Hope of Earth

This is one of my favorite series by Piers Anthony. I would have to say this is my favorite book this series. I like this one because of the ancient greek references. These are wonderful books with a great story and the marvelous job Piers does weaving the characters into each of these novels, yet keep them apart as their own. These books are well worth the time and money to read and buy them. Highly Recommended reading. If you like historial-fantasy this is a series for you.

The third of Piers Anthony's roller-coaster rides through the history of humankind, 'Hope of Earth' showcases a half-dozen characters as they experience a lifetime of five million years. Why should you care about these characters? Because they are archetypes, each of their conversations and actions illustrating humanity's strengths and weaknesses. Why else? The supporting cast features the Ice Man, Boudica, Perikles, Herod, Samo, Toqtamish, and Louis XIV. Imagine meeting even one of these; Anthony's six meet them all.Conflict is important to fictional characters, and here each has a major problem to deal with: for example, one of the characters has a six-fingered hand, the natural successor to the left-handedness in the prior volume. As we have come to expect in the Geodyssey, the score of settings has lush variety. Central to the novel, and a quarter of its length, is the exploration of the war between Athens and Sparta beginning in 431 BC; other interesting locations include the Maginot Line, the supposed Great Wall of China, and the Great Rift Valley.Once molded by evolution to conquer the world, mankind proceeded to do so along Anthony's lines. His message, however, is that the world-conquering gifts our species retains may be our downfall as conquest turns to destruction. The hope of Earth is for us to learn from history and mend our ways. This splendid effort to wake us up to that task is not only inspirational but also enjoyable, and readers can ask for no better combination than that.

I really enjoy Hope of Earth story and characters. The life and misfortune of this siblings through history was really well done. I really like the chapter about Athem but my favorite so far is the last two chapter of the novel. I really like the character of Tourett (as in the nervious illness). You have to read it to understand why is so outstanding. It really touch me. Give it a try!

After reading Isle of Woman and Shame of Man, I couldn't wait to read Hope of Earth. And I have to say that this one is my favorite. It's about six brothers and sisters, Sam, Flo, Ned, Jes, Bry, and Lin. I feel that in this book you are the most involved in the chacters. Piers Anthony has done an exquisite job at portraying the characters, their families, and the far away times that other wise would be so hard to imagine. The next best thing to actully walking down the street in ancient Rome or meeting King Louis XIV is to read this book. Congratulations Piers Anthony on portraying history in the finest way!

The GeoOdessey series is probably my favorite series, along with the Xanth series. This novel, Hope of Earth, takes the most current facts regarding human evolution and mixes them in with a great plot to make learning even more fun. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in reading.