Steppe (Trade Paperback)

I’ve never read any Piers Anthony, is there any connection between Steppe and Sos the Rope?

I’ve never read any Piers Anthony, is there any connection between Steppe and Sos the Rope?

Nope. Steppe is a standalone book, a fairly imaginative romp involving a real-world barbarian transported into a futuristic game. Sos the Rope is post-apocalyptic fiction, the first of three Battle Circle books.

I'm a fan of both.

The only Piers Anthony I ever read was On a Pale Horse, and I thought it was so very terrible that I stopped reading after the third chapter or so. I did indulge in the author's egocentric "Author's Note," where he blew his own horn about how he had run a marathon and what an incredible writer he is. I cringed, laughed, and almost cried.

Hopefully the man has written some good books, because he's certainly written enough of them.

btw, that flag in the background of the cover looks very similar to the flag of Cheliax. Odd. Oh, and the character could be a Harrower. Hmmm... perhaps more placeholder art?

btw, that flag in the background of the cover looks very similar to the flag of Cheliax. Odd. Oh, and the character could be a Harrower. Hmmm... perhaps more placeholder art?

Yep.

Generally, if the release date is anything more than about two months away, it's almost certainly placeholder art.

The only Piers Anthony I ever read was On a Pale Horse, and I thought it was so very terrible that I stopped reading after the third chapter or so. I did indulge in the author's egocentric "Author's Note," where he blew his own horn about how he had run a marathon and what an incredible writer he is. I cringed, laughed, and almost cried.

Hopefully the man has written some good books, because he's certainly written enough of them.

I love Anthony's work. I actually find his author's notes (usually very lengthy) to be what I look forward to the most.

A 2E Floppy-Eared Golem wrote:

The only Piers Anthony I ever read was On a Pale Horse, and I thought it was so very terrible that I stopped reading after the third chapter or so. I did indulge in the author's egocentric "Author's Note," where he blew his own horn about how he had run a marathon and what an incredible writer he is. I cringed, laughed, and almost cried.

Hopefully the man has written some good books, because he's certainly written enough of them.

I love Anthony's work. I actually find his author's notes (usually very lengthy) to be what I look forward to the most.

:D

And this kind of thing is what makes the world go 'round. Different strokes for different folks. ;)

Theris Nordo Ichka wrote:

I’ve never read any Piers Anthony, is there any connection between Steppe and Sos the Rope?

Nope. Steppe is a standalone book, a fairly imaginative romp involving a real-world barbarian transported into a futuristic game. Sos the Rope is post-apocalyptic fiction, the first of three Battle Circle books.

I'm a fan of both.

Thanks!

A question for whoever is in the know:
Is Planet Stories going to publish the entire Battle Circle trilogy?

A question for whoever is in the know:

Is Planet Stories going to publish the entire Battle Circle trilogy?

Last word on it was that they'd only signed the first book. Down towards the end of this thread.

I've updated the cover with the final art. It's still a mockup and is subject to change slightly, but that is the actual artwork that will adorn the finished product.

I read his bio of a space tyrant. I was fairly pulpy in style though with some interesting ideas (as it was set mostly around Jupiter) and some unsavory aspects too (he seemed to have a bit of a rape and under-aged sex thing) but I'll be interested to see what his earlier fantasy is like. Based on what I have read I would definately not call him a great writer but I'm interested in both this and Sos the Rope.

I've updated the product description and corrected the ISBN. The cover text has also changed slightly from the last version.

Piers Anthony's old stuff (if I remember right - it's been a while) is better than the later stuff. I can't stand Xanth but I really enjoyed the Battle Circle trilogy (Sos the Rope etc.) when I read it as a teenager.

Steppe isn't bad...I had a copy way back in the day...Xanth was ok in the first three book but got a lot worse after that...Incarnations of Immortality only makes sense if you read all 7 books...and some of his short stories are distinctly..sick.

The only Piers Anthony I ever read was On a Pale Horse, and I thought it was so very terrible that I stopped reading after the third chapter or so. I did indulge in the author's egocentric "Author's Note," where he blew his own horn about how he had run a marathon and what an incredible writer he is. I cringed, laughed, and almost cried.

Hopefully the man has written some good books, because he's certainly written enough of them.

Never read that. But I grew up on Xanth novels (the first 5 or so--the only ones I've read) and they are full of awesomeness. I am currently waiting for this one to arrive.

A 2E Floppy-Eared Golem wrote:

The only Piers Anthony I ever read was On a Pale Horse, and I thought it was so very terrible that I stopped reading after the third chapter or so. I did indulge in the author's egocentric "Author's Note," where he blew his own horn about how he had run a marathon and what an incredible writer he is. I cringed, laughed, and almost cried.

Hopefully the man has written some good books, because he's certainly written enough of them.

Never read that. But I grew up on Xanth novels (the first 5 or so--the only ones I've read) and they are full of awesomeness. I am currently waiting for this one to arrive.

I read this when it first came out, and still have my old copy on the shelf. I loved this book, and truly hoped that Piers would do more of this, making it a series, but a lot of folks back then didn't like this book, since they were expecting more of the Xanth style.

I definitely can recommend it!

Steppe isn't bad...I had a copy way back in the day...Xanth was ok in the first three book but got a lot worse after that...Incarnations of Immortality only makes sense if you read all 7 books...and some of his short stories are distinctly..sick.

Yep. In the Barn comes to mind as really warped.

Also, Steppe predated the first Xanth book by three years (1976). It was reiussed in 1980 when Xanth was becoming a hit.

I'm reading this currently and greatly enjoying it. I really need to set aside more time to read none gaming manuals.

I special ordered this from my local independent bookseller (along with Robots Have No Tales) and can't wait to get it. It sounds really good.

I read this one years ago, but it is still one of my favorites. A lot of science fiction tales will borrow a little splash from history books to give their story an extra grounding and verisimilitude. This book does far better, incorporating the Game of the far future with the legends of the past in a refreshingly believable spin. If you haven't read this yet, you should.

I found it entertaining how the game resembles MMO in so many player actions.

you have PKs, alliances, respawn zone hunting, looting your companions...

The ending was a bit spoiled for me because I knew enough of the historical characters to know he chose wisely, but the twist with the 'GMPC' was kind of nice.

I was at a Barnes & Noble in midtown Manhattan today and they had this featured on the endcap in the Sci-fi/fantasy section! Way to go, Planet Stories.

Just a quick question to those who purchased this book. Does you paperback cover fit the pages correctly?

My original subscription book arrived and was partially damaged. It also, noticibly, had a cover that was too short. The pages jutted out from the cover by around 1mm.

Today I received my replacement copy. The book is in mint condition but to my surprise I again noticed that the cover is too small in comparison to the pages.

I am interested in knowing if this dilemma is unique to myself or shared by others.

I would not have noticed it, but now I have looked at my subscription copy, and the pages jutted out from the cover by around 1 mm on the right sight. But it is barely noticeable and the book overall is fine.

I would not have noticed it, but now I have looked at my subscription copy, and the pages jutted out from the cover by around 1 mm on the right sight. But it is barely noticeable and the book overall is fine.

Hmm. Looks like it's that way on every copy I've looked at.

Thanks for that guys.

I was just freaking a bit but I can live with it. My books have a gap on the front and back covers. Weird.

Mine too.