Piers Anthony

[Moontravler]

Sorry to do this again, but once again I've searched the forum for Piers. A., and only found 8 posts that mention him in passing.

I saw that he wrote hundreds of Xanth books, and decided to look out for #1 of these. That series is humorous fantasy though, I believe, and he's better known for his SF.

I don't have a clue where to start on his SF - any recommendations?

It would be much appreciated.

 

[The Ace]

TBH, my first inclination'd be, don't.

Xanth is about the peak of his work, although if you must, try the, 'Vicinity cluster,' or, 'Phase/Proton,' series. 'Bio of a Space Tyrant,' also has its adherents if you don't expect too much.

Most of his SF is even worse than the nadir of Xanth, but never reaches its highs.

 

[j d worthington]

I can't agree with Ace on this one. I'm not a particularly big fan of Anthony's work, but he has done some good things (as well as a lot which are mediocre -- or less). The first few in his Intimations of Immortality I found to be quite interesting; the Adept series can be a great deal of fun and is popular with a lot of people around here, at any rate; and some of his shorter tales I recall being rather good.

Xanth... well, that one all depends on how much you like wince-making humor. I recall one friend of mine telling me that when another friend had mentioned getting a package containing the entire set, her response was: "Don't put it on the floor. It'll rot the wood."

One should also be warned that, with some of his work (notably some of his sf), he is by no means shy about explicit sexuality. (My first experience with Piers Anthony was his short tale, "In the Barn", in Harlan Ellison's anthology, Again, Dangerous Visions. At age 13 I was not used to sf being anywhere near so graphic on the matter....) If this is something which offends, best to stick with his other work.

My suggestion would be to try the first one or two of several of his different series, as well as a scattered sampling of his stand-alone works, just to see what you think. He varies considerably in quality and tone, so don't judge by a small sampling (unless, of course, you have a truly violent reaction one way or the other).

Here's a listing which may help:

Piers Anthony's Bibliography List

 

[Moontravler]

Gee, thanks. I admit that I've been feeling a bit lost (but also curious) because this guy is such a hugely prolific writer. I'll see what I can pick up very cheaply at used bookstores, and then trawl the library as well, before I even think of making any expensive purchases (if at all).

Thanks!

 

[Ian Whates]

I loved the first Apprentice Adept series (the first three books). The subsequent books, written after a gap of five or six years, were also good but not as original.

The Incarnations of Immortality was a clever and enjoyable series, though the seventh, And Eternity was an unplanned add on and stretched the idea beyond breaking point. I've yet to try the recent Under a Velvet Cloak, written some 17 years after the other books.

The first Xanth book was a very clever and original twist on standard fantasy tropes, but I stopped reading them after the third, as the puns became ever more prevalent.

I found the Cluster series annoying after the first two and read no further, and didn't get on with the Mode series at all... Enjoyed his novel adaptation of Total Recall, which fleshed out the film's plot significantly (though goodness knows what PKD would have made of it). Oh, and avoid Mercycle like the plague -- his first 'unsold' novel which he revisited and revamped a few decades later. Should have been left safely buried away from the eyes of poor defenceless readers.

As jd says: variable, but certainly worth more than instant dismissal.

 

[iansales]

I didn't even know he was still going. I just looked on Wikipedia and there are 34 books in the Xanth series! I am boggled.

 

[Moontravler]

Heh, see why I felt a bit lost when I saw how many books he had written?

Will keep your advice in mind, thanks Ian.

 

[Rand]

I loved the first Apprentice Adept series (the first three books). The subsequent books, written after a gap of five or six years, were also good but not as original.

The Incarnations of Immortality was a clever and enjoyable series, though the seventh, And Eternity was an unplanned add on and stretched the idea beyond breaking point. I've yet to try the recent Under a Velvet Cloak, written some 17 years after the other books.

Your comments are very close to way I felt about those series'. I could have almost have written them myself.

Only part I sort-of disagree with is that it was And Eternity which broke the series. I think it was breaking already, under the weight of the forced bawdy/romantic comedy style Anthony used in the series, by Being A Green Mother, and that For Love Of Evil should never have been written at all.

I had similar complaints about Apprentice Adept. By the third installment he seemed to be too busy making characters turn up naked at odd places, and getting sexually involved with each other, to tell the story he'd begun with Blue Adept. Rather ironic that the person writing about a world where almost everyone took being naked as a given felt a need to spend so much time detailing their nakedness.

 

[TheDustyZebra]

I personally loved (and still love) the Incarnations of Immortality and Apprentice Adept series, all the way through. I have never been able to stomach Xanth, but I haven't tried them in recent years and my stance on puns has mellowed considerably since I discovered Spider Robinson; I might find them tolerable now.

I did not like the Mode series as much, and never bothered to read them a second time.

One very interesting series that doesn't get much mention is Geodessey. Completely different from anything else that he (or indeed anyone as far as I know) has ever written, and very hard to describe. Just read the fourth one and wasn't as impressed, but the first three are good.