“What the Hell is Piers Anthony thinking?”
A while ago, I read a couple of Xanth books and wrote this review, which I posted elsewhere. I thought, given the discussion of Anthony in two other threads, it would be worth reposting it here (actually, I was about to post it to IMHO when I saw this shiney new forum, and the rest is history!)
Anyway, after reading these books all I can say is…yuck…brrrrr. Let me be clear: I can enjoy Chalker, despite his…odd…ideas about how men and women interrelate (I know I’ve never had a fantasy about turning a woman into a big breasted, half-animal sex-zombie). I’ve even been known to read a Gor novel or two, but these two books are just bent.
I read Vale of the Vole and Heaven Cent, which, along with Man from Mundania make a trilogy.
In Vale of the Vole, a kid of about 14 or so named Esk has a demoness sexual predator after him. He’s not able to handle a millennia old woman trying to seduce him so he goes to Magician Humphrey’s castle to find out how to deal with her. He meets Chex, a winged centauress and Volney a burrowing vole. They’re off to see the wizard as well. Chex can’t fly, despite her wings and Volney’s valley and people are being ravaged by demons. They get into the magician’s castle, going through the obligatory puzzles and find the magician’s missing. They run to Castle Roogna and tell King Dor that A) the Magician’s gone and B) Demons are running amok, polluting one of the two major waterways in Xanth and are killing his subjects. Dor says “How 'bout dat” and an insanely irritating bit of idiot plotting ignores them. On their own, the three have mini adventures as they try to assemble an army to protect Volney’s Vale. Esk meets Bria a brass humanoid woman who tries to seduce him to get half Esk’s soul. The armies assembled, they go to Volney’s Vale. There’s a long creepy scene as the demoness tries to get into Esk’s pants. It’s played partly for laughs. It’s not funny. Eventually, the good guys win and the demons leave.
The second book, set three years later has Dor still sitting on his ass. Humphrey is still missing and some people who’ve gone looking for him are missing too. Ho-hum. Dolph, Dor’s nine (9) year old son (note the kid’s age. This is important) decides to go look for Humphrey. He sets out with an animate skeleton (who appeared in the last adventure) with his parent’s approval.
Point #1) Anthony has no idea how to write a nine year old. This kid’s dialogue varies from a dim three-year old’s to a sophisticated 40 year old’s.
Point #2) Note to Piers: Alliteration isn’t funny. It’s less funny when EVERYTHING is alliterative!
Anyway, they set out and get to Humphrey’s castle. They pass the obligatory tests and get a clue left by Humphrey: “Skeleton Key to Heaven Cent”. They decide to go to the Keys at the southern end of Xanth. They meet a Vila (a shape-changing nymph). She tries to rape the kid (She strips and grinds herself against this nine year old boy, she French-kisses him. He fights back). They escape and get to the Keys. An amorous mermaid kidnaps Dolph and tries her best to seduce him. The kid is eventually rescued. The kid meets up with a group of Nagas (snake bodies/human heads). The father won’t help the kid unless the kid gets betrothed to his (older, 15 or so) daughter. They meet some Fee (duck-footed humans). The Fee won’t let them pass unless the NINE year old kid mates with one of their women. He doesn’t, but just barely. There’s a disquieting speech somewhere in here (not at this point, but somewhere before) about how adults just love to preserve the innocence of childhood and that’s why they won’t tell Dolph how to summon the stork. This has a creepy ironic flavor, given that almost every woman Dolph meets wants to molest him.) Eventually the kid kisses a sleeping princess who can make Heaven Cents. He has to get engaged to her too (this one’s only 11 years old though). Nine years old and the kid’s almost a bigimist. Finally the kid gives a speech about love and honor that sounds like it was written for an overblown 40 year old actor (“I learned last night that there is nothing wrong with that age. What matters is the relationship…Give me the test [of true love, for] if it does not vindicate me, you can break my betrothal to Nada”.) You know: typical nine year old dialogue :rolleyes: . It ends with the kid (at nine) engaged to two women.
I won’t even get into the misogynistic attitude that (almost all) women only want trap men into marriage to get something from them (Bria wants half of Esk’s soul, Nada wants protection for her people, both scheme to get married to their prey/potential hubbies).
What really creeps me out is not so much the concept of a younger kid and an older person (which in and of itself is creepy) since it’s a medieval society and marriages happened at a much earlier age. I understand that. I also understand teenage sex fantasies. I was a teenager. I’ve been there. What keeps giving me the creeps is the recurring theme of uncomfortable youth with lecherous older person and the delight that said person (and, from the narration, Anthony) seem to take in watching the kid squirm. The recurring treatment molesters aren’t presented as bad or sick or evil, just as someone who’s offering something that the kid may not want. And it’s no big deal that they keep trying to force the kid to accept it. I know this theme has cropped up in at least one other Xanth (a young girl who had a demon that was trying to rape her…maybe Ogre, Ogre or Nightmare.).The recurring molesters aren’t portrayed as sick or evil, but just as fun-lovin’ folk who’re out for a good time.
I understand that in some segments of our society, it’s considered no big deal for young boys to be seduced/molested/boinked by older women, indeed it’s a badge of honor. This isn’t even that. Anthony isn’t portraying some eager young kid looking for a good time in either book, he seems to enjoy showing how uncomfortable the kid is. The message portrayed is “Kids, older people will try to molest you. You don’t have to do it, although they may try to force themselves on you, but it’s no big deal if they try. And you might regret it later if you don’t.”. Another way to look at Anthony’s message is “Child molesters are just looking for a good time. If you go along with it, fine, if not fine, either way, no-one’s hurt by it.” Also, none of the molester are ever punished (granted there’s a third book in this trilogy and maybe all the would-be molesters will be thrown in a pit somewhere. If they get what’s coming to them, I’ll follow up with another review taking back much of what I said here. I doubt I’ll need to.)
I’d love to see someone like Andrew Vachss’s take on these books.
Fenris
PS: Let me be clear: I’m not saying that Piers Anthony supports child molestation. I am saying he’s sending an awful message (intentionally or otherwise) in both of these books.