Being a Green Mother

Last updated
Being a Green Mother
Author Piers Anthony
Cover artist Michael Whelan
Series Incarnations of Immortality
Genre Fantasy
Publisher Del Rey Books
Publication date
1987-12-01
Pages313
ISBN 9780345322227
OCLC 16224483
Preceded by Wielding a Red Sword  
Followed by For Love of Evil  

Being a Green Mother is a fantasy novel by Piers Anthony. It is the fifth of eight books in the Incarnations of Immortality series. In it, Orb becomes the incarnation of Nature, in an attempt to thwart the plans of Satan.

Contents

Setting and synopsis

Being a Green Mother centers on Orb Kaftan, a musician with magical abilities that manifests whenever she sings or plays music. [1] Orb is searching for a mystical piece of music called the "Llano", which is considered "the most potent magic known". She meets Natasha, another musician on a quest for the Llano; after falling in love and marrying Natasha, he reveals himself to actually be Satan in disguise. [2] Orb becomes Gaea, the incarnation of Nature, but loses control of her powers, destroying the world in the process. Another incarnation, Chronos, agrees to reverse time and undo the destruction, and Orb is forced to marry Satan. The book concludes with Satan destroying himself, losing his struggle with God as depicted across the other books in the series. [3]

Reception

Author David Langford reviewed Being a Green Mother for White Dwarf, criticizing both the characters and the plotting. [4] Critic Andy Sawyer states that while the book explores difficult concepts, it also comes across as "an exercise in allegory by a writer whose prolific inventiveness overweighs any actual logic in his stories". [5] The book was also cited as a "nice capstone to tie together the rest of the series into a satisfying conclusion". [6] Similarly, writing for the Asbury Park Press, critic Drew Bittner states that "Being a Green Mother is definitely a strong conclusion to the [series]". [2]

Reviews

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References

  1. ↑ "Being a Green Mother". overdrive.com. Retrieved 15 May 2024.
  2. 1 2 Bittner, Drew (19 February 1988). "Book concludes series". Asbury Park Press . Retrieved 16 May 2024.
  3. ↑ "Being a Green Mother". Kirkus Reviews . Retrieved 14 May 2024.
  4. ↑ Langford, David (October 2002). Complete Critical Assembly: The Collected White Dwarf (And Gm, and Gmi) Sf Review Columns. Wildside Press LLC. pp. 222–223. ISBN   9781587153303 . Retrieved 14 May 2024.
  5. ↑ Sawyer, Andy (October 1988). "Paperback Purgatory" (PDF). Paperback Inferno. Retrieved 17 May 2024.
  6. ↑ Adler, Ash (19 December 2017). "Being a Green Mother". ashadler.com. Retrieved 17 May 2024.
  7. ↑ "Science Fiction and Fantasy Book Review Index". philsp.com. Retrieved 18 May 2024.
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