What’s the deal with Piers Anthony?

Post by **aTOMiC** » Tue Sep 23, 2003 6:43 am

I have browsed and engaged in enough conversations on this site to have noticed a near total blackout of references and information concerning Piers Anthony and his work. Granted he isn’t my favorite author but his contribution to Fantasy and Science Fiction alike is considerable. Perhaps his Xanth books have pushed him into the realm of juvenile readership. Perhaps people have grown weary of the over use of puns. “A Spell for Chameleon” was one of the first fantasy books I read. If I’m missing something, someone let me know.

Post by **Ryzel** » Tue Sep 23, 2003 10:10 am

There is a great dislike for Piers Anthony in some parts of fandom. Personally I think that his books range from very good (Riding a pale horse, bearing an hourglass, A spell for Chamelon) to bad or even worse.

I have stopped reading his books now though, because I thought they got progressively worse as I read more and more of them.

Post by **danlo** » Tue Sep 23, 2003 10:59 am

I've read a boatload of Sci-Fi and I must tell you that I avoid this author like the plague--maybe he's too simple? Maybe he's not interesting? Maybe he's just not very good...I have attempted to read about 6 of his books in my lifetime and could only make it through 1: Orn. I think the only reason I made it through it is that I IDed with the floating bubble creatures--but I can't handle talking dinosaurs at all! yuk The book was pretty damm bad. Aside from Andre Norton, who cranks out a good book every 5th or so it is usually a good rule 2 avoid authors who have 30+ books to their credit.

Post by **aTOMiC** » Tue Sep 23, 2003 11:09 am

I suspected as much. I have to admit that I haven't read much of Anthony's later work. I managed to follow Xanth through the first 5 or 6 books. It is his earlier and far less rediculous work that I'm more familar with. Battle Circle which is a compilation of three stories is one that I seem to enjoy the most. Chthon and Phthor were off beat and a little disturbing but not childish. As for much of the rest I cannot say. Since I live in Xanth (florida), I suppose I have a soft spot for the old guy.

Post by **Worm of Despite** » Tue Sep 23, 2003 2:02 pm

All I know is that some of his books were written solely because he wanted to make money off them. Not that doing such is wrong, but I'd rather read a book that means something to the author, ya know, rather than a big money sign in the air.

Post by **duchess of malfi** » Tue Sep 23, 2003 4:25 pm

Some of his Incantations of Immortality books were pretty decent. The earlier Xanth books, which came out when I was a kid were a lot better than some of the later ones (then again, maybe my tastes just got different as I got older)...I stopped reading them after awhile. I haven't tried any of his other stuff...

Post by **[Syl]** » Wed Sep 24, 2003 8:57 am

I've talked about Anthony some in threads around here. He used to be a fairly good writer. Now he's a hack. He admits he does it for the money. Yeah, the early Xanth books (Spell for Chamelion was my first fantasy book), the Blue Adept, Incarnations of Immortality (at least the first half), and Bio of a Space Tyrant were pretty good. Shade of the Tree is a very good stand alone fantasy novel.

Post by **Lord Mhoram** » Wed Sep 24, 2003 1:54 pm

You gotta admit...Piers is a cool first name.

What does this contribute to the discussion? Nothing.

LOL

Post by **duchess of malfi** » Thu Sep 25, 2003 1:44 pm

I have to admit I've heard the charge "writing for the money" directed at other writers before -- lately Robert Jordan and Orson Scott Card -- and I don't get it. What's wrong with putting food on the table?

Believe me, if I could make money doing something I love like writing, I wouldn't be working for the government anymore.

Post by **Fist and Faith** » Thu Sep 25, 2003 4:38 pm

Sylvanus??? Just Sylvanus?????

Anyway, I also read the first 5-ish Xanth books. Many years ago. There's absolutely nothing wrong with them either. I think they're a whole like the first Harry Potter book. That's the only one I read, and for the same reason I didn't read more Xanth. Nothing wrong with them, and they're great fun, and sometimes very imaginative. But just not the depth I'm usually after. There's not much about them to contemplate. Could we possibly discuss the things about them that we do about TCTC? Not in a million years. But for those who do NOT get off on analyzing every detail of a book to death, I recommend Xanth to folks.

And I love that the Ogres speak in rhyme. The Demon?

Post by **dANdeLION** » Fri Sep 26, 2003 4:49 am

All I know is that some of his books were written solely because he wanted to make money off them.

There's nothing wrong with that. Heck, I'm just posting this response for the money. Cha-ching, 3 more White Gold dollars in my bank!

[/b]

Post by **aTOMiC** » Fri Sep 26, 2003 5:01 am

Well said dAN. CHA CHING!!!

Post by **[Syl]** » Fri Sep 26, 2003 6:48 am

lol. Good point.

There's nothing wrong with writing for the money, per say, but there's nothing exaclty right about it, either. And if you read any of the Xanth books after, eh, maybe the 15th, you'll see exactly how bad it can be. Same thing can be said of Feist somewhere after the 8th book... or %95 of the books put out by TSR (Dragonlance).

Post by **Worm of Despite** » Fri Sep 26, 2003 8:46 am

dAN wrote:All I know is that some of his books were written solely because he wanted to make money off them.

There's nothing wrong with that. Heck, I'm just posting this response for the money. Cha-ching, 3 more White Gold dollars in my bank! [/b]

All I know is that some of his books were written solely because he wanted to make money off them. Not that doing such is wrong,

Post by **Lord Mhoram** » Fri Sep 26, 2003 10:29 am

I dunno Duchess...I disagree. Take JRR Tolkien, for example. He came up with LOTR to read to his son. He didn't do it for money. Other writers write just, like RJ, continue a series for the hell of it. Oh, and not to mention it's wildly popular and people are just dying to read it. I'm sure guys like Anthony, Jordan, Scott, and others started out by just submitting their tale to a publishing company; now they just want to continue a series because it's popular. Like dAN said: some books are written just cuz someone wants to make some money.

Just what I have to say. What I think. It may not be true or particularly articulate, but you get what I mean.

Post by **duchess of malfi** » Fri Sep 26, 2003 10:37 am

Well, the thread about Card at ASOIAF really turned my stomach. Some people were accusing him of churning out bad books for money (and being pretty nasty about it) -- and then someone who persoanlly knows him came on and said that he WAS writing books just for the money because his child was critically ill and he needed the money to pay the hospital bills...

So in cases like that, who with a heart can find fault?
And unless you know the person in question, it might be possible that they are in a similar situation.
I'd really rather not judge.

Post by **Worm of Despite** » Fri Sep 26, 2003 10:40 am

Duchess, nothing's wrong with putting food on the table, but I for one have never and will never write for money. If my novel comes out and just so happens to do well (fat chance of that), then that's just an extra to me. Personally, writing is my life--my one art and the only thing I’ve ever been good at. I’d rather become a plumber than view writing as a job or a career.

And hey, the one thing I see truly wrong in writing for money is that the quality of the books decline. Take Robert Jordan’s Wheel of Time or even Piers Anthony, for example. The imagination and coherent thought go out of the books the second the dollar sign takes precedence.

Post by **Fist and Faith** » Fri Sep 26, 2003 4:22 pm

No reason you can't make money at what you love passionately. Despite what you may hear, money is not evil. Shakespeare wrote to put food on the table. It was his job. I don't know if it's what he loved best, but he sure was good at it!

Post by **Worm of Despite** » Fri Sep 26, 2003 7:09 pm

SRD said it best:

Q: I take it that your philosophy of writing is totally at odds with someone like Piers Anthony who has actually said that he writes purely for the money.

SRD: Well, many writers do, and this is an honourable transaction, you provide a service and you get paid for it: that's fine, but it's not me. I write for love; I sell for money, but that comes after I have done the part that I love. I have been very fortunate, I have made a great deal of money, and it is often asked of me what I have done with my money: I have sealed it away so that if the circumstance ever comes up where people don't want to buy what I write anymore, then I will have an insulation against the pressure. there is not going to be a pressure powerful enough to make me try to write something I don't believe in. That's me, I'm not prescribing this for other people but it's the way I work.

So, like SRD, I've gotta believe in what I'm writing. It's like a religion to me. It's my spirituality, my "breaking through to glory", as John Steinbeck called it. Writing for me is like preaching, and it just means more than a job. Yes, Bill Shakespeare's job was being a playwright, but I think he did the actual writing for a better reason than just the money. He had stuff to say that he felt very deeply about, and he had to have meant more than simply the money.

Post by **duchess of malfi** » Sat Sep 27, 2003 4:22 am

Well, given the high level of his work, I am sure you are completely right about his love for what he did, and the fact that he had important things to say (we still hear his voice after all of those centuries, after all).

But I'm sure he didn't turn the money down, either.

Perhaps you just have higher personal standards (shared with SRD, it appears) than some other people who write.

Kevin's Watch

Kevin's Watch

What’s the deal with Piers Anthony?

What’s the deal with Piers Anthony?