Conference noted::sf

Well, there is a several page description of his current working status in
the back of one of his newest books, the title of which escapes me now.
This book is the second of five in a series that started with 
	"On a Pale Horse"  
and so far has been quite entertaining.  This one has the word "Time" in
the title somewhere, I think, and is light blue.

By the way, I didnt really like Bio of a Space Tyrant.  I dont think it is
on par with his other works.

Dan

   Actually, the second one is _Bearing an Hourglass_.  (It is light blue.)
The third one is _With a Tangled Skein_.


tlh

re 2.
Is it out yet?

Dan

In hardback only.  I'm looking forward to it being in the SF Book Club, or in
paperback.  As much as I like Piers Anthony (and I thought _On a Pale Horse_ 
was his best work ever), it's not likely to be worth hardback prices.  (But 
then, not much is...)

- CW

re .0, .1  "Bio of a Space Tyrant"

	I freely admit to enjoying 'blood, guts, violence, and such
	like mischief' ON THE SCREEN or IN PRINT. Otherwise I'm fairly
	passive. However, after reading part 1 of the series, I have
	not been able to bring myself to continue with the rest. A
	sci-fi, print version of 'Caligula' was all I could think of...

	A tacky feeling that; almost had to re-assess my whole philosophy
	with regards to media entertainment and my stance on 'violence in
	the media'. Fortunately I resisted.

	Was this the result of a (so I'm told) warped outlook, or did
	anyone else have a comparable response ?


Dwight 

Re .5:

The second and third books are not nearly as bad as the first in the blood,
guts, and violence category.


				-- edp

Volume 4: Executive is out in paperback. 

Like others, I had a hard time getting through Vol 1. Things did get better
in other volumes.

Fred

  I just finished reading PA's On a Pale Horse including the extended author's
note.

   He currently write 3 novels a year.  (He went to detail on his process.)
It sounds like until his two series are done, he'll be writing one Bio, one
Incarnation, (The series with On a Pale Horse, Bearing an Hourglass, and
With a Tangled Skein is called the Incarnations of Immortality), and something
else  a year.  

   He is currently trying to break into othe markets in writing to do some
more serious writing.  Since he' having little luck (by his own admission)
and since it took him 8 years to break into SF, he decided to do some two
level works in fantasy.  By two level, I mean the although Bio is space opera
on the surface it has some social satire in it (According to Piers it does,
I haven't read it so I don't know). Same with Incarnations.

tlh
  

I too, found the first of Bio of a Space Tyrant too tediusly violent.  I
was willing to put up with some of it if something would just HAPPEN.  It
didn't.  It took some convincing to get me to read further, and I like the
rest of the series much better.

For you other Anothony Fans, I'd like to warn you about some "new" books.
Several have come out over the summer, Pretender, and Race Against Time,
which were not up to his usual writing.  The copywrites are 1973, 1979. I
can only assume that he needed money and dug up these previous works to get
it.  (Sigh.)  Be warned before buying them that they aren't his usual new
books...

What's with Piers Anthony?  I just saw another new book by him, copyright 1986.
It's a fantasy, although I do not remember the title.  It was not part of the
three series he has going (Xanth, Tyrant, and Incarnations).  I think he is
trying to catch up to Isaac Asimov.


				-- edp

	Re: Piers Anthony - he's always been a high-output author. About
	a year and a half ago, he had some severe health red-alert, which
	was taken care of successfully - but the fear of dying that that
	sort of thing can inspire in you can enhance your output.

	Question is: will he be able to catch up with Andre' Norton?
	You'd be hard pressed to read her stuff as fast as she writes it.

	Max

True enough, Mark, it is about impossible to keep up.  But high output authors
tend to make it easier on you by using the same plot over and over again, so
you really only have to read one or two of their books a year to see if they
are still worth reading at all. 

Andre Norton fell off my list a while back.  She never seems to say anything
different than what she said in the last book.  Anthony is in danger of
joining her. 

- Chris

I just thought I would mention that Anthony's new Xanth novel, 
Golem in the Gears, is out. 

Not bad, Anthony is up to his usual puns. We get to see some of the 
characters of the past Xanth books, including the big guy. 


MartyJ

	As is generally the case, Anthony's best work is his earlier novels.
My personnal favorate is "Prostho Plus" concerning the adventures of an
intergalacitc dentist.  No longer in print, but parts have appeared in 
his "Anthology" now available in paperback.  

	His series on different forms of sentient life is rather interesting.

	Cthon - mineral
	Ominivore - fungal
	OX - mechanical
	Orn - avian

			

    re .14:  Dr. Dillingham!  First appeared if IF magazine (in '65,
             '66?--looks like a job for a Bibliograph-ile...); I also
             enjoyed them.  Didn't rave over Omni./Orn/Ox but did like
             "Sos the Rope/Var the Stick/Neq the Sword" (collected later
             in BATTLE CIRCLE) and CHTHON.  Haven't read The Apprentice
             Adept trilogy.  Also have but haven't read THE E.S.P. WORM
             and STRANGERS IN PARADISE.  Some day.  Maybe.
                                                    
    						Don

    
    You really don't think "Race Against Time" was up to par?  I really
    liked the concept of the book as a whole.  I thought it was a really
    interresting idea.  And I thought the Adept series was great too.
    
    Xanth kinda got a little tedious after the 4th book or so.  You
    can carry a good thing only so far befor it begins to wear on the
    patience.
    
    
    :-)

    re:.15
    
    More like 1967-68. At least one of them appeared in ANALOG, though,
    the title story of the collection PROSTHO PLUS.
    
    --- jerry

    Ah yes...
    
    	In reply to the  first note, all 5 of the Space Tyrant series
    book are out now in paperback.
    
    	Now for a couple of questions:
    		
    	First, does anyone know where I can get a hold of the rest of
    the Tarot series? I read the the first one a few years back, but
    I haven't been able to locate the others. Is it worth it? And,
    if it is, where can I get them?
    	Next, How is A Tangled Skein? I read the first book in the
    Incarnations series and was pleasently surprised - On A Pale
    Horse has got to be Anthony's best work in years. But I also
    read the second book, which seemed to be going down-hill
    very rapidly. Is this series doing the same thing as most of his 
    others have? If so could you write back and tell me, so that I
    don't go out and waste $12.00 on the hardcover?
    
    	Another good Anthony book that hasen't been mentioned is
    Macroscope. It has a passable plot, an interesting character
    or two, and some very innovative ideas on technology ( esp.
    his idea on a space drive and on alien cultures ). My only
    problem with this book ( and with so many other Anthony books )
    is the way he handles the tech.-- He seems to have the habbit
    of setting the technilogical explanations totally aside from
    the rest of the book and the plot. On top of that he, unlike 
    many authors (Cordwainer Smith comes to mind ) cannot seem to 
    make the stuff readable! Just check out the explanation of time's
    paradoxes in the second book in the Incarnations of Infinity 
    series.
    	Well, that's my two cents. Anthony's books are good, and 
    he has a lot of excellent ideas, but he also has some major
    problems ( 15-book trillogies! ). So don't we all.
    
    
    _____
      /-/  JCP...
    ----
    
    
    ----   
    
    

I just finished _With a Tangled Skein_.  In my opinion, the strongest book
of the series.  Well worth the price of admission.
                                                             
But don't get the wrong expectations.  Thanatos has powers that lend themselves
to direct action.  Chronos's powers are vast, incomprehensible, and lend
themselves to strange and mystifying results.  (I'm not surprised that Anthony
had a hard time with Time.  I was surprised that _Bearing An Hourglass_ was as
good as it was.)  But while Fate (alias Clotho, Lachesis and Atropos) also has
great powers, they lend themselves to use in subtle fashions.  Her conflicts
with Satan tend to be contests of wits, skill and deception.  And as Niobe (the
heroine of the story) discovers, outwitting the Father of Lies is not an easy
task! 

If you're looking for slam-bang action, you might as well pass this one by.
(But then you'll probably miss some of the next volume, where Mars is the
protagonist.) 
               
_Tangled Skein_ also fills more of the background and family history that leads
up to Luna Kaftan's critical vote in the Senate.  This one takes place well
before the events of _On a Pale Horse_.
                                                  
Spoiler warning:                                             

Before reading the story, try your hand at this puzzle:
                          
You have twelve coins and a balance scale.  One of the coins is fake, and has a
different weight than a real coin.  You have three weighings to determine which
coin is the fake, and whether it is heavy or light. 

Failure to answer forfeits your soul to Satan!

re: 19	I have not read the book.  I have, however, seen and solved this
	puzzle several years ago.  I guess I'll have to buy the book, and
	see how	similar my solution is to the one Anthony uses. 

Ray_who_didn't_have_his_soul_on_the_line_when_he_solved_it

***MAJOR SPOILER***SOLUTION FOLLOWS***MAJOR SPOILER***SOLUTION FOLLOWS***

The solution is written in eight steps, depending on what happens at each 
of the weighings.

Step 1:	Balance any four coins against any other four.  If the scale is not 
	balanced, proceed to step 5.

Step 2:	We now have 8 known coins.  Balance any three unknowns against 
	three knowns.  If the scale is not balanced, proceed to step 4.

Step 3:	We now have isolated the different coin.  Balancing it against any 
	known coin will tell us whether it is light or heavy.

Step 4:	We now know whether our coin is lighter or heavier, and have 
	narrowed the field to three.  Balance one against another.  If the 
	scale is balanced, it's the third.  If not, it's in the pan 
	corresponding to whether it's light or heavy.

Step 5:	We now have 4 potentially heavy coins, four potentially light 
	coins, and 4 known coins.  Remove three of the potentially heavy 
	coins and place them aside.  Move three of the potentially light
	coins to the heavy pan (with the 4th potentially heavy coin). Put 
	three known coins in the light pan (with the 4th potentially light 
	coin).  If the scale is not balanced, proceed to step 7.

Step 6:	We now know the coin is heavy, and one of three.  Isolate the fake 
	coin as in step 4.

Step 7:	If the pans changed (the one that was light is now heavy), proceed 
	to step 8.  Otherwise, we have narrowed the field to one 
	potentially heavy coin, and one potentially light coin.  Balance 
	the potentially heavy coin against a known coin.  If the scales 
	balance, it's the other, and light.  If not, it's heavy and in the 
	lower pan.

Step 8:	We now know the coin is light, and one of the three we moved to the 
	(previously) lower pan.  Isolate the fake coin as in step 4.

RE: Note 277.21 
                                      
Good solution.  Only one minor quibble with your wording - you don't know
whether the coin is light or heavy until the third weighing.  The second
weighing tells you whether or not a particular coin will be heavy or light, if
it is determined to be false.  But only on the third weighing can you
determine the false coin, and therefore it's weight.

By the by - it IS an old puzzle, and is presented as one.  (The old canard
about three missionaries, three cannibals, and one canoe also gets resurrected
in this story.)  The interesting part is how Fate uses the information she
gains from solving the puzzle. 

- Chris

    		-<	new book	>-
    
    I just got through reading SHADE OF THE TREE and was dissapointed
    somewhat by the ending. has any one else read this book? Thoughts?
    

    Saw the next _Incarnations_of_Immortality_ in Waldenbooks in Auburn
    mall. It is Mars and titled something like "Wielding a Red Sword" or
    some such. _With_a_Tangled_Skein_ is out in paperback. Just started
    it, looks alot better than _Bearing_an_Hourglass_.
                                                   
                  /
                 (  ___
                  ) ///
                 /
    
    P.S. When does the last of "Bio" come out? (sorry, but I kind of
    		like it, trash, but fun)

                The fifth  book is titled 'Green Gaea' or 'Mother
                Gara', I forget  which.    Probably not out for a
                year or so since  'Weilding  a Red Sword' was
                just  released.    Just thought  I'd  mention  it
                though.    Any  guesses as to  which  Incarnation
                that's about :-)?
                

    The 5th book of _Bio_of_a_Space_Tyrant_ is out in paperback.
    Subtitled "Statesman", it concludes the "saga" apparently by opening
    the galaxy to colonization.
    
    I have only read a couple chapters so far. (I only bought it last
    night.) I don't expect much improvement over the first 4 books,
    but I had to complete the set.
                                                   
                  /
                 (  ___
                  ) ///
                 /
    

    In case anyone is interested (which no one apparently is, but so
    what?) the saga of the space tyrant does not end with Hope's death
    (at the end of Book V). 
    
    Seems there will be a sequel chronicaling the life of Spirit, Hope's
    sister. Most likely to be titled THE IRON MAIDEN.
                                                   
                  /
                 (  ___
                  ) ///
                 /
    
    P.S. BTW, _Statesman_ lived up to my expectations: it was not all
    that great. It had a couple interesting moments, but it was basically
    trash.
          

    Has anyone heard of a fourth book for the "Blue Adept" series?
    It's been about a year since Piers Anthony had mentioned in one of his
    books he was thinking of continuing the series.
    You know how it is, who ever heard of a three book trilogy anymore?
                        
    Mike_L

    Well I'll guess I'll reply to my own message.  Yes!  There is a
    sequel released in hardcover right now.  The name of the book is
    "Out of Phase".  Although I didn't buy the book (don't believe in
    paying hardcover prices) I read the jacket.  Piers Anthony introduces
    a new character (Mach, I think was the name).  It didn't mention Stile,
    our main character from the first three books.  Well anyway, Mach
    a young man of Proton who dreams of Phaze, suddenly finds himself waking
    up in the Magical place instead of his bed in Proton.  He befriends
    a Unicorn who magically changes shape and they undergo some kind
    of quest.
    Thats about all I remember reading.  I don't know if he has any
    magic like Stile did.  But it's the magic of Piers Anthony I would
    like to see happen with this fourth book continuing the "Blue Adept"
    series.  I enjoyed the first three, and I don't know if I can wait for 
    it to come out in paperback.

    Mike_L

    re .29:
    
    I think the jacket also mentioned that Mach's counterpart ends up
    on Proton and befriends either an alien or an android.
    
                                                   
                  /
                 (  ___
                  ) ///
                 /
    

      The correct spelling of the title is "Out of Phaze"

      I finished the book there look to be a sequel coming.
      
      Mach is from Proton, he does switch places with this Phaze
      counterpart.  (I forget his name)  The is an alien invovled
      on Proton and a Centaur in Phaze.
      
      -Andy-

    For those of us who haven't read the books, what are Proton and
    Phaze?  Planets?  Alternate worlds?

    re .32:
    
    Proton is a moon of some planet. On it are numerous life support
    domes, privately owned and usually run in a feudal manner.
    
    Phaze is the alternate reality version of Proton. Whereas Proton
    is in the universe of science, Phaze is in the world of Magic. Each
    Dome of Proton is mirrored on Phaze by a castle.
    
    Every one has a counterpart, and sometimes can exchange places.
                                                   
                  /
                 (  ___
                  ) ///
                 /
    

    re: .31
    Without giving a spoiler....was it as good as the first three?
    
    Mike_L

      Re: .34 I think so.  It took me 2 days to stop thinking about
      the current situation in the book and what would happen in
      the sequel.
      
      -Andy-

    i bought the book and i cant seem to get into it at all*sigh*
    i liked the series,but i felt that the story could have been told
    in two books,i was bored most of the time through the third book.
    
    i also bought the new farmer book at the same time!
    
    kelly
    very_happily_spending_money_in_bookstores_lately

    Just when I thought Piers Anthony was going to leave the XANTH series
    alone for awhile...he's just come out with a new one.  What's more, it's
    the start of a new trilogy.  The book is called "Vale of the Vole"
    and it's about Esk, the son of Smash the Orge and Tandy the Nymph.
    While some of the puns of these books are ridiculous, I still enjoy
    reading them.  They are very fast-paced with plenty of adventure
    and can be generally read in one or two evenings.
    
    Also, another new release by Anthony is the next book of the
    INCARNATION series.  This one is about Mother Nature's dealings
    with Satan.  The title is "The Green Godess".
    
    I tried to look for the paperback edition of "Wielding a Red Sword",
    but did not see it.  There is still just the hardcover edition.  As
    with most Anthony books, the next issue of the hardcover book always 
    marked the first paperback issue of the last one in the series.
    
    Mike_L Who_prefer_not_to_pay_hardcover_prices
    

    re.37
    i just finished vale of the vole
    
    i bought the being a green mother but havent started it yet.
    i too have been looking for wielding a red sword and ended up having
    to order it. it is out in paper back though.
    
    
    i dont think that vale,is a good as the other xanth books he has
    written, he must be running outof puns.
    
    
    kelly

    Title correction.
    I messed up on the title on .37, it is "Being a Green Mother" as
    .38 mentioned.
    I checked again last night, still no paperback release of "Wielding
    a Red Sword".
    Mike_L

    re.39
    when i ordered wielding a red sword,the guy asked me if i wanted
    hardcover or paperback so,i am going to assume that it is out in
    paperback.
    looks like i may have a long wait :-)
    
    kelly

    I've just finished reading "Out of Phaze" (from the Apprentice Adept
    series) and I thought it was much better than his other recent works 
    lately.  I'm referring to "Vale of the Vole" (from the Xanth series) 
    and "Wielding a Red Sword" (from the Incarnation series).
    I think the Xanth series has been beaten to death, you can only
    come up with so many puns.  And how many times can we read how a
    new Incarnation in office will "beat the devil"?
    However, the Apprentice Adept series could still hold some more
    original ideas.  Looking forward to reading the next one which is 
    "Robot Adept".  Although I haven't seen it, it is released in hardcover.
    Another books soon to come out by Anthony (in May), is "Bio of an
    Ogre", which accroding to the description that I read, will be an
    autobiography.
    
    Mike_L

    
    
    
    The whole point (or one of the points) of the Incarnations series
    is that God (being God) can't break his treaty of non-interference
    with humanity.  Satan (being Satan) can, and does.  The only way
    to help humanity, and therefore keep Satan from winning on the
    Final Judgement Day, is for the Incarnations to use their power
    to foil Satan.  They are the only ones (along with a few select
    humans) standing in Satan's way.  Satan knows this, and he also
    knows that if he can subvert just one of the Incarnations, or at
    least keep then occupied long enough, he can win the battle for
    a majority of human souls.
    
    
                                                            -mishel
    

    re .42
    I am well aware of the theme to the Incarnation series.  What I
    should have said was that the series did not match up to the first
    book "On a Pale Horse".  After that, it was just change the character
    and their occupation.  The reading was still fair to good.
    
    Mike_L

    			H E L P
    
    I am a poor unfortunate who lives in Europe, we haven't yet even
    Heard about "Out of Phaze" let alone got a copy.
    
    "Being a Green Mother" - This has been released in HB but I think
    it was called "GAIA" overhere, anyone an info?
    
    A poor deprived Anthoholic
    
    
    Kevin (Le Gerbil)

    
    	Well now for my 2 cents worth.
    
    	Out of Phaze: Not worth the time or the money. The Same old
    		      with not twists or turns. Dull.

	Weilding a Red Sword: Good. Better then "Hourglass", but not
			      as good as "Pale Hourse"
    
    	Shade of the Tree: Have not finished it yet, but I realy cannot
    			   get a handle on where it is leading. The
    			   same things seem to happen over and over
    			   throughout the book. Though the tension derived
   			   from this is well done.
    
    	Has anyone read "Green Mother"??? How is it?
    
    tac

    I have just finished "Being A Green Mother".  On the whole it is
    about the same level of quality as the others.  Anyone who has already
    read the other 4 can pretty much figure out the basics of the Plot,
    but I will say that this was the only one of the 5 whose ending
    really suprised me.
    
    There are however gobs of loose ends left lying about.  More than
    enough for the 2 'obvious' sequels I keep hearing rumors about.
    
    --  Barry

    Has anyone heard when _Being_a_Green_Mother_ is supposed to come
    out in paperback?  I've been watching for it....   Seems like a
    long time since it came out in hardcover.
                                                            -John.

    It's out now (at least at Lauriat's).
    
    --Kirby

    I picked up a paperback copy of Anthony's "BEING A GREEN MOTHER" 
    last weekend. It is available in the bookstore at the new strip
    mall in Franklin, Ma. Thats the mall at the junction of 495 and
    RT 140. 
    
    I too had been looking for a paperback copy of this book for 
    the past several months. I've just started reading this book
    but so far, it seems to be up to ANTHONY's  usual quality and ties
    in nicely into the other books of this series.

    And, guess what!!!
    
    A friend of mine was reading the latest Xanth novel, and there was
    an ad for the 6th Incarnation of Imortality, called, he believes,
    _For_the_Love_of_Evil._  It was sort of inevitable after _Being_
    _a_Green_Mother_, wasn't it?     I guess it was released in November,
    and exists in hardcover....  *I* haven't seen it....  But I'll keep
    an eye out!
    
                                                              -John.

    I saw it last week in the big piles of recently released books at
    the New England Mobile Book Fair in Newton, MA about a week and
    a half ago.  It *was* pretty inevitable....
    
    And I seem to remember that in OAPH, Good and Evil were not the
    usual run-of-the-mill incarnations.  What gives?
    
    Merry-who-is-embarrassed-to-admit-she-sometimes-reads-Anthony
    

    Embarrassed?!?
    
    Anyway, as another confirmation, I looked for it last night, and
    it's out, alright....  I even got the title right!!!
     
                                                            -john.

He has stated that he intended to write only the five books. After getting 
into it, he realized he needed to expand it. The last book will
be called "And Eternity".

    Macroscope was the only thing written by Mr. Anthony of any
    significance. All the rest, Xanth, Apprintice Adept, Etc. are
    dreck, written to pay the rent.  Remember "Anderson's Law" 
    which states that 90% of everything is crap.

            Re  Note 277.54 by CSCOA5::CONWAY_J
      
>   ... Remember "Anderson's Law" 
>   which states that 90% of everything is crap.
      
      I thought that was Sturgeon's Law.
      
      Dave C.

    Re -1:
    	Yeah, me too.
    
    Re -2:
    	You've forgotten the Anthony Effect -- he gets a really good
    idea and writes a good book about it.  Then he writes a zillion
    more books about it, most of which fall into the 90%...
    
    Merryl
    

    
    	Yah it is too bad...anyone who can pump out a book a month *and*
    has written a thoroughly good book like Macroscope, should be able to
    sit down for a year and come up with something worth his talents.
    
    Charlie

    Moons back I read "Anthology", and was quite impressed with the extract
    from "Prostho plus".  I know this book is no longer in print, but
    does anybody out their know where I can get hold of a second/umpteenth
    hand copy?
    
    Also what's happened to the "Bio of an Ogre" mentioned earlier in
    this note?  I haven't seen it in the UK yet.
    
  			
    			John.                         

    I purchased "Prostho Plus" fairly recently (< 6 mo ago) in a chain
    book store (Walden or Dalton); I have seen it since then  --  it
    is in print.

    Re .-1
    
    I assume that you're in the States.  I'm in the UK, and when I asked
    for Prostho' the bookshops couldn't help me.
    
    I don't suppose that you'd be willing to get a copy States-side
    for me and send it across - If you are mail me and we'll discuss
    details (money).
    
    John

    Anyone know when _Being a Green Mother_ is coming out in paperback
    in the UK ?

    Re: .61
    
    It is, I finished the Incarnations series at least 18 months ago,
    you've jost missed it on the shelves.
    
    If you can't find it let me know...
    
    John
    

    Actually, book 6 in this series came out less than 3 months ago,
    and book 7 has not yet been scheduled for release (that I know of).
    

    Gee, things seem to have slowed down in this note; I'll have to liven
    some things up....
    
    I read Book 6 of Incarnation, _For Love of Evil_, as soon as it was out
    in hardcover.  I began to feel dejected by this series as it lagged
    on; instead of impressing me with his creative conceptions of the
    incarnation's jobs, it became a "family" battle against the evils of
    Satan.  The fact that he tied all the incarnations together into one
    messy conglomerate of a family tree was impressively cute, but it made
    reading the series all the more tedious and predictable.
    
    Nevertheless, book 6, I feel, was a pleasant turn of events.  More than
    half of the book deals with the evolution of the character who is to
    become Satan, much the same way nearly all of book 5 tells discusses
    Orb's life before leading up to her incarnation-hood, if you will.  In
    _Green Mother_, I found this annoying, but in _For Love of Evil_, it
    was fascinating.  Parry, the Satan-to-be, is actually a victim of evil
    himself, as he was once a leading force in the Christian Crusades,
    before he single-handedly, but with the help of the then-Lucifer,
    turned them into the evil becomings they were historically known for. 
    Wow!  Anthony has truly studied his European history and Mythology for
    this book, and I'm pleased.  And how 'bout that surprise ending, eh?
    I only worry now about the final book (yeah, right), _And Eternity_.
    When sci-fi authors start getting into their depictions of God and the
    Almighty, etc., things can get touchy.  One must be careful not to offend
    half the population of earth, but at the same time, be provocative and
    original.  It's a difficult job, and I hope Anthony's up to the challenge.
    
    Meantime, how's life with the Apprentice Adept readers?  As my personal
    favorite amongst his series, I do feel the second trilogy is going
    downhill from the first.  (He's operating the same way as with his
    Xanth series: three books at a time.)  Book 5, entitled, _Robot Adept_
    is a good follow-up to _Out of Phaze_ if you liked it.  If not, don't
    bother, unless you REALLY need to know what happens next.  I certainly
    liked the first three better; I read all three last year in old five
    days!
    
    But now, even as we speak, the sixth book conluding this trilogy,
    entitled _Unicorn Point_ is available in hardcover.  I'm pretty sure
    I'm not going to buy it until it comes out in paperback (as I did with
    _Robot Adept_), but has anyone out there read it, and if so, what am I
    in store for?
    
    And, in case anyone is interested, _For Love of Evil_, which is
    definitely worth reading, even if you gave up on that series (skim the
    ones you missed first), is due out in paperback some time around next
    March or April, which means _And Eternity_ should be out in hardcover
    around April or May.
    
    Bon chance, P.A. fans!!
    
    -- Keith
    
    P.S.: Isn't is amazing how much a bored Massachusetts co-op student can
    write when he's bored on the job?

                
                
                I started reading Xanthony myself back when I was
                14 or 15  I'd  say.    (I'm  21  now).   I really
                enjoyed the first 5 or 6 Xanth books, but after a
                while,  they just started seeming  too  childish.
                Same    thing    occured   with  Incantations  of
                Immortality  series, though I did manage to  make
                it  about  1/3  of  the way through Green  Mother
                before I threw the book at the wall never to pick
                it  up again.  His best series was Adept by  far.
                The first  three  books  were  great, the 4th was
                only okay, and I never read the 5th.  I think I'm
                pretty much through with  PA.    I'm  sick of his
                stupid puns and childish characters.   I get more
                humor in Gerrold's Chtorr jokes.   Just my humble
                opinion.
                
                - Rob who wants to know where Corwin is! -
                
                Come on Zelazny, where's that 9th book ...
                
                

Has anybody heard of a collection of short stories about a galactic dentist?

I don't even know if this exists, but Piers published quite a few of them
in late 60's early 70's If/Galaxy mags. I have read some of them; but alas
I don't have the full set and I would love to have them all in one book.

Anybody know what I am talking about?

Matthew

>Has anybody heard of a collection of short stories about a galactic dentist?


Prosto plus  (sp ?????????????????????????????????)


Certainly exists.. I remember reading it... oh.. _years_ ago

Good stories too (though the end was a bit and-they-all-lived-happly-after

Thanks for the quick reply! I'll look for it. I must admit that I havn't read
anything else by him; judging by comments in the rest of the conference I'm
not sure I want to; but I found the Dentist series (esp when he was filling
the molar of the whale) incredibly funny. Also the one with the robot dug up
after a war with a defective jaw component (I think this character featured
in other dentist short stories as well)

Eeewww.  I wouldn't want to give Prostho Plus to someone who had never read
any PA.  While I think he ranges from very good to medicore in a cute sort
of way, that one was just plain _bad_.  And even after a long PA kick, when
I eventually couldn't take him anymore, the only book of his I got rid of
was Prostho.  :-P

D!

    I liked it, both when it was occasional shorts in the pulps many moons
    ago, and when it came out in 'pseudo-novel' form.
    
    Prostho Plus
    ISBN: 0-812-53116-7 
    
    Willie

    
    I liked it myself; I've still got it in paperback somewhere in
    The Crypt (my spare bedroom). I liked most early Anthony--_Cthon_,
    _Macroscope_ (he's obviously read Stapledon...), Omnivore/Orn/...
    um...that other one in the trilogy...Don't really like his more
    recent stuff. I tried the first volume of Tarot and Bio and gave 
    up.
    
    Ed E.

    re:  a few back
    
    Give his stuff a try!  He really is good.  The only thing I really
    dislike, is that he has a tendancy for overkill.  He'll write a couple
    of really good books set in one world/about one character, and then
    he keeps on going with it, with each book getting worse and worse.
    For example : 
    
       The Xanth series - the first two or three were delightful, but after
                          that...
       Double exposure -  The first trilogy was great, but the second. YUK!
                          I made myself suffer thru the first book of the
                          second series, and vowed not to read anymore of
                          that again.
       Incarnations of Immortality - The first book was the best, the
                          second was also good, and I wish I hadn't read
                          the others.
    
    
    -mishel
    
    PS  I liked the TAROT series, but I haven't been able to get into
    Cluster.
    
    
    

                I second .72 EXACTLY!
                
                I suffered  through  the  1st  book  of  the  2nd
                trilogy of Adept  then quit.  I quit Incantations
                in the middle of  Being  a  Green Mother and quit
                Xanth after Crewel Lye (??).
                
                No more Xanthony for me ...
                
                

    I thought I mentioned Dr. Dillingham earlier in this topic.  I
    guess the stories are harder to take collected; I read them one
    at a time, once a month, 'way back in the mid sixties, and thought
    they were cute--light entertainment.
    
    							Don
    
    P.S.  Anyone remember Vaughn Bod�'s Sunpot? 
                                     

In case anyone is interested, UNICORN POINT; the latest in the Adept series
was recently released in paperback.  I bought if for my wife for XMAS; we've
been reading the series all along, so we'll probably finish it.
The last book; ROBOT ADEPT, ended with the worlds Proton and Phaze in balance
and both women; Agape and Fleta pregnant.  UNICORN POINT will be about their
children.  I or my wife haven't read it yet, but I'm hopeful it will be better
than the last couple of books.

Mike_L

                Oh  no!!     Children?!?!?    Here  goes  another
                Xanth...  Glad  I quit this series back after the
                4th book :')
                
                

I read Unicorn Point over Christmas. Definitely the worst of the 6.
It's getting tiring. And at the end he as much as promises more
Proton/Phaze books. Yes, it is another Xanth.

I also got the latest Xanth book Man from Mundania, but haven't read
it yet. Unfortunately, it appears that Anthony has got the  "people
will buy whatever trash I write because they love me" bug - and he's
right. At this point, since I've read all the Xanth and all the Adept
books so far, it seems I might as well keep up with him. But it's getting
tiring. Same thing Asimov discovered with his Robot/Foundation series
- why leave the people's money on the table, write another one! I'm
sure it's hard to resist.

    Set Flame...
    
    I don't know how you do it.   I read Dune into half way through the
    third book and then quit.  I never finished the Riverworld series or
    for that matter anything after the third in the Photon/Maze Anthony
    series.  There is too much excellent writing going on out there for me
    to waste my time (never mind the money) reading some rehashed plots 
    so some lazy writer can avoid challenging himself (and me) with some
    new ideas.
    
    
    Flame off...
    
    					- John

	Re .77 .78

	I have said this before in previous notes. If writers like
	Anthony could put their energies into writing one good book
	instead of 10 crappy pulp novels, I think I would start to
	enjoy their work again.

	As it is, I avoid them all (ie dunes II III IV, foundation IV,
	almost everything by Anthony, Terry Brooks etc etc etc the list
	goes on and on)

	Sadly,

	Charlie

�        <<< Note 277.74 by ROULET::RUDMAN "Always the Black Knight." >>>
    
�    P.S.  Anyone remember Vaughn Bod�'s Sunpot? 
    
    Yes.  Always with fondness...
    
    Ray
    
    P.S.  Why?

Indeed, I too have read Unicorn Point.  The series has been totally
exhausted.  What a let-down.  I really loved the first three books--it
was one of the best trilogies I've ever read.

Well, besides that, the last Incarnations book came out, _...And
Eternity_, and that one surprised me quite a bit!  I suggest to anyone
who has read as far as the fourth one to SKIM the 5th (that was the
armpit of PA books--reeked of predictability and a HORRIBLE ending,
which turned out not to be an ending) and read the last two--they are
much better than when the series was in its failing.  The 6th is
perhaps one of the best, second only to the 1st one, of course.  The
last one is not a terrible ending.  It isn't great, but it's good.  A
nice wrapping up.....

....except that his Author's Notes are becoming intensely pompous.
When I finished his book and was moderately pleased, I read his notes,
and wanted to smack him.

So if you liked the series, keep going--it gets better.  The 6th one
(_For Love of Evil_) just came out in paperback.  C'mon, aren't you
all just a *little* curious to know how Anthony is going to defend
this totally evil guy and make him look okay?  Go for it; Parry is a
neat Satan!!

He has another book that just came out in hardcover: _Total Recall_, I
believe.  Not part of a series (thank God), it's a stand alone sci-fi
book, and got good reviews.  It looked interesting to me,too.  Anyone
been bold enough to grab it?  Got anything to say?

-kms

    Isn't Total Recall also going to be the Arnie (yeah, Mr. Shriver)
    movie of the summer?  Any relation to the book?  It _looked_ rather
    futuristic, but not that interesting (the movie clip, I mean).
    
    --kim

    Yes, TOTAL RECALL is a film coming this summer starring Arnold
    Schwartzenegger. It's based on the Phil Dick novel WE CAN REMEMBER
    IT FOR YOU WHOLESALE. Anthony's book is a novelization of the
    film.
    
    --- jerry

    Got a 25 cent synopsis, Jerry?

Is this not Anthony's first work involving him in the film industry?

I'll second _FOR LOVE OF EVIL_.  It's the best one of the INCARNATION series
since _ON A PALE HORSE_.  I've been getting ready to give up on his other
series - ADEPT and XANTH; they've been pretty boring.  Ditto on his author's
notes -- Does he think every book has something to do with his life?

Mike 

    Greetings SF fans,
    
    	I happened upon this note because the author's name sounded
    familiar.  When reading through the string of replies I saw the title
    Macroscope and this brought back some rather vague memories. Years ago
    (I refuse to say how many), I think I read this book. I remember some
    technological gismo that was capable of looking across space with the
    added benefit of not looking back in time. There ensued a race through
    space in a ship that required the occupants to travel as some sort of
    primordial soup. One member of the "crew" was a man with an alternate
    personality by the name of Sean, Shawn, Sh�n or some-such.
    
    Question: Is this the same book, and if it is, could someone enter a
    better description of the plot and principal characters.
    
    Thanks much...
    
    			Mike
    
    PS: I play a game I know as Sprouts that involves connecting lines
    between dots.  I've taught this game to many people over the years and
    enjoy it very much.  I believe I learned this game from the same book.

    re: .88
    
    Yes, that's the book  "Macroscope", I read it many years ago.  Its not
    exactly my favorite sci-fi novel but its reasonably good. I've never
    read anything else by this author.
    
    ktlam--

    Yes, that's "Macroscope", sprouts and all.  I think it's the best 
    novel that Anthony has ever done.  You were right to be confused 
    about the hero's name; he only thinks that he's Ivo Archer.  The 
    book is full of such layers, starting with the unusual defense 
    against macroscope peeping that the Galactics have installed.
    Anthony has become much more miserly with his ideas since this one.
    /jlr

   There's a book out by Piers which is the novelization of the newest
   Arnold Schwarzenegger movie (which I think is called Total Recall, or
   something of the sort). Anyone read or seen this?.... Reactions?

   Mike JN

    I've seen the movie and also the novelization at Lauriat's.  The
    credits in the film say it is based on a short story by Philip K. Dick(
    although they blew by so fast I couldn't get the title)  The film has
    excellent special effects, plenty of action, and a good story line but
    eventually degenerates into a lot of graphic violence typical of other
    Schwarzenneger vehicles.
    

        MAJOR SPOILER WARNING:
                            
        The ending of the film TOTAL RECALL is discussed here.  Please
    do not read further if you have not already seen the film.  The 
    film and book by Piers Anthony is based on a story by Philip K.
    Dick entitled "We Can Remember it for You Wholesale":






















        I was having a lot of fun with TOTAL RECALL (even most of the
    gross stuff didn't bother me) until the end:  First I hear Arnold say
    how Mars has a core of ice!  I'm not a geologist (or areologist in
    this case), nor do I play one on TV, but even I know how patently
    absurd it would be for a terrestrial class planet like Mars to have a
    core of ice.  More than likely Mars has a molten core like Earth - and
    it was certainly molten millions of years ago; that's where all those
    humungous volcanoes on its surface came from.  If Arnold had said that 
    there was a thick layer of ice under the crust, that would have at 
    least been more plausible. 

        Then we get the alien atmosphere makers pumping Mars (we're going 
    to pump (clap!) your air up! :^)) full of nice, fresh blue-sky Earth 
    type air in minutes, without anyone getting the bends (plus I didn't 
    know you could explode if you stayed on Mars' surface without a space 
    suit).  Then they get real Hollywood by having all the scummy Venus-
    ville dwellers (who all have heart(s) of gold underneath, of course) 
    rise up from their impending doom as the air returns, and Arnold
    gets to kiss the woman in a fadeout which leads us to wonder if he
    really is just Recalling or not (but probably not).

        Also, if these aliens had made an atmosphere on Mars about one
    million years ago (this was said in the film), how could it have
    disappeared so relatively fast, and why?  And how was it that these
    aliens breathed the same kind of air as we did? I have to admit some-
    thing:  When I saw the poster ad for TR, I noticed a black pyramid
    at the bottom of the poster, and all I could think of was how some-
    thing alien was going to be involved in the plot - basing all this
    on that Mars Face and Pyramid hype.  It kind of reminded me of the
    time I saw previews for STAR TREK: THE MOTION PICTURE, and having the
    ending ruined for me when they showed a scene of the VOYAGER (V'ger)
    spacecraft - apparently they thought enough people wouldn't know what
    it looks like!  (On a side note, I liked Harlan Ellison's comment on
    how the alien machines who found VOYAGER 6 could make such amazingly
    advanced devices to help it complete its mission, yet they couldn't
    scrape some dirt off the name plate!) 

        Despite all my gripes, I did enjoy this film - it was just the
    ending which disappointed me.  I didn't think they'd go for such
    an "upbeat" ending (not that I wanted a sad ending, but I thought
    we would at least find out he was just living his bought and paid
    fantasy).  I was actually hoping that this would be a kind of
    BLADE RUNNER film, but not so moody.  

        The plot at least had something to it; and even though Arnold
    still cannot act, I enjoy seeing him mug his way through just about
    everything ("Consider it a divorce!").  I loved the weapon scanning 
    screen (which made everyone look like animated green skeletons).

        A final note on TR:  I liked the scene with the guy trying to
    convince Arnold that he was still at Recall; if they had had more 
    scenes like this, my judgement on this film would be much higher.
    I liked being surprised a number of times, especially how you could 
    not tell who was a good or bad being (even Arnold's character!).  

        Larry

    ref. 89 & 90
    
    	Thanks Guys.
    
    	On a related topic; Does the book mention or does anyone know the
    origin of the game Sprouts.
    
    	I think I'll reread Macroscope sometime soon.
    
    			Mike Rogers
    

    
    Sprouts is a major part of the plot in _Macroscope_.

   TR sounds pretty good  to me.... I think I'll read it first.

   As far as the movie goes, I don't mind graphic violence as long as it's
   balance with a lot of gratuitous sex.

   Mike JN

First of all: can someone direct me to what book in which I might find
Philip K. Dick's story?

Secondly, regarding the novelization of Total Recall, by Piers:

I don't think most of this constitues spoiler material, but I'm giving
you a warning anyway.

It is a lot more informative (in the way of sci-fi content) than the
movie.  Chiefly, the alien race is discussed in great detail,
including why the equipment exists, and what happened to the "real"
Hauser when he chanced upon it.  A lot more fascinating--the movie
barely mentions it.

Also--and this IS spoiler material--the end is definitive, where that
of the movie was not.  The movie left us saying, "Well, hell!  What
was it, real or a dream?!?!"  The book doesn't leave us to question.
I will spare you the trauma of saying why.

If you really went for the sci-fi contents of the movie, you will
probably like the book; it's a quick read.  Piers at his restrained
best.  He still can't resist a good number of puns though.  ;^)
-kms

Total Recall complaint-

you may find this a spoiler

I thought that Anthony was too heavy-handed in determining the
dream-reality question in the novelization.  Since you know this is a
spoiler, I'll let you know which idea he presents: Quaid is an
implanted personality.

It depends on how carefully you read the book, but I was disappointed
that it was so obvious.  In the first chapter where we see Quaid at
home, his thoughts repeat themselves a number of times *verbatim*.
There are at least four phrases that repeat.  I was sorry that this
issue was decided without any doubt, since I found that one of the
more intriguing ideas in the movie.  Oh well.  I guess you can't
expect too much from a novelization.

Sandy

                My comments and spoilers:
                
                
                
                I'll have to read this book as I LOVED the movie,
                but too bad the question was so clearly answered.
                I had decided that  it  was  a dream.  Everything
                was too right.  He  was  told,  "You are a secret
                agent on Mars, you will save  the  entire planet,
                you will get the girl" etc, and  then the tech at
                the chair when he was handed the tape,  "Oh, Mars
                with  a blue sky, this is a new one."  Everything
                happened  as  the  dream  said  it  would.    Too
                coincidental, but then,  the  weak  point, is how
                did his 'wfie' end  up  in  the dream, unless the
                programming  left the interpretation up  to  him,
                but if that was the case,  why  did they have him
                pick the other woman before he went  under?    Oh
                well,  I'll grab the book soon.  I'm  curious  to
                read  the  Phillip  K.    Dick  version myself, I
                wonder why  he  didn't  rewrite  the book for the
                movie (unless he  died  or  something).  At least
                when Roger Zelazny's Damnation  Alley  was turned
                into a movie he rewrote  his  own  book.    I had
                sworn  away  from  Xanthony  after  quitting  the
                Xanth,  Immortality  and  Adept series', but I'll
                have to read this...
                
                Cheers, Rob
                

    	Philip K. Dick died in 1982, right around the time that the film
    BLADE RUNNER came out.  BR was based on the Dick novel, DO ANDROIDS
    DREAM OF ELECTRIC SHEEP?
    
    	Larry
    

Re: .99:

I agree.  I wish Anthony had gone just a bit out of his way to not
make things obvious.  He had a great setting.  I know I yelled at
Verhoven (sp?) for mangling it, but if he had tried harder, he coulda
done it.  Oh well.

-kms

    re:.100
    
    Roger Zelazny did *not* rewrite DAMNATION ALLEY after the movie
    was released. It was originally a short novel, and later expanded
    into a full-length novel circa 1968. The film was released in 1977,
    but the novel was not revised in the wake of the film.
    
    As Larry mentioned, Phil Dick died in 1982. He endured enormous
    amounts of pressure to write a novelization of BLADE RUNNER, or
    to allow someone else to write it, but he steadfastly refused. He
    was proud (as he should have been) of the novel as he originally
    wrote it, and wanted that to be reissued instead of a novelization
    of the film (part of the contract for a film novelization would've
    kept the original novel out of print for some time afterward).
    
    --- jerry

                Jerry strikes again...
                
                :')
                
                I thought  about the Roger Z comment I made after
                reading what I  wrote,  but  I left it.  I forgot
                about your scrutinizing eyes!
                
                Cheers, Rob
                

    re:.104
    
    Actually, if it wasn't for Larry, it would've passed me by.
    
    --- jerry

RE: TOTAL RECALL:

One minor nit about the dream theory -

From what I gathered about the "memory" company, they built the memories in 
layers: first the memories of mars, then the secret agent stuff...

If you will remember, the lady doctor told her assistant to pull several 
"tapes" (for lack of a better term) and Arnold freaked halfway thru the down
load.  

The lady doctors comment when the director arrived was that they had not yet 
loaded in the secret agent memories...

grins,

clark.

    re: -1
    
    Should that be behind a spoilers warning?
    
    <spoiler>
    
    
    Are you talking about the film or the book?
    
    In the film, I think, his whole beserking thing is part of the
    dream/adventure. The last real thing we see happen to him is his
    drifting into sleep as they build the model girl.
    
    Regards,
    
    Charlie

    I can't remember,  but if the girl which Quaid specified at the Total
    Recall clinic turned out (after his real-time on-screen) adjustments to
    match the girl on Mars... then he clearly had to be dreaming the entire
    post-Mars sequence. Total Recall would have no reason whatsoever to use
    a Mars woman as a model, so the correspondence proves he's dreaming.
    
    - Hoyt

...but she *was* a model for ReKall prior to moving to Mars.  (So the
book says.)

,kms

    Someone please set me straight.
    
    I have not read anything by Anthony.  I have not seen TR but knew
    that it was based on a book by Dick.  I must have read all his books
    when I was a kid and what I remember is that his main character
    was always suicidal or manic depressive or something.  Has anyone
    read "We can Remember" and if so how does it compare with the movie?
    From previous comments I would think the movie must have more of
    Anthony's touch than Dick's.
    
    I just can't imagine Schwartenegghead being one of PKD's characters!
    
    helen

    I haven't seen the film, but from I understand, the basic plot
    of Dick's story takes up about the first 20 minutes of the film.
    In general, the film is supposed to be as close to Dick's story
    as BLADE RUNNER is to his DO ANDROIDS DREAM OF ELECTRIC SHEEP?
    
    --- jerry

My info (.109?) about the process is from the film, i haven't read any book 
related to TR.

From what i remember, what was displayed on the monitor as his "date" for the 
dream wasn't very detailed... just basic shape, size, and colouring. but I 
could be wrong.

There is also a lot of footage in the film that is third person, which in my
mind blows the dream theory...If it was a movie about his dream then we should
be only shown what he dreams, total first person.  Since we are shown from the 
third person, I feel it wasn't a dream...

Then again, I thought the movie was a waste of time, money, and film...

and I like arnold...

grins,

clark.

    First impression:
    
    Just saw the movie (which my SO loved because he likes A.S. and
    he thinks the whole thing was a reality for Quaid.) 
    
    I don't know how to do a line feed, so I'll do some returns here
    in case these are *SPOILERS*.
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    I see a lot of memories of PK Dick here, and I decided that since
    it is based on a book by him, the probability is that Quaid was
    a paraniod schitzophrenic (sp?) who's Quaid personality one out for
    a while.
    
    To me, the good thing about this movie is that you have 3 possible
    scenarios:
    
    1)  Quaid is having his vacation as promised.
    
    2)  Quaid really was a secret agent named Houser whose memories
    had been wiped and replaced, and Total Recall brought them back
    to the surface so he could save Mars.
    
    3)  Quaid/Houser was a paranoid schizoid (per the doctor even!)
    whose Quaid personality won out for the movie portion.
                                        
    I'll think about it somemore tomorrow.
    
    Happy dreams,
    
    Helen
    

    I've just started the book, but from the first three or four pages it
    seems obvious which interpretation of the real vs. dream vs.
    ReKallection Anthony has chosen to take...
    
    <spoiler>
    
    Throughout the first three chapters, Quaid thinks in in very very
    repetitive terms. He uses exactly the same phrase to describe his
    relationship to his "wife" several times withing the same period of
    musing to himself. The terms used are such that they stand out ("Hi-Q
    executive", "her ardor undiminished after all these years"). Either the 
    author has done a REALLY poor job with his writing, or he is trying to
    illustrate the limited thought patterns permitted by the implanted
    personality. If Quaid keeps thinking like this once the action starts,
    I'll drop the book in the trash and never look back.
    
    As for the film...
    
    I opt for the "It's all the ReKall dream" position. There was a long
    discussion of this in the Movies note, but my basic reasons are these:
    
    	In the ReKall office, the girl they build for him is the exact
    	girl he meets on Mars. They also show him alien ruins (one of
    	the options he picked) which look very like the reactor he
    	sees on Mars. One of the techs is loading part of the implant
    	program and comments, "Blue skies on Mars!? Now that's a first."
    
    	It solves some plot wholes. How did the bad guys find him in
    	his hotel on Mars? How did his "buddy" find him in his hotel
    	on Earth? If the aliens decided to build a giant air machine
    	on Mars, why didn't they turn it on?
    
    	It would explain the physics goofs from the adventure. The
    	atmosphere on Mars is about equal to ours at 35K feet; people
    	don't blow up like balloons at that height. Releasing enough
    	air to give Mars an atmosphere would take a little longer than
    	two minutes. The core of a solid planet would not be made of 
    	ice. Etc., Etc.
    
    I admit that the movie was in third person (It'd be tough to film
    Arnold's muscles otherwise :*)  ), and there were even scenes that
    Arnold wasn't even in. Looking over my last vacation, I don't "rekall"
    any third person shots, or scenes that I wasn't in. But I think that's
    a problem with ReKall's advertising. After all, they couldn't really
    give you "memories" of a vacation anyway, at least not memories that
    would fool you. You would have been somewhere else that week. And your
    wife wouldn't remember your being away. Even if they put you to sleep
    for two weeks (which they didn't mention in the film), there would
    still be inconsistancies once you woke up. So, if they can't give you
    real memories, why not go all out and give you the adventure of a
    lifetime instead. I often have dreams where the perspective is third
    person, and where I see scenes that I'm not in, and yet they seem as
    real as you could wish for while they are going on. I think that's what
    ReKall sells. "Memory" is just their advertising gimmick.
    
    Of course, one could argue that the movie really just had glitches in
    it, or that the filmmakers purposely made it an unanswerable riddle
    just to mess with us. But neither of those is a very rewarding answer
    to my mind, and this is the only other way I can think of to explain
    these issues.
    
    Cheers!
    
    Charlie
    
    BTW, I saw this with two big fans of P.K. Dick. They thought it was
    very much like his other stuff, though neither had read "We Can
    Remember It..."
    			c.c

    If you want to do a Niven-style "think it through" there were lots of
    holes in the movie, as (-X) points out. One that I think is interesting
    is the mutant/dregs existing in a place where EVERYTHING has to be
    incredibly expensive. IMO, these economically-marginal people would
    have been spaced from the outset, in Known Space or any place where the
    laws of economics apply.
    
    I think this has interesting implications for the planet Earth, when
    some MIT grad comes up with a cheap intersteller drive which allows the
    cream of human intellect to head to the stars. I guess Niven has
    touched on this, when he compares Belters to flat-landers. I think this
    could be the central focus of a decent novel, though. Humanity's top five
    percent (intelligence, wealth, you-name-it) goes off-planet; what
    happens at home? Maybe not much: we grow a new top-five percent, since
    most of our potential is undeveloped anyway. Or maybe the world turns
    into a much more humane place, because it takes a certain power/money
    attitude to invent the worst of our species' excesses.
    
    The TR mutant/dregs didn't look so great, but they displayed more
    humanity than the classic-look folks. Does the novel explore this idea?
    
    - Hoyt

    re: .-1
    
    Why do you think the top 5% of humanity would want to go to the stars?
    The top 5% of European society certainly weren't the settlers of 
    America.   You'd have to be desperate or a misfit to come to such 
    an obviously dangerous, uncomfortable, and boring place.  As 
    George Carlin says, "We're here because our ancestors were kicked 
    out of all the good countries."  Up 
    until the nineteenth century all the action was in Europe.  The 
    same will probably be true of space pioneering.  /jlr

A lot of the spear-carriers came to the new world because they were
squeezed out of the old.  Sometimes this squeezing was voluntary, sometimes
not (e.g., Pilgrims vs. Africans).  As has been pointed out elsewhere
recently in the case of Werner von Braun, the word "voluntary" is used with
a lot of latitude.

Brain drain is a funny thing.  Some of the people who came to the new world
in search of opportunity were really no loss to the old world.  In other
cases, the old world *thought* that they were no loss, but they made good
in a big way.  In colonial times, at least, the brain-drain effect would be
hard to show, since a lot of the successes could be attributed to an
environment with more resources and fewer restrictions.

Those restrictions may be the real villain.  I really doubt that England
was made a more "humane" place by exporting its troublemakers to Australia. 
Arguably, they were humane BECAUSE they exported them, rather than jailing
or executing them, and economically better off by avoiding the cost of
jails.  However, this promoted the continuation of a society that might
otherwise have been forced to change -- and it did change, eventually.

The brain-drain effect is more obvious in recent times because our
technology is getting much harder to master.  There should be no shortage
of people looking to better themselves (this from an American -- but I hear
there is a thriving black market in the U.S.S.R.), but there may be a great
shortage of people who can better a lot of other people while bettering
themselves.  The effect of environment on the quality of its people is
being demonstrated every day across the world, but the results are hard to
interpret in real time.  There are as many opinions as pundits.

I can't predict the effect, but I have no confidence that the departure of
lots of bright movers-and-shakers will have a long-term good effect on the
population left behind, except BY EXAMPLE (good or bad).  Are we going to
colonize the asteroids by deporting criminals?  Are we going to continue
the current trends of criminalizing almost all members of our society to
have a good handle on them for the state to manipulate them by?  (Sound
paranoid?  I'd love to discuss this trend, but not here.)

						-- Spencer

    I thought it was obvious: if it costs $10,000,000 to put someone to
    work in the asteroid belt, then they are going to be the very best
    available. SF is full of stories where only the most talented have
    access to space, e.g. physician/physicists and engineer/pilots.
    
    This country (U.S.) has LONG been the beneficiary of brain-drain. Setting
    aside the conscripts (I think this was a small number), the people who
    arrived here were the ones with the means AND THE INITIATIVE. It was a
    difficult and scary trip. Even under the pressure of famines and
    pogroms, there were easier, safer places to go. More recently, there's
    been the tendency for foreigners receiving educations in the U.S. to
    stay where the technology and culture supports the application of
    their hard-won new skills.
    
    Space will be most attractive. The very best of everything will be
    there, because when lift costs $10,000 a pound, you don't economize by
    lifting hamburger instead of caviar. If the best people go to space,
    then the culture which evolves there will also be superior, and the
    technology will eventually spring from space as well.
    
    This is especially true given the burgeoning influence of capitalism,
    where the demands of mass marketing promote pandering to an extremely
    low common denominator. Earth will have its billions sitting comatose
    in front of the boob-cube, being fed the pablum that grows good, eager
    consumers. Those with enough intellect to seek challenge will look
    upward and climb aboard the spacetrams, until only the lumps are left.
    
    - Hoyt

    Well, so long as it costs $10,000 a pound to put things into 
    space, space will never be colonized.  It'll be the domain of robots.
    If the robots get cheaper faster than the cost comes down, then 
    space may never have many people in it.    
    
    Anyway, I'd draw a distinction between people like asteroid miners 
    and real colonists.  Miners would go out to supervise the robotic 
    machinery and then come home rich.  Colonists would go out to stay.
    They're risking their future and their families out there.  
    
    The present-day analogy would be to the Alaskan pipeline.  The 
    oil companies sent thousands of workers out to a desolate 
    wilderness for the sake of resource extraction.  They built 
    prefab, sealed habitats against the hostile environment.  The 
    workers were a rough lot and most were single men. They 
    worked long hours, made a lot of money, and drank a lot of it.  I 
    doubt if many of them stayed.  Was Alaska colonized by the 
    pipeline workers?  No.  It's being settled by people who are there 
    for the long haul instead of the quick killing.  People who want 
    to raise children there instead of just getting rich.  Such people
    aren't necessarily the best and brightest.  They're people who 
    want, for some reason or other, to get out of the mainstream.
    
    /jlr

    A friend of mine just recommended a series of books written by this
    author that deal with magic, fantasy and the occult along with related
    themes.  Unfortunately we were at a lost for titles.  Can anyone give
    me a list of titles?  I don't really want to wade thru the 100 some odd
    notes here to find them... so I would appreciate some kind soul giving
    me the list I am asking for.. many thanx.
    
    ktlam...
    
    PS - the only novel I ever read by this author was "Macroscope".

    Re .120
    
    Anthony writes rather a lot of fantasy series.  Possibles include:
    
    	The Xanth series, highly whimsical, loaded with puns, full of
    	idiosyncratic magic and mythical creatures from every mythology.
    	Titles include "A Spell for Chameleon," "Centaur Isle," and
    	"Heaven Cent."
    
    	The Kirlian series, involving body-hopping as the fastest method
    	of interstellar travel, power politics between species, and the
    	symbolism of the Tarot deck.  The aliens involved are almost as
    	whimsical in biology as the Xanthians are in magic.  Titles include
    	"Kirlian Quest" and "Chaining the Lady."
    
    	The Incarnations of Immortality series, set in the near-future,
    	when Isaac Newton's alchemical work has been developed as much
    	as his physics, and magic is intermingled with technology.  A very
    	few people embody various archetypes.  Titles include "On A Pale 
    	Horse" (death), "Bearing An Hourglass" (time), [mumble] "Sword"
    	(war), "With Tangled Skein" (fate), and "Being a Green Mother"
    	(nature).
    
    	The Blue Adept series about which I know nothing.
    
    Any of these look likely?
    
    Earl Wajenberg

Probably looking for the Immortality series.

The Blue Adept series is a mixture of Sci-Fi and Fantasy/Magic, but no occult.

I doubt that it's the Xanth series.  By the way, Isle of View is out in the
bookstores now...book 13.

B.

    re: last 2 --
    
    Thanx guys, it sounds to me like my friend might be talking about
    either the Kirlian series or Immortality series.  I think I'll run down
    to my nearest book store and look 'em up.  I haven't read any of Piers
    Anthony's books except _Macroscope_ so I gotta catchup.
    
    ktlam....

    Maybe a reference to the Tarot series?

    I was at B. Dalton's last night and I was surprised by the number of
    books written by this atuhor.  I couldn't decide which one to buy. If
    you only could select one book which one would it be?  Can someone
    recommend something?  Please leave out _Macroscope_, I've already read
    that.  Which one of Anthony's novels would be considered his best?
    
    ktlam...

    I don't know which of his would be considered "best" because I like
    most of them.  My number one, all time favorite is the first book of
    the Incarnations series, _On a Pale Horse_.  
    Ellen
    

Has anyone seen or read his latest book "Firefly"? I saw it at Dalton's
    this afternoon in hardcover. Although it is a departure from his
    usual style. This book is more of a horror novel, or rather it is
    billed as a horror novel. The book is about a predator/creature
    that lure's its prey (mostly human) through the use of a super strong
    pheromone that somehow stimulate's our sexual urges. I have not
    read it yet, but it looked interesting.
    

                My favorites are the adept series, the first 3
                anyway.  I also read the first 7 of Xanth, the
                first 4 from Incantations, then quit Anthony.
                I got sick of his childish writing style and
                stupid puns.  The best part about the books he
                wrote was usually the author's note...

                - Rob, an exanthony fan -

    re:.125
    
    In *my* opinion, if you've read MACROSCOPE, you've read all of his
    good books. Well, not really. SOS THE ROPE was good, as were CTHON
    and PTHOR and PROSTHO PLUS. I don't think any of them are currently
    in print, though.
    
    --- jerry

    
    I'll toss in another vote for _CTHON_, if you can find a copy.
    I found myself reading maybe one or two of his series, then
    giving up. Even _PROSTHO PLUS_ (about an interstellar dentist)
    got a little bit labored at the end.
    
    E

    Read 'Macroscope' years ago. The shelves are full of stuff that
    combine magic-fantasy (yawn) with gawdawful puns (yech) by
    this author, so I haven't been tempted.

	Did anyone else get the Piers Anthony Personal Newsletter in the 
	mail recently? It is simply loaded with ways to transfer your
	hard earned money to Pier's pockets! An 800 number to order Xanth
	stuff of all sorts, the PA video wherein he discusses his approach
	to writing, T-Shirts, and of course books -- zillions of 'em! And,
	if you really liked the first freebie Newsletter, you can subscribe
	for only $7.50 for four issues! Wow!

	(Maybe he'll get really smart/greedy and start up a cult, like...
	 uh... Pieranetics!)
							bh

    Anthony should team up with John Norman, they appeal I think to largely
    the same group of readers.
    
    						=maggie

    I have read a number of Mr Anthony's books, and I get most annoyed when
    he doesn't know when to stop with a series (always leaving an opening
    for the next book !)
    
    But this seems to be a general problem with a number of SF writers
    these days.
    	Mike

	I must concur with you Jerry, if you've read Macroscope
	you've read the good one.

	Some are so-so, already mentioned Cthon, Battlecircle
	wasn't too bad, and another series of three books, the
	titles of which escape me, which dealt with machine life,
	fungus life, and something else in the third book.

	Everything else is senseless, boring, redundant drivel,
	....well IMHO of course.  :-)

	Charlie

    re -.1 & -.2
    
    I have to agree that the majority of what Anthony writes is mindless
    drivel.  His main problem seems to be in not knowing when to let a
    series die.
    
    The first three books of the Xanth series were innovative and a fun
    read.  Not to be taken seriously, of course, but fun.
    
    Certain of his other books have stood out, such as _On a Pale Horse_
    and _Macroscope_.
    
    But, I suppose, as long as people will buy said drivel, he will
    continue to write it.

    
    "...machine life, fungus life and..."
    
    _Ominvor_, _Orn_ and...um...something else. They were pretty good.
    
    E.

    Re .133 - that's gratuitous insult Maggie - nothing is as bad as John
    Norman's books.
    
    Since no-one else has mentioned them, I am now afraid that I have the
    wrong author, but I thought that the best thing I had read by him was
    the "Split Infinity" trilogy - all 3 good in their own right and the
    sum of the total was better!
    
    Agree that Xanth went feeble after the first 2 in the same way as Anne
    McCaffery flogged the dragons to death.

    re .139
    
    Hate to be the one to tell you, guy, but Anthony xanthed up the "Split
    Infinity" series, too.  There are now seven books in that so-called
    trilogy.  Hopefully (ghod willing), it's over.
    
    xanth (zanth) v.  1. To lengthen something painfully for no other reason
    than profit.  2. To destroy something that had promise.  3. To hackney.
    4. To turn a trilogy into more than three books (see also douglas).
     

	Anthony has another series out, the "Virtual Mode" series, the first
of which is (you guessed it) _Virtual Mode_. I haven't read this, but he
claims it will be a "meta-Split Infinity" series (with no common charcters
though). By this he means that if he wants to go back to the SI series, he
can do so in the context of the VM series.

	I started reading Anthony when I picked up _On a Pale Horse_, and was
very impressed. The next couple in that series weren't bad, but they became
shocking after that. Still waiting for the last one to come out in paperback.

	I read "Total Recall" and thought it trash. No characterisation at
all, and he basically killed the sense of wondering whether what the characters
are going through was real or not.

	I'm onto the second in the Split Infinity series (or Apprentice Adept
series if you live in the US). Fairly thin plots, and fairly simple characters.
Anthony has a habit of making his characters solve problems almost immediately,
just by "thinking hard". Instead of making his characters look decisive or
intelligent, it only makes them look foolish and rash (or makes the problems
seem insignificant).

	Generally not a bad author if you want something mindless.

	Peter.

Eeek!  Anytime I hear anyone say something good about Piers Anthony, it makes
my skin crawl.  

I remember when I read Macroscope.  I found it very enjoyable.  I enjoyed the
Split Infinity Trilogy, even Space Tyrant (or whatever the hell that series
was).  I thought "On a pale horse was kinda cool".  I have read other books by
him as well.  But now, I just can't stand him, and I'm surprized I ever read so
many of his books.  I think the real problem is that he only has one character.
Pick just about any of his books and you will find that the hero is the same
character.  And the hero plods through another book facing the exact same
moralistic problems (which to me, at least, have very simple solutions)
agonizing over them mentally for pages on end, and eventually solving them in
the exact same manner. 

No.  I will probably never read another Piers Anthony book.  The real clincher
for me was when I read some (actually rather good) analogy in one of his books,
and realized he used the exact same analogy (slightly reworded) in another one
of his books.  No, I can't remember the analogy or the books, but one of them
was one of the books in the Incarnations of Immortality series.

Hey, if you're not gonna write anything new, don't try and sell us the same
old stories in a new package.

In summation.  Piers Anthony:  Blech.

One man's opinion.

-Jonathan

>	I started reading Anthony when I picked up _On a Pale Horse_, and was
>very impressed. The next couple in that series weren't bad, but they became
>shocking after that. Still waiting for the last one to come out in paperback.

	It already is... The name is _And Eternity_, or something like that.
	My wife has already read it and thinks it's the best one since
	_On a Pale Horse_.

Mike_L

> 	It already is... The name is _And Eternity_, or something like that.

	I live in Australia; we don't get books for 3-12 months after the US
or the UK do (depending on the book). "And Eternity" won't be out here in
paperback until May.

	Another comparison - "Phaze Doubt" just came out in paperback (Ace)
in the US (in January,in fact). We've JUST seen "Out of Phaze" in
normal-size paperback, and "Unicorn Point" in trade (ie. "big")
paperback (Had Robot Adept in trade paperback for a while).

	The only way we can get paperbacks anywhere near as soon as you
lucky devils in the US and UK is to buy them from SF-specific bookshops
who import them specially. These are few and far between (and usually
not good). The only reasonablr one I've seen is "Galaxy" in Sydney,
and I live in Brisbane (about 1200 kms or 750 miles away).

	Peter.

re _And Eternity_

At my wife's request, I started reading it; may as well since I read all the
others.  However, I'm one-third of way through it now, and I'm still waiting
for it to pick up.  So maybe I won't recommend it.  As for the entire series,
the first one _On a Pale Horse_ and the last one _For the Love of Evil_ were
the best.  Forget the rest and read just those two.  _For the Love of Evil_
wraps all the series up anyways.
I think I'm getting Piers Anthony out.  They all seem so identical now, I keep
turning the cover over to see which series I'm reading.
I've read a couple good Jack Chalker books; think I'll catch up on a few of 
those series.

Mike_L

Someone was telling me that Piers Anthony wrote a series of novels involving
animals or something that she enjoyed but couldn't recall any titles. Does
anyone know what novels they could be?  The "Xanth" series comes to mind but
I've only read MACROSCOPE and ON A PALE HORSE so I'm not entirely familiar
with Anthony's works.

ktlam...

    re: .146
    
    Sounds like Xanth

    re: .146/.147
    
I believe someone would remember Xanth for its puns, rather than a series
about animals.  How about the series with _Omnivore_, _Orn_, and _OX_?
They were about highly intelligent animal life that was discovered and to be 
observed by three people; two men and women.

Mike_L

    I bought this particular novel months ago, read the first few pages,
    stopped and I didn't pick it up till this weekend.  I finally finished
    it.  It's the first PA novel I've read since "Macroscope".  It was
    better than I thought.  It comes closer to a twilight zone-like
    fantasy than science fiction.  He creates a world based on a Roman Catholic
    theology with Eastern philosophical concepts of good vs evil.  His
    cosmos seems to be a dualist one where God & Satan are at war with each
    other.  All in all it was pretty strange.
    
    ktlam...

	Finally picked up a p/b copy of _And_Eternity_, the last installment
in Anothny's Incarnations of Immortality Series. I'm about a third of the way
through, and am quite enjoying it.

	I don't generally like Anthony - I think his writing's a bit pulpy.
But this series showed the most promise. A good basic setting, with the
idea of having Seven "Mortal" Major Incarnations being Offices which can be
held by different people at different times.

	_On a Pale Horse_ (the first in the series) was quite impressive.
But, like other Anthony series, the later books degenerated. Books
3-6 got off the track a bit, talking more about Fate and her descendents
and relatives than anything else. I was disappointed that the interesting
idea of Luna's future political victory against Satan was all but
abandoned after book 2.

	With AE, the seventh book, Anthony has returned to this subject,
using almost all of the characters he has introduced throughout the series.
I'm hoping that the series will be well and truly "wrapped up", and that
this book will go some way towards justifying the existence of previous
books, some of which I think were a waste of time (viz, War, and Satan,
and Nature to some extent.)

	Summary - Series based on a great idea which started off well,
		but wasn't developed very well. A strong ending would
		make it well worthwhile, however.

	MHO,

	Peter.

    
    
    I heard awhile back, about another Xanth novel with the title of 
    
                              "Isle of view"
    
    
    Does anyone know if this book actualy exists, and if so, is it in the
    UK yet ?
    
    Ian.

    
    Don't know about the UK but I've had a paperback copy for months now in
    the US.  It is a very different read than the average Xanth novel.  The
    title BTW is a big hidden piece of info.  I enjoyed it.
    
    J

    
    Thanks  8-)
    
    I'll have to pop down to the bookstore and try and order a copy of it.

    Well, I have to confess I like Piers stuff, or is it fluff.  I just
    finished reading "Question Quest" the latest in the Xanth series.  Good
    points lots of humor, a really good ppun involving books, more history
    of Xanth.  Bad points there is actually a recap of at least the first
    5!!! books in this book.  Spoilers follow.
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    Humpfrey is back.  The story mainly centers around his life in Xanth
    and there a lot of questions answered.  
    
    
    Joe

    
    
    So that now makes TWO new Xanth books I can't get hold of  8-(

    
    
    Well, I've finaly managed to obtain a copy of `Isle of view' in the UK.

    I just grabbed a copy of Xanth, the role playing game.  In a word it is
    GREAT.  The object is to complete quests and it is as loaded with puns
    and surprises as the books.  If I ever get the time I'll post a more
    complete review.
    
    Joe

    Piers Anthony books for sale - all paperback, good condition
    
    XANTH Series, first 12 volumes, complete!
    ----------------------------------------
    A Spell for Chameleon
    The Source of Magic
    Castle Roogna
    Centaur Aisle
    Ogre, Ogre
    Night Mare
    Dragon on an Pedestal
    Crewel Lye: A Caustic Yarn
    Golem in the Gears
    Vale of the Vole
    Heaven Cent
    Man from Mundania
    
    $25 / best offer, complete set only
    
    Apprentice Adept Series, volumes 4-6:
    ------------------------------------
    Out of Phaze
    Robot Adept
    Unicorn Point
    
    $2.50 each, all 3 for $6
    
    Incarnations of Immortality, volumes 1,2,3,4,6:
    -----------------------------------------------
    On a Pale Horse
    Bearing an Hourglass
    With a Tangled Skein
    Wielding a Red Sword
    (vol. 5 missing: Being a Green Mother)
    For Love of Evil
    
    $2.50 each, all 5 for $10
    
    Dave Hughes, DTN 296-5209, RCAV8R::HUGHES or NODEX::HUGHES
    
    

Article: 481
From: [email protected] (Dani Zweig)
Newsgroups: rec.arts.sf.reviews,rec.arts.sf.written
Subject: Unnumbered Reviews #8: Piers Anthony
Organization: Netcom Online Communications Services (408-241-9760 login: guest)
Date: 16 Jan 94 02:12:33 GMT
 
		Unnumbered Reviews #8:  Piers Anthony
 
This review is intended as first aid for readers who are giving the Piers
Anthony shelf at the bookstore dubious glances and wondering whether and
where to jump in.  That comes close to being a frequently asked question.
In some respects, my answers are going to be very similar to those that
are typically given in response.
 
Piers Anthony is a writer with a gimmick.  Many gimmicks, in fact, and
each book or series he writes is structured around a gimmick of some sort,
most often a game.  The result is typically excellent mind candy, at least
to start, often mixed in with non-trivial ethical or philosophical issues
which can challenge the young readers who constitute his primary target
audience.  Anthony has the bad habit, unfortunately, of taking the contents
of one excellent novel and stretching them over an entire series -- flogging
the gimmick-of-the-day until the last bit of life has gone out of it.  This
is why he aggravates people so:  He hasn't the grace to be an untalented
hack who can just be ignored *or* to write to his potential. 
 
It's worth thinking of Anthony's career in two parts.  Before he hit the
jackpot with his 'Xanth' series, he wrote mostly stand-alone novels.  They
ranged from excellent to execrable.  (The worst of the latter were
unpublishable at the time, but have since been printed on the basis of
Anthony's name.  Those books often have forewords that say things like "I
wrote this in 1960 but couldn't sell it until 1990."  Take those warnings
gratefully to heart.)  Since he became a reliable best-seller, stand-alone
novels have become the exception, and the series novels have become the
rule.  He hasn't stopped writing entertaining young-people's fiction:  If
you pick up the first book of almost any of his series, it's likely to be
good.  Trouble is, he then puts that book through more sequel-permutations
than the book was made to bear.  So -- where to start? 
 
 
"Macroscope" (***+ on an uncalibrated four-point scale) is probably his
best book.  The Macroscope itself is the ultimate 'eye', capable of
picking up high-resolution observations from anywhere in the galaxy.  A
number of extraterrestrial civilizations are already under observation --
and those near Earth's level of development show a distressing tendency to
self-destruct.  The Macroscope is also picking up a general broadcast, on
the band it uses, which appears to carry technical information -- including
the key to interstellar travel -- but that information is protected by a
'destroyer' sequence which destroys the minds of those with high enough
intelligence to comprehend the technical information.  A small group, which
includes the one person capable of making limited use of the broadcast,
embarks on a search for answers:  What is the 'destroyer'?  Why is it in
place?  Can the information it shields save Earth from self-destruction?
 
The book bubbles with ideas.  The *author* bubbles with ideas, and wants
to share them with us, often at great length.  Reading "Macroscope" is
like being shown through a child's collection of gems, bottle-tops, and
other shiny objects found on the beach:  Word puzzles, ecological collapse,
mathematical games, racism, astrology, the nature of genius, and more --
the elements are interesting and thought-provoking, but it often feels as
if Anthony included anything that happened to interest him that day.  The
characters are shallow and obsessive -- a problem Anthony's never licked
-- and play idiotic games for absurdly high stakes.  The story keeps
taking time out for little psychodramas, apparently for no better reason
than that the author likes writing them.  And yet... and yet, there is
something engaging about this book bubbling over with ideas faster than
the author can put them on paper. 
 
A relatively early work (1969) "Macroscope" hasn't aged as gracefully as
it might have, but Anthony's strengths and weaknesses show clearly.  At
the time, the book signalled great potential.  An author who could build
on those strengths and overcome those weaknesses could produce wonderful
books.  Now, a quarter of a century later, little has changed.  Replace
"Macroscope" with another title and change the list of shiny objects, and the
preceding paragraph can be applied to most anything Anthony's written since.
 
 
"A Spell for Chameleon" (***) is the first book in the 'Xanth' series,
that made Anthony's fortune.  If most of Anthony's books are mind candy,
the 'Xanth' novels are spun sugar -- light, airy, and almost content-free.
Xanth in a magical land.  No, not in the sense that there's a lot of
magic, but in the sense that *everything* is magic.  It's a land of dragons
and harpies and giants and demons.  It's a land where shoes grow on shoe
trees and butter comes from butterflies and everyone is born with a magic
power.  Everyone except Bink, that is, who's about to be exiled from Xanth
as a result.  Bink's search for magic takes him first to the castle of the
Good Magician -- who is able to verify that he does have a powerful magic,
but one that is hidden -- and then into the path of an invading army led
by a previously exiled Evil Magician.
 
"A Spell for Chameleon" is cute, light-weight, and fun -- particularly if
you don't mind bad puns and characters who are seldom more than extensions
of their talents.  The series has run to many sequels.  The first couple,
"The Source of Magic" and "Castle Roogna" are better than the ones that
follow, as each book in the series seems to lean more heavily on bad puns
than the previous one.  The most frequently asked question about Anthony's
books is which Xanth novels to read, and the answer that is almost always
given is to read until they stop being fun and then to stop -- because
they're not going to get better.  (Anthony's series generally decline, but
the Xanth series has run long enough for the decline to be particularly
visible.)  One other word of warning:  Piers Anthony's handling of relations
between the sexes generally puts me in mind of a twelve-year-old peeking up
girls' dresses, but nowhere is this more pronounced than in the Xanth novels. 
 
 
Other Major Series:
 
"On a Pale Horse" (***) is the first book in the series "Incarnations of
Immortality."  It's placed in an Earth much like our own, except that
magic coexists with science, and the Earth is a battleground between Heaven
and Hell.  Between God and the Devil are the five Incarnations -- once-human
manifestations of Death, Time, War, Fate, and Nature.  Neutral in principle,
they often oppose the Devil in practice.  When Zane's time comes to die,
Death comes for him -- and winds up taking the bullet meant for Zane.  By
the 'rules', Zane gets the job and becomes the new Death -- and the Devil
takes advantage of his lack of experience to further a scheme meant to
give Hell control of the Earth.  Each sequel tells the story of a different 
Incarnation.  As is typical, the series goes downhill after a promising start.
 
"Split Infinity" (***) is the first of three -- and ultimately seven --
books in the "Apprentice Adept" sf/fantasy series.  Proton is a fabulously
rich planet whose Citizens are served by 'serfs' -- people from other worlds
who are happy to take long-term contracts as almost-property for extremely
high pay.  The chief recreation on Proton is "the Game" -- a complex 
competitive framework which supplies most of the digressions in the series.
Phaze is a parallel world in which magic replaces science.  The murder of
the Blue Adept, one of the most powerful mages of Phaze, enables Stile,
his Proton analogue and one of the foremost Game players, to enter Phaze
and take his place.  As an adept on Phaze and as a major Game competitor
on Proton, he battles what turn out to be related dangers.
 
"Sos the Rope" (***) begins one of Anthony's earliest series, the "Battle
Circle" trilogy.  In a post-holocaust future, men wander around duelling
with primitive weapons, or settle into small tribes whose leadership is
determined by this code duello.  (Women function primarily as camp followers.)
This 'idyll' is shattered when Sol and Sos -- respectively an unbeatable
warrior and a thinker -- join forces and begin to create an empire.
 
"Refugee" (**) begins the five-volume "Bio of a Space Tyrant" -- a novel
of contemporary politics, artificially placed in a science-fictional setting.
Anthony's political prescriptions follow the rather corrupt tradition of
"Here is what I would do if I were President *and* had dictatorial powers."
 
The "Cluster" series -- a trilogy beginning with "Cluster" (**) and two
stand-alone novels -- is placed in a future in which interstellar travel
is expensive, but it is practical to interact with other worlds by projecting
one's personality into a host -- if one has a strong enough Kirlian aura.
Each book in the trilogy has a different character with an exceptionally
powerful aura serving as a key player in an intergalactic struggle.  A
prequel -- the "Tarot" trilogy -- is probably better thought of.
 
 
A number of Anthony's stand-alone novels are worth at least mentioning.
"Triple Detente" (***) is structured around the question of how to make
good government and self-interest congruent -- and begins when Earth and
another world...conquer each other.  "Prostho Plus" (***) is silly fun:
A dentist (a prosthodontist, actually) is kidnapped by a space alien with
a toothache, and finds himself being passed from planet to planet in a
never-ending battle against interstellar tooth decay.  Steppe (**+) is
essentially a retelling of the history of Genghis Khan, within the context
of a futuristic role-playing game.  
 
Anthony has also coauthored many novels, mostly with mediocre results.
Among these is his recent and unlikely collaboration with Mercedes Lackey,
titled "If I Pay Thee Not in Gold" (**).  I came away from this book with
the impression that Lackey had done the word-smithing (which is better 
than Anthony's usual) while adhering to a fairly generic Piers Anthony plot 
outline.  The result is a book for Anthony fans, not for Lackey fans.
 
 
Comments and Recommendations:  If you're looking for books that are
thoughtful and thought-provoking, with plausible characters facing
meaningful challenges, don't waste your time with Piers Anthony.  If
you're looking for trash, and aren't put off by a few stylistic quirks --
including shallow characterization, a juvenile attitude towards women,
obsessive patterning of the story, and a tendency for characters to 
determine the fate of the galaxy by challenging each other to a game of
monopoly or such like -- Anthony writes *good* trash.  Bear in mind that
these books are written primarily for younger readers, and written down,
at that:  The ethical dimension of Anthony's writing is pronounced, but
it's shallow and simplistic.  
 
None of which means that you won't enjoy his books.  Millions do.  I do.
Sometimes.  The important rule to remember is to start at the beginning of
a series, and not to expect a declining series to get better.  I haven't
tried to be exhaustive in listing Anthony's novels -- or even in listing
his series. It's more useful to think of Piers Anthony's books as a
commodity, in the sense that a Harlequin romance is a commodity:  The
question isn't "which are the good ones?" so much as "do I feel like
reading one?"  One of his books is about as good as another for answering
that question.   
 
 
Disclaimer:  Don't think of this as a review series.  It's just unnumbered
to help me keep track.
 
%A  Anthony, Piers
%T  Macroscope
 
%S  The Xanth Series
%S  Incarnations of Immortality
%S  The Apprentice Adept
%S  Battle Circle
%S  Bio of a Space Tyrant
%S  Cluster
 
%T  Triple Detente
%T  Prostho Plus
%T  Steppe
%T  If I Pay Thee Not in Gold
%O  The last coauthored with Mercedes Lackey
 
-----
Dani Zweig
[email protected]
 
   If you're going to write, don't pretend to write down.  It's going to be the
   best you can do, and it's the fact that it's the best you can do that kills
   you! -- Dorothy Parker

    Well, I see Dani has never read _The_Ring_ (coauthored), _Chthon_,
    or _Omnivore_, which all show that Anthony had potential.
    
    						Ann B.

    Who is Dani Zweig, and how is it that this person writes the
    reviews that *I* would write if I had the time and inclination?
    
    This is a person who thinks a *lot* like me...
    
    					andrew