Orphaned and blind seven-year-old Callie has a service animal – a goat with extraordinary powers. Ben Hemoth is a down-on-his luck news reporter facing prison. Needing to save his job and his reputation, he teams up with Venus, a young seductress caught up with a teenage drug gang. When a mysterious letter arrives detailing a top-secret investigative operation, Ben and Venus think they’ve found their chance for redemption. The mission? Investigate a goat.
In exchange for an extravagant paycheck, Ben and Venus must piece together the wild rumors swirling around Callie, her supernatural goat, and a possible UFO visit.
My Review
3 out of 5 stars
If you are a fan of some of Piers Anthony’s other books like Hair Power, then you’ll feel the same about this book. The story has a pretty similar alien plotline only with a change in alien species and some of its powers. The world is much like our own with strange twists and characters that make for a fun read. The point of view in the novel changes between two different character arches that end up coming together which makes the reader feel close to all the main characters. Unfortunately, this format becomes taxing at times since parts are essentially repeated in the story, making the reader re-read each occurrence twice.
The main problem I found in the novel was the lack of stakes, or a real feeling that something bad could happen. The alien had so much power that it was hard to believe there would be a plausible threat that wouldn’t be able to be solved as easily as every other conflict that arose. Along with this point, many of the scenes seemed exactly the same: someone would find out about the alien, they would be quickly silenced, then this was repeated with the next character.
The book had its ups and downs, but it was a entertaining read with its unusual characters and situations.
DISCLAIMER: I received a copy of this book for free in exchange for writing a review. I was not obligated to give a positive review, and all thoughts are my own.
About the Author
Piers Anthony is one of the world’s most prolific and popular authors. His fantasy Xanth novels have been read and loved by millions of readers around the world, and have been on the New York Times Bestseller list many times. Although Piers is mostly known for fantasy and science fiction, he has written several novels in other genres as well, including historical fiction, martial arts, and horror. Piers lives with his wife of 60 years in a secluded woods hidden deep in Central Florida.