Well, I mean, who doesn’t in this day an age? Err…
Ya know, I read the “Magic of Xanth” series as a child and really enjoyed the first three books. Then I read the fourth one. Then the fifth one. Then the sixth one. Then the seventh, eighth, ninth, tenth… I don’t recall when, exactly, but somewhere along the line I came to the inescapable conclusion that Piers Anthony was indeed the Devil incarnate.
Basically, he’s an author that creates worlds that are designed specifically to appeal to young children, and then slips in all sorts of sexual innuendos everywhere. Which wouldn’t be all that bad if he could write above a grade school level.
Barry
I haven’t read the book in the OP, but I have most of the others mentioned in the thread. I personally have a distaste for Terry Goodkind above all others. How this rube can ever get a “novel” published is beyond me.
As an aside, I want to comment on Robert Jordan’s “Wheel of Time Series”. I thought the first was a little slow moving, but there were quite a few that had just enough action to keep you interested. I did find that about every other book for a while just seemed to be a builder book to bolster the already complicated storyline. I can’t think of any author I have ever read that has had as many sub plots as Jordan does in the WOT series. I bought IX a few days after it came out, and I still haven’t read it. What has it been, six months now?
BTW, although #2 wasn’t that good, I thought Piers Anthony’s “Incarnations of Imortality” was a very well put together series. That is what turned me on to Anthony, and after that I started reading some of the Xanth novels. After about 118 of them I got bored though. Like the Dragonlance novels, that was one series that didn’t know when to die.
That’s it exactly godzillatemple!! I read some of his stuff as a kid (thinking specifically of the Death incarnation book) and loved it, didn’t quite understand everything, but really enjoyed the read. Came back to it as an adult and thought “Good lord this is complete shite!” Some nice ideas, awfully presented with no plot and no writing skills. I also discovered that the stuff I hadn’t really understood was him being a letch.
So it’s set in the Land of Oz? Cool!
wow, it has been a while since i read Anthony (either IOI or any of the Xanth series). Maybe I should go back and read them again.
How many Dragonlance novels did you guys get through before finally stopping? I think I read all of liek the first 3 trilogies, and a couple of the stand alone minies.
It’s funny, all the Piers Anthony comments here. As I was reading to OP, I was thinking it was describing a Piers Anthony novel, until he dropped the name of The Fifth Sorceress. I was thinking Ogre, Ogre maybe… ugh, ugh. One of the worst fantasy novels I’ve ever read, if not the worst.
I talked to Tracy Hickman a few years ago (he was the son of one of my college professors, so we saw him now and again), and he said that the only ones he usually recommends are the original series, the Dragonlance Chronicles I believe… even he says that the series went quickly downhill from there.
When I first read the OP’s title, I was thinking “Oh, yeah, someone just read the Thomas Covenant series.”
Shocker to say, what you pulled out might be worse…
Same thing here. I think my reaction was, “I liked this?” stunned silence
At least I had always checked his books out from the library (my parents not being the kind to buy me fantasy books). I have other books I’d rather have on my shelves.
Dur. I admit to really enjoying the Incarnation series. It was interesting and, when I read it, I hadn’t yet started thinking about philosophy, God, the creation of the universe and such, so it was really thought provoking.
Then one day a Xanth book was on sale and I said, “Hey, I liked his other books.”
God. In. Heaven.
It was like Dr. Sues writes D&D.
Didn’t read very much of it.
Pretty much my feelings on Anthony as well. In college I discovered that many fans of fantasy novels had been through the same cycle with the Xanth books – read one and thought it was pretty enjoyable, read more, and more, and slowly realized how awful they were. It’s like a dirty secret that all fantasy fans share.
I guess he must make a lot of money like that, though. And I guess that’s also why I always see so many of his books in secondhand bookstores.
If it tanked, why on EARTH is he trying to make a SEQUAL? And whom on EARTH would publish it?
Also, does anyone have any idea why a book that sounds so universally reviled was announced with fanfare? Were the publishers hoping that the book industry was more like the movie one, and if you promote something enough, it will do well regardless?
I just realized that I saw this “novel” with my very own two eyes. It was at the library in the new fantasy releases a couple of weeks ago. It wasn’t there when I looked around today. Apparently one of the librarians had it taken out back and shot (or so I hope).
I read The Sword of Shannara when it first came out. I owe it a debt of gratitude - it was so derivative, it put me right off long Tolkein clones, saving me weeks out of my life.
Also agree on the Gor books - they were satirized in the Suns of Scorpio series as the land of Gah. Did you know “John Norman” wrote a non-fiction book on the same theme, published by DAW?
Piers Anthony wrote a porn fantasy book - I can dig up the name if anyone wants. Don’t get excited - I didn’t while reading it. Not even once.
Buck Alice and the Actor Robot. By Walter Koenig of Star Trek fame.
After I read the above article, I had to go out and try to find the book to see if it really was that bad. I did, and it was. I couldn’t finish it. Next to this piece of…er…literature, Piers Anthony looks like Shakespeare.
You may bo thinking of Firefly which is usually billed as horror rather than fantasy. As a horror fan, I had considered reading it when it came out. However, this sort of thing put me off:
Ohh, yeah, protoplasm. Sounds great. :rolleyes:
I quickly realized that, as a horror fan, I should never, ever read this book.
Ah, I also just found Piers’ Pornucopia, which I hadn’t previously known about. Sounds like typical Anthony, female characters who are either evil or sluts (or both!), sex-laden plot, thin characters… more explicit than his others, probably, but I won’t be reading this either.
I like erotica, but I generally prefer to read it when its… erotic. Funny thing, that.
Some of the reviewers seem surprised that Anthony is willing to write about sex… do they really miss all the sexual references in the Xanth books and the IOI? It always seemed fairly obvious to me.
3.97 Erect. Not published under his own name.
I’m ashamed that I could look that up. Oh for a young fool who will buy my old Piers Anthony novels from me. Any young fool will do, really.
Avalonian, your links have scarred me for life. :eek:
The reader comments are hilarious, though. A sampling:
A quick check on Ms. Dunning’s reviews page shows that she most recently reviewed
a dressing table (in which the following sentence is found: “I don’t know what other people are doing with thier tables, but I use mine for changing the baby (have used it for 5 months now) and storing her reciveing blankets, extra packs of diapers, burp cloths, extra wipes, etc.”),
a 4-stage feeding seat,
a book about cooking for a baby/toddler, and
a bouncer seat.
:eek: SHE’S BRED.:eek:
Pornucopia is even more fun.
I fail to see the taboo that is being violated. Has this person never read any fantasy or science fiction written in the late 1960s? Soft-core porn ruled the market.
:eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek:
I is askeert.
I’m glad I’m not the only one who noticed Ms. Dunning’s review of Firefly… though I didn’t research it as you did, SpazCat. I just found it interesting (though not very surprising) that she also liked V.C. Andrews, the author who continues to publish from the grave (she’s that good!).