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jessicamcculloch's review against another edition
5.0
Such a great sequel to the first book
This book was just as good or, dare I say, better than the first! So much adventure and Sning was an awesome character even though he had no words.
This book was just as good or, dare I say, better than the first! So much adventure and Sning was an awesome character even though he had no words.
celtic_oracle's review against another edition
1.0
I think this book marks the end of my reading relationship with this series in particular and Piers Anthony in general. The next book in the Incarnations series has a female protagonist, and I think I might burst a blood vessel if I have to read his depiction of women from that point of view.
That aside, it might be a function of the topic (time travel) and the format (audiobook), but I found large portions of this book confusing and inconsistent. The backwards-speak sections required more focus to translate than it probably would in print (difficult when you're trying to drive at the same time) - and then the additional inconsistency: Why on earth would someone speaking backwards only change the position of the words in a sentence "hell the what?!", but reverse the order of the letters when it's a single word "Agleh" for "Helga." I'm sure the distinction was to make it easier for the reader to decipher the backwards speech, but it drove my internal logic meter off the scale.
All I can say is, "hooray, I'm done!"
That aside, it might be a function of the topic (time travel) and the format (audiobook), but I found large portions of this book confusing and inconsistent. The backwards-speak sections required more focus to translate than it probably would in print (difficult when you're trying to drive at the same time) - and then the additional inconsistency: Why on earth would someone speaking backwards only change the position of the words in a sentence "hell the what?!", but reverse the order of the letters when it's a single word "Agleh" for "Helga." I'm sure the distinction was to make it easier for the reader to decipher the backwards speech, but it drove my internal logic meter off the scale.
All I can say is, "hooray, I'm done!"
thelibrarylady42's review against another edition
3.0
This was my least favorite book in the series but I still enjoyed it. I found the mechanics of the incarnation of time living his life backwards confusing but still enjoyed the book.
violetturtledove's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
As the second of a series, this follows the same basic plot as the first: someone takes on the office of one of the 'incarnations of immortality' (in this case, Time), we are introduced to the various aspects of the role as he learns the job, and a large plot point hangs on a woman being offered as a prize or incentive.
This one was much more imaginative than the first, I think maybe I've seen other stories of Death personified, so the concepts regarding Time here come across as much more original. The time-magic aspect does get very confusing, and I'm not convinced it all makes sense, but it works well enough to carry the story along.
There are some quite silly 'side quests', which on one hand I do understand are poking fun at more typical fantasy/scifi tropes, but they do drag on a bit. I also noticed a repeated device where the main character will 'feel something not quite right' with an idea or explanation, which is a hint to the reader that there's a twist they may be able to figure out. Some of these are fairly obvious in the situation, some are more obtuse, and one was something I thought the main character had already figured out chapters ago.
On the whole, a fun (if a bit ridiculous) read, and I'm going to carry on with the series.
owenneil's review against another edition
3.0
This didn't really have the same impact as the first book. On a Pale Horse was probably my first audio book, so that helped it feel dramatic, but this felt more formulaic, less exciting and more sexist.
peramene's review against another edition
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
My least favorite of all seven books in the series that I've read to-date. Norton's story is told halfway in vacation sequences that don't impact life on earth, and I've never understood that choice. However, you can see the first beginnings of the broader Incarnations expanded universe here, in bits and pieces throughout.
miadvelasco's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
3.25
alfgaba's review against another edition
4.0
I read this book the first time 25 years ago. I loved it and I still think it's a great book.