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11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Interweaves fantastic fiction with exciting history, April 4, 2001
This review is from: Isle of Woman (Geodyssy, Book 1) (Mass Market Paperback)
A series of twenty snapshots of the lives of Blaze, Ember, and their families, Piers Anthony's 'Isle of Woman' interweaves fantastic fiction with exciting history. These identities of Blaze and Ember reappear at different times, in different places, from the beginning of human development to the immediate future. Thus as the characters meet, separate, partner with others, raise their families, and eventually reunite septuagenarians, the reader progresses from mankind's earliest art and tools to the many guises of civilization. A concept this grand in scope demands such an innovative device, and it is used effectively. In this way, with familiar protagonists, even the shortest of chapters becomes effective.The centerpiece, in which Blaze finds a wife for his son, is set around 6500 BC in Catal Huyuk, and other of Anthony's settings are still more unconventional. Elaine Morgan's infamous "aquatic ape" hypothesis illustrates biological evolution, the Sahul Shelf the land bridges of old. Neandertal man, too often mercilessly mocked, is instead portrayed with sympathy; Malthus, not Marx, alerts us to future dangers. Indeed, the unfortunate path man seems to be treading is this novel's very message. The author sees catastrophe over the horizon, primarily ecological, and this warning recurs throughout both implicitly and explicitly.'Isle of Woman' is not history as we know it. This is history as it might have been, replete with suppositions, scant evidence, and even suggestions. It is also history as it ought to be: it informs, it entertains, and we can learn from it.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
ambitions = great, result = mediocre, March 30, 2003
This review is from: Isle of Woman (Geodyssy, Book 1) (Mass Market Paperback)
i'm a big fan of great chunks of Anthony's work. i've been reading his (tamer) stuff since i was in grade school, and i have really enjoyed the majority of his novels. i went into this book with an open mind, having liked others of the more "reality" based books. isle of woman attempts to tell the tale of the whole of human culture through vignettes arranged in chronological order. two different families are showcased, with the storyline (such as it is) bouncing back and forth between them every chapter. snippets of their lives are shown from the dawn of furry pre-man to the near future apocalypse. the book tries to be both entertainment and education, to teach us why people react like they do, why culture and civilization is arranged like it is, where we came from, and where we're going. and it pretty well succeeds in that goal. the book is obviously well and lovingly researched, and has the majority of the scientific concepts accurate. the teaching of history as a series of short tales about everyday persons (rather than a rote list of kings and statesmen) has a great way of allowing the reader to understand the culture and they way of life of the time. the problems i had with the book were the language and a disturbing tendency to over-use rape as a plot device. the book reads like a patient mother instructing a slow child: the wording is about on an early high school reading level. all the major concepts and the BIG POINTS are carefully spelled out, leaving no room for the reader to think about it on his/her own. i kept thinking to myself, "come on Piers, i'm smart enough to get the point, you don't have to hold my hand." and in nearly every chapter (there were maybe 3 that didn't), someone was either being raped or discussing their past rape(s). if it's happening *all the time* through the book, especially with such a cavalier "so what" attitude, it turns into a cheap plot trick rather than the horror and trauma it is. basically, i judge series books by whether or not i'd feel the need to continue reading them. this book was a great idea that didn't quite work out. i was bored in some places, and annoyed in a few others. i would definately not be picking up the next books. Piers Anthony can do (and has done) much better.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Amazing, Innovation, and Wonderful, September 9, 2000
By A Customer
This review is from: Isle of Woman (Geodyssy, Book 1) (Mass Market Paperback)
I first picked up this book in my school library thinking it would amuse me for at least 1/2 an hour. I was wrong, I sat in the library for 2 hours before I realized I had missed 2 classes. The book is so absorbing and wonderfully told that I become so involved with the characters that I got teary eyed at the end. What facinated me even more is the history, while I realize that the book has a lot of inaccurate information it can really fascinate people by making them think, could this be true (does anyone REALLY know what happened to the neanderthals?) A must read for any age
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