Subjects:  1. Anthony, Piers - Prose & Criticism    2. Babies    3. Fantasy    4. Fantasy - General    5. Fiction    6. Fiction - Fantasy    7. Humorous    8. Kidnapping    9. Xanth (Imaginary place)    10. Fiction / Fantasy / General   

Reviews (4)

Xanthtastic
I don't know if anyone else has noticed, but beyond the puns in the Xanth books lie really good stories.The puns are, of course, outrageous.You either love them or think they're hopelessly stupid.
well,he has definetly still got it
well,ive got to say,the newest xanth installment has it all.adventure,puns(of course),a lot of traveleing,and of course panties and kissing and the like.haha.but its real good.im not done,i lack about a 100 pages or so.i got it yesterday at the local library and am almost done.i of course will wait until its out in paperback before i buy it.i have 20 of the 29 xanth books as of now.and am looking forward to continuing the series and my collection.i strongly recommend it to any fantasy fan,light or serious.if your new to xanth you will still enjoy it id say.id also recommend reading the sword of shannara trilogy by terry brooks or tolkien of course,ra salvatore,i could go on.

Pet Peeve.... kinda torn on this one
I am kinda torn on what I think of Piers Anthony's newest Xanth book.
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Subjects:  1. Fantasy    2. Fantasy - General    3. Fiction    4. Fiction - Fantasy    5. Humorous    6. Fiction / Fantasy / General   

Reviews (186)

Brilliant worldbuilding undercut by the shoddiest of prose.
Piers Anthony, On a Pale Horse (Del Rey, 1983)
Not too pleased.
Though the author seems to have some interesting philosophy behind his writing, I was not impressed with the dialogue and setting of the book. The creation of this scientific/magical future was unbelievable to me. The conversations between the characters seemed forced and badly timed. To me, the only time when the story flowed was when the writing led to the internal workings of the characters' minds.

Death is only the beginning [no spoilers]
"On A Pale Horse" begins the "Incarnations of Immortality" series as an immature Zane seeks to improve his dismal life in a world filled with a curious blend of magic, religion, and science. Rudimentary character growth and environmental imagery laced among stereotypical behavior of mostly chauvinistic male and scatterbrained female figures cater to the young reader with the typical vocabulary in most fast-paced Piers Anthony storyline.Regrettably an ominous intensity and the dreadful powers of Death could have created a genuinely classic novel.
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Subjects:  1. Fantasy    2. Fantasy - General    3. Fantasy - Series    4. Fiction    5. Fiction - Fantasy    6. Fiction / Fantasy / General    7. Modern fiction   

Reviews (48)

Evil's best and brightest [no spoilers]
"For Love Of Evil" continues the "Incarnations of Immortality" series around the year 1205 as apprentice sorcerer Parry contacts a young village maiden to offer her a brighter future.A touching romance with outstanding character development and plotline organization without the logic-laced discussions and customary vocabulary (historically observed in the Piers Anthony series) presents what the preceding volumes should have accomplished.
For the Love of...
Out of the seven books in this series, this has to be the most interesting."With a Tangled Skein" is by far my favorite, but this book ties together all the previous book and helps bring more sense to them than you could grasp had this book not been written.Much like "Weilding a Red Sword," a new view of Satan is uncovered, leading the reader to a deeper understanding of the natures of good and evil, which only grows with the final book.Anthony is not preaching to his readers, allowing us to follow and learn where we will.As much as I hate to admit it, being such a great fan of Book 3, this is the best of the series.
A fun and different read
Piers Anthony must have had quite the task to write this book.He had to take Satan that he had written about in the five previous books and give him a history and make sense of what it was that he was trying to achieve.
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Subjects:  1. Fantastic fiction    2. Fantasy    3. Fantasy - General    4. Fiction    5. Fiction - Fantasy    6. Fiction / Fantasy / General    7. Science fiction   

Reviews (48)

Good but not great [no spoilers]
The "Incarnations of Immortality" series concludes with "And Eternity" as the ghost Jolie senses someone familiar dying.Reduced character maturity diminishes the normal vocabulary and extensive logical investigation.An emotional struggle versus Satan and the prevailing influence of Good could have generated an enormously astonishing novel.
And Eternity felt like it would never end...
I have read all of the IOI series, and most of Mr. Anthony's other books, and I really enjoy his work for the most part.I especially enjoy the Incarnation series, with a few exceptions, this being one of them.Through six other books, Mr. Anthony has created an intricate web of characters and events, establishing a series of relationships among the other Incarnations, in order to bring about the character of Orlene.She is associated with all the other Incarnations in one manner or another (Death is her "uncle", Time is her former lover, Fate is her grandmother and foster grandfather, War is her father, Nature is her mother, and Evil is her stepfather).And yet, despite the fact that Mr. Anthony has spent all this time and effort setting the stage for her, she plays a secondary role in the novel, as the main character of the book is Jolie, the mistress of Satan.This ploy could have been interesting, if not for the fact that Orlene is a completely uninteresting and unsympathetic character, spending most of her time whining and apologizing to people.In a series full of dynamic characters, she is a disappointment as a protaganist.Also, the major issue I had with the series as a whole (besides the fact that the second book didn't make any sense) was that the character of Luna, the woman who would balk Satan and save mankind, was never fleshed out beyond a two dimensional character whose only role in the series seemed to be to dish out little prescient tidbits of knowledge she gained due to her dead father.She had such potential when the series began in On a Pale Horse, and just got less and less interesting as the series progress. (Side note:I really like the series overall, just took issue with certain aspects).The addition of the hooker Vita and the Judge Roque served little purpose, other that to have the other characters express disapproval at consenual statuatory rape and then say "oh well, I guess if he really loves her, then its okay, and I have learned a lesson about my views on sin".Mr. Anthony runs this theme throughout the book, that things like suicide and abortion and being a victim of rape should not way on the soul.This I agree with.I do not agree, however, with the aquiessence of the other characters on the issue of Vita, however.

An ending full of hopes
First of all, I want to state beforehand that Piers Anthony's IOI serie is one of the most enticing of the Science Fiction/Fantasy series I read until now. It truly represents an original work of art, and AND ETERNITY is the crowning achievement or, I dare to say, its sublimation. Unlike the other six novels, the transformation in the incarnation of Good is fulfilled towards the end in a completely unexpected way. The one destined to become the most important of the incarnations undergoes an interesting character development with a detailed and step-by-step psychological and spiritual evolution. All this is augmented by Anthony's superb writing mixed with elements and thematics such as love, sacrifice, compassion and redemption. Some reviewers here claim that the characters are shallow; such a thing is misleading: most of them we already know through the previous books and we take them a bit for granted (plus there was also some predictability, but that was easily forgiven); however key ones change in a significant way. I wish there was more of this masterpiece, or at least I hope there will be others. I simply thank wholeheartedly Piers Anthony for this terrific ride that started on a pale horse. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Fantasy    2. Fantasy - General    3. Fiction    4. Fiction - Fantasy    5. Fiction / Fantasy / General   

Reviews (38)

Bink goes adventuring
Piers Anthony's Xanth series is full of puns and light-hearted humor. "The Source of Magic" is the follow up to "A Spell for Chamelion." In the first book, Bink found his mangical talent. Now Bink is married and works as a magic researcher for King Trent. With his wife very pregnant and very angry, Bink is sent off on a quest to discover the source of the magic in Xanth.
Bink, the noble moron
It's getting a tad boring in the life of Bink of North Village.The feeling of great accomplishment he gained from trying to find his talent, and ending up saving Xanth from total anarchy has decayed about as much as the zombies of castle Roogna.Bink is left wanting, by a deteriorating home life with Chameleon and a lack of action.With all of this in mind, and the return of all of his friends from around Xanth to remind him of his previous adventure, he believes that it is finally time that he take on his task given to him by King Trent at the beginning of his reign to discover the source of magic in Xanth.So with all of his friends, a centaur named Chester, a human transformed into a Griffin, Crombie, and a Gnome that goes by the name of Good Magician Humfrey by his side, he undertakes his quest which fills him with enough action and adventure for any normal person's whole lifetime, luckily Bink is not just a normal person.
Bink and the search for the source of magic.
I think that I must have read this book at least 400 times at one point in my life. My Xanth books (particularly the early ones) have been read nearly to death and stand as a tribute to how good Mr. Anthony was at catching young minds.
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Subjects:  1. Fantasy    2. Fantasy - General    3. Fantasy - Series    4. Fiction    5. Fiction - Fantasy    6. Fiction / Fantasy / General   

Reviews (24)

War, what's it good for? [no spoilers]
"Wielding A Red Sword" resumes the "Incarnations of Immortality" series as the mysterious Mym becomes enamored by Orb, a stunning woman with phenomenal musical skills.The reader experiences the typical vocabulary and extensive logical analysis as with most fast-paced Piers Anthony novels.Exceptional character (especially during the beginning) and Incarnation growth advances the series adequately.A merciless campaign challenging Satan and the mighty force of War could have developed into an extremely explosive novel.
Great Book!
As with the other Incarnation books, this one makes you think.I love Piers and the idea of people doing the jobs of incarnations is fascinating.Another great book from Mr. Anthony.

Deffinitely the middle Child
It's obvious that this was the middle book of the series.While ver good, it seemed a little lacking compared to the others.Mym though, is an incredible character and, like with the others, you are drawn to him and come to truly care about his welfare.War is terrible, but this book puts a new spin on the 'office' and helps the reader to understand that this position that Mym has taken is not simply about death and destruction--love is as much a battle as is war.
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Subjects:  1. Fantastic fiction    2. Fantasy - General    3. Fiction    4. Fiction - Fantasy    5. Science Fiction    6. Science Fiction - General    7. Fantasy    8. Fiction / Fantasy / General   

Reviews (48)

Time is tough [no spoilers]
The "Incarnations of Immortality" series sequel "Bearing An Hourglass" introduces the trekking Norton as he receives a suspicious proposal while camping.Simple character development laced in stereotypical behavior of commonly opinionated male and empty-headed female figures surrounded by subtle environmental friendly messages caters to the young reader.Also, one finds the usual vocabulary and lengthy logical deductions as in most fast-paced Piers Anthony stories.A formidable earnestness to the plot and the masterful potency of Time could have produced a truly profound novel.
Bearing An Hourglass (Incarnations of Immortality, Book 2)
I usually do not care for a series that changes main characters, but the Piers Anthony seemed to do a good job. After a slow start the book became engaging enough to keep me interested and progressed to a very satisfying conclusion. The book would have been 5 stars, but the subject (TIME) was a bit difficult to explain easily and slowed everything down.
Not as good
This second book in the Incarnations series was, for all intents and purposes, the worst of this incredible series.Becasue of Time's nature, many parts of the book are incredibly confusing and need to be read a couple of times.I think that maybe this book should have been switched with "With a Tangled Skein" as these two are more interwoven than they are with some of the other books.I suggest you take your time and pay attention to this one.And keep it handy as you read the others if possible.
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Subjects:  1. Fantasy    2. Fantasy - General    3. Fantasy fiction    4. Fiction    5. Fiction - Fantasy    6. Short Stories (single author)    7. Fiction / Short Stories (single author)   

Reviews (35)

Nature's meandering landscape [no spoilers]
A magically gifted Orb quests for the Llano, an omnipotent musical score, in "Being A Green Mother", the fifth installment of the "Incarnations of Immortality" series.The bizarre final chapters undervalue the beginning's remarkable character development as the storyline is filled with the standard vocabulary and considerable logical breakdowns throughout the series.An arousing crusade opposing Satan and the powerful energy of Nature could have built a tremendously amazing novel.
Lossy and glossy.
Being a huge fan overall of the entire Incarnations series, that means that Tough
As much as I love the charachter of Orb, and the love story that unfolds in this book, it was disapointing to say the least.The importance of Nature is apparent, but it unfortunately is a struggle to stay entertained until the end.I'm glad that Piers anthony decided to finish the series completely and not leave off wiht this book.
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Subjects:  1. Fantastic fiction    2. Fantasy - Series    3. Fantasy fiction    4. Fiction    5. Fiction - Fantasy    6. Science Fiction    7. Science Fiction - General    8. Applied ecology    9. Child care & upbringing    10. Fiction / Fantasy / General   

Reviews (27)

A Par Above.
I think this is one of Anthony's better of the series, at least in terms of its organic completness. Although it covers a lot of ground, only the adventure into the gourd seemed ad hoc fluff. A much less involved ramble would have sufficed to explain the blank token, as it is an important element for the end of the story. Aside from that, the demon's beauty contest seemed a little forced, probably due to little character build up for the part of prince Vore. With a little more effort, Anthony could have developed a better underpinning for love (as he has done so many times before), rather than the superficial clap-trap that is presented here. However, these are sins of commission, rather than omission, and could be as easily laid at the feet of the editor. Overall the book comes together better at the end than do many in this series; as well as tying up a number of lose ends left over from past books. Although not a fantasy classic, any fan of the Xanth series will like it as well or better than most of the others in the series. So if you have read all the ones before this one, chances are you will enjoy it well enough to continue on to the one that comes after.

Its old now
By this time Piers Anthony is losing the magic that made him so refreshing a read in the first place. There's hardly anything new and even the puns are getting dull. I think its time he moved on to other works. If he doesn't, then his readers will.

too much too much
Yes, he's quite the wit with puns and words and phrases, and yes it's fun.... but enough already. Let us have some interesting storyline too!I think I still like best the story A Spell For Chameleon. It washeartwarming.Roc and a Hard Place is just an exercise in wordiness.Doeshe get paid by the word?No character development, no plot development,just more and more and more of the same. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Anthony, Piers - Prose & Criticism    2. Fantasy    3. Fantasy - General    4. Fantasy fiction    5. Fiction    6. Fiction - Fantasy    7. Xanth (Imaginary place)   

Reviews (26)

Fated to greatness [no spoilers]
"With A Tangled Skein" continues the "Incarnations of Immortality" series as Niobe confronts her father about an arranged marriage to Cedric Kaftan.A charming romance and improved character development advance the series satisfactorily surrounded by cheap behavior of regularly narrow-minded male and silly female figures.In addition, one finds the characteristic vocabulary and extended logical reasoning as in most fast-paced Piers Anthony narratives.An unrelenting confrontation against Satan's designs and the ingenious influence of Fate could have weaved an exceptionally interwoven novel.
Absolutely Wonderful
This was the first of the Incarnations books that I read, and fell in love with the series within the first couple of chapters.I was already a Piers Anthony fan, loving the Xanth series, but this series is much more mature and has deeper plots and characters than the light Xanth books do.You feel for the characters, come to love them, and this is what happened when I began reading about Niobe and her life.Honestly, this book has changed and influenced my life in a many ways, and silly as that may sound.
Lots of fun, Packed with Twists & Turns
After "Bearing an Hourglass" I just wasn't sure if I wanted to continue with Anthony's Incarnations of Immortality series, but was convinced by the reviews here on Amazon to give the third book a shot. I have to say that I enjoyed Fate's story almost as much as Death's story "On a Pale Horse". "Skein" is packed with great characters that you really cheer for. I don't even want to give away a hint of the story, but I felt that "Skein"'s plot has been the best of the series so far, and really makes you want to read the next book of the series. Anthony's unique writing style is so much fun. And the story of Fate is just so imaginative and engrossing you won't be able to put this book down once started. With Summer almost upon us, I would highly recommend you throw a copy of "Tangles Skein" into your beach-bag with you tanning lotion, as this almost a perfect summer read. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Fantastic fiction    2. Fantasy    3. Fantasy - General    4. Fantasy fiction    5. Fiction    6. Fiction - Fantasy    7. Science fiction    8. Fiction / Fantasy / General    9. Modern fiction   

Editorial Review

Though already developing a successful career in SF with such headynovels as Read more

Reviews (147)

Fantastic Story
A spell for Chameleon is about a young man, Bink, who lives in country overflowing with magic (Xanth) but has none for himself. All of the inhabitants of Xanth must have a magical talent and those who don't are exiled to Mundania. The demagicked country on the other side of the shield. Excellent fantasy full of puns
A truely unique storyline. In A Spell for Chameleon, Piers Anthony begins one of the most remarkable stories I have come across. I read this many years ago when it first came out and recently revisited it. Even after a decade it still holds the same excitement that it had when I first read it.
Phantasy Addicts!
A Spell for Chameleon is a rich, vibrant story, overflowing with the thickest fantasy from the mind of Piers Anthony. Fantasy lovers would appreciate the originality of the world of Xanth, and the creativity of Anthony's style. The world of Xanth is by far one of the most potent fantasy settings I've ever been drawn into, and the content reminds me why I loved fantasy so much to begin with. Complete with it's own history and follow up books, A spell for chameleon is the doorway novel into an extremely colorful and worthwhile read.
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Subjects:  1. Fantastic fiction    2. Fantasy    3. Fantasy - General    4. Fantasy - Series    5. Fantasy fiction    6. Fiction    7. Fiction - Fantasy    8. Xanth (Imaginary place)    9. Fiction / Fantasy / General    10. Science fiction   

Reviews (29)

Ogre, Ogre
I started reading A Spell for Chameleon and enjoyed it so much I've read up to Ogre, Ogre now. I just wish I could find all the books in one place.

If magical creatures are your thing, then enjoy this!
Ogre, Ogre has a myriad of magical creatures residing in the land of Xanth:ogres, fairies, nymphs, centaurs, goblins, dragons, dryads, brassies and more.As in a typical Xanth novel, our two heroes, Smash the Half Ogre and Tandy the Nymph Girl, approach the Good Magician Humphrey for answers to their questions.When Smash arrives, Tandy has served the customary year for her answer.Smash, being a normally stupid ogre, couldn't even remember what question he wanted to ask the Magician.The quest for both of their answers pairs Smash and Tandy up on the way to the home of the Ancestral Ogres.Along the way, Smash also becomes the protector of 6 other females with quests of their own.Plot twists occur as Smash battles for his and Tandy's souls in the gourd world from the Night Stallion himself.There are violent battles with several kinds of monsters, and Smash must decide whether to draw upon his ogre strength or his human intellect.It is only after Smash and Tandy reach their destination that they both realize how the Magician answered their questions for the best.
Amazingly "punny"
This book is what caused my addiction to Xanth novels (along with whomever I shared the book with).It combines all the characteristics of an amazing series: humor, love, friendship, action.I've read this book over three times and I still can't get enough.I recommend this and every other Xanth book to all fantasy literature enthusiasts! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Fantastic fiction    2. Fantasy    3. Fantasy - Series    4. Fantasy fiction    5. Fiction    6. Fiction - Fantasy    7. Xanth (Imaginary place)    8. Fiction / Fantasy / General   

Reviews (45)

Not my favorite, but OK
In my opinion this is not one of the better Xanth books. It sort of drags along but some interesting and good things happen. As for those who continue to complain that there are too many puns all I can say is "then quit reading them unless you like to be unhappy"!!!

Not the best but not bad
Another trip to Xanth, a new trip to Ptero.The Xanth books always had a fairy tale quality to them.Yes they get predictable, but so does every fairy tale.the good guy wins, the bad guy loses, we have fun along the way, and all's well. Faun...not really......
Faun and Games by Piers Anthony is about an almost unbelievably decent faun named Forrest.Although, he cannot resist his faunish nature, he endures with two or three lovely creatures on a quest to save a friend's tree.They discover several different worlds to find that one special faun.At last, Forrest finds the spirit to fill in the tree and, also, gets more than he's asked for.Read more

Subjects:  1. Fantasy    2. Fantasy - General    3. Fantasy - Series    4. Fiction    5. Fiction - Fantasy   

Reviews (15)

More trashy Anthony
Any fantasy fan with half an ounce of sense has known to steer clear of Antony for a long time, but no book has made the reason why as blatently clear as this one.
Anthony should have left it alone
I have been enthusiatic about the Xanth series for about five years now.I really enjoyed all the earlier books, but this one is just not good.The puns are front loaded into the book and not nearly as funny as usual and I don't care for the preteen girl characters much either.In one part he has them trying on panties forever.It's somewhere between boring, bizarre, and perverted.

Another great Xanth book!
Filled with ludicrous puns, an exinting double-storyline, six featured characters, and a full-out battle for a goblin cheifship, The Color of Her Panties is a great book for ages 12+ ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Fantasy    2. Fantasy - General    3. Fiction    4. Fiction - Fantasy    5. Fiction / Fantasy / General    6. Science fiction   

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Reviews (6)

A Blooming Romance
Currant Events (2004) is the twenty-eighth Fantasy novel in the Xanth series, following Cube Route.Clio and her eight sisters are the Muses of Xanth.As the Muse of History, Clio writes the various volumes of the Xanth saga.
PA is going into the dirty old man phase
I have been reluctant to buy any of PA's books for awhile now since he seems to have been going more to the sex side of the stories than the original fun Xanth puns etc.
Currant Events
I know I am in a minority but this has to be the most boring, and poorly written book I have read in a long.The description of people and places left me with very little to work with pictorally. I have been writing short stories for children for many years so I don't lack imagination.
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Subjects:  1. Anthony, Piers - Prose & Criticism    2. Endangered species    3. Fantasy    4. Fantasy - General    5. Fantasy - Series    6. Fiction    7. Fiction - Fantasy    8. Historians    9. Historiography    10. Humorous    11. Xanth (Imaginary place)    12. Fiction / Fantasy / General    13. Bargain   

Reviews (12)

Great Introductory book
Never read a Xanth book before?This might be a good place to start.This book give a good history for all the major characters leading up to this book.Although it does give away the ends of previous books, it doesn't reveal the plots (and puns) in the other books.And, let's be honest, the puns themselves are the great reason for reading about Xanth.

A good overview
I love the Xanth Series, though to begin with I read several of them out of order.While each one is a fine stand alone novel, the more you know the better, and this book helped until I got all caught up.Again, lots of puns and fun stuff, but the best part of this book for regular Xanth readers is the Answer of who the Good Magician is and where he came from.Appearing in every book (i think) he is the director of quests, the all-knowing Oz to whom everyone turns for Answers, and this book give you the when, who and how of his life.Why does he charge a years' service, what's with the challenges, where did the Big Book come from - these are all answered in this fun book,as Humfrey recounts where he's been in order to get where he is going.A great Xanth novel!

A tome of history
At last, "Question Quest" is the long-untold life story of Good Magician Humfrey- and his five-and-a-half wives."What?" say Xanth fans."I thought he only had one wife."You'll have to read the book to find out...Read more

Subjects:  1. Fantasy    2. Fantasy - General    3. Fiction    4. Fiction - Fantasy    5. Fiction / Fantasy / General   

Reviews (10)

A short story, a quick read
As a kid I really enjoyed the Piers Anthony Xanth series, so I figured I would probably enjoy the writing style of this book. Unfortunately I think my tastes have changed in 20 years. While the book was entertaining for the most part, I have to agree with the other reviewers: It was written for children, or probably more specifically, "the child in all of us". It was also a very quick read. Parts of the story, including a major plot feature (I won't spoil it) felt very tacked on (and as it turns out, that feature was tacked on, according to the author's notes at the end). I give it 2 stars: It did cover unusual sexual territory, as promised, but fell quite short on actual adult entertainment.

Pornucopia
As a Piers Anthony fan I was very disappointed with this book. I was forewarned of the humorously sexual nature of the book. As a mature, sexually secure adult, I expected an adult, amusing story about penis envy. The humor and sexuality of the book is written at 9-year-old boy "potty talk" level-- enthrallment with human excretement of any type from every orifice. Freudians would have a heyday with Piers revealed psychotically love/hate obsession with anal sex.
Not from Amazon, please
I can get this to work on my PC but not on my PDA. Unfortuantely carrying the Desk Top with me isn't that handy, I find paperbacks easier.
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Subjects:  1. Fiction    2. Fiction - Science Fiction    3. Science Fiction    4. Science Fiction - General    5. Fiction / General   

Reviews (7)

Loved it -- have read all the Xanth novels
I laugh so much I cried. This was a great book.

Truly an amazing book.
A magificant book to read, as well as the other fascinating Xanth series. I really think this book opens the mind to explore new imaginative things, a wide variety of creatures, and the great puns of course. The story line is really creative with the mixture of mundanes and talents, and as well as different spells and characters. Was really a good book to read, I recommend it to all fantasy readers.

A Typical New Xanth Book
and as typically unrecognized for its new levels of depth by some