Customer Reviews

And Eternity (Incarnations of Immortality)

5 star:		(26)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(9)
2 star:		(8)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

Piers Anthony, in his Incarnations of Immortality series, has done what no author has done before (or, at least not as well). He described some of the most difficult to explain aspects of our existance. Of course, he does that from his point of view, but it is very surprising, and, in the end, amazing, how much thought is put into each of the books.

Anthony has had difficulty coming up with appropriate event sequences in prior books, as is most apparent in the 3rd one, The Tangled Skein. However, he links it all briliantly, and creates feelings and emotions that few other authors can. Of that, the relationships between incarnations, natural as well as supernatural, are exemplary instances.

I have waited 7 books to finally read about the Incarnation of Good. I was, to say the least, a little disappointed, but then it struck me: Anthony speaks true, once again! For many years, few have ever believed that a prayer has been answered, or that a worship has been appreciated. Anthony explains that so simply, it's laughable. The Incarnation of Good was, after all, everything I expected Him to be, just not exactly in the same manner.

Because some who have not read the book may be reading this, I attempt to give away none of the plot, but I definitely recommend this one, and all the other Incarnation series.

To sum up the entire Incarnations series: good premise; poor delivery.

The basic concept is great; have normal mortal people become temporary immortals in order to fulfill the job duties of each "office" (death, time, fate, war, nature, good, evil). The offices are unknown to ordinary people; they don't even know they exist. Piers Anthony does an excellent job of establishing the mechanics of how such a bureaucracy operates, and how the different offices interact with and affect one another. Each book has its share of wit and humor, and is interesting and thought provoking in its own unique way.

These are the strengths of the Incarnations books; now for the one weakness. Every book in this series suffers from what I call the "Piers Anthony Puppeteer Effect" - an anomaly where all the main characters are basically Piers Anthony himself disguised by a background story. I must admit I have not read any other books by Piers Anthony, so maybe this is true for all his books, and maybe some people like this type of characterization. I just found it hard to believe that characters of such widely varying ages, sexes, cultures, countries, ethnic backgrounds, time periods (modern to medieval), etc, all have the same thought processes, outlooks, speech patterns, etc. In other words, the characters behave too much alike to be believable.

For example, in this book (And Eternity), we are introduced to a teenaged girl named Vita. She is a drug addict and prostitute in a desperate situation, yet she thinks and acts in a far too sophisticated manner. As the story unfolds, Vita "shares" her body with two ghosts: Orlene, a modern-day mature woman; and Jolie, a medieval peasant from France. Because all three share basically the same perspective, there is really no way to distinguish between them, other than by remembering that Vita is sort of a nymphomaniac, Orlene is on a quest after killing herself, and Jolie is the "responsible one."

Basically, you can substitute any mortal officeholder for another in any of the books and the story wouldn't change significantly, because all the characters are just puppets through which Piers Anthony speaks. And all of them use the word "balk." Couldn't ONE, just ONE character in any of the books use the word stop?... prevent?... block?... ANYTHING else besides balk? As I read through the series it got to the point where I would groan out loud every time any character used the word balk. It became very distracting, and actually led to my discovery of the "puppeteer effect." Maybe a drinking game for every time the word balk is used?

So, overall, I give the series 3 stars - the average of 5 stars for concept, 1 for the one-dimensional characters.

I find it odd that this book got so many good reviews. I have read and reread all of the books in the series save this one.Anthony said he at first thought that good and evil were best left to our own imagination, he was right about this one (good) but did succed briliantly with evil.If you are just starting this series stop at #6, I wish I had.

This book was really good.... my 6th favorite in the series, and my 6th favorite book ever. (My seventh is Being a Green Mother) This book was a good completion to the series. I just wish I hadn't read the reviews first, someone gave away the ending and ruined the suprise. I would've liked this book better if Anthony had shown some of God's powers.... what makes him so special. That and repitition are the only drawbacks of this book. I think that For Love of Evil was a lot better than this book, it added something to Satan's character. This book does not add much to God's character.

The entire Incarnations series is incredible, and this book was a beautiful ending to a great saga. A voracious reader of every type of fiction and nonfiction, I am usually bored by the recycled plots, so-called moral dilemmas, and one-dimensional characters that abound in most novels. Delightfully, this series does not suffer from those common shortcomings. As the review preceding mine also shows, however, it is not for the close minded. If you like to think and get emotional about characters, though, I highly recommend this book.

It has been about 5 years since I have read this series, but it still lingers in my mind, as one of my favorites. The series is a must have for anyone who reads. Anthony does a brilliant job of making 7 completely seperate books (that can all stand alone by themselves) but ties them up into a neat, little package.

Anthony has done it again. Always an excellent writer, the climax to the series INCARNATIONS OF IMMORTALITY is unbelievable. Thought-provoking and moving, it is a must-read for any Anthony fans as well as anyone who has ever wondered about the true nature of God.

I found On a Pale Horse by accident and was hooked until the end of the series. I sent the series to my mother, a non-reader, and she relished it for the religious allegory presented so well. In fact, it answered questions for her in a way nobody had done before. This last book was very much the crowning glory on an especially insightful Piers thread of joyful reading.

And Eternity was a very enjoyable read. The addition of new characters made this story refreshing, but it also was sure to tie in all the characters from previous books in the series. The adventures of the new characters are exciting, as well as interesting because of the way their paths cross with the Incarnations and other characters you've met through the other six books. Anthony uses the characters whose personalities he has already developed with the new characters-- their interactions are fascinating; The end's twist is great! The settings in the book are just as interesting as always, and you are always kept on the edge of your seat from all the changes of scenery and also the plot developments. The underlying plot revolves around the need to replace the God of non-interferece (and non-action) and keeps hinting that different characters might become the next God, but who is finally chosen and the way he/she/it was chosen is great, and draws support and meaning from For Love of Evil. If you've read the other books from Incarnations of Immortality and are interested in the characters, and especially if you have an interest in mythology and theology, this is a Must-Read!

I enjoyed the series as a whole, and even liked Love of Evil, because it was interesting. However, nothing really interesting actually happens in this book. The three main characters walk around, and make observations that God doesn't do anything. Plot-wise, I felt this last book of the series to be a disappointment.