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katekat's review
4.0
I have always enjoyed Piers Anthony's books but I had never read this series. As a whole I quite enjoyed this series of books. I found the characters and story to be clever and interesting. It sort of reminded me of a more adult version of a Rick Riordan series of books.
ryner's review
2.0
What if death, time, fate, war, nature, evil and good were not mere concepts but offices held by actual people, like any other occupation?
Norton is the man who became Time. Grieving for a love lost and spending his time aimlessly wandering, he accepts the opportunity to become the immortal incarnation of Time. This means living his life backwards with respect to the rest of the world, and assisting Fate in navigating and repairing the great tapestry of life. Norton discovers that it also means extricating himself from the devious traps laid by The Father of Lies himself.
I first read Anthony’s Incarnations of Immortality series in high school and thought they were superb. I’m now reading them again and, while I still find the premise of Death, Time, Fate, War, Nature, Good and Evil being mere offices fascinating, the more experienced reader in me is viewing them with a more critical eye. Entirely too much time is spent on Norton’s “visits” to the sci-fi/fantasy realms, and not nearly enough on his experiences while learning his new office. In addition, almost every character in the book is a two-dimensional stereotype, which grows wearisome.
Norton is the man who became Time. Grieving for a love lost and spending his time aimlessly wandering, he accepts the opportunity to become the immortal incarnation of Time. This means living his life backwards with respect to the rest of the world, and assisting Fate in navigating and repairing the great tapestry of life. Norton discovers that it also means extricating himself from the devious traps laid by The Father of Lies himself.
I first read Anthony’s Incarnations of Immortality series in high school and thought they were superb. I’m now reading them again and, while I still find the premise of Death, Time, Fate, War, Nature, Good and Evil being mere offices fascinating, the more experienced reader in me is viewing them with a more critical eye. Entirely too much time is spent on Norton’s “visits” to the sci-fi/fantasy realms, and not nearly enough on his experiences while learning his new office. In addition, almost every character in the book is a two-dimensional stereotype, which grows wearisome.
lavendrite's review
3.0
This was my least favorite book of the series back when I first started reading them and nothing has changed. I realize it is an important part of the series but as a book, it just really didn't keep me that interested. Thankfully, I enjoy all the others!
baobabtree's review
3.0
Had some cool logistics with time and messing around with our knowledge of it, but again there were these kind of sexist attitudes of the main character that permeated the book which almost made me put it down multiple times, and it was slow to begin. Satan as usual was a delight, as were the other Incarnations, especially the guest appearance of Zane, but otherwise this didn't stack up at all compared with the first book of the series.
jav094's review
4.0
Time is a complicated concept. Humans have known this ever since we first began to entertain the idea of time travel and of paradox. So it should come as no surprise that "Bearing an Hourglass" is a seriously complex novel, with storylines crisscrossing each other at every opportunity. I mean this in a good way; "Hourglass" is a great book if you're looking for a plot that begins as an indecipherable mass of intrigue and slowly (Very. Slowly.) introduces the reader to it, even as the plot itself races onward. One thing to keep in mind; this book would be approximately 12 pages long if not for all the time traveling going on. The story twists and weaves within itself such that the reader will return to a point in time that happened in chapter 1 sometime around chapter 15, but with the perspective of someone that now knows exactly what's happening. At that point in chapter 1, nobody, not even the protagonist, and definitely not the reader, knew what was going on.
Being a writer myself, there's always a little something to be learned from the books I read. Anthony is a favorite author of mine, especially because his writing style seems subtly different in every story, as if he changes his writing to match the mood of the story, rather than all his work "sounding" the same. It dawned on me that writers don't need to maintain the same voice throughout their books, even through a series like this one. Throughout the Incarnations of Immortality series, Anthony has sounded more and more like the characters that star in the books; in Upon a Pale Horse he sounded depressed and pensive to match the Incarnation in that book (Death). In Hourglass, he develops a knowledgable (wise, even) tone as the story progresses, sounding more like my idea of Father Time than anyone has a right to. I've learned to do the same in my writing: put enough of yourself into your characters that readers can recognize you in it. At this, Anthony is a master.
Being a writer myself, there's always a little something to be learned from the books I read. Anthony is a favorite author of mine, especially because his writing style seems subtly different in every story, as if he changes his writing to match the mood of the story, rather than all his work "sounding" the same. It dawned on me that writers don't need to maintain the same voice throughout their books, even through a series like this one. Throughout the Incarnations of Immortality series, Anthony has sounded more and more like the characters that star in the books; in Upon a Pale Horse he sounded depressed and pensive to match the Incarnation in that book (Death). In Hourglass, he develops a knowledgable (wise, even) tone as the story progresses, sounding more like my idea of Father Time than anyone has a right to. I've learned to do the same in my writing: put enough of yourself into your characters that readers can recognize you in it. At this, Anthony is a master.
samwebb's review
4.0
Part of a favorite series of mine. I am usually a bit mind boggled at the end of this one.
anastaciaknits's review
3.0
I've read this book a few times over the years, and I'll state the same thing at the beginning of reviewing all the I of I books: this is a re-read, and the first time reviewing the books. I'm reviewing all of the books after I finished re-reading the entire series, which I don't normally do & didn't do deliberately this time, either...
I do believe this is one of Anthony's better series, but there's a lot of promise to the series, and for some of the books, a lot of promise and not a lot of delivering.
This was always my least favorite of the books in the series, not counting the horrible 8th book which I pretend doesn't exist because it's so horrible WRONG and BAD. This continues to be true in re-reading the books, especially after finishing rereading all of them.
My issue with the book- or main issue, really- is the same now as it was then. I just can't wrap my head around the fact that Chronos lives backwards. I understand why he does, but it just seems like there's these huge gaping holes in the story line that is just ignored, all these holes created by the fact that he lives backwards. And the only explanation in the entire series is that Chronos is "mostly immune" to paradox- mostly immune meaning whenever Anthony doesn't want to explain something, Chronos is immune, the rest of the time he's not immune? Hmm.... I don't write books, I don't pretend to be an author, but when there's HUGE gaping holes in a story line it just feels like the author is being lazy... In his LONG author's note in the back of the book, Anthony leads you to believe that the holes in the story line will be answered later on in the series, but this never happens.
This is turning more into a series review, and I apologize.
To make a long review longer, a lot of this book is important to the rest of the series, and I do feel as if it's important to hear each Incarnation's point of view for the series as a whole, but it's still my least favorite of the series.
I do believe this is one of Anthony's better series, but there's a lot of promise to the series, and for some of the books, a lot of promise and not a lot of delivering.
This was always my least favorite of the books in the series, not counting the horrible 8th book which I pretend doesn't exist because it's so horrible WRONG and BAD. This continues to be true in re-reading the books, especially after finishing rereading all of them.
My issue with the book- or main issue, really- is the same now as it was then. I just can't wrap my head around the fact that Chronos lives backwards. I understand why he does, but it just seems like there's these huge gaping holes in the story line that is just ignored, all these holes created by the fact that he lives backwards. And the only explanation in the entire series is that Chronos is "mostly immune" to paradox- mostly immune meaning whenever Anthony doesn't want to explain something, Chronos is immune, the rest of the time he's not immune? Hmm.... I don't write books, I don't pretend to be an author, but when there's HUGE gaping holes in a story line it just feels like the author is being lazy... In his LONG author's note in the back of the book, Anthony leads you to believe that the holes in the story line will be answered later on in the series, but this never happens.
This is turning more into a series review, and I apologize.
To make a long review longer, a lot of this book is important to the rest of the series, and I do feel as if it's important to hear each Incarnation's point of view for the series as a whole, but it's still my least favorite of the series.
heather_rushforth's review
2.0
I am Re-reading this series, after 20 years , it was a favorite of mine, but I do not remember this one being so bad.
The set up takes forever, the time with satans worlds, pointless side missions are not necessary for the story, and the explanations how Chronos lives backwards and manipulates time could not be more confusing if he tried. He has no personality.
And the constant commenting on the physicality of the women in the books is becoming grating.
The set up takes forever, the time with satans worlds, pointless side missions are not necessary for the story, and the explanations how Chronos lives backwards and manipulates time could not be more confusing if he tried. He has no personality.
And the constant commenting on the physicality of the women in the books is becoming grating.
dkhunt's review against another edition
4.0
Everyone I met who has read this series has a favorite, and it is without fail the first one they read. I read the fifth (Being a Green Mother) first, and it is my favorite. The first five can be read in any order, with intriguing plots interwoven through the entire set, but the sixth and seventh are best left for the end.
mirtlifthewise's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5