I grew up a huge Piers Anthony fan, and I keep trying to remain one as an adult. I still do consider myself a fan, even though I'm always vastly disappointed when I read one of his books.This is the 3rd book in the geodyssey saga. I've read all of them before, and this one is a reread. You can read the books in order or as a stand alone.The premise sounds cool on paper - follow one family through history and see what happens. Anthony picks various events in history, explains a bit of back story and reveals his thoughts behind why he writes each chapter the way he does. The first half of the book I found quite enjoyable, but the latter half I was simply bored with. Not sure if it was because the characters were just not evolving, or because I was bored with the historical events he was talking about, or a combination of other things, but the second half simply dragged. I ended up skipping most of one chapter completely because I could not get interested in the story, at all.So, what's good about the book? Well, it's an Anthony book and as I already explained, he's got a built in fan in me. I love history, and I enjoy what he's trying to do in this book. I like the fact that the characters all have flaws, though he places way too much emphasis on physical flaws and repeats that emphasis in each and every chapter. I like the fact that the book spans such a huge span of history - including the future (though it's way too Romeo & Juliet for me). I like the fact that it's part of a series. But I just never get behind any of the characters, though I didn't dislike any of them, either. I think because there are six major characters in the book (all being a major character in a few individual chapters and being a minor character in others), plus husbands, wives, kids, and various enemies, there are just too many people to keep track of.So all in all, I have mixed feelings about the book. I like it enough that I have to give it 3 stars, but I dislike it enough that I can't rate it any better.I borrowed this book from my dad, who introduced me to Piers Anthony in the first place.
These books are simply amazing. The concept sounds gimmicky, but it works quite well. The trilogy follows a family through the eons of human development. At the beginning, they are pre-human primates, and each chapter finds them evolving gradually through history and even (by the end of book 3) into our future. The story takes up generally where it left off, although the protagonists are in different times and sometimes places with each new chapter. The result is a sweeping epic that examines what it means to be human. It's the story of one family, with the story of the whole human race thrown in to boot. If the literary world didn't look down it's nose at anything that could be lumped into a genre like science fiction, fantasy, or horror, these books would be considered classics.
What do You think about Hope Of Earth (1998)?
Instead of inventing new characters for plot lines across history, what if you used the same characters over and over again? That way the author can spend less time in character development and more time exploring the period involved... kind of a Reader's Digest version of history. That's the basis behind the Geodyssey series, and Anthony has polished the device to near perfection. As a romp through time without time travel and all the paradoxii involved, this book is an okay read. The characters aren't very deep, and I didn't feel invested in them when the book ended. The last chapter, a near-futuristic Quaker vs Survivalist/love vs guns/religious discipline vs military discipline dichotomy didn't seem realistic or believable. I picked up this book because I remembered being impressed by Isle of Woman (although I can't recall any of the plot) about two decades ago. I'm not impressed with Hope of Earth, and don't have much hope for the continuation of the series. I won't be reading any more about it.
—Chip
this is the third book in the geodyssey saga, although you can read it all by itself. I read the first two when i was 16, so i was really happy to come across the next volume. these books follow a set of people as they live their lives, but through a time spanning from the beginning of humans till the near future. In all of this time, these characters only age probably 10 yrs or so. Like the others, it was really really interesting, and i zoomed through the book. I love learning about the history and anthropology of the people through 'real' stories. Definitely check these books out, they're some of my favorites ever!
—Merredith
