Blue Adept

(Book Two: The Apprentice Adept)
by
Piers Anthony

Del Rey, May 1981, 327 pp.
ISBN: 0-345-31424-7

Genre: Fantasy

Subgenre: Science Fiction
Reviewed: 9/29/2009

Reviewed by: Conan Tigard

Book Cover

Excerpt

The Coming of the Worm

All too soon the Worm arrived. It was indeed a dragon--a vicious worm grown monstrous. The Worm exhaled a puff of steam and slid forward. Its legs were puny compared to its bulk, but the horrendous claws seemed fully adequate to the task of gutting a human efficiently. The Worm's tube-like mouth opened to show a ring of six-inch teeth, pointing inward.

The metallic scales were drab and dirty, but Stile had no doubt they were invulnerable to ordinary attack. Theoretically, the point of a sword could be slid up under a layer of scales--but that could lead to a shallow, slanted wound that would only aggravate the monster. And what would the Worm be doing while the swordsman was making such an insertion?

All this, Stile realized abruptly, was academic. He did not have a sword. He has forgotten to conjure one!

Synopsis

Stile is now the Blue Adept while on Phaze. Yet, back on Proton, he is a highly-talented surf that competes in the Great Games so he can become a Citizen. But Stile has a major problem . . . on both worlds. Someone powerful is trying to kill him. The old Blue Adept on Phaze has a wife, Lady Blue, and she has not fully accepted Stile for the role he now owns. She treats Stile with distain, even though Stile has found that he has fallen in love with her.

Back on Proton, Stile is moving up the rungs of the Tournament. He knows that he must win the games to become a Citizen, but he finds himself to be quite exhausted by traveling back and forth between the two worlds and looking for the person that is trying to kill him. With the help of his friends, he deduces that the person that has intent to harm him in both a Citizen and Adept like himself.

On Phaze, he travels to most of the adepts to confront them, but is unable to figure out who has it in for him. And to top it off, he is tasked with seeking out the ultimate weapon that will enable him to destroy Phaze, something he does not want to do, but is prophesied to do so.

Thinking he can alter foretold events, Stile begins his quest to change the future. If only that were possible . . .

Blue Adept is the second book in The Apprentice Adept series by Piers Anthony. Unlike most Science Fiction or Fantasy series, this series takes place in both genres. While on Proton, this is a Science Fiction story and while on Phaze, it is a Fantasy story. 

Review

I have loved the main character of Stile for decades. Boy, does that make me ever sound old . . . but it is true. I first read this series many years ago and it has remained one of my favorites. I quite enjoy the mix of Science Fiction and Fantasy, something you do not find very often.

As for Piers Anthony, he was my favorite author for a decade or so until the Xanth books became more and more silly and young reader oriented. But the Adept series stands on its own two feet and is a wonderful series. I like that Stile became an Adept and that he has magical powers in Phaze that are musical-based.

Yet, on Proton, all of his talents have been learned over the years by competing in the Tournament. The mystery of why Stile is being hunted and who it could be kept me turning pages late into the night. In fact, I was so excited by the end of this book, I picked up the next book in this series right away just so I could find out what was going to happen next. I don't usually do that. I generally like to read a few other books between ones in a series, but I just couldn't help myself.

The Blue Adept is an excellent book that I just couldn't put down. I cannot wait to finish the initial trilogy of books with Juxtaposition. It promises to be another wild ride.

I rated this book a 9 out of 10.