Piers Anthony Incarnations of Immortality

[davidinalameda]

I'm just wondering what others think of this series

is it as sexist as I think it is or is it just my imagination

[LeftCoast]

1. I read it a long time ago and enjoyed it

I was pretty young though, so the sexism probably just flew over my head. I'll have to check it out again.

[philosophie_en_rose]

2. I read it a long time ago - in middle school.

I don't remember most of it, but it is probably sexist.

Piers Anthony is a strong environmentalist with good intentions, but the women in his novels are generally sidekicks/girlfriends or demons.

[davidinalameda]

3. I just finished reading the Fate book

very strong environmental message but even though the main character was female, she still wasn't portrayed as being that great

[Greyskye]

4. Read them in when I was in high school

The books were just coming out in hardcover then. I enjoyed them at the time - but in retrospect, I think they're pretty much crap.

I do however have the entire series in mint condition, first-edition hardcovers. Anyone want to make me an offer? O8)

[Orrex]

5. Wildly sexist, and Anthony's writing is vapid besides

Zealously overpraised by his fans, Piers Anthony writes like a 14-year-old boy who just discovered boobies and has yet to realize that, generally, a woman is attached to them. I have no complaints about breasts in literature, mind you, but the utter lack of substance in Anthony's writing turns each book into little more than the sad ruminations of a man who's trying to titilate himself.

If you feel that you must read any of the Incarnations series, read "On A Pale Horse." Don't read any of the others unless someone pays you a good deal of money to do so.

Skip all of Xanth.

Hell, skip all of his writing, unless you're a 14-year-old boy who just discovered boobies.

[Greyskye]

6. Piers "The Hack" Anthony...

...is how I've referred to him for the past 15 or so years. And he even gave a newbie author friend of mine a nice blurb on his first book.

If only all of the resources wasted on Anthony's books were directed instead to promising new talents. Not to mention space on the bookstore shelves!

[AllegroRondo]

7. Enjoyed them when I was 14

but i gave up on his stuff not long after that. I just couldnt stand his writing style any more. It seemed he always needed to explain and justify the characters' actions - just tell me what they're doing and let me figure it out!

[RiDuvessa]

8. I enjoyed two of them.

"One a Pale Horse" and "With a Tangled Skein"

Definitely some sexism though. He has a bad habit of writing a really good first novel and then coasting from then on.