Phthor

Aton #2

by Piers Anthony

Dieser Roman knüpft an "Planet der Verdammten" ebenfalls von Piers Anthony an.Mittelpunkt des Romans ist Arlo, der Sohn Atons, der Hauptfigur von "Chton oder der Planet der Verdammten". Er ist auf oder besser gesagt in Chton der Höhlenplaneten aufgewachsen und befindet sich auf der Schwelle zum Erwachsenendasein. Eines Tages begegnet er dem Mädchen VEX, in das er sich verliebt. Erst zu spät erfährt er, daß sie eine Mignonne ist, eine halbtelepathische Frau, deren Wahrnehmung verdreht ist, und die negative Gefühle wie Hass und Schmerz positiv wahrnimmt. Ihre Bekanntschaft ist Teil eines Planes, mit der ein Verwandter die mineralische Intelligenz des Planeten Chton vernichten will. Chton die Gottgleiche Herrscher des Planeten hat Arlo jedoch als Verbündeten im Kampf gegen die "Lebensseuche", die organischen Lebensformen im Universum ausersehen. Arlo wird unwillentlich zur Schlüsselfigur. Die Handlung spitzt sich zu, als weitere Mignonnes und verbündete Fremdintelligenzen auf den Planeten landen, um Chton zu bekämpfen. Mit von der Partei ist noch Doc Bedside, der halbverrückte Diener Chtons. Arlo versucht sich ein eigenen Standpunkt zu erkämpfen in diesem universellen Konflikt.

Genres: Science Fiction, Fantasy, Fiction, Science Fiction Fantasy, Ebooks, Mythology, Collections

208 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1975

About the author

Though he spent the first four years of his life in England, Piers never returned to live in his country of birth after moving to Spain and immigrated to America at age six. After graduating with a B.A. from Goddard College, he married one of his fellow students and and spent fifteen years in an assortment of professions before he began writing fiction full-time.

Piers is a self-proclaimed environmentalist and lives on a tree farm in Florida with his wife. They have two grown daughters.

Reviews

[Glen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Phthor by Pier Anthony is the sequel to Chthon and like Chthon, it is a book from my younger years that I have set out to reread in my latter years.

The difference between what I remembered what Chthon was about and my latest reading was night and day. I cannot say that about Phthor. I simply did not remember anything from the first read except it was continued in the story that is built around the Minionettes, sirens of unnatural beauty. Like Chthon, it is brutal. This time, we see the use of Norse mythology and Ragnarok as a parallel to what Aton's son Arlo is experiencing as the favorite of Chthon. We see Aton is now a resident of Chthon, with his human wife, sick from the incurable Chill. We see a preadolescent Minionette that captures Arlo heart, and later why Chthon, who turns out to be as a sentinel being, tried to destroy her when she first came on the scene. Phthor has Chthon as a sentinel being, one not flesh and blood but inanimate life force. Was Chthon good and other life forms bad (there are 4 different lifeforms)? Was life good and Chthon bad?

I enjoy this series and later, when I get the time, I will read Charles Platt's sequel.

[Craig · Rating 3 out of 5]

Phthor is a sequel to Chthon, Anthony's first novel, and one which really didn't call for a sequel. This one is much more linear, shorter, and simpler than Chthon, though the table of contents has a Y shape branching in the middle which shows parallel events leading to different conclusions. Or maybe it's different events leading to parallel conclusions... Anyway, this one follows Arlo, the son of Aton (who was the main character in the first book), and his interactions with the Minionettes in the caverns of Chthon. Whereas the first book was heavily influenced by Greek myths and Oedipal musings, this one follows the same fixation from a Norse myth viewpoint. It was easier to read than the first book and I appreciated seeing how it all fit together but I was never moved to revisit either of them, or to read either of the continuations that Anthony authorized a different author to write.

[Matt · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the sequel to Chthon and I didn’t read that until recently. Personally, I think it may be better as a stand-alone. As a sequel, it’s a strange addition. What started in Chthon as a Greek-inspired tragedy switches to Norse mythology. It creates a funky blend fusing elements into an Oedipal Odin and a bunch of Electra-Valkyries. And, for some reason, Thor with a silent “ph”.

But this does have some cool elements to it. Anthony’s twist on mythology makes for some imaginative creations. And the hero-arc is not a typical progression. I read this book so many times as a kid. Not surprising given its mix of cavern monsters and boy-becoming-hero storyline. Additionally, I still remember a girl in my science class making me read select pages from Flowers in the Attic when I was in 7th grade. I’m not saying Anthony is a sci-fi version of V.C. Andrews, but Phthor draws some similarities.

[Tom · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read in the Author's Note that Piers Anthony wrote Phthor because he wanted to get Chthon back into print. As such there was a seven year gap between the writing of the two novels. Perhaps this explains why much of the first half of Phthor has so many explanations and elaborations of the previous novel's (back) story. Here though, Anthony seems to employ a mirror image technique, while keeping the storyline linear.

What I like best are the big questions the novel raises, such as what is Good and what is Evil, as well as how different cultures react to the others' cultural norms. While the book does use mythology for a touchstone (see below), I couldn't help but think of the quote regarding the sins of the fathers being visited on the sons. It also does well with moving the story along, especially with the desire to see how this all turns out.

This despite the book, sounding rather too often like a soap opera since the guiding principle in most of the human male characters seems to begin and end in their groin. True to life to a certain extent, but in such a condensed fashion that comparison to a soap opera would apt in parts. Also, while Anthony referenced Greek mythology in Chthon, here seems to tack on Norse mythology and follows it through with somewhat of an obsession. If there had been some inkling of this course in the first book, that would have been more understandable (and cool), but in this case it seemed more like casting about for another myth structure that would fit the story he wanted to tell.

All that said, I really did like the novel, the four star rating it earned being a bit of a surprise, even to me. I understand that Anthony has since allowed another writer (Charles Platt) two write two additional books in the same universe. I, however, am content with Anthony's original duology. (As a side note, I can't think of any other series off the top of my head that only has two books in it.)

[EmBe · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nicht so atmosphärisch dicht wie "Chton oder der Planet der Verdammten", aber ein spannendes und phantasievolles Weltraumgarn. Die interessanten tiefenpsychologischen Aspekte des Vorgängerromans sind hier nicht mehr stark ausgeprägt. Doch es gibt wieder sehr viele fremdartige Intelligenzwesen, worin sich Anthonys SF auszeichnet.

[Stephen Rowland · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is a terrible fucking book. Piers Anthony wrote such trash, I don't know why I keep reading his science fiction.

[prcardi · Rating 2 out of 5]

Storyline: 2/5
Characters: 2/5
Writing Style: 3/5
World: 2/5

I chafed at the condoned maliciousness of the series first, Chthon. Behind that though, there was a neat story and an engrossing exploration of a new world. Chthon left dangling clues and unresolved allusions that had an enigmatic allure. So I went back for the second and final in the series hoping that Anthony would drop the brutishness and build on the mystery and ambience. I was sorely disappointed.

Anthony continues to indulge his fascination with violent sexual scenes. He does, at least, spend more time providing a justification for it in Phthor, thus it is less shocking than in Chthon. The worldbuilding and plot preparations that held so much promise in the first book were filled in rather than expanded here. Essentially, we looked at the same picture but with more detail.

There were a few glimpses of that allure I had spotted in the first. The hinted at larger plot of Chthon found grounding with an imaginative but undeveloped backstory based on chemistry and sentience. The origins of the chill wave, likewise, held promise that was never fulfilled. Ultimately, I don't think Anthony knew how to pace a conclusion. In the first he didn't have to resolve all those clues and allusions. Attempting to do so here, he shoved in new information the reader hadn't been prepared for, connected wildly disparate ideas, made abrupt changes to characters and timelines, and finally settled grand designs that we had only been vaguely aware of. Most of this was done in the last 20 pages. It is too bad. Some books are simply bad all the way around. Some are adept with mediocrity. Both Cththon and Pththor had the inklings of something great but were tainted by perversity and shorn through brevity.

[Laura Lewis · Rating 4 out of 5]

There's something about a book that openly addresses the elephant in the room without detracting from the story that I find so wonderfully appealing. This is not a gentle tale to brighten your mood or lift your spirits. Be prepared to shed some tears.

Like any good debatest, this story has a way to see exactly where the reader might go 'Well, what if they did this instead? Why would they do that?' and bash the theories of what-ifs straight out of the park. It's almost merciless and cold, and yet I still walked away feeling satiated.

I don't at all recommend reading this book without reading Chthon first. There's a bit of back-tracking between the two books - you can see where the author had changed trains of thoughts between the two, but that back-tracking is more than forgiveable for the story we get. It's definitely re-readable, but it might be years before you're ready to trek down this path after the first go.

[Geddy Israel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Phthor was told very differently that Chthon was. While Chthon bounced around between different timelines and different places, Phthor was a lot more linear staying with Arlo, the son of Aton, in the caverns of Chthon. Some of the things mentioned in Chthon were so new to me that they left me kind of confused or feeling as though I'd just begun to understand by the time the book was finishing. It was nice to come back to it in Phthor and get to see those things with more understanding and to have them expanded upon further. Many of the things I wasn't clear on from reading Chthon became clear to me in Phthor.

As always Piers provides an interesting story, in a unique world, with dynamic characters. Spending time with Piers is always a pleasure and Phthor was no exception.

[Nicholas · Rating 3 out of 5]

Still good, but I didn't like it quite as much as Chthon. The obsession with creating parallels to Norse mythology was simply a bit much. Considering the previous book, it comes out of nowhere. Of much more interest was the exploration of the minion society. Though repulsive in many aspects, I found the reversal of love and hate in their society very interesting. How do a people live when true love can kill and only normally inimical levels of loathing are the deepest signs of affection? That is the minion way.

[Marie Reed · Rating 2 out of 5]

A real wild ride but not really my type of book subjectively. The obvious parallels to Norse mythology we're about the only thing that kept me reading this book after the explanation about how Minionettes work psychologically. The ending was very "out there" for me as well. Definitely not a forgettable book but for me not memorable for the right reasons.

[Layne · Rating 2 out of 5]

This sequel was not anywhere close to as good as Chthon for me. There could have been a good story here; at least there were many ideas floating around. However, they were mostly incoherent and underdeveloped, just like the characters.

[Rob Bassett · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bumped this rating up from two stars because everybody died at the end.

[Jacob Kemp · Rating 3 out of 5]

I remember reading Chthon in my younger years until I recently found it in an old box tucked away. I reread it and decided to read Phthor as I loved Chthon. Phthor was by no means a bad book. Quite frankly I liked it a lot but as it is a sequel to another book it’s hard not to compare the two and try to draw parallels. Compared to Chthon this book just doesn’t meet the standards set by its predecessor. It’s similarities end after character and setting. The way the story is written and payed out for the reader are completely different. I felt like this book missed a lot of opportunities to be better than Chthon had it spent more time developing the characters and plot points. It’s a rather short read that could easily be doubled in page count and given the chance to really delve in deep to the world of Chthon. I think if the book was a standalone book it would be just fine but as a sequel it falls short. I do plan on reading Charles Platt’s continuation of the Chthon series “Plasm” and “Soma” as I really do love the series. If I was more of a writer myself I would love to write a story set in this universe. I feel there is so much left unexplored and much more content to be added to the universe of Chthon. If you truest love the first book I would suggest at least giving this a read.

[Des · Rating 4 out of 5]

A sequel to Chthon; read that first. Weirder, much darker.

[Dysnekro · Rating 3 out of 5]

6/10

[Adam]

0

[Christopher Louderback · Rating 2 out of 5]

Seems like everything an editor likely cut from Chthon stretched into a sequel that didn’t need to be written. Love the cover to this edition though!

[Pete · Rating 3 out of 5]

I first read this book more than thirty years ago. This is quite a frustrating book and not as good as I remember. This sequel to Chthon continues the story of the minionettes, altered human women with reversed emotions, i.e. hate is love. Therefore, their men are natural sadists. In addition, these women are long-lived, and they take their sons as their mates. This idea was tiresome in the first book, and it is even more so here. What I did like was the elaboration of Chthon, the mineral intelligence discovered at the end of the first book. In Phthor, Aton lives with his son Arlo and wife Coquina in the caverns of Chthon. However, Chthon hates organic life and has plans to rid the galaxy of the infestation. The attempt of the characters to thwart this plan is the bulk of the novel. The world of Chthon and its creatures is interesting. The plot, with comparisons to Ragnarok, is tedious. I used to think this was one of Anthony's better books. Not so much now.

[Ross · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting followup to Chthon. I liked the mystery/exploration aspects of Chthon that were missing in this novel, but Anthony made up for it by incorporating some engaging Norse-mythology overtones and analogies to the novel. The story structure is also very original - instead of a linear timeline, Anthony writes in a "Y" format, where two very different paths diverge from a common event, with two very disparate endings. Of course, he complicates things further by leaving the protagonist unsatisfied with either ending, and proceeds to allow him to pursue a third and even a fourth conclusion. By the end as the reader, I was worn out and a little bit let-down, although I thought it suited the book and Anthony's style very nicely.

[Brian · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a cool story, as I recall. I read it many years ago. I remember it being very dark. I liked that there were really only two characters, more or less, throughout the entire book. I never read the first book in the series (Chthon), so I can not make any comparisons to that book.

[John Devlin · Rating 2 out of 5]

Early Anthony that explores the Norse myths thorough a background of evil space aliens.

[SciFiOne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Grade C. Book T2.

[Shawn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Young adult 10-15

[Little Timmy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm not a big fan of this series. Piers Anthony, like Stephen King, seems to go hot or cold with me and this was definitely a cold one. Not recommended

[Chris]

I picked this up more or less at random. It turned out to be about equal parts science fiction, Norse mythology, and smut. An interesting and quick read though.

[Mark Hainds · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read the English language version.