Muse of Art (Geodyssey) [Hardcover]

Piers Anthony (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 15, 1999 | Series: Geodyssey

Author of more than two dozen New York Times bestsellers, Piers Anthony is one of the world's most popular storytellers. His epic Geodyssey series is one of the most breathtaking creations in the history of imaginative fiction. It conveys the vast sweep of human history with stunning immediacy through the stories of men and women like ourselves who experience some of the most profound turning points in the human chronicle. It is the arts that truly define humanity and set us apart from all other species on earth. In a rousing, passionate story that ranges from the mists of prehistory to a terrifyingly plausible near future, Muse of Art explores the special talents that have inspired and motivated us since the earliest days of our existence: curiosity and creativity, seduction and survival, destruction and healing. We view some of the most explosive eras in human history through the eyes of three remarkable women: Avalanche, the alluring beauty skilled in the arts of love and desire; Melee, the headstrong young noblewoman who learns to mold men to her will; and Talena, the wise and lovely weaver of tales who embodies Eve, the primordial mother of the human race. Through them we take part in the occult mysteries of Egypt, the savage wars of the Olmecs, the violent clashes between the Romans and Celts, the court intrigues of ancient Cambodia, the savagery of Attila the Hun, the Napoleonic Wars, and the siege of Stalingrad in the darkest days of World War II. And we look ahead to a harrowing future overshadowed by a devastating plague. And we come to understand the terrifying paradox that confronts us today: that the same gifts that brought us to the pinnacle of civilization now threaten to destroy the human race. As Piers Anthony writes in his introduction to Muse of Art:

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The fourth volume of the Geodyssey series explores the evolution and history of our species from the distant past (500,000 years ago) to the near future by examining the use of such diverse (and dubious) arts as curiosity, healing, story, expression, drama, seduction, arrogance, ploy and justice. Anthony creates a family of archetypes (Pul the Warrior, Heath the Healer, Od the Scientist, Dillon the Hunter, Bata the Wise Woman, Melee the Seductress, etc.) and sets them in different historical situations to show how each of these arts was used. The author is at his best explaining how science flourished: Ods curiosity about volcanoes helps save not only his life but those of other homo erectus smart enough to listen to a physically weak but intellectually superior man. Other scenarios, such as Melees interminable seduction of Dillon in the Olmec culture (around 900 B.C.), seem more like an excuse for peeking up a beautiful womans skirt. Anthony fails to impart a proper period flavor to the chapters, so both the writing and the history remain flat. Even after half a million years of civilizing arts, moreover, at the end of the novel, as at its beginning, men tell women what to do, women influence men through sex, and warlike stupidity still fractures mankind into small tribes bent on their own survival. In his introduction, Anthony refers to this as a message novel; the (likely unintended) message seems to be that the more things change, the more they remain the same.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

A primitive mans curiosity, an old womans healing knowledge, and a clever girls ability to use stories to change the minds of her people begin the discovery of the arts of survival that carry the human race from prehistory to the near-future. This latest addition to Anthonys epic story cycle, which includes Hope of Earth (LJ 4/15/97), examines the progress of humanity through the vehicle of short stories and vignettes that feature recurring characters and common themes. Ambitious in scope, highly personal in execution, this stand-alone tale of epic events and common people belongs in most fantasy collections.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 448 pages
• Publisher: Tor Books; 1st edition (April 15, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312868960
• ISBN-13: 978-0312868963
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.3 x 1.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 2.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #862,421 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

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Geodyssey continues..., April 19, 2001

By 

Arinwalt - See all my reviews

This review is from: Muse of Art (Geodyssey, Saga 4) (Mass Market Paperback)

The Geodyssey continues... 1999's 'Muse of Art' adds a fourth volume to the epic saga Piers Anthony has constructed of the history of the human race. As the title suggests, this novel concentrates on the arts, including the obvious (story and drama) and the subtle (politics, irony). A handful of characters' lives are followed, matched up with humanity's lifetime so that interesting events in one are tied to interesting events in the other. In 1964 BC, for example, Egyptian actors relating Osiris's tale find their own lives to be in parallel with the play.Anthony is having fun with his creation now, freeing himself of the rigid twenty-chapter framework of the prior instalments to tell fascinating stories of our turbulent past. Also, having made his point that there's more to history than the transfer of "civilization" from Greece to Rome, from England to America, better-known areas now receive his unconventional approach: the Roman empire is seen through the eyes of both Celts and Huns, Vietnam is visited eleven centuries earlier than usual (while Napoleon encounters the guerillas, in Italy), and World War Two is represented by the siege of Stalingrad.Even World War Three, previously skirted around, gets a Geodyssey mention, with biological and nuclear warfare killing off 98% of the population in 2024 AD. Once again the reader is cautioned to learn history's lessons and admit to our responsibility for the world. This entertaining story carries a powerful message, one which we would do well to take to heart.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Still Geodyssey - fascinating , but a little different, January 6, 2002

By 

Herschel O. Zarecor, III (Hampton, VA United States) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Muse of Art (Geodyssey, Saga 4) (Mass Market Paperback)

No matter what the other reviewers say, Geodyssey was still a good read, like all of Piers Anthony's books have been. There are, admittedly, some sections which could have been toned down or shortened, take your pick. I speak specifically of the 40,000 word long story of Melee and Dillon which seems to be a tale told of a romance based on urination and sex and control. There was a brief mention of cannibalism seemingly from the view of "waste not, want not." As I said at the beginning, it is still a good read - the historical settings are fascinating, and while some of the stories are conjectural, Mr. Anthony readily admits to this. It is a good read some will have trouble with and some will not, like any other book. if you have read Piers Anthony before, especially previous Geodyssey installations, read this.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Not the best, but it'll do., July 5, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Muse of Art (Geodyssey, Saga 4) (Mass Market Paperback)

I loved the other 3 Geodyssey books. They're among my favourite novels and I keep trying to get others to read them. I waited a year and a half for Muse of Art to come to paperback so that I could finally read it. Well, I must say I was a little disappointed! The history was good just like in the other 3, but it read like bad erotica. Piers himself stated somewhere that the Geodyssey series wasn't selling the way he had hoped, I think he's now stooping too low on purpose to try to make it sell.

We can only hope that Climate of Change (the fifth and final) has the quality of the first three.