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Tooner's Reviews Creator and designer of FOLKLORE, Tooner has been into Science Fiction and Fantasy novels for over 15 years. Enjoys Fantasy primarily over Science Fiction, and plans to write an epic of his own.
David's Reviews |
TJ's Reviews Co-designer of FOLKLORE, TJ has been an avid Science Fiction and Fantasy Fan for over 23 years. His personal library contains more than 500 titles. He has no preference of one genre over the other.
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Piers Anthony
![[IMG: 4 Worlds Rating]](images/z0000020.jpg)
Review by Tooner, ©1997
Piers Anthony lives in Florida, which looks strangely like the world of Xanth.Adept Series
Battle Circle Series
Chthon Series
Mouvar's Magic Series
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As you can probably tell from my monthly reviews, I have read A LOT of Piers Anthony books. As I stated in my bio, Anthony's "Ogre Ogre" was the first Fantasy book I ever
read. While I have been an avid Anthony reader, it was very hard to give him a straight-forward review and choose a rating. With as many books as he has written, it is very easy to
see progressions in his career and his style. I believe he has had three major changes in his writing, and I will review each individually.
The first phase of his work was the more serious Science Fiction and short stories he wrote during the start of his career. There is a good sampling of these stories in his "Anthonology". His imagination and his ideas were fresh and enjoyable. Most of his characters were "normal" people, thrown into strange situations. Some of my Anthony favorites are in this period. This section earns him a "5 Worlds" rating. The second coming of Piers Anthony is the largest, following the first two-thirds of his popular period. In this time, we see the emergence of numerous new series and individual novels. Anthony established himself as a Fantasy writer and created the magical world of Xanth. We see a man on the rise, where he can finally vent and loose his creativity and ideas to mass audiences. He also maintained several great works of Science Fiction as well, with the "Cluster" series and novels like "Mute". This is the area I began in and submerged myself into these genres. While he has some of his best stories here, you can see the beginnings of quantity before quality. I give this time frame a strong "4 Worlds" rating. The third and current installment of Anthony's work is very disappointing. From the top of his popularity to present, the quality of his work has declined. Anthony bookshelves filled with fluff, bursting with too many bad collaborations, juvenile new fantasy plots and rehashed reruns. He is now writing books on many new subjects, including horror and historical fiction. I don't know whether he is trying to "branch out" as an author, or he has some contract requirements to fulfill with the publishers. Maybe he sees the truth, the regression in his current work, and is giving up on Science Fiction and Fantasy. Even his ongoing series have suffered. Read the latest Xanth book and then go back and read the first, "A Spell for Chameleon", and see if you can't tell the difference. This sorry period rates a "2 worlds". Overall, I believe Anthony is a great author, always filled with interesting ideas and characters. He is also one of few authors that can pull off writing characters and plots that transpire generations in the characters worlds. Piers Anthony will always be an icon in the Fantasy realm. I would recommend many of his earlier books to anyone, and some of his diehard fans may disagree with me on his current work. No matter what, I hope he can recapture whatever his is missing and continue his astounding career.
Collaborations
Non-Fiction Books
Individual Books
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"Cluster", Piers Anthony, ©1977
Review by Tooner, ©1997
![[IMG: Book Cover]](images/z0000127.gif) |
Avon paperback edition, October 1977 - Cover art unknown "Cluster" is the first book, and one of the better, in the series of the same name. The main premise for the story is the "aura" that surrounds each living being. Each aura is different, like fingerprints. People with exceptionally strong auras can transfer out of their bodies to host bodies across the galaxy. But that's just the beginning. Add in interstellar invasion, espionage, several different alien races, and you cover the first few chapters. There are several underlying themes in the story, such as love, sex (lots of sex) and spirituality. Tarot is used throughout, both as a metaphor and as a sort of silent character. The story is kept lively because, while the main focus is the same, the main character is sent from alien host to alien host. Each "jump" provides new characters, nuances and situations. You are never bored and the plot twists and turns with smaller goals stepping up to meet the larger. The Science and Spiritual situations are interesting without being to complex. Overall, a very enjoyable read. |
"On a Pale Horse", Piers Anthony, ©1983
![[IMG: 3 Worlds Rating]](images/z0000019.jpg)
Review by Tooner, ©1997
![[IMG: Book Cover]](images/z0000173.gif) |
Del Ray/Ballantine paperback edition, August 1984 - Cover art by Michael Whelan WOW, What a great idea! The Incarnations of Immortality (Death, War, Nature, etc.) are actually positions in Purgatory - Offices held by mortals in transit between realms. Each book focuses on a certain office, and this first one is on Death. I can't wait to start reading this! Boy, was I disappointed. After the first few chapters, I thought I had picked up a "Xanth" book by mistake. The characters are thin and the plots transparent. You become a pretty good fortuneteller - because you figure out the end by about midpoint in the book. The only redeeming parts of the book (and the series) is the basic Incarnation plot and the interesting situations this creates. How do you learn to become Death??? Worth a browse if you have some free time. |
"Battle Circle", Piers Anthony, ©1968, ©1972, ©1975
Review by Tooner, ©1997
![[IMG: Book Cover]](images/z0000197.jpg) |
Avon paperback edition, February 1978 - Cover art unknown The "Battle Circle" novel is actually a trio of stories, "Sos the Rope", "Var the Stick" and "Neq the Sword", combined in one book. A trilogy following the nomadic life of post holocaust humans. While the "Nuke survivors" bit has been done to death, it is relevant here. It helps to set the stage and atmosphere, showing how we regressed generations later. A human race still partially clinging to an unknown past, yet fighting as warriors within clans, using weapons of steel and codes of honor. The trilogy covers the rise and conquests of a weapons master, as he builds a tribe of followers, bent on controlling all of the remaining clans. The stories mesh together easily, more like chapters than individual stories, transitioning from a barbaric Fantasy tale to subtle Science Fiction. This is classic Piers Anthony, far better than the fluff he is writing now. The characters are rich and adapt to the ever changing plot. The scenes and backdrops are colorful and bring life to the dismal world the characters live in. The "civilizations" are creative and reflect some of our basic human traits. Probably my favorite aspect of the book is the lack of a "good" side and a "evil" side. With plot twists and character development, what is right and wrong changes throughout the story, and your perceptions change along with it. Overall, one of the best stand alone novels to Anthony's credit.
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"Dead Morn", Piers Anthony and Roberto Fuentes, ©1990
![[IMG: 1 World Rating]](images/z0000017.jpg)
Review by Tooner, ©1997
![[IMG: Book Cover]](images/z0000196.jpg) |
Ace Edition, May 1994 - Cover art by John Jude Palencar By far, one of the worst books I have ever read. Being unfamiliar with any other works by Fuentes, I cannot tell if the poor writing is caused by the collaboration or the continuing disintegration of Anthony's creativity I've seen in his recent projects. The first 30 pages or so are promising, giving an interesting premise and hinting at a good plot. After that its all down hill. The story changes into more of a history fable/impossible love story, leaving science fiction behind. The writing is bland and the characters are lifeless. At times it sounds more like a public service message film script than a novel of fiction. Being a fan of Anthony's earlier works, I am completely disappointed with this poor attempt. |
"Mute", Piers Anthony, ©1981
Review by Tooner, ©1997
![[IMG: Book Cover]](images/z0000199.gif) |
Avon paperback edition, April 1981 - Cover art unknown A really great concept. Space travelers sperm cells are mutated during space flight. As a result, a generation of mutants are born from the first inexperienced pioneers. Fast forward several years to a galaxy with thousands of misfits, left to handling the lesser tasks in life. Add in an adventure that takes a chosen few of these mutants across time and space to guarantee their way of life - but do they want their way of life? One of may favorite books from Anthony, which once again proves his strength in writing individual novels, as opposed to long series. The characters are fresh and interesting, with griping humanity and despair. Do they help the society that has oppressed them for so long? It gives us insight into the history/future of any minority that our society rejects. The story was tense in parts and and keep you interested through out. I was slightly disappointed with the very end, which fizzled, including the villain. Overall, the book is a very enjoyable read and has aspects for everyone. |
 
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