Free (Kindle) Bio of a Space Tyrant Vol. 1. Refugee by Piers Anthony - Page 2

Bob Butler · 02-05-2012, 10:45 PM

For me he's one of those authors that doesn't live up to my memory. I read almost everything he wrote when I was in my teens (many years ago). I tried to re-read some of his stuff a couple of years ago and it just didn't grab me any more. Lots of narrative, not much action or dialog and when he uses symbolism he has a tendency to turn around and explain it to you rather than letting you figure it out for yourself.

GlenBarrington · 02-06-2012, 06:41 AM

While I recall that the main character had a very rough start, I don't remember anything that was exceptionally disturbing or beyond what the story line required.

Maybe I'm a bigger perv than I think I am or that time has weakened my memory, but I find this criticism from people on this site surprising and disturbing.

ATDrake · 02-06-2012, 10:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GlenBarrington

Maybe I'm a bigger perv than I think I am or that time has weakened my memory, but I find this criticism from people on this site surprising and disturbing.

Personally, I haven't read this particular one, but I have read others by Piers Anthony written across a wide range of time (including some that were deliberately meant to be pervy/disturbing from the outset, such as his Dangerous Visions contributions) and as I've mentioned, he's gotten a lot less restrained about things in more recent writing.

But yeah, there are some fairly common themes and a certain level of pervasiveness to them in his writing which appear to a greater or lesser degree in many of his books. It's probably the sort of thing one ends up noticing more upon re-reading a previous work or reading a bunch of stuff from him at the same time.

And to see how far he's sometimes taken it in major-house print-publications (as opposed to the small-press Mundania set up to print his deemed commercially un-mainstream stuff for his fans who want it), one can look up the plotlines and controversy surrounding his novels Firefly and The Caterpillar's Question.

scrapking · 02-06-2012, 12:22 PM

Is $0.99 the regular price of the subsequent volumes, or a limited time sale price? I'm not sure I want to buy them until I've read the first (in case I don't feel like reading the subsequent volumes), but don't want the deal to be gone by the time I finish the first (in case I'm sufficiently intriqued to read the subsequent volumes).

AnemicOak · 02-06-2012, 12:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by scrapking

Is $0.99 the regular price of the subsequent volumes, or a limited time sale price? I'm not sure I want to buy them until I've read the first (in case I don't feel like reading the subsequent volumes), but don't want the deal to be gone by the time I finish the first (in case I'm sufficiently intriqued to read the subsequent volumes).

A very limited time sale...
http://piersanthonyblog.blogspot.com...ial-3-day.html

koland · 02-06-2012, 01:42 PM

And I paid $2.99 for the one that's free, when I first found it last summer...

ApK · 02-06-2012, 01:46 PM

I may have to get volume 6 while it's still on sale today. I don't think I ever read that one. I wonder if I get a free book or something with my new Fire....?

koland · 02-06-2012, 02:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ApK

I may have to get volume 6 while it's still on sale today. I don't think I ever read that one. I wonder if I get a free book or something with my new Fire....?

ummm ... no, nothing comes with it (other than that gift card at Walmart)

ApK · 02-06-2012, 02:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by koland

ummm ... no, nothing comes with it (other than that gift card at Walmart)

Well, that and a free month of Prime, which I just used to borrow vol. 6!
This is my first post from my Fire...fingerprints are killing me already. I will need a screen protector soon.
What is the light sensor/camera looking thing in the upper left?

dreams · 02-06-2012, 03:01 PM

I love my Fire and I am really tempted to pick up another one.

I don't have anything but my Fire's name in the upper left, but that little "sun-looking" thing, in the top, upper right, brings up options for locking the screen, volume control, brightness control, Wi-Fi connection, Sync, with the "plus sign" for more options in Settings.

I don't use a screen protector on mine. I just use a glasses microfiber cloth to wipe it once in a while. Plus, I found that I only have to barely tap to change pages instead of swiping.

It was fun to play with watching free movies for a while, but found I didn't really use it much and let my prime membership die when it was up.

ApK · 02-06-2012, 03:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dreams

I don't have anything but my Fire's name in the upper left

I don't mean on the display, I mean the little circular area in the bezel corner. Looks like a camera (I wish) or a light sensor for auto-brightness. I haven't searched for an answer yet, I was just surprised it wasn't mentioned in the user guide.

dreams · 02-06-2012, 03:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ApK

I don't mean on the display, I mean the little circular area in the bezel corner. Looks like a camera (I wish) or a light sensor for auto-brightness. I haven't searched for an answer yet, I was just surprised it wasn't mentioned in the user guide.

Oh, I never even noticed that! It is barely visible to me and at first I thought it was a finger smudge. Let me know if you find out what it is.

EDIT: found a thread in the Fire Forum - The eye on the bezel? ?? - "its a light sensor"

koland · 02-06-2012, 04:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ApK

Well, that and a free month of Prime, which I just used to borrow vol. 6!
This is my first post from my Fire...fingerprints are killing me already. I will need a screen protector soon.
What is the light sensor/camera looking thing in the upper left?

LOL! OK, I forgot that. don't forget to watch free movies for a month...

I'd get a good screen cleaner and a stylus, rather than a protector - the protector dulls the screen and just gets fingerprints on it.

There is a light sensor, it's used if you set it up to adjust to local lighting (from what I can tell - think it's somewhere in the config settings).

jgaiser · 02-06-2012, 08:51 PM

Thanks to recommendations over on the Kindle Fire subforum, I picked up an inexpensive stylus - ( http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...A1WRFIZ3T6ZKWF) and have ended my fingerprints problems. i wasn't sure whether I'd like or not, but it's been great.

And *all* the Space Tyrant books are available as Kindle library free downloads. That said I did pick up the books anyway as the price was right.

GlenBarrington · 02-16-2012, 06:26 AM

I felt that this thread required that I re-read the book. I wanted to see if my memory has faded, or if a more mature reader would feel differently than the boy barely out of his teen aged years that I was when I first read it.

It's a tough read, no question about it. It is brutal in the pain and suffering, and the responses to that pain, experienced by the characters; but at no time, did I feel that the interest in that pain and reactions to it was prurient or pornographic in nature.

Actually, I read the author's afterword where he explained the book and the environment in which he wrote it. He wrote the book as a response to his reaction to the world's treatment of the 'boat people' that resulted from the disastrous end to the Vietnam war. He wanted the people of the west to identify with the pain of the boat people in a way he felt they hadn't at the time.

That's why the national identities of the people involved are from nation-states descended from modern western cultures, with not much involvement of non western cultures in the book. He wanted to 'gut punch' the reader. In that regard, he was successful.

Is this a worthy book? Absolutely, yes. Is it a book you want to casually pick up and read? maybe not.

02-06-2012, 06:41 AM	#17
GlenBarrington Cheese Whiz Posts: 1,986 Karma: 11677147 Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Springfield, Illinois Device: Kindle PW, Samsung Tab A 10.1(2019), Pixel 6a.	I recall reading the book, but While I recall that the main character had a very rough start, I don't remember anything that was exceptionally disturbing or beyond what the story line required. Maybe I'm a bigger perv than I think I am or that time has weakened my memory, but I find this criticism from people on this site surprising and disturbing.

02-16-2012, 06:26 AM	#30
GlenBarrington Cheese Whiz Posts: 1,986 Karma: 11677147 Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Springfield, Illinois Device: Kindle PW, Samsung Tab A 10.1(2019), Pixel 6a.	Well, I re read it. . . I felt that this thread required that I re-read the book. I wanted to see if my memory has faded, or if a more mature reader would feel differently than the boy barely out of his teen aged years that I was when I first read it. It's a tough read, no question about it. It is brutal in the pain and suffering, and the responses to that pain, experienced by the characters; but at no time, did I feel that the interest in that pain and reactions to it was prurient or pornographic in nature. Actually, I read the author's afterword where he explained the book and the environment in which he wrote it. He wrote the book as a response to his reaction to the world's treatment of the 'boat people' that resulted from the disastrous end to the Vietnam war. He wanted the people of the west to identify with the pain of the boat people in a way he felt they hadn't at the time. That's why the national identities of the people involved are from nation-states descended from modern western cultures, with not much involvement of non western cultures in the book. He wanted to 'gut punch' the reader. In that regard, he was successful. Is this a worthy book? Absolutely, yes. Is it a book you want to casually pick up and read? maybe not.

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02-05-2012, 10:45 PM	#16
Bob Butler Connoisseur Posts: 85 Karma: 11090 Join Date: Sep 2008 Device: Kindle, iPhone	For me he's one of those authors that doesn't live up to my memory. I read almost everything he wrote when I was in my teens (many years ago). I tried to re-read some of his stuff a couple of years ago and it just didn't grab me any more. Lots of narrative, not much action or dialog and when he uses symbolism he has a tendency to turn around and explain it to you rather than letting you figure it out for yourself.

02-06-2012, 12:22 PM	#19
scrapking Evangelist Posts: 467 Karma: 1073260 Join Date: Jan 2012 Location: Victoria, BC Device: Kobo Vox, Kobo Glo	Is $0.99 the regular price of the subsequent volumes, or a limited time sale price? I'm not sure I want to buy them until I've read the first (in case I don't feel like reading the subsequent volumes), but don't want the deal to be gone by the time I finish the first (in case I'm sufficiently intriqued to read the subsequent volumes).

02-06-2012, 01:42 PM	#21
koland Grand Sorcerer Posts: 8,560 Karma: 8033155 Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: TN, USA Device: kindle(all), nook, nookcolor, Sony, Kobo, epic, iphone, iPad, pc	And I paid $2.99 for the one that's free, when I first found it last summer...

02-06-2012, 01:46 PM	#22
ApK Award-Winning Participant Posts: 7,316 Karma: 67862884 Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: NJ, USA Device: Kindle	I may have to get volume 6 while it's still on sale today. I don't think I ever read that one. I wonder if I get a free book or something with my new Fire....?

02-06-2012, 03:01 PM	#25
dreams It's about the umbrella Posts: 25,112 Karma: 56250158 Join Date: Jan 2009 Device: Sony 505\| K Fire \| KK 3G+Wi-Fi \| iPhone 3Gs \|Vista 32-bit Hm Prem w/FF	I love my Fire and I am really tempted to pick up another one. I don't have anything but my Fire's name in the upper left, but that little "sun-looking" thing, in the top, upper right, brings up options for locking the screen, volume control, brightness control, Wi-Fi connection, Sync, with the "plus sign" for more options in Settings. I don't use a screen protector on mine. I just use a glasses microfiber cloth to wipe it once in a while. Plus, I found that I only have to barely tap to change pages instead of swiping. It was fun to play with watching free movies for a while, but found I didn't really use it much and let my prime membership die when it was up.

02-06-2012, 08:51 PM	#29
jgaiser Omnivorous Posts: 3,281 Karma: 27978909 Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Rural NW Oregon Device: Kindle Voyage, Kindle Fire HD, Kindle 3, KPW1	Thanks to recommendations over on the Kindle Fire subforum, I picked up an inexpensive stylus - ( http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...A1WRFIZ3T6ZKWF) and have ended my fingerprints problems. i wasn't sure whether I'd like or not, but it's been great. And all the Space Tyrant books are available as Kindle library free downloads. That said I did pick up the books anyway as the price was right.