series

This is one of my favorite series by Piers Anthony. I would have to say this is my favorite book this series. I like this one because of the ancient greek references. These are wonderful books with a great story and the marvelous job Piers does weaving the characters into each of these novels, yet keep them apart as their own. These books are well worth the time and money to read and buy them. Highly Recommended reading. If you like historial-fantasy this is a series for you.

The third of Piers Anthony's roller-coaster rides through the history of humankind, 'Hope of Earth' showcases a half-dozen characters as they experience a lifetime of five million years. Why should you care about these characters? Because they are archetypes, each of their conversations and actions illustrating humanity's strengths and weaknesses. Why else? The supporting cast features the Ice Man, Boudica, Perikles, Herod, Samo, Toqtamish, and Louis XIV. Imagine meeting even one of these; Anthony's six meet them all.Conflict is important to fictional characters, and here each has a major problem to deal with: for example, one of the characters has a six-fingered hand, the natural successor to the left-handedness in the prior volume. As we have come to expect in the Geodyssey, the score of settings has lush variety. Central to the novel, and a quarter of its length, is the exploration of the war between Athens and Sparta beginning in 431 BC; other interesting locations include the Maginot Line, the supposed Great Wall of China, and the Great Rift Valley.Once molded by evolution to conquer the world, mankind proceeded to do so along Anthony's lines. His message, however, is that the world-conquering gifts our species retains may be our downfall as conquest turns to destruction. The hope of Earth is for us to learn from history and mend our ways. This splendid effort to wake us up to that task is not only inspirational but also enjoyable, and readers can ask for no better combination than that.

Anthony has long been one of my favorites. I cannot keep up with the outpouring of his titles. Hope of Earth thrilled me as did the other volumes of the Geodyssey series. True to his form of writing, Anthony conjures a vivid portrayal of humanity's history and just makes you rethink some of those ideas you have held as being "the only truth". Anyone who enjoys the annals of history will enjoy the traipsing adventures of characters that are not movers-and-shakers of history, but witness first hand those prime agents of our past. Hats off to Anthony's research assistant as he continualy provides information that gives the detail to live the story.