| Bearing an Hourglass | |
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Rating: Author: Piers Anthony Published: August, 1984 Series: Incarnations of Immortality - Book 2 Review by: CL4 Fonz Order from amazon.com |
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Review:
Incarnations of Immortality is a series that deals with various characters that, through certain chains of events, become temporary immortals. Each book in the series of 7 books deal with a different aspect and are all interlinked to make a larger story.
This book deals with Time Travel, but is not a Sci-Fi epic! A wandering man called Norton is called upon by a ghost named Gawain (after his noble ancestor from the round table) and is asked to perform a ‘service’ for him. Norton finds out the service is to impregnate his living wife! Apparently, there was a ‘Ghost Marriage’, because of Gawain’s condition, and he needs a living man to do the job. Unfortunately the living wife, called Orlene, can’t see the ghost, and doesn’t really believe he exists! She just thinks all this talk about Gawain being a ghost is a pickup line spread around by men! She can see a ‘Glow’ around the men that are considered good for the ‘service’, but can’t prove it to Norton. Gawain leaves Norton and Orlene to go on a trip around the world, and meets some other incarnations. Orlene becomes pregnant eventually, and then disaster strikes. Apparently Gawain asked Nature to make his heir a true blood relative, with his family’s genetic heritage. Gawain is concerned about the child looking so much like him, and finds that the child developed a genetic disorder that literally damns him to death. (Skips a bit ahead so as not to reveal too much.) Norton becomes a wanderer later on and is offered the ultimate chance for someone with wanderlust! The ability to travel through Time itself! Norton takes the Hourglass, and then the book really takes off! Going to Contra-terrene star clusters where time moves backwards, having adventures with half naked women and bug eyed monsters, all courtesy of Satan! But Norton gets suspicious, with Satan making friendly overtures to him, and his magic snake ring, called Sning is a great help to him. Numerous adventures along the way cause Norton to make the world reverse in time, and he saves the day. A good book if you like Piers Anthony or Fantasy novels. Even if you don’t like fantasy, try this one. It will turn you around!
Title: Bearing an Hourglass |
2/6/05
