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twbrn t1_j4tty27 wrote

Reply to comment by worm600 in Stephen Colbert to Produce Series Adaptation Of Roger Zelanzny’s Sci-Fi Novels ‘The Chronicles Of Amber’ by Neo2199

Glad I'm not the only one who was thinking that. I mean, most of the style of the book is just lost without Corwin's narration. (And later Merlin's, but same thing really.) Maybe they'll actually just bite the bullet and do a voiceover?

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metal_stars t1_j4ty0zd wrote

Think of Zelazny as akin to Raymond Chandler. They've done Chandler badly, and they've done Chandler well -- but it can certainly be done. The zip of Zelazny's dialogue will translate. The ironic egdes of the character will translate. If they do it well, it should still feel like Zelazny.

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twbrn t1_j4vkrxs wrote

I hope so, and Colbert being involved gives me a little more hope. It's just that Amber is a lot like Dune in that a LOT of the information and style is conveyed outside of the dialogue. How much of the narrator's knowledge and wit is never really spoken aloud? It's quite a bit.

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metal_stars t1_j4w4kmm wrote

Hmm, I really don't read things that way. Dune has a density of information issue to it that Amber just does not have. Zelazny provides us with a framework for learning the world. And the concepts of a royal family, political backbiting, grand castles, etc. don't really need that much explanation.

Royal power struggle. One true world. Shadow-walking. Trump cards.

Okay, got it. Done and done.

Then you introduce the individual elements within that framework as they arise.

Yeah, I really think a good writer can easily structure this to bring the audience in, in a compelling way.

The writing has to be good, though.

We will see! (Hopefully.)

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UnquestionabIe t1_j4xzeop wrote

One of my favorite things about the series is how much of the story is colored by Corwin and Merlin's narration. They're both very different in their thought process and it drastically impacts how the reader interprets the plot.

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