Anatopsis

by Chris Abouzeid

Princess Anatopsis Solomon wants to be a knight-errant. But hermother, chairwoman of Amalgamated Witchcraft Corporation, plans for her immortal daughter to take over the family business. The Queen has even hired a new a demigod named Mr. Pound. But Mr. Pound’s plans go far beyond completing Ana’s education. He is searching for the mysterious and powerful Os Divinitas. And if he finds it, nothing will survive. A shocking and powerful gift will catapult the Princess into an unlikely quest through the rich worlds of Anatopsis, inhabited by magic immortals, a rebel army, and the last dog in the Universe.

Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult, Mythology, Adventure, Childrens, Middle Grade, Fiction

336 pages, Hardcover

First published February 24, 2006

About the author

Anatopsis is the first novel I ever wrote. I started it more than 20 years ago, and my goal, at the time, was just to see if I could finish it. I did. But the first version was 600 pages long and, by any measure of literature, unpublishable. So, while I was recovering from my disappointment and trying to rewrite the book, I took the opportunity to do what every struggling writer does: work at a lot of different jobs so that I could list them on the back flap of my books some day.

Here is the list, for those of you who are curious: store clerk, teacher, children's magazine editor, production manager at a sailing magazine, secretary, telecommunications programmer, web consultant, Director of Information Systems for an on-line music company, and most recently, Java developer. Oh, and for a few years, I was also guitarist and vocalist for the Beatles tribute band, HELP!

Now I'm writing pretty much full-time. I live in a nice house in Massachusetts with my wonderful, supportive, and extremely patient wife (who also, by the way, is a published author and a fantastic writer) and my 3 children, who are equally wonderful but not quite as patient. I like to tell my kids a lot of stories, and they seem to enjoy them. But when I pick up my guitar, they leave the room, because, as my daughter once said, "Daddy's singing doesn't taste good."

Reviews

[Kat · Rating 5 out of 5]

This quirky and original book is one of my favorites. Anatopsis wants to follow her easy-going father's footsteps, but ehr controlling mother has other plans; she wants her to continue the family bussiness. Her mother hires the best of tutors for Ana, but there's one problem; his one condition is that he must teach Ana and the son of their rival family at the same time. At first Ana can't stand the clumsy magically-challenged boy, but she begins to see that he has many other talents. With a little hint of Romeo and Juliette dashed in, this book is all about finding who you are, not who your fmaily wants you to be, and the neverending struggle of good vs. evil.

[Aelvana · Rating 2 out of 5]

Princess Anatopsis is one of the Immortal, who can wield magic---and what's more, she's the daughter of the most powerful witch in the world. But at her thirteenth birthday, she's given a new tutor, Mr. Pound. Mr. Pound is dark and sinister, but her mother refuses to believe anything is wrong with him. Anatopsis will need to rely on her own power and her friends to uncover what Mr. Pound is, what he wants, and how to stop him.

The story is set on an Earth so polluted by magic and its aftereffects that only one small portion is even habitable, so the environmental themes were bound to come up, but the way they were handled was rather puzzling and heavy-handed. The stance seemed to be that magic is bad because it pollutes things, both through creating athen, a matter antithetical to magic, and through the discards of spells that civilization doesn't bother to clean up but rather tosses into the ocean. And why a civilization that can easily transport themselves into space via magic is tossing their magical waste into a perfectly good ocean rather than jettisoning it to space is left as an exercise to the reader. Although a number of mythological creatures like dryads and centaurs get casual mention, apparently there weren't any sea creatures around to protest.

The plot holes extend to the characters. Anatopsis is introduced as a prodigy, but most of her spells fail with some rather interesting side effects. And she's downright unlikeable. Some of this, to be sure, is the result of having a mother who acts like she's God and expects the universe to cooperate, and whose expectations for her daughter are to follow in her footsteps. This is challenged somewhat by Clarissa, who is a friend rather than a servant, but at the end of the story Anatopsis appears equally put out that she's consigned herself to be "ordinary" as she is that Clarissa, her best and for the longest time only friend of many years, is dead. And she never bothers thinking about what "ordinary" means other than I can't snap my fingers and make things happen anymore. And why does Anatopsis's fanatically thorough mother not care that the servant she got for her daughter doesn't even clean her daughter's room, when everyone else she employs is scared stiff of her? Or for that matter, why does she continue to simply throw Clarissa in the dungeons for her pranks when numerous more effective options are available?

Barnaby is a little better---at least he's more sympathetic. But he comes bundled with Uno, who is the only dog in existence and a pureblooded St. Bernard. The implication later on is that he was created like the other talking animals, but if that was true, then why isn't Mr. Pound as interested in him and/or his maker as he is in Anatopsis for the mice she creates that supposedly make her unique? Even as a puppy, the dog is way bigger than a mouse. And unless I missed something, the woman who created him wasn't even Immortal, just someone who picked up magic by being exposed to rather large quantities over a short period of time. Surely she would have at least the potential of being the last fragment that Mr. Pound is looking for?

On a personal level, I wasn't comfortable with what happened to Clarissa. The later half of the book seems designed to wring as much pain as possible out of her before she dies.

The worldbuilding is haphazard. Anatopsis mostly sees the her mother's castle, a park, and a segment of the ghetto. It would have been nice to go further afield, even if only in the form of stories of her father's adventures. The competition at the end for Anatopsis---no rules are explained, so I presume the winner is the last one standing. And there's no protection for the crowd, yet apparently this is a hugely popular event, when the audience suffers heavy casualties, and apparently they all just want to sit and watch the rest of the match with fingers crossed that they won't be affected. Or how the evolutionary cycle could be sped up so much for everything in the biodomes except Anatopsis and her father---he was mortal, right? not to mention the absurdity of claiming evolution is simply generating complete species like dinosaurs and not all the in-between steps the theory requires to be functional, most of which would be some form of nightmarish blob-monster... and these all take the same direction as Earth's species because of hand-waving...

So . . . this isn't something I would recommend, but the story felt blase rather than outright bad. It's certainly not one I'm ever going to read again. I rate this book Neutral.

[Ellicia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Chris Abouzeid wrote a MAGICAL book where ancient gods and immortals exist. Princess Anatopsis Solomon is a prodigy. She has exceptional abilities including, levitation and teleportation. Ana wants to be a knight-errant, like her father. But, her mother, Queen Solomon, has other ideas and wants Ana to become chairwoman of Amalgamated Witchcraft Corporation. She even hired a new tutor, Mr. Pound, to train Ana into her wishes. He’s a demigod and his plans go far beyond completing Ana’s education. If I had to gush about one character other than Ana, it would be Prince Barnaby Georges. Barnaby is a slight and scatterbrained boy. Unfortunately, his father treats him as a disgrace. I feel pitiful for Barnaby because he doesn’t deserve this scolding, even though he’s clumsy. Princess Anatopsis is catapulted into an unlikely quest where a threatening prophecy is on the line, along with Prince Barnaby, a rebel army, and the very last dog in the Universe. They must fight in order to save their dying worlds.

[Lemurkat · Rating 2 out of 5]

It began promising enough, with shades of Dianna Wynne Jones and a somewhat crazy sci-fi/fantasy setting. Alas, when it took a darker twist, instead of getting better, it deteriorated sharply into social class divisions (mortal/immortal) and other ethic/moral messages that alas fell a bit flat. It fell flat due to character development - which could have been better, jumping erratically between the two protagonists, rushing the final development and drawing to a somewhat downbeat conclusion. The villain, likewise, was pencil thin in the personality stakes and overall it left me feeling distinctly disatisfied. A promising idea and plot, but rather poorly executed.

[Melissa · Rating 1 out of 5]

While I don't necessarily believe that novels for kids should be all hope, sweetness, and light, I really hated the cold, cynical, despairing world of Anatopsis. Practically omnipotent characters callously exercising their powers and only coming to a partial understanding of the suffering of others after 200 pages of careless mayhem have no appeal for me. Also, this suffered from shoddy world-building.

[Asenath · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting fantasy that is comical, but has a good amount of depth as well. The story involves a prince and princess from dueling kingdoms that are taught together and form a shaky friendship. I think it takes place on earth, but a ruined, magical one.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

it's really good but i found some part's confusing, but if you have the chance totally read it.

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it!

[SBC · Rating 2 out of 5]

A highly unusual story. In some ways it reminded me a bit of Diana Wynne Jones (at her most abstruse). The tone felt a little comical at the start with some of the OTT representations of magic, and as it progressed and we learned more about the history of the world it felt like there were some weird combinations of fantasy and science fiction (with the interplanetary travel). The mythology link was interesting. I found the representation of the casual cruelty towards the mortals quite disturbing - it was a very banal evil though and the story skated over the surface of the horror of it. In many ways, the mortal characters were flat caricatures. The scene that brought that home to me the most was near the end when Mr Pound was slicing open mortals left right and centre in front of Anatopsis and the writing was all about how she felt. There were no descriptions of how the mortals felt or what they were doing (fleeing? screaming?! just standing there waiting to be sliced for the sake of the plot?) The best part of the story, for me, was the friendship between the three main middle grade characters and their dog (but that was also disappointing because it felt like Clarissa's character was destroyed, first metaphorically and then literally). While she was never one of the MCs, as the story was told by Anatopsis and Bartie, she was as important as them to the plot and her death felt unnecessary. And then the conclusion felt a little preachy and abstract, trying to encompass the meaning of life. An interesting read, but ultimately it didn't really work for me.

[Enthusiastic Reader · Rating 2 out of 5]

Nice voice. Weakly developed characters. Stuff happened and I didn't care. Lots of description without the detail that brings it to life.

[Carter Marlin · Rating 5 out of 5]

genuinely, actually good

[Thammalux Chaopanon · Rating 3 out of 5]

ไม่ in กับตัวละคร ไม่รู้สึกเป็นหนึ่งเดียวกับตัวละคร
ความรู้สึกในการจบเรื่องดูง่ายเกิน ไม่เห็นภาพ ถึงแม้ว่าจะใช้วิธีเล่าซ้ำ ก็ไม่สื่อเท่าไหร่

[Dulcinea · Rating 2 out of 5]

When I read the synopsis of this story, I thought I was in for a light, yet engrossing read, and for the first 75 pages or so I was. Then I realized a number of things. 1) the author kept doing some sort of rambling jig around the plot, jumping back to it every 5 chapters or so, which made reading the story a just a bit aggravating. 2) I felt that the characters didn't mold very well with story and there was very little delving into them at all. And 3) Am I the only one who finds two chapter monologues about Joe Schmoes hair color slightly annoying?!?!? To defend myself as one of the few people who have reviewed negatively on this book, I shall DELVE into my review, thus DESCRIBING my point - as the author of this book should have done, delved into the story and describe the plot and characters!!!!
Character-wise, they were all, as a whole, fatally under-developed and barely any of them ever had the chance to shine, in between the author monologues about the scenery .Ironically, I didn't see enough of the main character Anatopsis, to really love and support her. Honestly, the only fiber of personality that I can think of off the top of head about her is *dramatic pause* "she's a powerful wizard"...wow. That is REALLY the character-description befitting that of a novel's leading protagonist...not. We honestly didn't see enough of the Queen or Mr. Pound to really hate them, they were only in the book about four brief times in the flesh and yet they're described as this set of horrifically evil people. I had the exact same reactions with every other character in the book, there just wasn't enough life history, personality details, (unless you count physical appearance, there was an abundance of that), and above all, NO MOTIVE FOR EXISTENCE IN THE FIRST PLACE!!!!! What is so important about her father, or that mouse named Charles, or that dwarf dude? Come on Mr. Abouzeid, give us SOMETHIN' to work with!!!
Now, don't get me wrong, I really wanted to like this book, and I think with a couple minor (meaning major) changes, I would've loved this story. For instance, if the story had been in the first-person, not only would it have been easier to keep track of the plot, but we might've been able to learn more about these characters personalities, histories etc. as a whole. Which would have definitely made the story a great deal better. Another option would've been for the author to hold in his urge to poetically monologue away from the plot, thus abandoning the reader helplessly in bland-story limbo. This whole universe that he created seemed honestly, quite amazing. Yet the author never dove into this fantasy-land of wizards and the Greek gods, where people re-created planets, and where dogs were near-extinct etc. But evidently, he was perfectly content describing Mr. Pounds eye-color or the exact shade of Clarissa's copper hair for the 8,000th time!!!! That was the first definite thing that really disenchanted me from this book, was the fact that this writer had the chance to make a good and suspenseful SERIES of books revolved around this amazing alternate-reality and original plot and go to town creating this amazing thought-provoking story, and instead the majority of this novel revolved around the physical appearances of his regretfully cookie-cutter characters. It's a crying shame in my opinion, that so little of this universe was taken advantage of.

So in the end, those two stars seen above this review represent an amazing universe that was sadly, never given the chance to shine ( I have an air for the dramatic if you haven't noticed :D)

[Jason · Rating 5 out of 5]

Anatopsis is a young readers fantasy novel unlike any you have ever read. It is engaging, intelligent, dazzling and unpredictable. A long reign of magic wielding immortals has left the world tired, fraying at the edges and a very unpleasant place to be a mortal. Solomon Castle and its surroundings is a colorful and exquisitely imagined, even if foreboding, place. The story's protagonist, Anatopsis, is just your typical immortal teenage girl. In her daily routine she must face a threatening teacher who harbors a dark secret, a caustic and belittling mother, a kind but often absent father, and a host of others. Barnaby, an immortal teenage boy, and his talking dog Uno arrive at the castle to study for the Bacchanalian exams and as soon as they do unexplained events, accompanied by hidden secrets, begin to emerge from behind every dark corner.

Anatopsis abounds with metaphors and, although the kingdom is like none other you have ever visited, you will recognize the questions--so important to teenagers--about life, growing up and friendship. In the end the book leaves us with the wisdom that being a "mere mortal" is not such a bad thing. In a story that reaches from the after dinner "breaking of the wishbone" ritual all the way to the fallen gods of Mt. Olympus, Chris Abouzeid has created a novel which deserves a place atop the pantheon of young readers fiction. Now that the Harry Potter series has been completed, take fantasy to an even higher level with Anatopsis.

[Frida Caro · Rating 4 out of 5]

I feel that Anatopsis verges on being a bit too complicated for children to fully understand when they first read it. I feel like I had a lot more to gain by rereading it now as an adult. Though I definitely enjoyed it as a kid and I'm glad I was exposed to those themes back then I'm doubly glad I reread it now and got to fully appreciate the novel. I really liked the political aspects of the story. Anatopsis exposes children to the issues of people with privilege in a world of social and political injustice. While the novel doesn't vilify the immortals as explicitly as they'd need to be in order for readers to realize that the perils of the mortals are the direct fault of the immortals and could quickly be resolved by them, I think Abouzeid still did a good job in describing why theirs was a broken system.
What I'm still really hung up on, though, is the last page. It seemed a really strange way to end a story, I feel like there was little to no conclusion since there was no closure for Anatopsis. It ended with her remaining in a state of flux and tortured ambivalence between hope and despondency. Again, strange for a children's book, but all in all I think it was a good choice. There was no neat solution at the end of the novel, as it would have been ill-fitting with the complexity of the rest of it. Idk I'm just rambling, I liked the ending because of significance I extracted from it, but I disliked it because I am a foolish plebe that yearns for closure and decidedness.

[Books Kids Like · Rating 4 out of 5]

Princess Anatopsis is the daughter of Queen Abigail Solomon, the president of Amalgamated Witches Corporation. Prince Barnaby is the son of King Archibald Georges III, the president of Consolidated Necromantic Industries. As dictated by an age-old tradition, Anatopsis and Barnaby find themselves thrust together as they study for the Bacchanalian exams under the tutelage of Dr. Pound, a demigod. Much to the chagrin of their respective parents, neither child puts forth the effort needed to pass the exams. Anatopsis does not want to take over her mother's business. She wants to follow in her father's footsteps and become a knight-errant. Barnaby, who possesses no real magical power, wants to be left alone to build things. When Anatopsis and Barnaby discover that Dr. Pound isn't really training the next generation of witches and warlocks, they realize that they are both in grave danger. Pound searches for the Os Divinitas, a magical device that he will use to destroy the world. Anatopsis and Barnaby join forces with some very unlikely allies to save the world from Dr. Pound's evil plans.
©2024 Kathy Maxwell at https://bookskidslike.com

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was totally awesome and once I had 2 return it to the library, i checked it out again and kept on reading it. I was totally awesome!!!

Even though this book is a really easy read for me now, i still bought the book. I had to buy this book cause it was a really good book. THe book never gets boring and when everything is finally over, you'll be like "wow!" It is mythology and a mystery is in the first half of the book.

The book is all about Anatopsis (Ana), her mortal friend Clarissa, Barnaby, and Barnaby's dog Uno. Ana is the princess of Solomon castle. Barnaby is the Prince of Georges castle. Both of them are immortal and can do magic. The four of them have to figure out who's splitting the prisoners in the dungeons in half. They have a huge adventure, mostly staying in Solomon's castle, while figuring out who's doing it and why. While they are doing this, Ana and Barnaby are studing and training for their huge magical exams.

[Sandra Strange · Rating 2 out of 5]

This fantasy features fun protagonists and characters and adds a touch of mythology. (The bad guy is a transformed Greek demigod.) Fantasy fans will enjoy the adventure and suspense that picks up pace through the book to its action climax. However, that said, the climax isn't as revealing as it ought to be. Readers see the book through the eyes of the female protagonist, as well as through the eyes of a male second lead who is almost as important to the story. The author would have been better served to continue the dual narrative through the climax so that the reader sees all of the action. The ending also isn't as satisfactory as it could be. It's just ok. The book is aimed at the same audience as the Harry Potter series, so is appropriate to middle readers, safe except for some fantasy violence, and even that not very vivid.

[Mrs. Mari · Rating 3 out of 5]

I absolutely loved the beginning of the book - Chris Abouzeid set up an imaginative world where immortals rule, perform magic and dominate the mortals who are designated to the slums and used as slaves and lab rats. Unfortunately the book became cumbersome toward the middle. The focus of the book was lost in a lot of meaningless details. Still, kids who love Harry Potter and/or The Lightening Thief would be great candidates for this book.

[Cassie · Rating 1 out of 5]

I wanted to like it. There were some neat ideas and concepts in the book, especially the humans vs. gods being able to create ideas.

... but. The plot just didn't work. I didn't care about the characters. And I was confused for most of the book. I didn't end up finishing it, as it was due back at the library and I just didn't care.

[Jen · Rating 1 out of 5]

I felt the character development was under-done. I couldn't keep up with the setting. The plot itself was interesting in the middle but a complete disappointment in the end. Overall, I felt like this was a book had a feeling of being unfinished. I respect the author's efforts but can't say I can recommend the book.

[Carol Cronin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is much more than just another YA fantasy novel. Woven artfully into a lovely good vs. evil story about a princess (who wants to be a knight errant), a prince (who can't cast a spell to save himself, or the princess), and a wicked tutor is commentary about humans ruining their own planet and the perils of the easy fix. Highly recommended, for all ages!

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well, this book was quite rough around the edges, but that's okay. There were flaws and imperfections, but the overall world and story were good and plenty entertaining. I wouldn't recommend anyone specifically seek out Anatopsis, but if it falls into your hands, like it did mine, then it's worth taking a look at.

[Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

My 12 year old son and 10 year old daughter have both read it...and absolutely love this book. Gives those readers who love fantasy a great story, while also a nod to those adults who love a well formed narrative. Abouzeid has written a book that anyone 10-80 will really enjoy. Can't wait for his next book.

[Tracy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Magic environmentalism and futuristic sci-fi. Modern technology and ancient Greek mythology. An interesting combination. It did take me some time to place the context, but I loved the characters, and I think the concept is really brilliant. The ending was not what I was hoping for, and yet it made me stop and think about what needed to be.

[Shaya · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've never seen this book since I read it. Never in a book store or on a library shelf. I liked the story. Definitely worthwhile fantasy. I think there are some mindstretching aspects of it but can't be sure since it's been a while since I read it.

[Laree · Rating 2 out of 5]

I would love to give this 2.5 stars. I enjoyed it, but I think I don't understand the ending. It felt unfinished, and confusing. I think I'll need to re-read it to decide if I actually like it or not.

[Amethyst · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this horrible piece of poop!!! The storyline was amazing and exciting, so was the mystical romance, but I think the ending was quite terrible and the villian was like none other. It was extremly creepy and suspenseful, but for some reason I hated it snd loved it at the same time!

[Cagelove · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love this book. I couldn’t put it down. I cried many times. I can see it being made to a movie. I love how magic and greek mythology were put together. I just didn’t like how it ended. It seemed rush. But all in all, I love it.

[Anna Godfrey · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really liked this book, because it has everything that I love; castles and royalty, space travel, magic, and Greek mythology. It was a much more intense book than I thought it would be when I picked it up, and I was pleasantly surprised.