Phthor

I first read this story 25 years ago. I had never read Chthon. Phthor has remained with me to this day. What a wild, provocative, thought-provoking (I'm repeating myself, but wow) sci-fi re-imagining of Norse mythology, and specifically the concept of Ragnarok. HIGHLY recommended. The world building is fantastic, and feels real. I had never read a story before where the concept of a society's failures not seeing themselves as failures but as normal, and the impact of that... I just really, really enjoyed where Piers Anthony went with that. This wasn't a utopia, it wasn't a dystopia, it was just life. Who is to say what is normal and what is not normal? Who is to say what is beautiful and what is grotesque? Who is to say what is acceptable and what is not acceptable? Who is to judge? I would have loved to have seen some fantasy roleplay books based on this world (in spite of............. what happens at the end). I also would have loved to have known what was going on in Anthony's mind when he conceived of this living world. Again, HIGHLY recommended based only on the impact it had on me 25 years ago. I will give a new review if I happen to get my hands on a reprint, after reading it again.

Phthor is certainly one of Anthony's better works, written during his more prolific period, and serving as a reminder that there's much more to Piers Anthony than Xanth. While Chthon is the preferable book in the series (there are 4, the first two written by Mr. Anthony himself, the latter two written by Charles Platt), Phthor holds its own as a good sequel. The subject matter is dark, and often frank (in the case of many of the main characters' perennial nudity), and presents many interesting themes throughout.Worth the time, especially if you've read (and enjoyed) Chthon.

I really liked this book. The main character, Arlo, was pretty cool and the minionettes were also intriguing. Their inverse emotion telepathy was confusing at first, but once I got into the book, I understood it. This is a very good book. Read it, you'll enjoy it.