This book is a great story about two families in different times of history. It shows how people can remain the same even when time changes the world around. Good book if you're interested in evolution.

this book plus the other two of the trilogy are great! i've read all of them twice.

it's true this book does have a lot of sex material in it, but other wise it is a good book. and it's not that they never die, it's they are reincarnated over and over again in similar situations to the ones they were in before. as long as you get past the first couple of chapters, which are kind of dull because no knows how to talk, you will find a book worth paying attention to.

This the second book in Piers Anthony's Cluster sci-fi series. It expands on the Tarot theme found in the first volume (and also in the Tarot series). This book is one of Anthony's first from almost entirely the female point of view, and he does a good job overall. The action is great, with many plot twists and tense moments. The problem is the epilogue, in which Anthony conducts one of his typical experiments in the psychology of sex. He equates friendship between females with sexual love in a way that turned me off. If you can swallow this, you will love the book. If not, you will be disgusted. If it were not for the epilogue, I would have given it 4 stars.

The adventure of the tarot continues. Being the second Cluster book, it is a story of saving the galaxy. A place where creatures can transfer without limitations. Melody must save the Milky Way Galaxy, being the vidle link between technology. She must survive in worlds unknown, alien to her. She surives where others fail, her aura completing her. The book is lucid, but is not as good as the prequil. I think the best quality the book has are the characters. Nearly all are amazing, from Slammer to Hammer to Melody in their various bodies. Four out of five star.

This is the story of Melody of Mintaka, an old neuter who resembles nothing more than a crazy pipe organ. Set apart by the amazing strength of her Aura, she is the only trustworthy being in the Milkyway Galaxy. Why? The greedy beings from Galaxy Andromeda have tipped the power balance and are possessing the Milkyway's most powerful people. Placed in the body of a buxom young woman, she must seek out the enemy hostages. How? With the imagery evoked by the Tarot. The story flows smoothly, steadily builds suspense and reaches a mind breaking climax. The descriptions are evocative, the dialog believable and the story sound. This is an edge-of-your-seater during the last half of the book. Its an all around good read for Sci-Fi fans. Wait until you see the Magnets!

definately recommended to those who enjoy short stories, a couple keep ya hangin' a little at the end, but that just keeps it more interesting.

These short stories by the well-known Piers Anthony are an interesting and diverse collection which I really enjoyed, although they do not compare with his Xanth or Incarnations of Immortality Series. I especially enjoyed "Alien Plot"(the short story) and "Soft Like a Woman," which is a SF story about a woman who is anything but soft, contradicting those who label Anthony a sexist. This is a good read, and I recommend it to anyone who enjoys Anthony or short stories in general.

I enjoyed this book. But a lot of times I noticed that there would be a chapter focusing on one character for awhile while he/she interacts with another character. Then there would be a chapter focusing on that other character going over some of the same things that were covered in the previous chapter. It wasn't something that really detracted from the quality of the book, but, like I mentioned, it got redundant.

I liked how Mach started to show some ability at magic, and then later in the book he becomes the Robot Adept. It was also pretty interesting how Mach and Bane had their competition at the end and they competed against each other while one was in Proton and the other was in Phaze. Especially when they had physical matches and the technology wouldn't work in Phaze and magic wouldn't work in Proton.

I would recommend the book.

This is an overall solid book, not great, but also not terrible. I thought the idea of having two worlds, one Science based and one Fantasy based with elements not working outside of their native world to be brilliant. (ie, technology doesn't work in the fantasy world, and magic doesn't work in the science world.) It's the middle in a series of books, and seems like I might enjoy it more if I read the other books as well. Still, overall, it's a very good book.

I just finished this book and I think it was really great. I enjoyed reading it and stayed up past my bedtime to read it. It was very funny and I thought it had a good plot. Sometimes you have a strong feeling about what was going to happen before it happens and I found that when it does happen, it is like a great surprise. It also made my think. I couldn't put it down it was so good. The only reason I gave it 4 stars is because I really liked the books Man From Mundania and Question Quest just a little bit better. It is very funny, as Piers Anthony always is, and the demoness Metria is so funny. She is also one of my favorite characters. I loved all the characters! To put it simple, it was just GREAT!

Iron Maiden is a very pleasant read. It manages to cover the time span of the entire series to this point, but with a fresh perspective. While the writing is not as strong as the other Space Tyrant books, it did a nice job of filling in the holes where Spirit's life was concerned. Finally, we get inside her head... though to a limited degree. Hope was the author of his own biography, whereas Spirit provided Hopie with materials and let her expand upon them as appropriate. Once you accept that the approach fits with Spirit as we know her from the other books, the different tone works. Overall, a pleasant finish to a series that is one of Piers Anthony's best.

Kirlian Quest is another book from Pier's that inculdes his usuall puns and fantasy worlds. I strongly recommend it, along with his other master pieces which are the first books from his Xanth series.

Piers, what a wonderous man! The things he comes a cross and thinks up is amazing. If we all had the mind of this man we would never be board.

Mind-twisting book about alternity, alternate dimensions, agents, normals, and of course--OX.

(no space battles or anything) Piers Anthony is one my most influential writers simply because his work is so addictive that you can't put it down. This is smaller than most of his books, but it is entertaining and presents enough mesopotamia history and metaphysical considerations to make it memorable. Certainly comparable to much of his pre-80s sci-fi, which I always found very readable. (better than his most recent books I've read) Anthony's reading style is so engrossing that anyone who wants to get more into reading should try some of his work. (especially his older work, if you like adult themes I mean.)