Rating: 
Summary: ambitions = great, result = mediocre
Review: i'm a big fan of great chunks of Anthony's work. i've been reading his (tamer) stuff since i was in grade school, and i have really enjoyed the majority of his novels. i went into this book with an open mind, having liked others of the more "reality" based books.isle of woman attempts to tell the tale of the whole of human culture through vignettes arranged in chronological order. two different families are showcased, with the storyline (such as it is) bouncing back and forth between them every chapter. snippets of their lives are shown from the dawn of furry pre-man to the near future apocalypse. the book tries to be both entertainment and education, to teach us why people react like they do, why culture and civilization is arranged like it is, where we came from, and where we're going. and it pretty well succeeds in that goal. the book is obviously well and lovingly researched, and has the majority of the scientific concepts accurate. the teaching of history as a series of short tales about everyday persons (rather than a rote list of kings and statesmen) has a great way of allowing the reader to understand the culture and they way of life of the time. the problems i had with the book were the language and a disturbing tendency to over-use rape as a plot device. the book reads like a patient mother instructing a slow child: the wording is about on an early high school reading level. all the major concepts and the BIG POINTS are carefully spelled out, leaving no room for the reader to think about it on his/her own. i kept thinking to myself, "come on Piers, i'm smart enough to get the point, you don't have to hold my hand." and in nearly every chapter (there were maybe 3 that didn't), someone was either being raped or discussing their past rape(s). if it's happening *all the time* through the book, especially with such a cavalier "so what" attitude, it turns into a cheap plot trick rather than the horror and trauma it is. basically, i judge series books by whether or not i'd feel the need to continue reading them. this book was a great idea that didn't quite work out. i was bored in some places, and annoyed in a few others. i would definately not be picking up the next books. Piers Anthony can do (and has done) much better.
Rating:
Summary: ambitions = great, result = mediocre
Review: i'm a big fan of great chunks of Anthony's work. i've been reading his (tamer) stuff since i was in grade school, and i have really enjoyed the majority of his novels. i went into this book with an open mind, having liked others of the more "reality" based books. isle of woman attempts to tell the tale of the whole of human culture through vignettes arranged in chronological order. two different families are showcased, with the storyline (such as it is) bouncing back and forth between them every chapter. snippets of their lives are shown from the dawn of furry pre-man to the near future apocalypse. the book tries to be both entertainment and education, to teach us why people react like they do, why culture and civilization is arranged like it is, where we came from, and where we're going. and it pretty well succeeds in that goal. the book is obviously well and lovingly researched, and has the majority of the scientific concepts accurate. the teaching of history as a series of short tales about everyday persons (rather than a rote list of kings and statesmen) has a great way of allowing the reader to understand the culture and they way of life of the time. the problems i had with the book were the language and a disturbing tendency to over-use rape as a plot device. the book reads like a patient mother instructing a slow child: the wording is about on an early high school reading level. all the major concepts and the BIG POINTS are carefully spelled out, leaving no room for the reader to think about it on his/her own. i kept thinking to myself, "come on Piers, i'm smart enough to get the point, you don't have to hold my hand." and in nearly every chapter (there were maybe 3 that didn't), someone was either being raped or discussing their past rape(s). if it's happening *all the time* through the book, especially with such a cavalier "so what" attitude, it turns into a cheap plot trick rather than the horror and trauma it is. basically, i judge series books by whether or not i'd feel the need to continue reading them. this book was a great idea that didn't quite work out. i was bored in some places, and annoyed in a few others. i would definately not be picking up the next books. Piers Anthony can do (and has done) much better.
Rating: 
Summary: A stunning soap opera about the history of humanity
Review: If you are at all interested in the story of mankind, this is the book for you. It is a work of fiction, but is based on scientific fact. It follows a family though the evolution of humankind, and is a 'mini story' in each chapter. This is one of my favorites. I reccomend it to everyone. If you are at all interested in the social sciences, you can't go wrong with this book
Rating:
Summary: Isle of Woman
Review: Isle of woman is the first book in the Geodyssey series by Piers Anthony. This spell binding book caught my senses from the intial chapter to the final conclusion. I felt this was one of the best books to read on the evolution of man. The research put forth and the fiction to make a story seem so real makes it great. Piers has out done himself yet again.
Rating:
Summary: A wonderful overview of current evolutionary theory.
Review: Piers Anthony has written in a janre too little used in a world full of the knowledge of evolution and cultural diversity. The chapters are introduced by the time frame and theories of what may have been taking place in each. Although knowledge of evolution changes very quickly and is always open to debate depending on the most recent archeological finds, Piers Anthony deserves distinction for attempting such an undertaking as reconstructing human origins and history. He does an exceptional job proposing hypotheses for each step in evolution, while also working them into a coherent storyline in which the reader can become involved. As a student of anthropology, I am frustrated by the lack of imaginative storylines based on evolution, and Piers Anthony's series is the only reading I have been able to find which satisfactorily shows that the author has a working knowledge of evolutionary theory and its' realistic possibilities.
Rating:
Summary: A Masterful Accomplishment
Review: Piers Anthony is known for his long-standing interest in unique puzzles and has often incorporated interesting puzzles and riddles into his books. He uses the technique very well in other novels but in this book, he has gone one step further. The premise of using one set of characters to live their lives through all of human history is an incredible idea in the first place but his masterful execution of it is simply wonderful. Despite the complexity of the task, Piers doesn't let that get in the way of the story itself, and the development of the plot and characters. The historical background itself is quite interesting but, true to form, the story itself is the key, and it works. I am intensely curious how the other two novels in the trilogy will be handled since they are reputed to be parallel to this one. If you aren't into trilogies, don't worry. This one stands alone in its entirety.
Rating:
Summary: Mans History In Motion
Review: Piers Anthonys depiction of life evolution is a great example of his dedication to the entertainment of his readers. As an avid fan I have read almost all of his novels. And I do mean novels! Mr. Anthony has an uncanny ability to draw his readers into the worlds he creates. The emotions and reactions I felt were as if I were there in real life. This series is a wonderful example of Mr. Anthonys ability to draw a reader in and make them feel the emotions and thoughts of his charaters. Overall, a very exceptional book that I highly enjoyed reading!
Rating:
Summary: easy to miss the point
Review: This is a story about the evolution of the human being paralleling the evolution of the species. It is NOT an accurrate depiction of human evolution (and never claims to be). What is striking about this book is the creativity and dedication needed to concieve and execute it, not the research and evolutionary theories it expresses - they are nothing but semi-educated guesses with little factual evidence. Anthony states in his introduction that that is all he intended them to be. If the reader forgets this, the book could become frustrating. Reading the reviews here, it strikes me that the Kirkus reviewers missed the boat. They did understand that this book MUST be treated as fiction and that if you are looking for an education on history and prehistory, you won't find it here. However, most of the AMAZON reviewers just enjoyed the story. When you read this book, focus on plot and character, not history. Despite what Kirkus writes, the plot (a series of short stories with similar characters) holds together just fine and the ending is perfect. BOTTOM LINE: a fun and unique read, enjoyable by almost anyone. Just remember what the point is. And don't skip the introduction.
Rating:
Summary: ISLE OF WOMAN
Review: WHEN I READ THE BACK OF THIS BOOK, I THOUGHT IT WOULD BE A SWEET LOVE STORY FROM THE TRIBAL TIMES. BUT IT WAS MORE THAN THAT. IT HAD SOMETHING FOR EVERY KIND OF READER. IT HAD YOUNG LOVE, CONTROVERSY, HARD TIMES, GOOD TIMES, AND THE REUNITING OF OLD LOVE. IT WAS BETTER THAN I EXPECTED IT TO BE, AND I EXPECTED IT TO BE GOOD. I THINK EVERYBODY SHOULD GIVE THIS BOOK A CHANCE. IT'S A GOOD BOOK!
Rating:
Summary: Not impressed
Review: While the concept is intriguing and the plot is interesting, when's the last time you read a novel where the author began a sentence with, "These ones..."? Unfortunately, I found the quality of the writing far below par. It had the "feel" of having been written by a high school student.
I can't recall having read any other books by Anthony. I'll probably try something else by him (not from this series), but, if "Isle of Women" is any indication, I don't have high hopes of becoming a loyal fan.
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