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lisajh5858's review against another edition
4.0
Loved this book. Possible the best of the series that I've read so far.
sarash92's review against another edition
1.0
I had to DNF this and it hurt my soul.
The first book in this series is one of the books I send quotes to people the most. The witty humor and theological ideas in that book carried me through when i was going through a tough time. The second and third book of the series are pretty good too. The fourth book however had some really problematic ideas, and they carried through right into this one. I actually had to start annotating it just trying to make it through (I included some highlights in the pictures). Now I’m second guessing my love for the rest of the series and I need to give it a reread to see if maybe I’m just older and seeing these things.
The first book in this series is one of the books I send quotes to people the most. The witty humor and theological ideas in that book carried me through when i was going through a tough time. The second and third book of the series are pretty good too. The fourth book however had some really problematic ideas, and they carried through right into this one. I actually had to start annotating it just trying to make it through (I included some highlights in the pictures). Now I’m second guessing my love for the rest of the series and I need to give it a reread to see if maybe I’m just older and seeing these things.
gentlemangamer's review against another edition
4.0
Saying I loved this book would be going way too far, but it was so different from the other books of the series that I found myself really, really liking it. I am very curious what will happen in the next book.
bookcrazylady45's review against another edition
5.0
Love it over and over and over. Time to read again to review.
Reread 2018 - okay this was very very good and I take back all I said about Satan stories. This one I could not put down but read right through.
Reread 2018 - okay this was very very good and I take back all I said about Satan stories. This one I could not put down but read right through.
katekat's review against another edition
5.0
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 against another edition
3.0
What if death, time, fate, war, nature, evil and good were not mere concepts but offices held by actual people, like any other occupation?
Orb knew there was something special, something otherworldly, about her musical ability. When singing and playing her harp, she senses a gathering of power she can never quite grasp fully, but dedicates her life in search of the llano, the true song of nature. Her quest leads her around the world, finding and losing love, and ultimately she assumes the role of the Incarnation of Nature. But what about the fortuneteller who, when she was still a little girl, prophesied that Orb would marry Evil?
I remember being blown away at this book’s climax the first time I read it in high school. This time around it wasn’t quite as impressive, as some aspects of Anthony’s writing style have become irritating to the more experienced reader in me. There is no natural progression to any of the relationships, and as a result they are hardly believable. The spoken dialogue is awkward, written in a style that seems far too formal, even accounting for an alternate reality. Despite its flaws, I’m still going to finish re-reading the series.
Orb knew there was something special, something otherworldly, about her musical ability. When singing and playing her harp, she senses a gathering of power she can never quite grasp fully, but dedicates her life in search of the llano, the true song of nature. Her quest leads her around the world, finding and losing love, and ultimately she assumes the role of the Incarnation of Nature. But what about the fortuneteller who, when she was still a little girl, prophesied that Orb would marry Evil?
I remember being blown away at this book’s climax the first time I read it in high school. This time around it wasn’t quite as impressive, as some aspects of Anthony’s writing style have become irritating to the more experienced reader in me. There is no natural progression to any of the relationships, and as a result they are hardly believable. The spoken dialogue is awkward, written in a style that seems far too formal, even accounting for an alternate reality. Despite its flaws, I’m still going to finish re-reading the series.
lavendrite's review against another edition
5.0
My favorite of all the Incarnation books, still doesn't disappoint after so many years!
ellenw's review against another edition
3.0
I enjoyed this book quite a bit. Actually, I enjoyed this whole series. But Piers Anthony cannot write his way out of a wet paper bag.
thevultureeye's review against another edition
hopeful
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
A lot of things in the series come full circle in this book. It's my favorite of the series so far.
Content Warnings
Minor: Sexual assault
anastaciaknits's review against another edition
4.0
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...
So Orb is my favorite character in the series, so naturally I enjoy this book, though it isn't my favorite out of the series. Orb is beautiful - though not as beautiful as Niobe - and for a female in Piers Anthony's world, is smart. She's still mostly a one-dimensional character, as all the women in his books are, but she's not as bad as most of the females in his books.
The first half of the book is nice because you really get to know Orb, however, the storyline drags, and isn't terribly magical/fantasy/incarnation-y. The second half of the book involves Orb being lied to-alot- and she's so clueless she doesn't pick up on ANY of it (a few scenes/times I can believe, but a few of the scenes are just so obvious that there is something WRONG with it, that I want to shake her entire body until she stops being an idiot)
This book was intended to end the series, and ended up not being the final book - mostly because Piers Anthony was making a crap ton of money off of it, so why would you stop writing?
(Sadly I keep staring at my computer screen, trying to add something else to this review, and I'm failing miserably)
So Orb is my favorite character in the series, so naturally I enjoy this book, though it isn't my favorite out of the series. Orb is beautiful - though not as beautiful as Niobe - and for a female in Piers Anthony's world, is smart. She's still mostly a one-dimensional character, as all the women in his books are, but she's not as bad as most of the females in his books.
The first half of the book is nice because you really get to know Orb, however, the storyline drags, and isn't terribly magical/fantasy/incarnation-y. The second half of the book involves Orb being lied to-alot- and she's so clueless she doesn't pick up on ANY of it (a few scenes/times I can believe, but a few of the scenes are just so obvious that there is something WRONG with it, that I want to shake her entire body until she stops being an idiot)
This book was intended to end the series, and ended up not being the final book - mostly because Piers Anthony was making a crap ton of money off of it, so why would you stop writing?
(Sadly I keep staring at my computer screen, trying to add something else to this review, and I'm failing miserably)