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Books Like The Chronicles of Amber

Zelazny, 1970 · #31 on the Epic Fantasy 101 Booklist · 86/120

Corwin wakes in a hospital on Earth with no memory and discovers he is a prince of Amber, the one true world. His siblings are fighting over the throne.

Its strongest scores: originality and structure. The five books below have the closest scores across all eleven criteria.

If you liked The Chronicles of Amber, read:

1. The Old Kingdom

   Nix, 1995 · #24 on the list · 89/120

   Sabriel, daughter of the Abhorsen, crosses the Wall from her English-style boarding school into a land where the dead will not stay dead. She must walk into Death itself.

   Close on theme, structure, further reading, creative details.

2. Bartimaeus

   Stroud, 2003 · #41 on the list · 84/120

   In an alternative London run by magicians, a boy summons a sardonic five-thousand-year-old djinni to settle a grudge. He sets a revolution in motion.

   Close on mood, theme, structure, creative details.

3. Barsoom

   Burroughs, 1912 · #44 on the list · 82/120

   Confederate veteran John Carter is transported to Mars, where he fights green Tharks and wins the hand of the princess Dejah Thoris.

   Close on mood, further reading, creative details, real-world blend.

4. World of Tiers

   Farmer, 1965 · #57 on the list · 78/120

   A man from Earth is pulled into a series of pocket universes built by godlike Lords. They play deadly games with their creations.

   Close on mood, further reading, creative details, real-world blend.

5. The Dark Tower

   King, 1982 · #16 on the list · 94/120

   Roland Deschain, the last gunslinger of a dying world, crosses deserts, cities and our own reality in pursuit of the Tower at the center of everything.

   Close on theme, further reading, creative details, real-world blend.

How the scores work: each book is rated 1 to 10 on eleven criteria; real-world blend and climax and fights count double, for a maximum of 120. See the full Fantasy 101.