Cultivated Nonsense » piers anthony

Book 4: Castle Roogna

Jason — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 14:10:12 +0000

Title: Castle Roogna
Series: Xanth (Book 3)
Author: Piers Anthony
Pages: 336

Summary
Bink’s son, Dor is sent on a quest to restore the zombie Johnathan to full life again. In the process he travels back in time to the very beginnings of the golden age of Xanth to seek aid of the Zombie Master who was living at the time.

Notes (Minor Spoilers)
As previously mentioned, this is my second read through this book, the third in the Xanth series. It’s probably my favorite of the initial (planned) trillogy of books.

I like the fact that through his adventures in the past, Dor eventually ends up creating many of the strange features of Xanth’s landscape that the characters from earlier books wondered about.

At this point in my book reading, I was starting to get a little burned out by all the puns, so I temporarily diverted myself over to another series to recharge. But I will return back to Xanth soon.

Book 3: Source Of Magic

Jason — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 14:00:08 +0000

Title: Source Of Magic
Series: Xanth (Book 2)
Author: Piers Anthony
Pages: 336

Summary
Following his quest to prove that he has a magic talent while simultaneously bringing gigantic amounts of change to the world of Xanth, Bink is sent out on another quest to determine the ultimate source of magic. But his efforts are opposed by an unseen enemy that seems bent on stopping him at every turn.

Notes
This is the second book in the Xanth series, so a lot of what I said about the first book earlier still stands. More puns, more adventure, more magic, all just as entertaining as the first book.

Honestly, it seems like the first three books in the series are mostly just setup for the adventures to come, fleshing out the mechanics of the world and building up situations which are then further exploited in the later books.

Book 2: A Spell for Chameleon

Jason — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 12:42:12 +0000

Title: A Spell for Chameleon
Series: Xanth (Book 1)
Author: Piers Anthony
Pages: 352

Summary
Xanth is an enchanted world where practically everything in it had magic. Names for things are often quite literal. Shoe Trees are trees that grow shoes, for example. In fact, one can find most anything they need growing on a plant. All humans living in Xanth have their own individual magical talents ranging from being able to turn objects different colors to truly fantastic abilities such as transformation and weather control. Everyone except Bink that is. This book deals with his quest to discover exactly what his magical tallent is before he is exiled for not having one.

Notes
I have read this book before, but after reading the Lord of the Rings again, I decided I needed something a little more on the…light side. So I decided to start re-reading the Xanth series. Wassy introduced me to these a while back and I really enjoy them. Puns everywhere! Often times groan worthy puns…but that’s what really makes the flavor of the universe so awesome. They’re quick reads, but very well written and highly entertaining.

Although (at least the early books) they tend to have a bit of a formula to them which makes them tough for me to read in quick succession. I get a little burned out on the puns after 3 or so books, so I ended up taking a break. (The other two books I read will be coming soon…trying to catch up with my book posting)

[50 in 365] Book 4: Night Mare – Completed

Jason — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 19:54:11 +0000

Night Mare (Xanth Novels)

Piers Anthony

Yup. I'm totally screwed. It's now April and I've been averaging 1 book a month since the beginning of the year. I swear I thought I read more than this!

In any case, here's my final thoughts of Piers Anthony's Night Mare, one of the books iin the Xanth series of novels.

As far as Xanth books go, this was probably my favorite one. The famous puns were there but they seemed to be toned back from previous efforts which enhanced the actual storyline of the book considerably. It's also made better because it seems by this point in the series, the world of Xanth has been well defined. So Piers Anthony doesn't have to spend time explaining the mechanics of the world. The storyline of this novel crosses the entire Xanth universe which gives it kind of an epic feeling which is good based on what the story was about.

And the twist towards the end of the book I never saw coming. But looking back on it, it doesn't seem forced or implausable like so many twists can seem. The book was carefuly constructed in such a way that if you don't know what the twist is, it's almost impossible for you to figure it out. But if you know what it is, you can find supporting evidence all over the place.

A very well written book and highly recommended to those interested in a fun, light-fantasy novel.

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[50 in 365] Book 4: Night Mare

Jason — Fri, 07 Mar 2008 17:29:56 +0000

Night Mare (Xanth Novels)

Piers Anthony

I've been a little slow in reading these books but I'm not giving up yet. I decided that I needed a couple of quick read books to catch up. So I picked…

Night Mare
By Piers Anthony

My friend (Wassy) introduced me to the Xanth series. It's very…off beat although very well thought out. The situations are strange, the characters are interesting and the puns run wild.

The world of Xanth is a magical one, where most often something operates exactly as it sounds. Fly paper is paper that flies. A shoe tree is a tree that grows shoes.

Sometimes the puns can be a bit much but overall it's a really fun series so far. I've been working my way through it and I'm currently reading the sixth book after a bit of a break after the first 5.

So far so good, but I expected to like this one.

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