Helpful Score: 1
The third of Anthony's Geodyssey books continues to use the same crafty device: the same few characters recur in similar relationships in different time periods--in this installment, 20. This volume's protagonists are quirkier than their saga forebears. Jes is a strong woman who yearns for a man's love but will not give up her athletic, almost masculine approach to life. Sam feels cursed to marry an ugly woman, and brilliant Ned is led astray by beautiful ones. The permutations Anthony runs on the trio's traits and fates can turn odd, especially, it seems, when one of the characters achieves some measure of satisfaction; for example, in ancient Athens, Jes takes to sea disguised as a man and then, after several "lifetimes" of frustration, finds love in the arms of her own ship's captain. As he did in its predecessors, Anthony concludes Hope of Earth with a call to ecological responsibility. I absolutely loved this series and would not be parting with this book now if I only had more space for books
I wasn't very crazy about this novel because it was too similar to its predecessors, Isle of Woman and Shame of Man. I was hoping this novel would provide a more global picture than the other two books, but it was just a variation with very little differences, and I couldn't finish it. I think this is the last I will ever read of Piers Anthony, although I did think Isle of Woman was VERY good.
Piers Anthony is a stellar author. I began with his Xanath storie, then picked up his geodyssey novels when they were published. While this is very different from the Xanath humor, it is a thought provoking story that carries the reader through time from past to future while telling the tale of one family/couple. I love historical fiction of this nature, and found it to be an engrossing read.
