Anthonology [Hardcover]

Piers Anthony (Author)

Product Details

• Hardcover: 381 pages
• Publisher: Tor Books (March 1985)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312930275
• ISBN-13: 978-0312930271
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.6 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,112,441 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Piers Anthony is one of the world's most popular fantasy authors, and a New York Times bestseller twenty-one times over. His Xanth novels have been read and loved by millions of readers around the world, and he daily receives hundreds of letters from his devoted fans.In addition to the Xanth series, Anthony is the author of many other best-selling works. Piers Anthony lives in Inverness, Florida.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent collection, February 25, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Anthonology (Mass Market Paperback)

A collection of Piers Anthony shorts that probably rival any other collection I've read. Sexy and funny (minnie's crew), horror, all in classic Anthony style. Just a bit too graphic, I think for people used to Anthony-lite (Xanth).

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A sexy, brutal, cornucopia(sp?) of stories, with commentary., October 12, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Anthonology (Mass Market Paperback)

In his Anthonology, Piers Anthony gives us a collection of stories that range from the incredibly hot and sexy to the horribly brutal. If you are not squeamish (sp?) and enjoy a wide variety of topics, this is a good collection to read.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Sniping at the Editors, March 23, 2008

By 

Paul Camp (Chattanooga, TN United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Anthonology (Mass Market Paperback)

Theodore Sturgeon used introductory material in several of his collections of stories as tributes to science fiction editors. Piers Anthony's _Anthonology_ (1985) is largely concerned with science fiction editors, but it is no tribute. The story introductions are filled with sardonic anecdotes about harsh rejection letters, rejected stories, slow response rates, low rates of pay, titles changed without permission, incompetent editorial practices, and the reluctance of editors to acknowledge the value of a story. Even assuming that Anthony succeeded in spite of editors rather than because of them, there seems to be something rather small-minded and vindictive about the theme of this collection. One quickly begins to suspect that the real sin of the various editors that Anthony "exposes" was a failure on their part to acknowledge his brilliance and a reluctance to accept his every opinion as gospel truth.

Of course, there is no law that says an author is obligated to sing praises of editors. But it seems to me that if you are going to take the critical tack, you must show a respectable number of quality tales that belie the short-sighted judgement of those editors. Of the twenty-one stories in this collection, three ("Phog," "Quinquipedalian," and "Getting Through University") are good entertainment and four ("In the Barn," "Up Schist Creek," "The Bridge," and "On the Uses of Pain") are reasonably clever taboo breakers. The other fourteen are at best minor fare, readily forgettable; and several ("Possible to Rue," "The Toaster," "Wood You?," and "Within the Cloud") are awesomely bad.

I cannot say that you won't find any stories of value in this collection. And there is some interest in taking a look at some of Anthony's early pieces. But I can't recommend this collection with a great deal of enthusiasm. It needed either better stories or a bit more humility. It doesn't have enough of either.