Muse of Art (Geodyssey/Piers Anthony, Vol 4)

Author of more than two dozen New York Times bestsellers, Piers Anthony is one of the world's most popular storytellers. His epic Geodyssey series is one of the most breathtaking creations in the history of imaginative fiction. It conveys the vast sweep of human history with stunning immediacy through the stories of men and women like ourselves who experience some of the most profound turning points in the human chronicle. It is the arts that truly define humanity and set us apart from all other species on earth. In a rousing, passionate story that ranges from the mists of prehistory to a terrifyingly plausible near future, Muse of Art explores the special talents that have inspired and motivated us since the earliest days of our existence: curiosity and creativity, seduction and survival, destruction and healing. We view some of the most explosive eras in human history through the eyes of three remarkable women: Avalanche, the alluring beauty skilled in the arts of love and desire; Melee, the headstrong young noblewoman who learns to mold men to her will; and Talena, the wise and lovely weaver of tales who embodies Eve, the primordial mother of the human race. Through them we take part in the occult mysteries of Egypt, the savage wars of the Olmecs, the violent clashes between the Romans and Celts, the court intrigues of ancient Cambodia, the savagery of Attila the Hun, the Napoleonic Wars, and the siege of Stalingrad in the darkest days of World War II. And we look ahead to a harrowing future overshadowed by a devastating plague. And we come to understand the terrifying paradox that confronts us today: that the same gifts that brought us to the pinnacle of civilization now threaten to destroy the human race. As Piers Anthony writes in his introduction to Muse of Art: