- Paperback: 368 pages
- Publisher: Collins; New edition edition (10 Sep 1992)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0586213465
- ISBN-13: 978-0586213469
- Product Dimensions: 17.5 x 11.2 x 2.8 cm
- Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 1,098,958 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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More About the Author
Product Description
Product Description
Colene was unhappy until she found a man unconscious by the side of the road, with no identification on him. She helped him and began to communicate with him. His name was Darius and he was searching parallel worlds to find an individual of power to help his dying world.
About the Author
Piers Anthony is the creator of a number of bestselling series, including ‘The Magic of Xanth’, ‘The Apprentice Adept’, ‘The Bio of a Space Tyrant’, and ‘The Incarnations of Immortality’. He is also the author of the bestselling novelisation of the film ‘Total Recall’. Anthony lives in Florida.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I am a great Piers fan, although to date I have read mostly Xanth books. Recently I bought the Mode Trilogy, of which this is the first book, trusting that these would prove to be of a similar standard. Hand on heart I can tell you I was not disappointed - and neither will you be!
Although completely different in style to the Xanth books, being devoid of puns and giggles galore, it is a brilliant book. The main character is very real, don't be put off by her being described as suicidal, this is not a depressing book. The storyline is excellent, gripping, fast-moving and unpredictable. I didn't have time to get bored (nor put the book down) before I had finished the first part and eagerly snatched up the second part, Fractal Mode, very glad that I had opted to buy all three at once. The story continues, the standard remains high and I have no idea how it is going to end! How wonderful!
Although completely different in style to the Xanth books, being devoid of puns and giggles galore, it is a brilliant book. The main character is very real, don't be put off by her being described as suicidal, this is not a depressing book. The storyline is excellent, gripping, fast-moving and unpredictable. I didn't have time to get bored (nor put the book down) before I had finished the first part and eagerly snatched up the second part, Fractal Mode, very glad that I had opted to buy all three at once. The story continues, the standard remains high and I have no idea how it is going to end! How wonderful!
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
39 reviews
10 of 10 people found the following review helpful
Not for me, but not intended to be, either
29 Aug 2001
Format:Paperback
As a longtime fan of Piers Anthony, I wasn't overly impressed with this book, or the remainder of the series (although I haven't read it all yet, and I do intend to finish it). I didn't feel drawn into the characters, and the story itself didn't enthrall me. However, this may be mainly because I am not the target audience for this series; judging by other reader reviews I have read, adolescent females feel a very strong bond to the lead character, and the book seems to touch thier emotions on a very personal level. I feel this is one of Anthony's strengths, the ability to write very specifically to his audience, and reach them completely, even if this lowers the appeal for others. If you are not an adolescent female, or have not been one, this may not be the book for you. However, it may provide some insight into what motivates and interests today's female youth.
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful
A Darkly Glorious Book That Pulls Few Punches
13 May 2001
Format:Paperback
I sympathize with the reviewer who said that the first few pages of _Virtual Mode_ turned them off of the book. I was given this novel as a gift when I was about eleven or so; I, too, read the opening passage and was disturbed into putting the book away, not touching it again for another year. Yet once I really began to read it, I found myself drawn into a grim reality where even the wonders of magic cannot compensate for the horrors of the human psyche.
I adore the protagonists: Colene, the mentally and emotionally twisted young woman whose attitudes and perceptions have been skewed almost beyond recognition; Darius, a man whose rigid sense of honor threatens to strangle his chances of happiness; Seqiro, Prima, and all the rest. Their conflicts and challenges may not be the stuff of epic fantasy, but they're interesting and can give one food for thought. Most moving of all, at least for me, was the exploration of Colene's emotions, history, and motivations. Anthony doesn't whitewash her situation: she's a deeply disturbed individual, and one who has cause to be that way.
I must admit, though, that as much as I love this book, I couldn't recommend that children--or possibly adolescents--read it without reservations. The folk who've said that it's full of sex are right; further, there's blood, vulgarity, remembered rape, and a host of other such things. While they add to the power of the story, they might (or might not) be considered inappropriate for younger readers. I doubt my mother would have gotten it for me when she did had she known what it was really about... but then, I didn't have any problems understanding it and certainly wasn't traumatized by it.
It's also true that the heroine is awfully young for all of the sexual situations she gets into, and that one could see the portrayal of women as sexist if one really wanted to do so. I personally read and enjoyed the story without worrying about such things, but I think that anyone who says _Virtual Mode_ shows sexism just may have a point. (Anthony *has* begun to disturb me in recent years with his fixation on the sexiness of very, very young women, but that's a subject better reserved for a Xanth review.) If such things offend you, you may wish to give this a skip.
Otherwise, I can say with enthusiasm that I feel _Virtual Mode_ to be a wonderful novel, one whose story and characters have stayed with me for years. Readers who enjoyed Anthony's Incarnations of Immortality series may find this one especially appealing, as its resemblance to that saga seems much more pronounced than any to the perpetually punny Xanth.
9 of 10 people found the following review helpful
An awesone book and series!!!
24 Mar 1999
Format:Paperback
Virtual Mode is one of those novels that really blow my head away. Colene is one of the most realistic characters that I have ever encountered in my life. Her pain and suffering are something that I can relate very well. For those that think that the things that happen to her doesn't happen in real life, well I have bad news for you, they do happen too often for my taste. Rape, depression, suicide, dyfuntional families, etc... are part of the reality of many people right now. Horrible to hear but truth, but what makes Virtual and its main character so humane and wonderful is her spirit to fight in adversity, even though she still is depressed and want to die.
Also the world of the Virtual Mode is amazing!! Piers really create a world full of multitude of realities.
I can't wait for DoOon Mode, the last novel, to know what will happen to Colene and Darius!! I really want them happy!!
I think this is the best series that Piers has written. And it is not a surprise considering that most of the inspiration of Colene come from real life suicidal teenage girls, asking him for help.
So if you haven't started reading this series, do so!! You will never regretted it.
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