Split Infinity

Apprentice Adept Series, Book 1

By: Piers Anthony

Narrated by: Traber Burns

Length: 13 hrs and 8 mins

Publisher's summary

On the technological, decadent world of Proton, someone was trying to destroy Stile, serf and master Gamesman. His only escape lay in Phaze, a world totally ruled by magic. Soon he learned that his alternate self had already been murdered, and that he was next. On Proton, his fate depended on winning the great Games. On Phaze, he must master magic to survive. And if he used any magic at all, his friends were determined to kill him at once!

Be sure to check out all of the titles in the Apprentice Adept Series.

©1987 Piers Anthony (P)2010 Audible, Inc.

Critic reviews

"To solve his own demise, Stiles must travel between the two realities, each abounding with the expected confusions and unexpected plot twists for which Anthony is famous. An artful blending of SF and fantasy clichés and situations, Split Infinity shows Piers Anthony at the top of his ingenious game(s)." (Amazon.com review)

In a class of its own!

This book is a wonderful start to one of the all time great series! Don't miss this joy ride!

Great book, narrators mouth sounds almost ruin it

Love this series, it's a fantastic story, but this choice of narrator, was not so good. You can hear lips smaking or tongue moving or some kind of mouth sound, and it's super distracting..

Pleasantly Surprised

Almost deleted the book after the first chapter. But was surprised at how incredibly good it was when I followed it all the way to the end.

Really good sci/fi fantasy!

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I would definitely recommend this to a friend and I have to several. It is a really good story that you don't want to put down. It is fast paced and the writing is good with plenty of twists and turns. I read this book 20 years ago and was glad to have it read to me on a long drive. It was like a visit from an old friend.

What other book might you compare Split Infinity to and why?

Piers Anthony is really a one of a kind and I find it hard to compare his books to others.

Have you listened to any of Traber Burns’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I have not listened to Traber's performances before. I enjoyed this one. He doesn't stumble over words and is consistent.

Interesting Worlds -- that require brains

Two very different worlds, kept apart by, well a secret. One would seems to to be a strange sci-fi world, the other a fantasy world. The rules are different. And they were connected - hence if you live in both worlds you have to keep your whits about you. Sci-Fi, Fantasy requiring some Gray Matter!

Loved this book, now love the audio form!

I loved this series as a youth. I am so happy that audible has gone back and gotten this series! Anyone, who loves fantasy will love this series. The narriator is excellent, and the book is great, well worth the money.

Favorite series

one of the best stories I have read. I remember reading it in my teens and I am almost 40 now and still love the series

A BIT OF FANTASY

Would you consider the audio edition of Split Infinity to be better than the print version?

In some ways yes, I can work and drive and still hear the book, can't do that when reading.

What did you like best about this story?

The two worlds and the fantasy of robots that were like real people.

Have you listened to any of Traber Burns’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

Not sure,

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

I could have, but time didn't allow it, it had to be in two days.

Good story, but shows its age

Split Infinity was released in 1980. While the core story remains a classic hero's journey of discovery and rise to power, the carrier novel for the story does show its more than thirty years.

Some of the dialog is heavily stilted for the ears of someone who is used to modern fantasy from authors who built upon frameworks like these. There are times it's difficult to really empathize with the story, and there are more than a few moments where I was booted right out of suspension of disbelief. If this were a modern story, just released today, I'd have to call it an amateur work from a raw author.

This book was NOT released today, however. And despite its faults, artifacts of its age and not the author's skill, it is still a good story and an solid piece to drown out the monotony of one's workday. I would note here that the entire Apprentice Adept series is almost perfectly sized for one per (extended) workday; handy, that.

Traber Burns did an excellent job of breathing life into the moments that threatened to fall flat, with a sort of steady voice that allowed me to paint a mental image of Stile in a way that reading them so many years ago did not.

A visit with an old friend

This is the start of one of my rereading of this series. The fact that it is an audible title is a joyous bonus.