Volume 1 details how Hope Hubris reaches Jupiter and the horrific conditions he faced on getting there. Volume 2 details the rise of Hope Hubris in the Jupiter Navy and his campaign against the asteroid belt pirates. The books purpose to be the biography of the tyrant of Jupiter. It is written in almost a text book style. I have mixed feelings about the book. Anthony seemed intent on providing a sense of normalcy for all manner of abnormal actions. It seemed like he wrote some sections to blatantly provoke emotions. This was done with a baseball bat style as opposed to his more smooth style seen in his later books.
The overt ethnic prejudice in the book dismayed me but that could be Anthony’s intent. My hopes when reading about proposed futures is that racism is a thing of the past and sadly the present but that we as a society will out grow it. This future illustrates a continued commitment to despicable practices.
The characterizations are somewhat superficial on any but the main characters. Spirit, who is Hope’s sister, plays a huge part in his growth. Helese his first love preyed on his mind throughout both books.
One of the things I did like about the book was Hope’s realization that he was not the center of the universe. He showed an understanding that great men become great due to surrounding themselves with an outstanding staff. It provided a more realistic protagonist.
The books both had pedantic moments. The author often described situations or explained things ad nausem. I have read a great deal of Piers Anthony’s work and this series is not a stellar example. It is worth reading but take a look at his Xanth series to see what he can really do.
Body of work of Piers Anthony
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