Muse of Art explores the special talents that have inspired and motivated us since the earliest days of our existence: curiosity and creativity, seduction and survival, destruction and healing. We view some of the most explosive eras in human history through the eyes of three remarkable women: Avalanche, the alluring beauty skilled in the arts of love and desire; Melee, the headstrong young noblewoman who learns to mold men to her will; and Talena, the wise and lovely weaver of tales who embodies Eve, the primordial mother of the human race. Through them we take part in the occult mysteries of Egypt, the savage wars of the Olmecs, the violent clashes between the Romans and Celts, the court intrigues of ancient Cambodia, the savagery of Attila the Hun, the Napoleonic Wars, and the siege of Stalingrad in the darkest days of World War II. And we look ahead to a harrowing future overshadowed by a devastating plague. And we come to understand the terrifying paradox that confronts us today: that the same gifts that brought us to the pinnacle of civilization now threaten to destroy the human race.

VERY disappointing after the first three. By book 4, the premise is no longer enough to carry the book. The characters in this one are annoying, and Anthony's preoccupation with sex and young girls is disturbingly prevalent. ( )