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Cluster #3
Kirlian Quest
Two warring galaxies unite against a common threat in this continuation of the New York Times-bestselling author's Cluster series.
Twice before, Milky Way Galaxy has been on the verge of extinction, and twice before, a heroic defender has come forward to throw back the invaders from Andromeda Galaxy. In Kirlian Quest, the galaxies are united in an alliance of peace. But Hweeh of Weew, the Milky Way's leading research astronomer, observes that Amoeba--just beyond the galaxies' common frontier--is expanding ominously in the direction of the twin galaxies. Herald the Healer is called in. Armed only with his hyper-intense Kirlian aura, he wages an almost single-handed battle against the greatest threat ever to face the galaxies. But first he must unravel the secrets of the Ancients--astounding secrets whose import could never have been imagined . . . For a thousand years Sphere / of Andromeda was cursed by the other spheres because a representative, Llume of /, betrayed Andromeda during the Second War of Energy. As Kirlian Quest opens, a new threat has appeared on the the Space Amoeba, a fleet of alien ships one million strong, whose intentions are definitely hostile. Herald the Healer, aural (but not literal) descendant of Flint and Melody, who is a / of Andromeda, has the chance to redeem his species' honor and save the galaxy, but in order to do so he must solve the riddle of the Space Amoeba and of the Ancients themselves.
Twice before, Milky Way Galaxy has been on the verge of extinction, and twice before, a heroic defender has come forward to throw back the invaders from Andromeda Galaxy. In Kirlian Quest, the galaxies are united in an alliance of peace. But Hweeh of Weew, the Milky Way's leading research astronomer, observes that Amoeba--just beyond the galaxies' common frontier--is expanding ominously in the direction of the twin galaxies. Herald the Healer is called in. Armed only with his hyper-intense Kirlian aura, he wages an almost single-handed battle against the greatest threat ever to face the galaxies. But first he must unravel the secrets of the Ancients--astounding secrets whose import could never have been imagined . . . For a thousand years Sphere / of Andromeda was cursed by the other spheres because a representative, Llume of /, betrayed Andromeda during the Second War of Energy. As Kirlian Quest opens, a new threat has appeared on the the Space Amoeba, a fleet of alien ships one million strong, whose intentions are definitely hostile. Herald the Healer, aural (but not literal) descendant of Flint and Melody, who is a / of Andromeda, has the chance to redeem his species' honor and save the galaxy, but in order to do so he must solve the riddle of the Space Amoeba and of the Ancients themselves.
330 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1978
13 people are currently reading
572 people want to read
About the author
Piers Anthony
445 books4,228 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 - 20 of 20 reviews
July 7, 2015
The cluster series gets better with the first three novels. Kirlian Quest is one of the few novels to successfully take on an intergalactic scope and pull it off.
The one problem is that science fiction writers keep forgetting about that speed of light thing.
The one problem is that science fiction writers keep forgetting about that speed of light thing.
December 12, 2024
This book pretty much bears out to me that Piers Anthony is a writer only of interest to adolescents. Even here, where he tries to, in his own words, write something other than “funny fantasy,” his limitations are more obvious than his range. He does, at least, manage to go for several pages at a time without either making puns or talking about sex, but never for entire chapters. He tries to think in terms of intergalactic science and culture, but mostly winds up reproducing Medieval standards of heraldry and nobility. He tries to come up with original alien races, but mostly draws ideas from human technology (“here’s a planet where everyone has wheels!” “Here’s one where everyone is a jet plane!” “Here’s a planet where people are mining drills!”).
The story fits in to the “Cluster” series of novels, and the title is based on the idea that psychic ability (known at the time for appearing in so-called “Kirlian” photography as hazy smudges on the picture) will facilitate traveling huge distances without tremendous energy expenditure or breaking the Laws of Relativity. In this story, the local “cluster” civilization is menaced by a threat from intergalactic space that apparently can break those laws and muster that energy, requiring a desperate race to develop new technological knowledge to defeat them. Or, rather, old technological knowledge, because it happens that the “Ancients” left behind traces of a vast, intergalactic empire that didn’t rely on Kirlian powers either.
Our protagonist is ostensibly a “Slash” – a breed of alien that rolls on sharp-edged wheels and shoots lasers from its eyes – but that’s irrelevant since it spends no time whatever in its own body, hopping about from one “host” of its Kirlian essence to another. Of course, when it is in human form, it falls in love with an underage girl. This is Piers Anthony, after all. It also has sex with an underage Jet, whose name, “Sixteen,” tells you everything you need to know about Anthony’s interests.
Anyway, I guess people who aren’t utterly creeped out by Piers Anthony will find this book among his better work.
The story fits in to the “Cluster” series of novels, and the title is based on the idea that psychic ability (known at the time for appearing in so-called “Kirlian” photography as hazy smudges on the picture) will facilitate traveling huge distances without tremendous energy expenditure or breaking the Laws of Relativity. In this story, the local “cluster” civilization is menaced by a threat from intergalactic space that apparently can break those laws and muster that energy, requiring a desperate race to develop new technological knowledge to defeat them. Or, rather, old technological knowledge, because it happens that the “Ancients” left behind traces of a vast, intergalactic empire that didn’t rely on Kirlian powers either.
Our protagonist is ostensibly a “Slash” – a breed of alien that rolls on sharp-edged wheels and shoots lasers from its eyes – but that’s irrelevant since it spends no time whatever in its own body, hopping about from one “host” of its Kirlian essence to another. Of course, when it is in human form, it falls in love with an underage girl. This is Piers Anthony, after all. It also has sex with an underage Jet, whose name, “Sixteen,” tells you everything you need to know about Anthony’s interests.
Anyway, I guess people who aren’t utterly creeped out by Piers Anthony will find this book among his better work.
May 14, 2025
Hweeh of Weew, a protoplasmic entity astronomer has found something terrifying about the hitherto innocuous stellar region called the Amoeba. So terrifying that it sends Hweeh into catatonia and Herald the Healer is sent for to heal him. Herald has an aura above 200, the highest known in the Galaxy, but he has no idea how to heal him. When another urgent call comes he takes Hweeh with him to continue his treatment. The new case is one of supposed Possession, but Herald finds that the young humanoid Psyche has intermittent aura values above even Herald’s, which accounts for the accusations. With the assistance of Psyche in her high aura phase they discover what happened to Hweeh. The Amoeba is actually an enormous invasion fleet headed for the Cluster hell-bent on wiping out all Aural Sapience! It seems the only way to fight them will be with Ancient technology, but they apparently died out three million years ago. However, Herald and Hweeh find evidence that they may still exist, in the form of modern Jets. Only one problem - the Ancients’ technology won’t be able to help. Piers Anthony has given us another pretty cool adventure yarn, imbued with hippie Tarot and Kirlian auras and weird interspecies sex, but nevertheless entertaining enough. Book 3 of 5.
April 7, 2025
I've got myself in my usual predicament of having to give this four stars like the last one - and Piers has himself in one of his usual predicaments of problematic content. Despite this, he manages to wodge together medieval nonsense, ruthless aliens, sci-fi bobbins and bonking into a book that carries you along despite your best intentions..
July 26, 2018
I haven't read the first 2 books in the series, but that if anything made it more interesting - I had to pick up a lot by implication and context (though it explained the basics pretty early on). instead of being frustrating or offputting, that made it more engrossing for me, like this was an already existing world I'd just been dropped into to explore.
as for the book itself, it's compulsively readable, as piers anthony almost always is. there's nothing particularly deep about it, philosophically or scientifically, but as a fun space-opera-ish romp through a handful of galaxies it serves well. the setting/background is really interesting and exotic (in the non racist way), fleshed out just enough to keep things flowing. the main character is a brooding schmuck, but he gets pushed back into action frequently so that doesn't kill the momentum. there are a handful of times where the characters (directly) assume things to be true based on little to no evidence, which bugged me. the bad guys never felt very menacing because, even though they nearly blow up multiple galaxies, every snippet we get of them at work mainly shows bumbling incompetence.
tldr it's a lot of fun, but dopey.
as for the book itself, it's compulsively readable, as piers anthony almost always is. there's nothing particularly deep about it, philosophically or scientifically, but as a fun space-opera-ish romp through a handful of galaxies it serves well. the setting/background is really interesting and exotic (in the non racist way), fleshed out just enough to keep things flowing. the main character is a brooding schmuck, but he gets pushed back into action frequently so that doesn't kill the momentum. there are a handful of times where the characters (directly) assume things to be true based on little to no evidence, which bugged me. the bad guys never felt very menacing because, even though they nearly blow up multiple galaxies, every snippet we get of them at work mainly shows bumbling incompetence.
tldr it's a lot of fun, but dopey.
January 2, 2015
Really like tarot or skip a lot ..
Political Geography appendix of clarifies puzzling symbols, enclosing alien conversations - would've helped to know for previous two. Herald the Healer, high aura Outworlder Flint descendant from infamous planet Andromeda Slash /my next client .. needs me to exercise a ghost from his castle/, eases passing of quadpoint Smallbore :: I perceive terrible pain for you, worse than that of death itself :: p 27.
On a human world, the Duke of Kador defends his lovely daughter Psyche from accusations of possession that killed her mother. Whirl, the Enemy Witness, Earl of Dollar, is honorable, and agrees that her Kirlian aura fluctuates from "glow in the gloom" p 143 to "even in daylight". Furious Prince orders her burnt, sends crocodile-like Duke of Qaval to besiege, who calls "treachery .. tactics" p 122.
Astronomer Hweeh collapses into puddle at thought of faroff Amoeba. Like a villain whose name is too evil, cannot be spoken, mention of the subject causes shock, coma. While the castle falls, Herald and Psyche heal Hweeh to the point of disclosing mortal danger "we are the target" p 143.
Like rest of series, techniques of love are more cool than hot. "It was a very fast, very thorough, very delightful lovemaking" p 137. Possible X-rating when fragile flower beauty stripped, manacled, scorched, screams. Could she not just vanish? Symbol ties back to #2 "Tarot .. naked woman chained for a monster" p 155.
The solution lies in Ancient ruins on Mars.
Political Geography appendix of clarifies puzzling symbols, enclosing alien conversations - would've helped to know for previous two. Herald the Healer, high aura Outworlder Flint descendant from infamous planet Andromeda Slash /my next client .. needs me to exercise a ghost from his castle/, eases passing of quadpoint Smallbore :: I perceive terrible pain for you, worse than that of death itself :: p 27.
On a human world, the Duke of Kador defends his lovely daughter Psyche from accusations of possession that killed her mother. Whirl, the Enemy Witness, Earl of Dollar, is honorable, and agrees that her Kirlian aura fluctuates from "glow in the gloom" p 143 to "even in daylight". Furious Prince orders her burnt, sends crocodile-like Duke of Qaval to besiege, who calls "treachery .. tactics" p 122.
Astronomer Hweeh collapses into puddle at thought of faroff Amoeba. Like a villain whose name is too evil, cannot be spoken, mention of the subject causes shock, coma. While the castle falls, Herald and Psyche heal Hweeh to the point of disclosing mortal danger "we are the target" p 143.
Like rest of series, techniques of love are more cool than hot. "It was a very fast, very thorough, very delightful lovemaking" p 137. Possible X-rating when fragile flower beauty stripped, manacled, scorched, screams. Could she not just vanish? Symbol ties back to #2 "Tarot .. naked woman chained for a monster" p 155.
The solution lies in Ancient ruins on Mars.
August 18, 2013
Piers Anthony is my favorite author, but this book was not very good.
Let me clarify that: it is not as good as the first two books in the series -- and some of his other series are better series. BUT, this is actually a great series, and PARTS of this book are great. Maybe even half of the book is great. But the parts that are not great have things that make them terrible. The protagonist behaves very very foolishly sometimes. This book also has more plot holes than any other Piers Anthony book I've read: i.e., multiple times in the book I thought "That's ridiculous!" The overall plot was good, most of the characters were good, there were some plot twists, sometimes too much foreshadowing. There was too much of 'Speculation speculation speculation!" from the characters. Sometimes it's fun, but other times it's ridiculous. Overall the great parts of the book probably make it worth reading for someone who likes the kind of writing that Piers Anthony does (character depth, good story, etc.), but the book still doesn't deserve more than around 3 stars!
Let me clarify that: it is not as good as the first two books in the series -- and some of his other series are better series. BUT, this is actually a great series, and PARTS of this book are great. Maybe even half of the book is great. But the parts that are not great have things that make them terrible. The protagonist behaves very very foolishly sometimes. This book also has more plot holes than any other Piers Anthony book I've read: i.e., multiple times in the book I thought "That's ridiculous!" The overall plot was good, most of the characters were good, there were some plot twists, sometimes too much foreshadowing. There was too much of 'Speculation speculation speculation!" from the characters. Sometimes it's fun, but other times it's ridiculous. Overall the great parts of the book probably make it worth reading for someone who likes the kind of writing that Piers Anthony does (character depth, good story, etc.), but the book still doesn't deserve more than around 3 stars!
July 15, 2013
This book was not as good as the previous two. It doesn't really start to get interesting until the second part of the book. The first half is just setup for the more interesting adventures, that come later, and these adventures don't stack up very well to the ones that came before. It's nice to learn more about the world, and to discover what the ancients were really like, but I deduced who the ancients were far before the end and it didn't make me feel smart, it was just obvious. It also doesn't wrap up very satisfactorily. It basically ends with a blurb saying read my next series! Which, b the way is the Tarot series which I remember enjoying, though I remember very little about it. The next two books in the series apparently come before this one chronologically, which if I had known I would have read them first. Still, since I have read the previous book recently it should be fine.
March 14, 2025
Herald the Healer, from infamous Andromeda Slash, high aura Outworlder Flint descendant, eases passing of quadpoint Smallbore; she warns of danger. Lovely human Psyche is not possessed; her Kirlian aura fluctuates; Prince orders her burnt. Astronomer Hweeh collapses into puddle at thought of faroff Amoeba - invading. The solution lies in Ancient ruins on Mars. Includes 2-pg symbols Political Geography.
June 28, 2009
I liked this one, which was originally supposed to be the final book in the trilogy, but turned out to be the 3d of 5. The series got me interested in learning more about the history & workings of Tarot, too. I'm always amazed by the sheer volume of subjects Anthony has familiarized himself with!
October 16, 2009
An okay book. Became predictable by the end.
July 12, 2010
Cluster (Cluster, Bk. 1) by Piers Anthony (1977)
January 30, 2011
Grade C+. Book C3.
October 10, 2011
I think he over-reached on this one. He gets a little tiresome.
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September 26, 201214
November 20, 2012
O.K. I've read 3 of this series. Apparently, there is a 4th book, which I do not have.
These stories were o.k., not great. They read quickly & were somewhat entertaining, but not terribly exciting.
These stories were o.k., not great. They read quickly & were somewhat entertaining, but not terribly exciting.
May 1, 2015
imaginative aliens.
Read
June 4, 2015Haven't read these since I was a teen. Still very unique sci-fi. Going to read the whole series!
November 27, 2008
Truly an awful book.
May 25, 2012
Young adult 10-15
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews