From: phil@adam.adelaide.edu.au (Phil Kernick)
Newsgroups: alt.fan.piers-anthony
Subject: Re: Piers Anthony and Morality
Keywords: moral, teenage, emotionally retarded
Date: 4 Sep 92 06:10:39 GMT
Organization: University of Adelaide, South Australia
NNTP-Posting-Host: adam.adelaide.edu.au

nick@iagu.itd.adelaide.edu.au (Nick Falkner) writes:

>The first few Xanth books were OK - even quite good - but as the series 
>progressed we had more and more emphasis on juvenile portraits of women and a
>seemingly obsessive attitude towards women's underwear.  Step back and look at
>the subject matter.  I think that Chamelon is a great example of the image that
>PA has of women.  (I'm not going to rehash the argument that has already been
>had in this newsgroup)  I don't feel that you can adequately defend these 
>images with the excuse that 'it's only a kid's book' - I think it  is MORE
>unhealthy because of that fact.

I wouldn't say that *any* of PA's work was for kids.  It is important to
remember that the covers of the books depend on the country in which they
are published.  In Australia we get mostly the English editions, but
recently we have been getting a lot of the American editions, and personally
I like the English ones better.

>I enjoy some of PA's books - normally the first book or couple of books of any
>of his series.  I just don't feel that he portrays either women or relationships
>in a reasonable light.  The real illustration for me was in 'And Eternity'.

I bought 'And Eternity' because I already had the previous 6 books, and I
tend to buy all of the books in a series (no matter how bad they get).  I
liked 'On a Pale Horse' but I think that they got progressively worse from
there.

>So talk to me.

I *used* to be a PA fan.  In fact if you look at my bookshelves you will
find that I still have more novels by him that any other author.
Unfortunately I don't see this number increasing (unless anyone can find me
a copy of 'Nek the Sword' - and I don't mean getting the 'Battlecircle'
book).

I *liked* 'Sos the Rope'.  I liked 'Cthon'.  I liked the early 'Xanth'
books.  I thought that 'Macroscope' got *really* strange at the end - but
then again so did '2001 - A Space Odessey'.  I bought 'On a Pale Horse' and
it was excellent - but milking the idea for another 6 books just didn't
work.  I read BIO volume 1 and thought that it was complete crap.  Rape,
rape, rape!  Who was he targetting this at?  I didn't read (and have no
intention of reading) the other books in the series.

Nick told me that the latest Xanth novel was going to be called 'The Color
of her Panties' and I didn't believe it.  Seems that it is true.

I am afraid that I have given up on PA completely.


Piers, Piers, nice first book!  What happened?  *BOT*
(for those of you not from AU, try to imagine a large hammer hitting him
squarely in the forehead :-)


Phil.

P.S.  I have recently discovered Terry Pratchet and will be getting more of
      his stuff.  If you don't have 'The Color of Magic' go out and buy it.
      It has the charm of the early Xanth novels with all the humour of the
      'Hitch-hikers' series by Douglas Adams.

-- 
   _-_|\    Phil Kernick                        "Sleep all day,
  /     \   University of Adelaide               Party all night,
  \_.-*_/   E-Mail: phil@adam.adelaide.edu.au    It's fun to be a
       v    Phone:  +61 8 228 5914               Vampire!"