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Realty Check
For the visit of their granddaughter and grandson, Penn and Chandelle got a house in Philadelphia that is rent-free for a month, and soon discover the house's fantastical properties, but they must now find out what the house wants in return.
214 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1999
54 people are currently reading
313 people want to read
About the author
Piers Anthony
442 books4,219 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 - 21 of 21 reviews
July 11, 2012
1. Dirty old man.
2. Unsatisfying ending.
Aside from those two problems, the book was great. But it barely made two stars. I used to consume Piers Anthony voraciously when I was younger, and it's kinda sad to reread his books now. I thought that reading one I hadn't heard of would help, but it's even worse than the old standbys. I may be ready to get rid of the rest of the books I have by him.
2. Unsatisfying ending.
Aside from those two problems, the book was great. But it barely made two stars. I used to consume Piers Anthony voraciously when I was younger, and it's kinda sad to reread his books now. I thought that reading one I hadn't heard of would help, but it's even worse than the old standbys. I may be ready to get rid of the rest of the books I have by him.
January 18, 2019
This is just disappointing.
I hate to start a review this way, but it really is. The concept here is interesting: There's a 'magic' house set up to attract a very specific group of people by providing nearly everything for them. This could have gone much darker, or much lighter, but it seems more confused about what it wants to be as written. The characters call out the 'honeypot' idea a few times, but go for it anyway. They acknowledge that the house may be influencing them to stay there, but they don't want to leave it anyway. This could have been an interesting exploration of motivations in the face of necessities/leisure.
The house is also a puzzle, which was intriguing. It called to mind escape rooms, which I found enjoyable. Again though, it never seems to know what it wants to be. Is it supposed to be a children's story that touches on dimensional theory? Maybe, it kind of seems like that sometimes with the sort of lock and key puzzle, quick resolution to problems (in a manner very similar to children's stories), but... there's the content.
So, Piers doesn't have the best track record with female characters. We're introduced to the granddaughter by way of a description of her physical attributes... from the point of view of her grandfather (e.g. how well she fills out her clothes). Also she's 15. And then the grandfather seems to suggest that groping her would have been fun to his wife (the girl's grandmother). The girl also thinks about how fun it was to flash her 13 year old male cousin. Another female character was forced into prostitution and raped, which causes her to become suicidal according to her culture's customs. She ends up falling in love with the 13 year old. This kind of "horniness" could have been made plot relevant, but again, the book steers away from that sort of 'darkness' and ends rather unsatisfyingly, and somewhat abruptly.
Weak entry, and would otherwise be forgettable without the squicky bits.
I hate to start a review this way, but it really is. The concept here is interesting: There's a 'magic' house set up to attract a very specific group of people by providing nearly everything for them. This could have gone much darker, or much lighter, but it seems more confused about what it wants to be as written. The characters call out the 'honeypot' idea a few times, but go for it anyway. They acknowledge that the house may be influencing them to stay there, but they don't want to leave it anyway. This could have been an interesting exploration of motivations in the face of necessities/leisure.
The house is also a puzzle, which was intriguing. It called to mind escape rooms, which I found enjoyable. Again though, it never seems to know what it wants to be. Is it supposed to be a children's story that touches on dimensional theory? Maybe, it kind of seems like that sometimes with the sort of lock and key puzzle, quick resolution to problems (in a manner very similar to children's stories), but... there's the content.
So, Piers doesn't have the best track record with female characters. We're introduced to the granddaughter by way of a description of her physical attributes... from the point of view of her grandfather (e.g. how well she fills out her clothes). Also she's 15. And then the grandfather seems to suggest that groping her would have been fun to his wife (the girl's grandmother). The girl also thinks about how fun it was to flash her 13 year old male cousin. Another female character was forced into prostitution and raped, which causes her to become suicidal according to her culture's customs. She ends up falling in love with the 13 year old. This kind of "horniness" could have been made plot relevant, but again, the book steers away from that sort of 'darkness' and ends rather unsatisfyingly, and somewhat abruptly.
Weak entry, and would otherwise be forgettable without the squicky bits.
August 27, 2008
Interesting, a mystery and a Sci-fi, I couldn't wait to see what the family discovered next
April 29, 2016
Interesting
If you've read anything else by Anthony, you're aware he's very clever with a pun. This story proves he's also clever with a plot. Well done, sir.
If you've read anything else by Anthony, you're aware he's very clever with a pun. This story proves he's also clever with a plot. Well done, sir.
December 28, 2018
I love Piers Anthony and this is a very interesting concept but this one just rubbed me the wrong way as far as content goes.
January 31, 2010
This story is probably for young adults... but I loved it. It is the story of two grandparents who rent a house... a very unusual house. A house with secrets... doors that open onto different realities... and different places. The house seems to know everything about the people who live there.. their sizes and foods they like, etc. There is much to learn about the house... they invite their 2 grandchildren to spend time with them... to help them learn the secrets in the house.
October 3, 2010
My favorite part of this book was the setting. It took place in Philadelphia, and the book was so interesting I read it twice.
I found this book, subsequently discovering a new author, at one of the darkest times in my life.
The escape from reality through his wonderful imagination worked better at calming me than any medication ever could.
I found this book, subsequently discovering a new author, at one of the darkest times in my life.
The escape from reality through his wonderful imagination worked better at calming me than any medication ever could.
June 23, 2012
I'm not into science fiction anything but this book was really interesting and held my attention. I really didn't like how it all came together in the end but, I'm still glad I read this book I was given by someone. If you do like sci-fi, it's probably worth your time to read this one.
October 1, 2013
Other reviews cover what Mr. Anthony has written. I'll say that I own the 2001 First Print Edition paperback, and I've read and enjoyed it once or twice a year since purchasing it new. An intriguing story, well-told, with twists to keep your attention. Enjoy!
June 28, 2008
This was a great read. I couldn't put the book down. Very interesting idea. I want this house!
May 19, 2021
I hated this. The concept of the house was great and I was fascinated by that but the characters weirdly incestuous nature disturbed me. Everything about Shree's subplot and situation was all kinds of messed up. Her asking for a knife was a surprisingly dark move that I didn't see coming. At least the house's desired rent payments weren't as disturbing as they could've been considering the rest of the book. Unfortunately, it came out of left field and as a result didn't feel like a satisfying conclusion. The whole thing was soured by the creepy sexual content.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 27, 2024
A fun, light-hearted read
I've been an avid Piers Anthony fan for decades and it's great to still be able to enjoy his works of boundless imagination. This is no Xanth novel, but the quest to unravel the secret of the house is a fun journey.
I've been an avid Piers Anthony fan for decades and it's great to still be able to enjoy his works of boundless imagination. This is no Xanth novel, but the quest to unravel the secret of the house is a fun journey.
August 7, 2020
the ending had much to be desired but yes i want to live in that house.
April 22, 2022
This was really good! I honestly wish it was longer, I wish he had made this into a series or something.
August 6, 2010
[This review also appears on FingerFlow.com, a site for review and discussion of creative works.]
Realty Check was not a book I expected to read; I intended to just skim through the first pages and see if it was worth keeping. Before I knew it, I was 30 pages in and fully engrossed.
The story opens with Penn and Chandelle, an elderly couple, looking to rent a house for a few months during the summer. They end up at a strange house that appears to anticipate their needs and wants. The house is furnished the way they like, the closets are filled with clothes and shoes that fit them perfectly and even the refrigerator is filled with food they like. They also discover a computer and a television setup with seemingly limitless access to the internet and an infinite number of channels. Most intriguing about the house are the front and back doors, which can be programmed to open to a variety of different locations and times.
They soon invite their teenage grandchildren, Llynn and Lloyd, to join them at the house to help them figure it all out. They discover hidden chambers, languages and devices that can do everything from enhancing a person's physical abilities to healing wounds. They are eventually joined by a brother and sister they aid in a dangerous situation. All occupants of the house feel an intense desire to explore it's many secrets and find out the purpose of the house.
Piers Anthony has created an interesting concept that snags the reader's attention almost immediately. However, the book is flawed. The dialogue in many cases isn't realistic. While it's interesting to follow along with the logic of the characters as they think out loud, it's also simplistic. There also seems to be an unusual amount of sexual tension in the book, much of it incestuous.
Despite its flaws, Realty Check is a fun book. I enjoyed reading about the different uses the characters found for the devices they discovered in the house and the final explanation for the purpose of the house was intriguing, if somewhat unsatisfying. I thought the theory conjectured by the characters right before they discovered the truth to be more satisfying and sinister: that the purpose of the house was to lure in humans of various ages so that aliens could run a captive breeding experiment with them (and it would have explained all the sexual tension throughout the book). The actual explanation, where the house was recruiting humans willing to be host bodies and tour guides for alien minds was neat and cute and ultimately... meh.
Realty Check was not a book I expected to read; I intended to just skim through the first pages and see if it was worth keeping. Before I knew it, I was 30 pages in and fully engrossed.
The story opens with Penn and Chandelle, an elderly couple, looking to rent a house for a few months during the summer. They end up at a strange house that appears to anticipate their needs and wants. The house is furnished the way they like, the closets are filled with clothes and shoes that fit them perfectly and even the refrigerator is filled with food they like. They also discover a computer and a television setup with seemingly limitless access to the internet and an infinite number of channels. Most intriguing about the house are the front and back doors, which can be programmed to open to a variety of different locations and times.
They soon invite their teenage grandchildren, Llynn and Lloyd, to join them at the house to help them figure it all out. They discover hidden chambers, languages and devices that can do everything from enhancing a person's physical abilities to healing wounds. They are eventually joined by a brother and sister they aid in a dangerous situation. All occupants of the house feel an intense desire to explore it's many secrets and find out the purpose of the house.
Piers Anthony has created an interesting concept that snags the reader's attention almost immediately. However, the book is flawed. The dialogue in many cases isn't realistic. While it's interesting to follow along with the logic of the characters as they think out loud, it's also simplistic. There also seems to be an unusual amount of sexual tension in the book, much of it incestuous.
Despite its flaws, Realty Check is a fun book. I enjoyed reading about the different uses the characters found for the devices they discovered in the house and the final explanation for the purpose of the house was intriguing, if somewhat unsatisfying. I thought the theory conjectured by the characters right before they discovered the truth to be more satisfying and sinister: that the purpose of the house was to lure in humans of various ages so that aliens could run a captive breeding experiment with them (and it would have explained all the sexual tension throughout the book). The actual explanation, where the house was recruiting humans willing to be host bodies and tour guides for alien minds was neat and cute and ultimately... meh.
July 28, 2016
A retirement age couple discovers a strange vacation house for the summer. But when they bring their grandkids along, they make some further discoveries that lead the family on a wild adventure; one that transcends space and time.
One of Piers Anthony’s more modern science fantasy stories, Realty Check is both a break from the stereotypical Xanth adventure, and at times as much that very kind of tale (with significantly fewer puns). Regardless, the style is obviously Anthony’s (as are the archetypal yet believable characters), and while being highly entertaining, it attempts to inject some moral guidance and deep emotional and psychological interaction. It is certainly a highly enjoyable read--even the second or third time!
One of Piers Anthony’s more modern science fantasy stories, Realty Check is both a break from the stereotypical Xanth adventure, and at times as much that very kind of tale (with significantly fewer puns). Regardless, the style is obviously Anthony’s (as are the archetypal yet believable characters), and while being highly entertaining, it attempts to inject some moral guidance and deep emotional and psychological interaction. It is certainly a highly enjoyable read--even the second or third time!
March 25, 2009
The only downside to such a short novel is the lack of depth in-character stuff the author can produce. Still, everyone here is written in such a way that their own unique points come forth. The plot is somewhat fantastical and the suspension of credibility perhaps a trifle overstretched, but for a light read and some interesting comments on the generation gap it's a good choice.
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July 31, 2011I thought there were parts of this novel that were somewhat "Heinlein-esque", but the core of the story is very much in Piers Anthony's style. Another reviewer posted that they thought that this was a children's story. In my opinion, this is absolutely NOT the case! There are some extremely adult themes dealt with in this novel and I wouldn't recommend it to anyone under thirteen years of age.
July 3, 2014
Overall it was okay. I enjoyed most of the premise, finding it somewhat new and intriguing. Some parts were uncomfortable, but I think they were supposed to be. Interesting attempt at a multigenerational story.
September 27, 2012
Interesting concept, but it reads like a YA science fiction novel written by somebody who doesn't think YA readers need adult level writing, if that makes sense. Eh.
June 3, 2013
Not bad, but not sure if it was adult or young adult, serious or comedy.
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews