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Cautionary Tales
From fantasy and SF master Piers Anthony, a collection of controversial stories and essays that fearlessly push the boundaries and then shamelessly step over them
Readers, The stories, essays, reflections, opinions, and wildly imaginative flights of fancy contained herein may shock, rattle, delight, and surprise you. Piers Anthony—multiple New York Times –bestselling author, much-beloved creator of the popular Xanth universe, and one of the most unabashedly original writers currently operating in the science fiction and fantasy arena—now offers up a one-of-a-kind collection of his most fearless writings, for the pleasure of those unafraid to enter where angels fear to tread.
Tackling unusual subjects and challenging social and religious mores, Anthony refuses to be restrained as he explores the strange and the taboo. From the May–December romance of a damaged Romeo and his shockingly young Juliet (though she is no younger than Shakespeare’s) to a woman’s valiant struggle against a grossly aberrant sexual demon, these cautionary tales are not for the faint of heart. They can be troubling, startling, and disturbing, but they are never dull. And readers, be further In the uniquely inventive mind of Piers Anthony, absolutely nothing is sacred—not childhood, marriage, love, religion, sex . . . not even Xanth.
Readers, The stories, essays, reflections, opinions, and wildly imaginative flights of fancy contained herein may shock, rattle, delight, and surprise you. Piers Anthony—multiple New York Times –bestselling author, much-beloved creator of the popular Xanth universe, and one of the most unabashedly original writers currently operating in the science fiction and fantasy arena—now offers up a one-of-a-kind collection of his most fearless writings, for the pleasure of those unafraid to enter where angels fear to tread.
Tackling unusual subjects and challenging social and religious mores, Anthony refuses to be restrained as he explores the strange and the taboo. From the May–December romance of a damaged Romeo and his shockingly young Juliet (though she is no younger than Shakespeare’s) to a woman’s valiant struggle against a grossly aberrant sexual demon, these cautionary tales are not for the faint of heart. They can be troubling, startling, and disturbing, but they are never dull. And readers, be further In the uniquely inventive mind of Piers Anthony, absolutely nothing is sacred—not childhood, marriage, love, religion, sex . . . not even Xanth.
241 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2014
56 people are currently reading
185 people want to read
About the author
Piers Anthony
441 books4,216 followersThough 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.
Piers is a self-proclaimed environmentalist and lives on a tree farm in Florida with his wife. They have two grown daughters.
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
May 22, 2018
full of that typical Anthony flavour, for some of the stories here I was glad of the warning.
October 30, 2023
This is going to be the last Piers Anthony book I read. He was a favorite of mine many years ago. I loved some of his early work as well as the first few Xanth and Split Infinity books. I thought they were funny and smartly written.
During a break in current books I looked him up and found a lot of books that I've never heard of so I start on them but each one of them I found simplistic, poorly written or crude. It could be that my tastes have changed but anyway, after my fifth new old Piers Anthony book, I'm just not going to continue.
This is a book of short stories. I thought they'd be like Anthonology which I hugely enjoyed. But they're not that standard. Each one is kind of meaningless actually. Anyway, on to something else.
During a break in current books I looked him up and found a lot of books that I've never heard of so I start on them but each one of them I found simplistic, poorly written or crude. It could be that my tastes have changed but anyway, after my fifth new old Piers Anthony book, I'm just not going to continue.
This is a book of short stories. I thought they'd be like Anthonology which I hugely enjoyed. But they're not that standard. Each one is kind of meaningless actually. Anyway, on to something else.
November 11, 2021
Worst read of the year, possibly even of all time. And it's not because of the dark nature of the content the author decided to talk about; in fact, the boldness it takes to talk about such issues is one of only two positives I can think of.
The writing. Porn magazines that only serve the purpose they serve are written far better than this.
The second good thing about this collection of short stories is the pieces that talk about the challenges of an aspiring writer's life. Unfortunately, they're so overshadowed with the remaining mess that I wouldn't recommend this book to anyone.
The writing. Porn magazines that only serve the purpose they serve are written far better than this.
The second good thing about this collection of short stories is the pieces that talk about the challenges of an aspiring writer's life. Unfortunately, they're so overshadowed with the remaining mess that I wouldn't recommend this book to anyone.
October 24, 2014
“Cautionary Tales”
By Piers Anthony
This book contains some short stories that the author had written in the past for various anthologies. He “cautions” before the titles of the stories to allow the reader to make up his or her mind before continuing. The offensive content from the 1990s when he wrote the stories is considered mundane in today’s society. I can see why some of the content in “Blackbeard” may have offended people back then; but, thankfully, today’s society is more about teaching the youth about the dangers of Internet predators, rather than trying to pretend they do not exist. History has proven that sticking a head in the sand is not going to prevent bad things from happening.
There are definitely Erotica short stories. The content is very descriptive and contain some of the most peculiar characters. There are stories about living dolls, mythical creatures, aliens, and more.
As a whole, I found some of the short stories entertaining. However, my favorite parts of the book revolve around his short biographies and essays about his life. His lectures and advice about writing are very informative. He doesn’t sugar coat anything. His advice is blunt and on point.
It is a marvel to me how he takes some of the most basic ideas and twists them into an unconventional storyline. I don’t think that I will ever look at a deck of cards again in the same way. When you read the story, you will understand my statement.
Review by Michele Douglas
Disclosure: I have been provided an advanced copy of the book from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
By Piers Anthony
This book contains some short stories that the author had written in the past for various anthologies. He “cautions” before the titles of the stories to allow the reader to make up his or her mind before continuing. The offensive content from the 1990s when he wrote the stories is considered mundane in today’s society. I can see why some of the content in “Blackbeard” may have offended people back then; but, thankfully, today’s society is more about teaching the youth about the dangers of Internet predators, rather than trying to pretend they do not exist. History has proven that sticking a head in the sand is not going to prevent bad things from happening.
There are definitely Erotica short stories. The content is very descriptive and contain some of the most peculiar characters. There are stories about living dolls, mythical creatures, aliens, and more.
As a whole, I found some of the short stories entertaining. However, my favorite parts of the book revolve around his short biographies and essays about his life. His lectures and advice about writing are very informative. He doesn’t sugar coat anything. His advice is blunt and on point.
It is a marvel to me how he takes some of the most basic ideas and twists them into an unconventional storyline. I don’t think that I will ever look at a deck of cards again in the same way. When you read the story, you will understand my statement.
Review by Michele Douglas
Disclosure: I have been provided an advanced copy of the book from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
November 6, 2014
This is a collection of short stories and essays that are absolutely unlike anything else I've ever read from Piers Anthony, and I'm not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing. First, these are Cautionary Tales and Mr. Anthony does a great job of identifying what the cautionary material is in each segment prior to the reader diving in head first to discover a very taboo subject matter.
This book is very graphic, and some stories are flat out disturbing, but unlike other erotica short stories there are some very thought provoking contexts surrounding each story. It's my belief that this underlying context was what the author wanted the reader to start to contemplate because I don't really think alien sex was the main point.
An example of this would be the short story Serial in which (and I'm not spoiling anything here as the author warns you first what the story involves) a serial male rapist becomes the victim of a serial female rapist. This story was very graphic with some very disturbing imagery, but the story did more to promote a discussion regarding different types of power that people have over one another.
Overall some of the stories were enjoyable and some just didn't sit right with me. This is a book of cautionary tales so as adult readers you should be able to discern which stories you will enjoy and which stories you should skip.
Review by: Stacy Palm
Full Review Available at: http://thebookendfamily.weebly.com/bl...
This book is very graphic, and some stories are flat out disturbing, but unlike other erotica short stories there are some very thought provoking contexts surrounding each story. It's my belief that this underlying context was what the author wanted the reader to start to contemplate because I don't really think alien sex was the main point.
An example of this would be the short story Serial in which (and I'm not spoiling anything here as the author warns you first what the story involves) a serial male rapist becomes the victim of a serial female rapist. This story was very graphic with some very disturbing imagery, but the story did more to promote a discussion regarding different types of power that people have over one another.
Overall some of the stories were enjoyable and some just didn't sit right with me. This is a book of cautionary tales so as adult readers you should be able to discern which stories you will enjoy and which stories you should skip.
Review by: Stacy Palm
Full Review Available at: http://thebookendfamily.weebly.com/bl...
October 21, 2014
Cautionary Tales is a mix of non-fiction essays and fiction short stories written in typical Piers Anthony prose. The contents are truly a mixed bag. A couple of the non-fiction essays flesh out the author as a person and have some good advice on writing, particularly the writing process for a novel. Some of the short stories contain subject matter that many readers more familiar with Xanth would be surprised at - readers more familiar with Anthony's more adult fare will be less surprised - but may not find all that objectionable. It was a quick read, some parts on the boring side, some very interesting.
November 6, 2014
Controversial short stories collection
This collection of short stories by well-known fantasy writer, Piers Anthony, are those which he considers to have been the most controversial – thus the title as caution is needed by the reader to avoid being shocked.
It also contains some of the author’s thoughts on writing and on his roots. However the sexual content of his stories take up the majority of the tales told within.
I found the stories entertaining and well-written: it’s a long time since I have read any work by piers Anthony and it was good to discover him again.
Engaging and fun, this collection is recommended to fans of the author but also of erotica and fantasy.
This collection of short stories by well-known fantasy writer, Piers Anthony, are those which he considers to have been the most controversial – thus the title as caution is needed by the reader to avoid being shocked.
It also contains some of the author’s thoughts on writing and on his roots. However the sexual content of his stories take up the majority of the tales told within.
I found the stories entertaining and well-written: it’s a long time since I have read any work by piers Anthony and it was good to discover him again.
Engaging and fun, this collection is recommended to fans of the author but also of erotica and fantasy.
October 27, 2014
Cautionary Tales is an eclectic mix of short stories and essays. The essays all deal with the writing process in some fashion. The short stories are a mixed bag of adult-themed tales (some fantasy, some not) that were originally written for a variety of publications. The only link between the tales is that there is a caution regarding what may be encountered in the tale at the top of the page. If you want to read everything Piers Anthony has done, read on. Otherwise, proceed at your own risk.
November 14, 2024
I will admit that the notes before each short story were helpful because there were a few that I couldn’t handle, but it was nice to read some Xanth stories after so many years away. I have enjoyed Piers Anthony’s writing for decades and will continue to pick up his books when I’m in the mood to escape.
April 30, 2015
This is one of those books that I thought would be a four star, but was sadly disappointed. Seemed like some stories were lacking any type of depth or even real plot. I found it to be hard to finish!
I was given this book in exchange for an honest review via Netgalley.
I was given this book in exchange for an honest review via Netgalley.
October 8, 2014
Book release date: 10/21/14
Review forthcoming.
For the sake of full disclosure it must be stated that I received this book, free of charge, from Netgalley.
Review forthcoming.
For the sake of full disclosure it must be stated that I received this book, free of charge, from Netgalley.
April 10, 2017
Different kind of Anthony
Great read, but it is x-rated. The stories and essays are captivating. The essays are on writing, and there is even a Zaneth story.
Great read, but it is x-rated. The stories and essays are captivating. The essays are on writing, and there is even a Zaneth story.
January 16, 2018
It made me like Piers Anthony less. I think it was the combo of his rather self-aggrandizing essays with sometimes meaningless and often repetitive smut. The combo didn't really sell his personality and did little to sell any authorial skills. Still, it was a fair read and quick.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews