Spirits of Flux & Anchor

Soul Rider, Book 1

By: Jack L. Chalker

Narrated by: Andy Caploe

Cassie did not feel the soul rider enter her body...but suddenly she knew that Anchor was corrupt, and that, far from being a formless void from which could issue ony mutant changelings and evil wizards, Flux was the soure of Anchor's very existence.

The price of her new knowledge is exile, yet Cassie and the Rider of her soul are the only hope for the redemption of both Flux and Anchor.

©1984 Jack L. Chalker (P)2012 Audible, Inc.

the only sci fi books i liked

What made the experience of listening to Spirits of Flux & Anchor the most enjoyable?

read the books when published.......not a sci fi fan.....could not put them down......that was 25 years ago....audible was great.

an excellent, of obscure, read

I remember devouring this series when I was in my mid teens. coming back to it more than 20 years later I still enjoyed it. The world is an interesting one, and this is one of the few series I'm aware of to directly address ideas about gender and identity.

Word per word, excellent!

The beginning of a twisted, exciting adventure from beginning to end. 4 more stories to go!

fun to hear it while driving

I love being able to listen to books I enjoyed reading years ago while driving and running errands.

Christmas in February! Chalker's Triumph Arrives!

If you've read any of my reviews of Chalker's work, then you know I'm one of his biggest fans. Why? Simple. He frequently twists the scifi and fantasy genres, writes deep adult literature that engages, devises exceptional plot lines, crafts characters with "character," and throws our perceptions of what to expect on it's ear.

In two words: "He delivers."

And in Chalker's Soul Rider series, he delivers all of those things, and in spades.

Now, prepare yourself. This isn't for children. It's for adults, and at times it will push your buttons severely. It will challenge your perceptions of the sexes, may upset you, and does not give you a huge background story upfront (It's revealed MUCH later.). So, you know what this means, dear Audible reader.

Uh oh - You're going to have to THINK.

Will I tell you the premise? Some of it, but nowhere near all. Why? Because as usual, I feel the journey can be spoiled, especially in this fantastic series. Also, Chalker gives no hints, and I want you to at least have a bit of background. So, pay attention - Here we go.

Imagine a world draped in the fog of flux powers drifting on the winds, a paradise, purgatory and hell combined, one that humans can, if they have the very rare ability, control the flux, to "magic" the very forces of nature around them, to even change the minds, passions and bodies of men and women. They can, with enough flux control, craft cities and even command nature to create a personal paradise out in the flux. Imagine cities sparsely scattered across the landscape, each unique, each having a tenuous hold against these unbridled powers that vie for control. Each holds back the flux and its wizards at bay by resorting to totalitarian, religious, military or even otherworldly sway over their masses to maintain control and wealth.

These powers are not judicial in their choice of who can shape the flux - Heroes, villains, maniacs, zealots...there are no moral boundaries of who is chosen, and the few cities across the flux have their own a shaky and tenuous trade agreements maintained by stringers, humans who trade goods, services, and even people to their own ends. Wizards themselves, they live out in the flux, but like anyone who rides the flux, you stay in the flux too long, YOU become twisted in your own dark nightmares, and eventually are driven insane.

But there is more...

There are dark forces, unseen and unexpected, beneath all this. Inhuman. Unfeeling. They have a sweeping, world-changing plan. And they have chosen a human to join with, to make this a reality. And the human host has no idea that this has already begun.

Would you believe there's more? A LOT more?

Well, there is, and again, Chalker DELIVERS. I read this series a long time ago, and consider it timeless and required reading. This thought-provking and challenging listen and its sisters in the series belong in any Audible fantasy or scifi listener's collection. You'll listen to this more than once, because it's incredibly rich in story, and you'll get more out of each listen.

So, its Christmas in February! Thanks, Audible! This is a present that I won't return!