and friends. Martin speaks affectionately of Zelazny a lot—and has title-checked Amber as one of the inspirations for A Song of Ice and Fire. It’s not difficult to imagine: both series actually share a real-world inspiration in the Wars of the Roses. While the two series are very different, it’s easy to see how both authors saw the stuff of an incredible fantasy story in that aristocratic 15th-century brawl in 15th century England. Like Martin, with his great houses and their emblems, house words, and lengthy histories, Zelazny creates royal factions differentiated by a colors and emblems used to mark their territory, and each shares centuries-spanning history withtheir rivals for control.
Politics, blood, and shadows
Both series are built on the subtle, complex tumult of political and familial intrigue. Where Martin is concerned with who gets the Iron Throne and the coming of the White Walkers to Westeros, Zelazny’s universe is much larger, but centered on the Royal Family of Amber—nine princes and four princesses—and their fight for power after their father, King Oberon, goes missing and is presumed dead. Amber isn’t just a city, or a country—it’s one of two “true” worlds in the multiverse (along with the Courts of Chaos); every other world—including our own—is a Shadow World or a reflection of Amber itself. The Royals can gain the ability to walk through the Shadows—travel to Earth, for example—and even control or alter the reality of the Shadow worlds. As the story begins, eldest (but illegitimate) brother Eric has claimed the throne and rules Amber, and the other Royals have chosen sides for or against him, kicking off a civil war that isn’t just about a single throne, but about the fate of all reality. The Royals have varying levels of power, wisdom, and foresight, and their shifting and unpredictable loyalties rise to dizzying levels of skullduggery as the eldest legitimate son, Corwin (the narrator of the first five books) emerges from amnesia and injury to battle for what he sees as his rightful place on the throne.
A universe fully-formed
One of the aspects that makes A Song of Ice and Fire so addictive is the sheer level of detail that Martin brings to life; he creates a sense that Westeros and its surrounding kingdoms actually exist. Zelazny achieves a similar level of immersion with a slightly more fantastical setting (Amber and the multiverse are decidedly less “realistic” than the Seven Kingdoms). With flecks of real-world history, Highlander-esque immortals, and entire worlds that are literally reflections of the city of Amber, Zelazny manages something few writers have: he creates a realm of magic and swordplay that feels rock-solid and real.

Metaphysics
Like Martin, Zelazny isn’t content to simply write a thrilling story of magic, court intrigue, and violence—he digs deeper, using his story to examine a huge list of subjects. The nature of reality itself is questioned, as the Royals are split on their opinion of the Shadow worlds—some believing the Shadows, including our own Earth, are created by the Amberites, while others believing they exist independently. Free will, the nature of existence, and morality are dealt with over the course of all ten novels, as Corwin, the protagonist and arguably most capable and most powerful Royal, slowly changes his perspective toward his own family as his understanding of the universe—which he had once thought complete—expands.
Epic battles
Make no mistake, though—another aspect that Amber and Game of Thrones share is a sense of the epic. The Royals gather huge armies and engage in terrible battles. They change allegiances and stumble into advantages. The throne of Amber passes through several hands, sometimes quite surprisingly. Chess moves are made, checked, and countered. Whether your favorite part of Martin’s epic are the battles and battlefield strategies, the back room intrigue and poisonings, or the awe-inspiring moments of magic, Zelazny matches each move for move.
Bonus: the series is complete
It’s no wonder Martin admired Zelazny as much as he did: any fan of Martin’s work will find plenty to love in The Chronicles of Amber. Even better, and perhaps most critically, the story is finished. The ten books of the Chronicles are divided into two five-novel series that tell complete, fully-formed stories. No waiting for the final volume, no torturous delays. You can read these books as fast as you want. For fans who have been suffering for their next GoT fix, that might be the best reason of all to start reading.