What do you think?
Rate this book
Battle Circle #2
Var Pałki
Trzytomowa epopeja heroiczna, rozgrywająca się w świecie po wojnie atomowej wśród barbarzyńców - koczowników, których kodeks honorowy przewiduje tylko jeden sposób rozstrzygnięcia sporu - pojedynek w tytułowym kręgu walki.
Druga część cyklu książek Krąg Walki autorstwa Piersa Anthony'ego. Głównym bohaterem jest Var Pałki, chłopiec mutant, który wychował się sam wśród terenów objętych działaniem Rentgenów (Promieniowania). Pewnego dnia wódz imperium wybiera się na zwiad, aby dowiedzieć się, kto lub co niszczy plony. Natrafia wówczas na chłopca, którego staje się przyjacielem i zastępuje mu ojca. Chłopiec, mimo wielu lat spędzonych w odosobnieniu, staje się mistrzem wymyślonej przez siebie broni pałek. Dzięki czemu otrzymuje tytuł Var Pałki.
Druga część cyklu książek Krąg Walki autorstwa Piersa Anthony'ego. Głównym bohaterem jest Var Pałki, chłopiec mutant, który wychował się sam wśród terenów objętych działaniem Rentgenów (Promieniowania). Pewnego dnia wódz imperium wybiera się na zwiad, aby dowiedzieć się, kto lub co niszczy plony. Natrafia wówczas na chłopca, którego staje się przyjacielem i zastępuje mu ojca. Chłopiec, mimo wielu lat spędzonych w odosobnieniu, staje się mistrzem wymyślonej przez siebie broni pałek. Dzięki czemu otrzymuje tytuł Var Pałki.
239 pages
First published January 1, 1972
3 people are currently reading
349 people want to read
About the author
Piers Anthony
441 books4,214 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.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
November 7, 2025
Var the Stick is the second book in Anthony's Battle Circle trilogy, set in a kind of Mad Max post-apocalyptic wasteland where disputes are settled via martial arts in the arena-like battle circle. I thought the first book, Sos the Rope, was pretty good, but this one doesn't follow up on the themes and ideas of that one so much as get bogged down and sidetracked through a road-trip adventure and a lot of pedophilic contemplation. I can't recommend it. The third novel in the trilogy was published in 1975 and was called Neq the Sword. It was printed together with the first two books with the title Battle Circle and a truly embarrassingly bad cover. I did not read it, because I thought it was unethical of the publisher to expect the reader to pay for the first two books again in order to read the final one. I intended to read it to see how the story ended up, but I resolved to wait until it was released as a mass market single volume to match the first two... which will apparently never happen. (The bad reviews here reassure me that I didn't miss much.)
June 22, 2023
A less focused sequel that abandons what made the first book intriguing.
Anthony's 1972 "Var the Stick" is the followup to his enjoyably pulpy "Sos the Rope" and the second volume of his "Battle Circle" trilogy. Unfortunately, while the first volume set up a fun post apocalyptic America where nomads resolve disputes using basic weapons provided by more technologically minded "crazies," this second volume eschews that for a poorly paced and poorly structured "road trip/chase" that spans 4+ years.
The titular Var is a feral mutant who can sense pockets of radiation and befriends The Nameless One/Master and leader of the Nomad empire. The Master is plotting a war against the denizens of the underworld, who are responsible for keeping humanity in its technologically primitive state out of fear that progress will lead to another "Blast."
While storming Olympus would have been fsr more interesting, instead we get Var battling and then running off with Soli, the daughter of the Master (who lived in the underworld with the Master's best friend, Sol) On belief that Var has killed Soli, the Master vows to kill Var. So begins an OVERLY LONG chase that inexplicably brings Var and Soli all the way to "New Crete" to battle the "god" Minos and eventually to the empire of "Ch'in.
We get everything from gladiator pits to finishing schools for elite girls to priaptic bull-gods to really unsettling sex scenes between 9 year old Soli and mutant beast man Var (really f'n creepy). What Sos the Rope offered in a tight narrative and premise, Var the Stick loses almost completely.
Anthony's 1972 "Var the Stick" is the followup to his enjoyably pulpy "Sos the Rope" and the second volume of his "Battle Circle" trilogy. Unfortunately, while the first volume set up a fun post apocalyptic America where nomads resolve disputes using basic weapons provided by more technologically minded "crazies," this second volume eschews that for a poorly paced and poorly structured "road trip/chase" that spans 4+ years.
The titular Var is a feral mutant who can sense pockets of radiation and befriends The Nameless One/Master and leader of the Nomad empire. The Master is plotting a war against the denizens of the underworld, who are responsible for keeping humanity in its technologically primitive state out of fear that progress will lead to another "Blast."
While storming Olympus would have been fsr more interesting, instead we get Var battling and then running off with Soli, the daughter of the Master (who lived in the underworld with the Master's best friend, Sol) On belief that Var has killed Soli, the Master vows to kill Var. So begins an OVERLY LONG chase that inexplicably brings Var and Soli all the way to "New Crete" to battle the "god" Minos and eventually to the empire of "Ch'in.
We get everything from gladiator pits to finishing schools for elite girls to priaptic bull-gods to really unsettling sex scenes between 9 year old Soli and mutant beast man Var (really f'n creepy). What Sos the Rope offered in a tight narrative and premise, Var the Stick loses almost completely.
October 23, 2014
Years ago, before the Internet & his well known Xanth books, I found this book by Anthony. I loved it, but didn't find the 1st & 3d to this trilogy for about 2 decades. It is an ingenious post apocalyptic world - if you read just this book. The first one was pretty good, too. Knowing there was more probably made it even better. Don't read the last one, Neq the Sword. It sucked. Glockenspiel? Seriously. Blech. Ruined the entire trilogy for me.
August 21, 2017
Absolutely loved these Battle Circle books as a kid. Took me many years to track them down as an adult, but clearly they don't stand the test of time for a more mature, discerning reader.
Some books are better left alone to fond memories.
Some books are better left alone to fond memories.
July 10, 2015
A rather dull book in a rather dull setting
6 March 2012
Well, Science-fiction and Post-apocalyptic literature (a sub-genre of Science-fiction) have been around in one form or another for quite a while. In a way, this style of fiction could be said to go back as early as the first century with the publication of the Book of Revelation. In fact, Revelation could be considered to be one of the first books of this genre (though you could also argue that the writings of the Old Testament prophets also constituted the same). Science-fiction could be considered to be just as old, if once considers the writings of Lucian of Samosota. However, post-apocalyptic literature really did not come into vogue until after World War II, coincidentally with the development of the atomic bomb.
Science-fiction has always had a fascination with voyages to the moon (which is what Lucian's story is about) however it was not until the 19th century, ironically, with the writings of Mary Shelley, that science-fiction really began to gain traction. Once again, it is ironic that it was a woman who sent literature in this new direction, and she can also be credited with the first post-apocalyptic novel (the Last Man). However, despite Shelly's legacy, Jules Verne has been given the title as the Father of Science-Fiction (and rightly so) though I would have to admit that it was H.G. Wells that really started the entire trend. In the same way the father of fantasy literature was effectively Homer (fantasy literature is actually a lot older than science-fiction) and while Robert Howard's Conan novels clearly pre-date The Lord of the Rings, Tolkien is still considered to be the father of modern fantasy.
Now, as mentioned, post-apocalyptic literature does not really come on its own until after World War II, though it is very unclear as to who could be considered to be the author that really launched the genre. In fact, unless one considers H.G. Wells or Mary Shelly, there really is no actual author that can make this claim. The idea of a post-apocalyptic world has always been around, however the true nature of mutual assured destruction did not come about until the atomic bomb. Prior to that, wars would ravage lands, and plagues would decimate populations, but up until that time, it was generally always local. The Old Testament prophets speak of the promised land becoming a desolate waste after armies and plagues would ravage it, but once again this was a very local concept.
I have not read 'The Last Man' but I have read War of the Worlds. This is not strictly post-apocalyptic, and could more be considered apocalyptic, however as it turns out, in my mind this is merely science-fiction that tells the story of an alien invasion. H.G. Wells does not look beyond the events in the novel to explore what would happen afterwards. It is an idea that I have considered, but I do not believe that I am anywhere near as worthy to to add to or expand upon this novel (as if anybody is that worthy). Actually, come to think of it, I don't hold Wells in anywhere nearsas high as a regard as Jules Verne, but still, Wells, in some of his science-fiction books, does explore the concept of mutually assured destruction.
Now that I have discussed this sub-genre, you may be waiting for me to comment on this book. Actually, I am not. It was a long time ago, and it is a book that I really do not remember all that much, and from my glance over some of the reviews (it seems as if mine is the longest) there isn't much to talk about anyway. As such, I will leave it at that, and only recommend this book to those who love Piers Anthony so much that they will pretty much ignore anybody else's opinion and read this book anyway (if they can find a copy of it).
6 March 2012
Well, Science-fiction and Post-apocalyptic literature (a sub-genre of Science-fiction) have been around in one form or another for quite a while. In a way, this style of fiction could be said to go back as early as the first century with the publication of the Book of Revelation. In fact, Revelation could be considered to be one of the first books of this genre (though you could also argue that the writings of the Old Testament prophets also constituted the same). Science-fiction could be considered to be just as old, if once considers the writings of Lucian of Samosota. However, post-apocalyptic literature really did not come into vogue until after World War II, coincidentally with the development of the atomic bomb.
Science-fiction has always had a fascination with voyages to the moon (which is what Lucian's story is about) however it was not until the 19th century, ironically, with the writings of Mary Shelley, that science-fiction really began to gain traction. Once again, it is ironic that it was a woman who sent literature in this new direction, and she can also be credited with the first post-apocalyptic novel (the Last Man). However, despite Shelly's legacy, Jules Verne has been given the title as the Father of Science-Fiction (and rightly so) though I would have to admit that it was H.G. Wells that really started the entire trend. In the same way the father of fantasy literature was effectively Homer (fantasy literature is actually a lot older than science-fiction) and while Robert Howard's Conan novels clearly pre-date The Lord of the Rings, Tolkien is still considered to be the father of modern fantasy.
Now, as mentioned, post-apocalyptic literature does not really come on its own until after World War II, though it is very unclear as to who could be considered to be the author that really launched the genre. In fact, unless one considers H.G. Wells or Mary Shelly, there really is no actual author that can make this claim. The idea of a post-apocalyptic world has always been around, however the true nature of mutual assured destruction did not come about until the atomic bomb. Prior to that, wars would ravage lands, and plagues would decimate populations, but up until that time, it was generally always local. The Old Testament prophets speak of the promised land becoming a desolate waste after armies and plagues would ravage it, but once again this was a very local concept.
I have not read 'The Last Man' but I have read War of the Worlds. This is not strictly post-apocalyptic, and could more be considered apocalyptic, however as it turns out, in my mind this is merely science-fiction that tells the story of an alien invasion. H.G. Wells does not look beyond the events in the novel to explore what would happen afterwards. It is an idea that I have considered, but I do not believe that I am anywhere near as worthy to to add to or expand upon this novel (as if anybody is that worthy). Actually, come to think of it, I don't hold Wells in anywhere nearsas high as a regard as Jules Verne, but still, Wells, in some of his science-fiction books, does explore the concept of mutually assured destruction.
Now that I have discussed this sub-genre, you may be waiting for me to comment on this book. Actually, I am not. It was a long time ago, and it is a book that I really do not remember all that much, and from my glance over some of the reviews (it seems as if mine is the longest) there isn't much to talk about anyway. As such, I will leave it at that, and only recommend this book to those who love Piers Anthony so much that they will pretty much ignore anybody else's opinion and read this book anyway (if they can find a copy of it).
July 23, 2019
This early Anthony novel dances around the fringes of both the fantasy and science fiction genres without ever quite jumping into either. It's more of a dystopian novel, set in a post-apocalyptic world, which draws upon the conventions of both genres without ever landing firmly in either camp. This may contribute to the meandering, arbitrary quality of its plot thread: the protagonists live through a series of harrowing adventures and challenges, but they come off as a series of mere MacGuffins, and could have been interchanged with any other such episodes. And that may be the best way to describe this follow-up to 1968's "Sos the Rope": episodic. That alone might not have sunk this one for me, but Anthony crosses a couple lines which are hard to swallow, even from the perspective of 1972 (which were, after all, hardly the Dark Ages). He incorporates elements of both casual cannibalism (engaged in by the main protagonist, no less!) and pedophilia (likewise!) which, ultimately, are too distasteful for this reader to dismiss under the heading of "It's Just a Novel, Dude." Fortunately for us, Anthony improved considerably as he moved forward. This work is of interest to completists only.
July 23, 2016
Filled with "what the hell is wrong with him/her?" moments - people walk into situations and do things which don't make the slightest sense. Also there's so much random stuff mixed in that... yeah.
August 13, 2021
TW: Not for squeamish.
YECCCCH. This starts out promising enough but then devolves into a pervy young adult novel suffering from Make As Go Along (MAGA) syndrome, relying far too much on sloppy thinking and stupid misunderstandings. It just keeps getting worse and worse and really reaches its nadir when the protagonists wind up in a society (very) loosely based on Grecian mores. Uh oh, I thought going into this section, realizing where Piers' hard-on was heading, and sure enough he disappoints, especially when it comes to describing how the protagonists "escape" by committing statutory rape / child abuse and gruesome depictions of the corpses of "nubile" sacrifices torn into by a giant bull penis. He even throws in some casual cannibalism just to make it all a little extra upsetting! Barf-o-rama.
All that should be horrible enough to keep anybody from reading this book, but it also drifts farther and farther away from its post-apocalyptic premise as situations become less and less plausible and more just random, fetishy scenarios to imperil/tart up/whatever the considerably underage female protagonist.
Bad plotting, rushed, lazy plots, plots abandoned, pure shit. Unnecessarily obsessed with genital mutilation. I guess Piers Anthony gets off on that too.
Reading this right after Sos the Rope I was reminded of the experience years ago of watching Nemesis II right after the movie Nemesis . Both Sos the Rope and Nemesis are rough genre stories with a lot of charm and fully-realized world building, and many other things to distinguish them from other stories of their ilk. So I approached the sequels with great expectations, excited to experience a further culmination of the creator's vision, or at least more of the same, and instead am scarred by entirely self-absorbed pulp that exists purely to satisfy the creator's fetishes. But at least in the case of Nemesis II (and its worse and worse sequels) the fetish revolved around this one really muscle-bound woman, so at least a consenting adult.
I don't really like feeling like I'm enabling Piers' Anthony's gross career by fulfilling whatever exhibitionist kick he gets from people reading his dirty writing, but at least my copy of this book is really old and he's really old too and bound to die soon and go directly to hell and not make any more money. I don't even really feel great about recommending Sos the Rope anymore, even though I did like it a lot, knowing that it lead to crap like this. I'm gonna read the sequel just because I'm a completist and I honestly do have some morbid curiosity of how he's gonna keep this crap up and still be a published, popular mainstream author. But I honestly only think this book should be read by Piers Anthony's therapist and potential criminal prosecutors.
YECCCCH. This starts out promising enough but then devolves into a pervy young adult novel suffering from Make As Go Along (MAGA) syndrome, relying far too much on sloppy thinking and stupid misunderstandings. It just keeps getting worse and worse and really reaches its nadir when the protagonists wind up in a society (very) loosely based on Grecian mores. Uh oh, I thought going into this section, realizing where Piers' hard-on was heading, and sure enough he disappoints, especially when it comes to describing how the protagonists "escape" by committing statutory rape / child abuse and gruesome depictions of the corpses of "nubile" sacrifices torn into by a giant bull penis. He even throws in some casual cannibalism just to make it all a little extra upsetting! Barf-o-rama.
All that should be horrible enough to keep anybody from reading this book, but it also drifts farther and farther away from its post-apocalyptic premise as situations become less and less plausible and more just random, fetishy scenarios to imperil/tart up/whatever the considerably underage female protagonist.
Bad plotting, rushed, lazy plots, plots abandoned, pure shit. Unnecessarily obsessed with genital mutilation. I guess Piers Anthony gets off on that too.
Reading this right after Sos the Rope I was reminded of the experience years ago of watching Nemesis II right after the movie Nemesis . Both Sos the Rope and Nemesis are rough genre stories with a lot of charm and fully-realized world building, and many other things to distinguish them from other stories of their ilk. So I approached the sequels with great expectations, excited to experience a further culmination of the creator's vision, or at least more of the same, and instead am scarred by entirely self-absorbed pulp that exists purely to satisfy the creator's fetishes. But at least in the case of Nemesis II (and its worse and worse sequels) the fetish revolved around this one really muscle-bound woman, so at least a consenting adult.
I don't really like feeling like I'm enabling Piers' Anthony's gross career by fulfilling whatever exhibitionist kick he gets from people reading his dirty writing, but at least my copy of this book is really old and he's really old too and bound to die soon and go directly to hell and not make any more money. I don't even really feel great about recommending Sos the Rope anymore, even though I did like it a lot, knowing that it lead to crap like this. I'm gonna read the sequel just because I'm a completist and I honestly do have some morbid curiosity of how he's gonna keep this crap up and still be a published, popular mainstream author. But I honestly only think this book should be read by Piers Anthony's therapist and potential criminal prosecutors.
May 11, 2025
This one starts with a lot of promise, and Anthony handles different POVs really well. Plot wise, the war on the Mountain was exactly the best choice. But once the naked 9 year old girl showed up, it really went down hill. Var being an unsocialized beast man is almost interesting but just doesn't pay off in anything other than some needless cannibalism. The flight from America to Greece to China feels absolutely absurd, and while the thing that happens on Crete is done somewhat gracefully, this is absolutely a pattern for Anthony.
He also has Var behead a woman with curves because her adult body disgusts him, so there are some deepset problems here.
He also has Var behead a woman with curves because her adult body disgusts him, so there are some deepset problems here.
February 11, 2025
I had fond memories of having read Sos the Rope in my youth, so when I recently found a copy of the sequel Var the Stick at a used-book store, I had to buy it. As my 2-star rating indicates, I was left disappointed. The characters and cultures were one-dimensional and verging on the nonsensical, and the protagonist, given the option, always made the wrong choice. I cannot recommend.
October 4, 2022
Interesting, but I won't re-read it more than about once per decade.
May 26, 2025
I really wanted to give this book the benefit of the doubt for nostalgia‘s sake … but good his is early Anthony a rough and archaic beating. His writing started mediocre and aged badly.
September 10, 2016
I enjoyed this one as much as the first. Even though this is a post-apocalyptic story it reads more like a heroic fantasy with guns and technology in place of the evil sorcery. While Var and Soli are on the run from the Nameless One they explore this twisted and weird world post-Blast. During their flight they discover something between themselves that nothing can come between. Great read and I recommend it to those with similar interests.
June 23, 2010
Good campy adventure novel.
February 2, 2011
Grade C. Book D2.
January 14, 2012
Boring, I'd started this 4 weeks ago, not the date entered here. 4 weeks for an under 200 page book is telling.
May 25, 2012
Young adult 10-15
October 9, 2013
Another great read from my past!
September 2, 2014
Interesting SiFi story. After the last war people now decide issues in the battle circle. Recommended
July 6, 2013
Book 2 of Battle Circle Trilogy
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews