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Ghost
Earth is an energy-starved madhouse of selfish and superficial inhabitants who have depleted its resources. and where spacers are hated as power wasters. But starship captain Shetland's life is dedicated to finding new energy sources for Earth. Navigating a time ship into the void beyond the universe, the search takes him into deepest space and time where he and his crew discover a galaxy-sized black hole, the ghosts of all reality. The most horrifying ghost of all, the ghost of their universe, where his crew are shattered into beings of pure will. And he found another ghost.
Alice, the chemist of the Meg II, had committed suicide and now wandered its corridors, lost in a lonely, private hell. The rest of the crew were soon to follow her. Beyond the galaxy-sized black hole at the edge of the universe, another universe waited, a universe of ghosts that would turn Shetland and his crew into ectoplasmic energy-beings. and he must help them to regain their humanity.
Alice, the chemist of the Meg II, had committed suicide and now wandered its corridors, lost in a lonely, private hell. The rest of the crew were soon to follow her. Beyond the galaxy-sized black hole at the edge of the universe, another universe waited, a universe of ghosts that would turn Shetland and his crew into ectoplasmic energy-beings. and he must help them to regain their humanity.
288 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published September 1, 1986
6 people are currently reading
490 people want to read
About the author
Piers Anthony
441 books4,215 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 - 30 of 47 reviews
May 13, 2010
Okay, so this book has THE WEIRDEST sex scene I have yet to read: they're standing up, foreplaying and naked, then fall onto the bed, and as they land, he enters her.
I mean, I thought this was science fiction; this is clearly fantasy. Things get injured trying to pull stunts like this. Even as a tween I thought this sounded hard to believe.
Other than that scene, I only remember that the main character had a perfect memory. He remembered EVERYTHING that EVER happened to him. Everything he read, everything he saw...his memory was good enough that he played chess games by memory over periods of months. How cool is that?
August 6, 2018
Woof! No, omg, no. This is so strange, the dialogue is stilted and it’s so weirdly obsessed with sex that I couldn’t even figure out the actual plot that was driving the story (because, to me, it appeared there wasn’t one). Thankfully I paid $2 for this.
May 31, 2020
3.5 stars
This book could have easily been a 4-4.5 star book had it not been for the dated perspectives that the author clearly held (both about women and POC, although i can really only speak for the former) and the bizarre obsession with sex that was weaves throughout the whole book. Also, the sex scenes in this book we’re just bad, so the constant jabber about sex in the book didn’t even pay off when it actually came to the act itself.
Looking past the prejudice (yikes), however, the plot was slow but interesting. I found that the portion of the book that took place on earth very interesting and honestly would have liked to hear more about this era where casting shadows is considered wasteful and people are banned from having children with people from their own race as a form of population control. Those points were very interesting to me and added some spice to the story for sure.
I also really enjoyed the allusions to the deadly sins and to the game of chess in this book, and how every character had characteristics of a sin and a chess piece. I also found it really neat how the author seemed to be suggesting that the deadly sins were actually necessary traits for humans to have in order to survive.
The ending of the book really took the rating down for me, while reading the book i was set at 4 stars, but upon finishing the story i felt more like a 3 was being fair, because it really was just weak. It felt like the author wanted to avoid the obvious ending (she was actually his long lost love all along! OR she was really their daughter all along!) and instead picked an ending that kind of just read as “i mean...i guess this could work” and then the story ended?? so i mean, that was bleh
ALSO what was with the author constantly drawing attention to Tibet and chocolate ice cream? i thought he was going to make a point with it and then there was just?? nothing?? so that was weird
Did i enjoy reading this book? Yeah i mean i finished it in about 3 sittings so i guess it was fun. Would i recommend it to anyone? God no, there are way better things that didn’t made me grimace as much as this one did, so give it some thought before you decide to read this book
This book could have easily been a 4-4.5 star book had it not been for the dated perspectives that the author clearly held (both about women and POC, although i can really only speak for the former) and the bizarre obsession with sex that was weaves throughout the whole book. Also, the sex scenes in this book we’re just bad, so the constant jabber about sex in the book didn’t even pay off when it actually came to the act itself.
Looking past the prejudice (yikes), however, the plot was slow but interesting. I found that the portion of the book that took place on earth very interesting and honestly would have liked to hear more about this era where casting shadows is considered wasteful and people are banned from having children with people from their own race as a form of population control. Those points were very interesting to me and added some spice to the story for sure.
I also really enjoyed the allusions to the deadly sins and to the game of chess in this book, and how every character had characteristics of a sin and a chess piece. I also found it really neat how the author seemed to be suggesting that the deadly sins were actually necessary traits for humans to have in order to survive.
The ending of the book really took the rating down for me, while reading the book i was set at 4 stars, but upon finishing the story i felt more like a 3 was being fair, because it really was just weak. It felt like the author wanted to avoid the obvious ending (she was actually his long lost love all along! OR she was really their daughter all along!) and instead picked an ending that kind of just read as “i mean...i guess this could work” and then the story ended?? so i mean, that was bleh
ALSO what was with the author constantly drawing attention to Tibet and chocolate ice cream? i thought he was going to make a point with it and then there was just?? nothing?? so that was weird
Did i enjoy reading this book? Yeah i mean i finished it in about 3 sittings so i guess it was fun. Would i recommend it to anyone? God no, there are way better things that didn’t made me grimace as much as this one did, so give it some thought before you decide to read this book
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 29, 2017
This novel is set in a near-future dystopia where the earth is suffering from an energy shortage so severe that the world government has attempted to slow population growth -- and thus slow the rate of energy consumption -- by passing laws forbidding procreation between members of the same race. In order to marry someone of your own race, you must agree to undergo voluntary sterilization. The protagonist's backstory is fueled by the painful loss of his fiance who chose to commit suicide rather than leave him to have a family. (Apparently, adoption isn't an option in this society.)
The protagonist, Shetland, a Commander in the Space Service, is suddenly promoted to Captain and given orders to fly a Timeship, the Meg II, to the ends of the known universe to find the Meg I, which failed to return from its mission to fly millions of years into the future to find an energy source to resolve the shortage on Earth.
Although the above synopsis may seem like the solid start to a science fiction novel, Anthony's story fails on so many levels that I simply can't recommend this book. The other negative reviews address most of the plot failures including, as one reviewer put it, that the novel reads like the sexual fantasies of a dirty old man.
That said, my biggest complaint is the author's treatment of women. The book opens with the Commander ogling the woman who is preparing him for his mandatory shore leave to Earth. He reflects on the Space Code which requires any woman in space to happily perform sexual acts on any man who requests such service. Quite far into the novel, we learn that the requirement is reciprocal, but because all but one of the women in the novel is young and slim and beautiful (unlike the men, who are up to 20 years older, balding, weak-chinned, etc.) it's perhaps more of a perk than a burden for the men. (One wonders whether the Code is limited to male/female service or whether men could also proposition other men, which might add some balance.)
Captain Shetland later reflects on women being addressed by their first names while men are addressed by their last names. The author suggests this is because women are more familiar while men are distant, but I believe it's quite well understood that using a surname is a sign of respect, and I would say that women receive none of that in this novel. In fact, there are no women at all in this novel as they are all referred to as "girls" regardless of their age or role on the ship.
I suppose I should also mention that the women in this novel who are either described as being highly intelligent (dead finance) or who have any notable education (the incredibly sexy, 18-year old Physo-chemist), both commit suicide. The one woman who is not a sex object, because she is moderately overweight and 35 and, therefore, not at all attractive, is the ship's cook.
***** SPOILER ALERT ***** After thoroughly shaming this woman for her sin of gluttony in a horrifically detailed scene where she vomits so much that the room she is in becomes knee deep in the stuff, she is ultimately redeemed when the protagonist realizes that his emotional feelings for her are sufficient to overcome her obvious physical defects (i.e. advanced age - she is 35 and he is 38 - and her weight issue, which is described as "not obese" and "moderately overweight").
I suppose this book might be titillating to pre-adolescent males, but any mature person of the 21st century looking for quality science fiction should pass this by. It's not worth your time.
The protagonist, Shetland, a Commander in the Space Service, is suddenly promoted to Captain and given orders to fly a Timeship, the Meg II, to the ends of the known universe to find the Meg I, which failed to return from its mission to fly millions of years into the future to find an energy source to resolve the shortage on Earth.
Although the above synopsis may seem like the solid start to a science fiction novel, Anthony's story fails on so many levels that I simply can't recommend this book. The other negative reviews address most of the plot failures including, as one reviewer put it, that the novel reads like the sexual fantasies of a dirty old man.
That said, my biggest complaint is the author's treatment of women. The book opens with the Commander ogling the woman who is preparing him for his mandatory shore leave to Earth. He reflects on the Space Code which requires any woman in space to happily perform sexual acts on any man who requests such service. Quite far into the novel, we learn that the requirement is reciprocal, but because all but one of the women in the novel is young and slim and beautiful (unlike the men, who are up to 20 years older, balding, weak-chinned, etc.) it's perhaps more of a perk than a burden for the men. (One wonders whether the Code is limited to male/female service or whether men could also proposition other men, which might add some balance.)
Captain Shetland later reflects on women being addressed by their first names while men are addressed by their last names. The author suggests this is because women are more familiar while men are distant, but I believe it's quite well understood that using a surname is a sign of respect, and I would say that women receive none of that in this novel. In fact, there are no women at all in this novel as they are all referred to as "girls" regardless of their age or role on the ship.
I suppose I should also mention that the women in this novel who are either described as being highly intelligent (dead finance) or who have any notable education (the incredibly sexy, 18-year old Physo-chemist), both commit suicide. The one woman who is not a sex object, because she is moderately overweight and 35 and, therefore, not at all attractive, is the ship's cook.
***** SPOILER ALERT ***** After thoroughly shaming this woman for her sin of gluttony in a horrifically detailed scene where she vomits so much that the room she is in becomes knee deep in the stuff, she is ultimately redeemed when the protagonist realizes that his emotional feelings for her are sufficient to overcome her obvious physical defects (i.e. advanced age - she is 35 and he is 38 - and her weight issue, which is described as "not obese" and "moderately overweight").
I suppose this book might be titillating to pre-adolescent males, but any mature person of the 21st century looking for quality science fiction should pass this by. It's not worth your time.
January 15, 2017
A lot of people have given this book one star and decried the author for his crazed prose, clearly influenced and degraded by the use of hallucinogenic drugs. I think these people are wrong, on both counts.
Firstly, this is not a one star book or I would not have been able to finish it. I still have faith that Piers Anthony can write. It is just in this instance he seems to used what talent he has to produce a pretty shitty work of science fiction. Two stars.
On the issue of hallucinogens, I feel that the problem is not that Anthony took drugs at all while writing this book but rather that he didn't take enough. If only he'd started riding that train earlier and with greater vigor, perhaps he could have saved Ghost from becoming the meek and bland trip it ended up as.
The problem with this book is that it is boring, inconsistent, and obsessed with sex. The problems with this book, I mean...
Very little actually happens. None of the characters learn anything, save the protagonist perhaps but that is highly doubtful. A supposed adherence the the principals of "hard" science fiction in the opening stages of the book gives way to fantasy dream-sequence without even giving up a fight. Everyone is boring and two-dimensional, and the numerous plot holes are puttied up with unappealing sex.
Sex is everywhere in this book. It honestly reads like the fantasy of a dirty old man. Even the amazing future jigsaw puzzle (which has an image on both sides) has a naked woman's front and back on each side. And, of course, society's various social norms and mores relating to sex have all advanced to such a point in the book that it's now totally cool for someone to be involved in a vehicular near-miss then bang a bunch of tweens in public at the scene of the accident.
I first heard about Piers Anthony from a podcast, and have wanted to read his books ever since. My understanding is that he melds sci-fi and fantasy, such that I can read about a spaceman crashing on a moon somewhere and fighting orcs. I'm still hanging out for that so am willing to give him another go. For anyone else out there similarly interested in this author's work, I say: do not read Ghost. It's just not worth it. Piers Anthony was so prolific that surely there are other works by him much more deserving of your time and consideration than this.
Firstly, this is not a one star book or I would not have been able to finish it. I still have faith that Piers Anthony can write. It is just in this instance he seems to used what talent he has to produce a pretty shitty work of science fiction. Two stars.
On the issue of hallucinogens, I feel that the problem is not that Anthony took drugs at all while writing this book but rather that he didn't take enough. If only he'd started riding that train earlier and with greater vigor, perhaps he could have saved Ghost from becoming the meek and bland trip it ended up as.
The problem with this book is that it is boring, inconsistent, and obsessed with sex. The problems with this book, I mean...
Very little actually happens. None of the characters learn anything, save the protagonist perhaps but that is highly doubtful. A supposed adherence the the principals of "hard" science fiction in the opening stages of the book gives way to fantasy dream-sequence without even giving up a fight. Everyone is boring and two-dimensional, and the numerous plot holes are puttied up with unappealing sex.
Sex is everywhere in this book. It honestly reads like the fantasy of a dirty old man. Even the amazing future jigsaw puzzle (which has an image on both sides) has a naked woman's front and back on each side. And, of course, society's various social norms and mores relating to sex have all advanced to such a point in the book that it's now totally cool for someone to be involved in a vehicular near-miss then bang a bunch of tweens in public at the scene of the accident.
I first heard about Piers Anthony from a podcast, and have wanted to read his books ever since. My understanding is that he melds sci-fi and fantasy, such that I can read about a spaceman crashing on a moon somewhere and fighting orcs. I'm still hanging out for that so am willing to give him another go. For anyone else out there similarly interested in this author's work, I say: do not read Ghost. It's just not worth it. Piers Anthony was so prolific that surely there are other works by him much more deserving of your time and consideration than this.
February 11, 2022
It's an acid trip, horror, sci-fi sex fantasy story that is written very well but also fails to tell a truly compelling story. While using great language and all around great writing to explain things that lesser writers would struggle to explain, the story falls flat for me. It starts to feel like Piers Anthony was trying to put a little too much of EVERYTHING into this story. Sex. Sci-fi. Horror. Fantasy. Romance. Realism. And I'm sure many others. Within the framework of the whole story I suppose it fits. But just because something fits doesn't mean it's great. Obviously a page turner and written well. But the contents of the story wasn't the most enjoyable. 3 stars. I still recommend at least one read.
June 27, 2011
...the story is pretty much incoherent gibberish. It's like the guy who wrote this had a brain hemorrhage at some point (I'm guessing somewhere around page 60), but was d----d if he was gonna let himself die before he finished his book. Completely incomprehensible things that go down include the captain wandering around a chessboard like Alice in Wonderland, a dragon eating a gingerbread castle, a fat chick puking everywhere, and a part where it's pretty clear that someone doesn't know what the word "incest" means, even though he's using it as an important plot point.
More here:
http://www.mrsatanism.com/books/ghostpanovel.htm
More here:
http://www.mrsatanism.com/books/ghostpanovel.htm
August 22, 2023
This reads like Piers Anthony is a misogynist or a pedophile. Or both. Probably both. Or as if he can’t get any action so he writes about characters getting action in a misogynistic pedophilic way. Also the ending was just, meh.
January 29, 2012
One of those dated sci-fi books from the early 60s that tries to be progressive by making a point to mention diversity. Look, nearly half the crew are women! - of the three, one is the ship's cook and one is a supply clerk or something. Lots of pronouncements about how men are naturally bolder, more promiscuous, etc. Very Heinleinian. Still, I like what it's trying to do with race, at least. Tl;dr: meh.
March 6, 2014
BBC Radio Classic Sci Fi Audiobook
A sci-fi adventure by cult writer, Piers Anthony
First published in `IF Worlds of Science Fiction` magazine September 1966.
NB - A green knitted dress is mentioned; knitted items fairly festoon literature.
A sci-fi adventure by cult writer, Piers Anthony
First published in `IF Worlds of Science Fiction` magazine September 1966.
NB - A green knitted dress is mentioned; knitted items fairly festoon literature.
December 2, 2011
A fascinating, if not very well written look at the near future. It is easy for me to 'imagine' how this could become our reality, after the energy resources of earth are used up, and the irrational world government starts eliminating problems through irrational banning of their sources. Oh, wait...
April 14, 2015
Just not a very well put together book. Not enough depth to the world for a scifi and the plot and writing is pretty awful at times, felt like the author lost interest and winged it. Quite sexist, I know times were different when published but I just couldn't enjoy it at all.
February 6, 2018
Alright, the sex was hella overboard and I could have done without the sexism too but the story... the story was really fucking good actually. If it wasn't for that annoying as narrator I could have enjoyed this a lot more. I also think this would make for a great Doctor Who episode.
February 10, 2019
I enjoyed his explanation of how the book came to be published, however, the story itself was narcissistic verging on pedophilia. It worries me that I enjoyed reading his books at a teenager - I can see elements of grooming as an adult.
July 13, 2020
So this is my first book by the infamous, prolific Piers Anthony. He's been writing books for a very long time, and going by what I just read and what I've heard, it feels like he's one of the last of his breed: the pulp author. It's so strange to see his endorsements on the dust jackets of Tolkien-esque fantasy like Robert Jordan and L.E. Modesitt Jr. when his own work echoes to an older era, to the John Carter days of fantasy and sci-fi.
Take this story. It was published in 1986, but started life as a short story in the 60's. It shows. The characters are stiff, the plot simple (until the climax), and the philosophy shallow and didactic. It has not aged well, with modern readers likely to find the writing of women misogynistic. I'd say it's actually not bad for the 60's, and outside of some outdated language, we do get racial diversity, with a black main character and a crew with several Chinese characters as well. In fact, as mandated by Space Agency of Whatever, they have a a perfectly diverse crew! Race and gender wise, that is.
The story is pretty basic: Captain Shetland is sent on a mission to travel through time, into the future, to find an energy source to bring back to present-day Earth, which has had to limit population growth, food, and common luxuries in the name of resource preservation. He commands a crew that consists of several friends and acquaintances, and the woman he hopes to one day make his wife.
The bulk of the first two-thirds of the novel are conversations. Philosophical, personal, and scientific discussions between the captain and the crew. Lots of pop-physics are bandied about, casual sex is had, and in a shockingly understated scene someone Most of this is just foreshadowing for the climax, and it's not helped by the indistinct characters and the cold pragmatism of our main star. There are some interesting ideas, but it's just kind of slow and stilted. It reminded me a lot of the movie Cube. The need for symbology in the characters superseded the need for them to be human. This book is worse off though, because Cube had some visual flair, shocking moments, and intensity. This is just a lot of talking.
Then the climax hits, and everything goes psychedelic and bizarre. The book improves a lot at this point. We get an interesting scene that the crew sees in cutaway, that serves as our bridge to the ending, which is just completely bananas. It's trippy, but drags on too long, and by the end of it we're just being told directly what it all the means by the narrator. Also, the writing slips at this point. It feels like every other line ends in an exclamation point, like R.U. Slime did some editing work or something. It ends abruptly and abstractly, in a way that would work much better if this was still a short story.
Overall, I don't know. This was just amateurish, and I feel like if Anthony was going to update his decades-old story for a novel, he should have fleshed things out more, made it more punchy. I know the Xanth books, which I've heard also have some outdated gender roles, at least have humor and personality. This felt like an exercise, a book you'd write for a class about a philosophical concept you only half-understood and only took half-seriously. The final message of the book is actually very mundane, it basically states that That sounds more interesting than it is, since the connections are obvious and not very illuminating once drawn.
I will be willing to check out more of Piers' work in the future, namely the Geodyssey series, which seems to have attracted the most positive critical acclaim of his many, many books. Will I dare to dip my toes into the well of his pulp work again? I'm not sure. I did finish this book in a day, so it didn't take up much of my time. Sadly, it also didn't make much of impression. Oh well.
Take this story. It was published in 1986, but started life as a short story in the 60's. It shows. The characters are stiff, the plot simple (until the climax), and the philosophy shallow and didactic. It has not aged well, with modern readers likely to find the writing of women misogynistic. I'd say it's actually not bad for the 60's, and outside of some outdated language, we do get racial diversity, with a black main character and a crew with several Chinese characters as well. In fact, as mandated by Space Agency of Whatever, they have a a perfectly diverse crew! Race and gender wise, that is.
The story is pretty basic: Captain Shetland is sent on a mission to travel through time, into the future, to find an energy source to bring back to present-day Earth, which has had to limit population growth, food, and common luxuries in the name of resource preservation. He commands a crew that consists of several friends and acquaintances, and the woman he hopes to one day make his wife.
The bulk of the first two-thirds of the novel are conversations. Philosophical, personal, and scientific discussions between the captain and the crew. Lots of pop-physics are bandied about, casual sex is had, and in a shockingly understated scene someone Most of this is just foreshadowing for the climax, and it's not helped by the indistinct characters and the cold pragmatism of our main star. There are some interesting ideas, but it's just kind of slow and stilted. It reminded me a lot of the movie Cube. The need for symbology in the characters superseded the need for them to be human. This book is worse off though, because Cube had some visual flair, shocking moments, and intensity. This is just a lot of talking.
Then the climax hits, and everything goes psychedelic and bizarre. The book improves a lot at this point. We get an interesting scene that the crew sees in cutaway, that serves as our bridge to the ending, which is just completely bananas. It's trippy, but drags on too long, and by the end of it we're just being told directly what it all the means by the narrator. Also, the writing slips at this point. It feels like every other line ends in an exclamation point, like R.U. Slime did some editing work or something. It ends abruptly and abstractly, in a way that would work much better if this was still a short story.
Overall, I don't know. This was just amateurish, and I feel like if Anthony was going to update his decades-old story for a novel, he should have fleshed things out more, made it more punchy. I know the Xanth books, which I've heard also have some outdated gender roles, at least have humor and personality. This felt like an exercise, a book you'd write for a class about a philosophical concept you only half-understood and only took half-seriously. The final message of the book is actually very mundane, it basically states that That sounds more interesting than it is, since the connections are obvious and not very illuminating once drawn.
I will be willing to check out more of Piers' work in the future, namely the Geodyssey series, which seems to have attracted the most positive critical acclaim of his many, many books. Will I dare to dip my toes into the well of his pulp work again? I'm not sure. I did finish this book in a day, so it didn't take up much of my time. Sadly, it also didn't make much of impression. Oh well.
November 13, 2019
A lot of people have given this book one star and decried the author for his crazed prose, clearly influenced and degraded by the use of hallucinogenic drugs. I think these people are wrong, on both counts. (Reviewers note - I have adopted a new rating schema which sees this nonsense piece of garbage deservedly bumped down to one star.)
Firstly, this is not a one star book or I would not have been able to finish it. I still have faith that Piers Anthony can write. It is just in this instance he seems to used what talent he has to produce a pretty shitty work of science fiction. Two stars.
On the issue of hallucinogens, I feel that the problem is not that Anthony took drugs at all while writing this book but rather that he didn't take enough. If only he'd started riding that train earlier and with greater vigor, perhaps he could have saved Ghost from becoming the meek and bland trip it ended up as.
The problem with this book is that it is boring, inconsistent, and obsessed with sex. The problems with this book, I mean...
Very little actually happens. None of the characters learn anything, save the protagonist perhaps but that is highly doubtful. A supposed adherence the the principals of "hard" science fiction in the opening stages of the book gives way to fantasy dream-sequence without even giving up a fight. Everyone is boring and two-dimensional, and the numerous plot holes are puttied up with unappealing sex.
Sex is everywhere in this book. It honestly reads like the fantasy of a dirty old man. Even the amazing future jigsaw puzzle (which has an image on both sides) has a naked woman's front and back on each side. And, of course, society's various social norms and mores relating to sex have all advanced to such a point in the book that it's now totally cool for someone to be involved in a vehicular near-miss then bang a bunch of tweens in public at the scene of the accident.
I first heard about Piers Anthony from a podcast, and have wanted to read his books ever since. My understanding is that he melds sci-fi and fantasy, such that I can read about a spaceman crashing on a moon somewhere and fighting orcs. I'm still hanging out for that so am willing to give him another go. For anyone else out there similarly interested in this author's work, I say: do not read Ghost. It's just not worth it. Piers Anthony was so prolific that surely there are other works by him much more deserving of your time and consideration than this.
Firstly, this is not a one star book or I would not have been able to finish it. I still have faith that Piers Anthony can write. It is just in this instance he seems to used what talent he has to produce a pretty shitty work of science fiction. Two stars.
On the issue of hallucinogens, I feel that the problem is not that Anthony took drugs at all while writing this book but rather that he didn't take enough. If only he'd started riding that train earlier and with greater vigor, perhaps he could have saved Ghost from becoming the meek and bland trip it ended up as.
The problem with this book is that it is boring, inconsistent, and obsessed with sex. The problems with this book, I mean...
Very little actually happens. None of the characters learn anything, save the protagonist perhaps but that is highly doubtful. A supposed adherence the the principals of "hard" science fiction in the opening stages of the book gives way to fantasy dream-sequence without even giving up a fight. Everyone is boring and two-dimensional, and the numerous plot holes are puttied up with unappealing sex.
Sex is everywhere in this book. It honestly reads like the fantasy of a dirty old man. Even the amazing future jigsaw puzzle (which has an image on both sides) has a naked woman's front and back on each side. And, of course, society's various social norms and mores relating to sex have all advanced to such a point in the book that it's now totally cool for someone to be involved in a vehicular near-miss then bang a bunch of tweens in public at the scene of the accident.
I first heard about Piers Anthony from a podcast, and have wanted to read his books ever since. My understanding is that he melds sci-fi and fantasy, such that I can read about a spaceman crashing on a moon somewhere and fighting orcs. I'm still hanging out for that so am willing to give him another go. For anyone else out there similarly interested in this author's work, I say: do not read Ghost. It's just not worth it. Piers Anthony was so prolific that surely there are other works by him much more deserving of your time and consideration than this.
October 23, 2018
Piers Anthony is one of those authors who made me fall in love with science fiction and fantasy as a teenager, and his strange blends of genre and character are something I absolutely adore about his writing. Yet, for me, this one didn't work so well as all those other works I've read from him, and came across as not just a bit dated, but somewhat messy and heavy. I'm inclined to think it might have been better if either shorter (and much less complicated) or quite a bit longer (and thus offered more depth), but as it was, I didn't enjoy it quite like I expected. Ghost offers a strange blend of hard sci-fi, metaphysical discussion, philosophy, and the paranormal... and altogether, that's quite a lot for this relatively slim work ('slim' in the world of sci-fi anyway).
It did bring me back to the wonder of reading Anthony and being fascinated by his worlds and characters, however, so I'm looking forward to revisiting works I loved when I was younger, and also some other works that I never got around to. I've never been one for hard sci-fi, so it may be that I just wasn't at all the right audience for this one, though I think it probably will feel somewhat dated (in terms of philosophy and gender and character, if nothing else) to many readers who encounter it.
All told, though, an interesting look at space-time travel, and probably worth the read simply for the way it blended that discussion against the paranormal, sci-fi, and philosophy.
It did bring me back to the wonder of reading Anthony and being fascinated by his worlds and characters, however, so I'm looking forward to revisiting works I loved when I was younger, and also some other works that I never got around to. I've never been one for hard sci-fi, so it may be that I just wasn't at all the right audience for this one, though I think it probably will feel somewhat dated (in terms of philosophy and gender and character, if nothing else) to many readers who encounter it.
All told, though, an interesting look at space-time travel, and probably worth the read simply for the way it blended that discussion against the paranormal, sci-fi, and philosophy.
December 8, 2018
I really like Piers Anthony: one of my favourite authors, but this one wasn't great. Or should I say it was mostly really good, but...I tend to get lost in hard sci fi, and I was a bit overwhelmed by Ghost, mainly in the second half. The sexual situation of this future world Anthony created was interesting, but I found it distasteful. Maybe I was supposed to. Lead character Shetland was strong and the supporting characters were good, but I didn't really care about them. Ghost was humorous in places and intellectually stimulating in others, but overly philosophical, even preachy. In short, this novel was a mixed bag, but I will certainly be reading more of his work. I really enjoyed the author's note too. I particularly liked his confidence in his won work which I found encouraging as a fellow writer.
March 21, 2024
This was written in the late 80s, so yes, it's going to be weird. It is the bad weird however.
I think in it's time, this book would have been pretty decent in terms racism and sexism, but reading it now comes across as awkward and clumsy. There are better novels written in the 80s that do it way better.
Initial premise is fun! Travel in space/time, and enter a parallel universe with... Ghost galaxies. Should have been a fun book, but ultimately not really worth the time to read.
I think in it's time, this book would have been pretty decent in terms racism and sexism, but reading it now comes across as awkward and clumsy. There are better novels written in the 80s that do it way better.
Initial premise is fun! Travel in space/time, and enter a parallel universe with... Ghost galaxies. Should have been a fun book, but ultimately not really worth the time to read.
September 11, 2018
First published as a novella in IF in 1966 as "The Ghost Galaxies", and expanded in 1986 to novel length, I found Ghost very dated and too technically jargon oriented. While it was the book Anthony wanted to write, it doesn't hold the depth, interest and enjoyment I've experienced in his other works.
July 6, 2025
Not a fun read. The premise is...interesting? I guess? But to get to it, you have to slog through the first half of the book, which is Piers being weird about racemixing again. And then you have to wade through him using the words "chocolate" "vanilla" and "yellow" for the skin color of the characters, over and over again. I know this came out in the 80s but good god man.
December 8, 2020
I found it interesting how he created a society that in order to control overpopulation and a lack of resources devalued the emotion of love and replaced it with wholesale promiscuity. His road to get there just was to convoluted for a satisfactory conclusion. Not his best effort.
August 10, 2019
Sexist crap, didn’t even finish.
May 15, 2021
Have to reread. Stilted dialogue but fascinating temporal travel story . Amazing scientific and anthropological view on humanity's beginning
January 17, 2024
I loved all the other Piers Anthony books but this one is absolutely awful. Complete rubbish. I struggled to get some chapters into the book and then gave up.
October 22, 2025
I don't recommend that anyone read this. The story is a mess of ideas that does not work together.
October 18, 2022
I love me some 70-80's books (this one, not so much)
I had read two reviews before starting this book. One of them had mentioned that the book was "weirdly obsessed with sex" - it was not. Not at all. Which was kind of a let down once I got into reading it. I wanted a weirdo sex scene with some aliens or ghost... I was expecting that based of that comment.
The plot was, meh. Save earth. Space time travel. And imagination type stuff that was nearly the same as 'Sphere' (good book).
The sciencey gibberish was way over complicated. So complicated that it was so hard to comprehend. You almost need to just skim over those parts.
The end? What? Did they make it back or were they consumed by the blackhole? What happened to Meg I?
I have so many questions!
Didn't hate it, didn't love it.
I had read two reviews before starting this book. One of them had mentioned that the book was "weirdly obsessed with sex" - it was not. Not at all. Which was kind of a let down once I got into reading it. I wanted a weirdo sex scene with some aliens or ghost... I was expecting that based of that comment.
The plot was, meh. Save earth. Space time travel. And imagination type stuff that was nearly the same as 'Sphere' (good book).
The sciencey gibberish was way over complicated. So complicated that it was so hard to comprehend. You almost need to just skim over those parts.
The end? What? Did they make it back or were they consumed by the blackhole? What happened to Meg I?
I have so many questions!
Didn't hate it, didn't love it.
December 15, 2009
According to the back cover, I read this book in November of 1993... when I took it off the shelf I remembered liking the book, I remembered there was a ghost in space... and that was ALL I remembered. When I got into the book I realized I really didn't remember a thing about it! I find myself wondering how many books on my shelf have false memories attached to them. By the date I was pregnant with DeForest at the time of first reading but can associate no particular events or emotions to it at all. Not sure what that says about the book or my memory! :-D
Anyway! A good bit of interesting space/time travel, although I'm not in any position to judge the validity of his science, the explanations made sense to this blonde and did not bog down the story or confuse the reader. It did however, test my chess knowledge and my word power.... this was not a fast read, and encouraged me to slow down and think about what I was reading. I have to wonder how quickly I must have breezed through it before, especially considering I was pregnant with my second son at the time, and how much I must have missed.
Traveling in a new time/space ship, the crew of the MegII set out to discover what happened to the crew of the first Meg... what they discover is an interesting theory on expanding universes... they encounter what they describe as a ghost... it is an interesting thing to watch the crew fall apart and then get pulled back together by the sheer will power of the captain, who claims to be slow and dim but really is neither.
I enjoyed its struggle of conscious and found the battle at the end to pull everyone back together, kinda like the humpty dumpty dillema... an interesting exercise in the psyche of man. No real antagonist but their own selves, this bit of space romance/ personal conundrum goes back on my shelf with a rating of four. I look forward to reading it in another six or so years time.
Anyway! A good bit of interesting space/time travel, although I'm not in any position to judge the validity of his science, the explanations made sense to this blonde and did not bog down the story or confuse the reader. It did however, test my chess knowledge and my word power.... this was not a fast read, and encouraged me to slow down and think about what I was reading. I have to wonder how quickly I must have breezed through it before, especially considering I was pregnant with my second son at the time, and how much I must have missed.
Traveling in a new time/space ship, the crew of the MegII set out to discover what happened to the crew of the first Meg... what they discover is an interesting theory on expanding universes... they encounter what they describe as a ghost... it is an interesting thing to watch the crew fall apart and then get pulled back together by the sheer will power of the captain, who claims to be slow and dim but really is neither.
I enjoyed its struggle of conscious and found the battle at the end to pull everyone back together, kinda like the humpty dumpty dillema... an interesting exercise in the psyche of man. No real antagonist but their own selves, this bit of space romance/ personal conundrum goes back on my shelf with a rating of four. I look forward to reading it in another six or so years time.
June 18, 2016
I have no idea what this author was thinking when he wrote this book. Maybe he was on drugs or a little retarded at the time he was writing it. No wonder he couldn't find anyone who would publish it. Although I took about 6 months to read a 273 page book which is way too long and at one point I just felt like putting the book down forever I decided that I had to find out what was going to happen by the end of the book.
Ghost starts out on a far future Earth with the main character named Shetland returning from space. The world is obsessed with conserving energy because unfortunately they're running out of resources. Humans generally hate people who waste energy specially if they're what they call spacers. Shetland has come back to Earth for his mandatory space leave but when he meets with his commanding officer he ends up getting a promotion to captain a ship called the Meg II. His mission is to travel to the far edges of the universe through time on this ship which is fueled by emotion. The goal is to find resources for the energy deprived Earth.
Shetland gets set up with a crew of varying skill then the book fast forwards two years later after all their training is done. The author decided to skip through all the training which could have made the book more interesting to read and develope the characters better than he did. There are strange rules on the Meg II such as anyone could have sex with each other at anytime. They called it stress relief and recreational activity haha after the ship takes off from Earth it practically felt like the book had no direction. They travel through time but stay in one place. They end up finding something that could help Earth but then the book ends abruptly.
It's a relief to be done with this book. I'm probably just going to throw it away.
Ghost starts out on a far future Earth with the main character named Shetland returning from space. The world is obsessed with conserving energy because unfortunately they're running out of resources. Humans generally hate people who waste energy specially if they're what they call spacers. Shetland has come back to Earth for his mandatory space leave but when he meets with his commanding officer he ends up getting a promotion to captain a ship called the Meg II. His mission is to travel to the far edges of the universe through time on this ship which is fueled by emotion. The goal is to find resources for the energy deprived Earth.
Shetland gets set up with a crew of varying skill then the book fast forwards two years later after all their training is done. The author decided to skip through all the training which could have made the book more interesting to read and develope the characters better than he did. There are strange rules on the Meg II such as anyone could have sex with each other at anytime. They called it stress relief and recreational activity haha after the ship takes off from Earth it practically felt like the book had no direction. They travel through time but stay in one place. They end up finding something that could help Earth but then the book ends abruptly.
It's a relief to be done with this book. I'm probably just going to throw it away.
July 24, 2013
This was one of the worst pieces of fiction I have ever encountered. The 'science' is bad; the plot overambitious and not even remotely plausible; the protagonist, like the title, a 'ghost' primarily characterized by sexual neurosis.
Why did I finish this?
Well, first, I found it at a local bookstore, being given away for free. Second, I have a close friend who devours SF. Third, I recall having read Anthony with some enjoyment years ago. Fourth, I read it as a bedtime book, a purpose which it did, admittedly, serve well given how boring it was. Fifth, I have a compulsion to finish what I start and there was one plot development, a death and apparent resurrection, which I wanted to see resolved. --It was, in the last two pages of what amounted to an almost entirely unsatisfactory conclusion.
The author adds a postscript about the history of the novel and the story behind it. Since so much of it would only make sense to someone in an altered state of consciousness I was surprised that he didn't include reference to all the acid he was taking at the time.
Why did I finish this?
Well, first, I found it at a local bookstore, being given away for free. Second, I have a close friend who devours SF. Third, I recall having read Anthony with some enjoyment years ago. Fourth, I read it as a bedtime book, a purpose which it did, admittedly, serve well given how boring it was. Fifth, I have a compulsion to finish what I start and there was one plot development, a death and apparent resurrection, which I wanted to see resolved. --It was, in the last two pages of what amounted to an almost entirely unsatisfactory conclusion.
The author adds a postscript about the history of the novel and the story behind it. Since so much of it would only make sense to someone in an altered state of consciousness I was surprised that he didn't include reference to all the acid he was taking at the time.
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