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Customer Reviews (19)

great book
this was given as a gift. My son just loved it. Thanks for the speedy service.

Xanth 24: The Dastard
Xanth #24: The Dastard, by Piers Anthony

While most people in Xanth have a magic talent, many of the talents are minor - the "spot on the wall" variety. Usually only Magicians and Sorceress' have powerful talents, such as being able to transform any living creature into something else.

Anomy has a useless magic talent - the talent of stupid ideas. Frustrated by this, he sells his soul to a demon for a much more powerful talent - the ability to rewrite history. With his new talent and soulless self, Anomy changes his name to the Dastard, and sets out to erase happy people and events all over Xanth.

Three bored princesses, Melody, Harmony, and Rhythm, happen to see the Dastard erase a happening in the magic tapestry in Castle Roogna. The princesses are bored and see this as an opportunity for an adventure; and their parents let them go see the Good Magician to find out how to keep the Dastard from ruining Xanth. He tells them that they need to exchange their four-year-old selves with their seventeen-year-old selves from Ptero, and off they go on an adventure that includes Becka, a dragon-human crossbreed, Sim, who will one day be the smartest bird in the universe, and the Sea Hag, an evil, centuries old spirit.

In "The Dastard," Anthony provides more of what Xanth is about - fun fantasy. In my opinion, the story is somewhat darker than many in the series, as the Dastard has a talent he puts to evil uses, and with no soul, he has no conscience. The Sea Hag also adds to the darker story, as she possesses young women and uses them their bodies to seduce and control men. But of course there's the classic happy ending, where everyone gets what they want, but for a while you're unsure of just how it's going to happen.

3/5.

Don't Buy the Kindle Version
This is the worst Kindle version of anything I've purchased.The 2nd or 3rd paragraph of each chapter is misplaced into the last paragraph of the previous chapter.

Otherwise...A good read.This is closer to the orginal Xanth style than any of the later books.

The Dastard
The DastardBy:Piers Anthony©2000TOR Publishing298 pages
Evil as the devil, the Dastard is nothing but trouble.The Dastard, a book in Piers Anthony's Xanth series, is about a young man, The Dastard, who gave up his soul to Lord Xanth in exchange for the power to go back in time and change events.The Dastard is searching for a princess to marry.Xanth is a magical world within Florida where all naturally born citizens have a magic talent.The Dastard is accompanied by Becka, a 14-year-old girl with the talent of turning into a fearsome dragon.The two of them soon encounter a woman who can turn into a soup-er star and numerous other women the Sea Hag, a demoness who sucks the souls out of girls, took control over.Three four-year-old princess, Melody, Harmony, and Rhythm, transform into their twenty-one-year-old selves to help defeat the Dastard.
The Dastard shows one main theme:good or bad, life is an obstacle course with people in your way.Not everyone is satisfied by the objectives and actions of others.
The Dastard is a wonderful book for fantasy and adventure lovers alike.I loved this book because of the story's constant momentum.Anthony just throws out the adventures one after another.Anthony's unique style of switching the perspective from the princesses to the Dastard creates an unsustainable suspense at the end of every chapter.Can Becka or the three princesses stop the dastardly man?Find out through the magical people, humorous puns, and constant time travels of The Dastard.

a must read, good plot, "horrible" puns, excellent
I started reading the Xanth novels because of a recomendation but after a while, I got hooked! These books, by Piers Anthony, are full of terrible puns and deep characters. Xanth is a magical, pun-filled land close to the Mundane Florida. In Xanth, everybody has one "talent," or magial thing that they can do (Like a girl named Chlorine can poison water). In this story, there is a souless man called the Dastard who's talent is going bck in time and doing things. He uses this talent to make people's lives worse. For instance, if you had made an important discovery, he would ask you about it until he figured out how to prevent it, in which point in time, he went back and stopped it. The three princesses Melody, Rhyme, and Rythm were prophesied to stop him, along with Beka, the dragon-girl, but there is a problem. Beka is already with the Dastard and the 3 princesses are only six years old! The princesses must change places with their older selves from another world so that they can stop the Dastard. I wont tell you the ending; even the most brilliant mind will be surprisd. Like Anthony"s other books, this is light reading! I recomend this book to anybody of a mature enough mind, especially over 12. ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (11)

Not Good - An exception to the series
I found this book to drag on and on and rely heavily on the two main characters wanting to sleep with each other. That's a pretty weak story line. I mean, what happened to Surprise's ability to reverse the love spring's effects? I felt fairly lost in this book and at the end, when they (poorly) decide which home to go back to, I'd definitely had more than enough. I love the Xanth series and have read (at least) the first 25 books twice, and everything since, once. Hopefully this is the only strong exception to a great series. The last books have unfortunately gotten a bit weak and the story lines have become quite a stretch.

Xanth 30: Stork Naked, by Piers Anthony
Xanth #30: Stork Naked, by Piers Anthony

Surprise Golem gets the shock of her life when her baby is delivered, but the stork flies off with the baby because of a technicality. She immediately decides to see the Good Magician, to find out how to get her baby back. He tries to dissuade her from her quest, but Surprise is a good girl with morals, and already loves her baby, so she sets off on a mission to attempt to rescue the infant.

But what Surprise doesn't know is that she is part of a Demon bet. Two of the characters that join her quest, Stymy Stork and Pyra, are the agents of the Demons. Each has a reason for wanting Surprise to succeed or fail, because then they will get their heart's desire.

Surprise and Che Centaur, who is on a mission of his own trying to find the Simurgh, adventure through the alternate realities of Xanth. Not content with the endless possibilities offered by the moons of Ida (explored in previous books), Anthony introduces an alternate reality concept, and Surprise and Che visit 6 realities out of an infinite number of realities.

I didn't really enjoy this Xanth novel; I think a large portion of it, especially around the middle, could have been cut out and that would have improved the book quite a bit. "Stork Naked" feels quite fractured, probably because the viewpoint switches often, from Surprise, to Che, to Stymy, and so on; at one point, each character has their own chapter. Things jumped around too much and at some points I had to look back because I was confused on how the characters got from A to B. At times the puns were too overwhelming, and it seemed as if Anthony was just trying to clear his backlog of readers' suggestions. A few parts were interesting, but they weren't enough to overcome the rest of the book's faults.

2/5.

Drop 1/4 from the middle
Great reading and a lot more explinations that were very helpful in understanding Xanth, but about a quarter of it could have been edited.This one I think Mr. Jacobs allowed his fans to run the book for a goodly portion.Where suggestions fit, use them, but don't drag the story on just to use them up.Still and all, great escapism.I am disabled, so can finish a book in one to three days and I still hunger for more.Thank you Mr. Anthony

Didn't keep my interest
I like the Xanth books overall, but the series has been a bit uneven at times. Some of the stories are downright brilliant, and others - like this one - are mediocre at best. The author's notes at the end mention 4 hurricanes and a week-long power outage during the writing of this novel. It shows. I really felt like the author just phoned this one in.

From the beginning, I had a hard time with this story. I just kept finding myself not really caring that much about the characters or the resolution of the story. I finally rushed through it, skipping the abundance of pun-ishment (One or two puns at a time are amusing, but page after endless page of wordplay gets tiring.)

There were moments of brilliance, don't get me wrong, but I felt like much of the novel was just filler, giving us peeks in to the "could have beens" of alternate Xanths without really giving us much reason to care about them.

On the whole, I'd say that if you're a die-hard Xanth fan, this one is worth putting on the bookshelf, but I think I'd wait for it to hit the bargain bin first.

Piers Anthony- Just gets better with age
Piers Anthony's Xanth series continues to entertain like no other fantasy/comedy books in existence. Following Surpirse Golem through many alternate realities on her search for her mis-delivered baby, the puns abound in another hilarious story out of the magic land of Xanth. The best part? Finally find out what Che Centaur will do to change the History of Xanth! ... Read more

Product Description
Especially with an all-new package.

The combined magic and technology between the parallel worlds of Phaze and Proton is not enough to save the planets from a conquering invasion. Only Mach and Bane--robot and wizard, linked between worlds--have any chance of stopping this threat. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

Good book
The first couple of books in this series were the best. I am only reading the rest of the series because I wanted to see how it ends. However, most of the remaining books seem to be basically telling the same story as the first book over and over.

Yet ANOTHER Superb Book by Anthony
Thank you so much Piers Anthony for this wonderful addition to my favorite series you have written so far in my oppinion.You added so much to the characters and made me fall in love with the protagonists all over again.

A good book in a good series.
A good book in a good series

a good book because......
I liked Unicorn Point. It continued the story in a believable way, as well as adding to the storylines and suggesting other ways for the story to go.

Great book!
A well written and fitting conclusion to "Out of Phaze" and "Robot Adept". ... Read more

Product Description
The CLUSTER series of SF adventures is set in a future focused on colonization of distant planets.Sphere Sol is about 100 light years in diameter, centered on the Earth’s sun. Surrounding this sphere are other, similar spheres each centered on another star such as Polaris or Canopus. Colonization is accomplished by: instantaneous teleportation, called matter transmission or mattermission (very expensive); “freezer” ships in which colonists are sent in cryonic preservation at very high speeds (much decay and average 50% loss of colonists occurs during the voyages) and lifeships, slower, safer multigenerational vessels with voyages that run to centuries (during which the travelers regress in technical sophistication.) Because of the difficulty of colonization and the smaller population bases, all spheres suffer spherical regression--the greater the distance from source star to colony, the lower the level of technology that survives. Social organizations regress backward to historical periods of the home planet's past. Outworld, Sphere Sol's farthest colony, is populated by paleolithic tribes who hunt with flint spears and make fire. Colonists know about the interstellar empire and the home worlds mattermit government and security personnel to all colony worlds. Every living thing has a Kirlian aura that can be measured. Through transfer, a refinement of mattermission technology, the mind and personality of individuals with high aura can be sent to animate a body physically distant but a hosted aura fades at the rate of about 1 unit per Earth day and higher-Kirlian individuals last longer and thus have more freedom of movement.

The first three novels in the sequence, CLUSTER, CHAINING THE LADY and KIRLIAN QUEST form a linked trilogy. THOUSANDSTAR and VISCOUS CIRCLE came later and take place in the time sequence between the second and third volumes of the original trilogy.

CHAINING THE LADY is the second CLUSTER book. Melody, a product of Flint and the Andromedan’s mating in CLUSTER, must save the Milky Way Galaxy and create a place where creatures can transfer without limitations. Melody must survive in worlds unknown and alien to her and she does that where others fail when her aura augments her skills and abilities. The book opens with the discovery that Andromeda, the enemy galaxy of the first novel, has discovered the secret of involuntary hosting: a Kirlian aura that is sufficiently stronger than that of an individual can take possession of that individual. Andromeda has secretly infiltrated the highest levels of government in Sphere Sol and its allies and resurrect its plot to steal the energy of the Milky Way.

Melody of Mintaka, a direct descendant of Flint of Outworld and his Andromedan nemesis, has a Kirlian aura of well over 200. She is pressed into service to "possess" and interrogate a captured Andromedan transferee. Melody, hosted in the young and beautiful body of Yael of Dragon, must, like her progenitor Flint, find a way to defeat the Andromedan threat and save the galaxy. The mysterious Ancients are present again in the form of their artifacts and sites. The themes of Tarot and of various myths of Sphere Sol (in this case that of Perseus and Andromeda) play a big part this novel. The interSphere fleet of starships has forms analogous to the Tarot suits of Disks, Cups, Wands and Swords. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Not Free SF Reader
Descendant still up again Andromedans, this time with Kirlian possession.

Kirlian agents of the enemy have worked up how to basically do a fair bit of mind control and bodysnatching via Kirlian transfer. To combat this the humans have set Melody of Mintaka to work, a woman with a massive Kirlian aura rating who is able in turn to take over those infiltrators.

Throw in some space fleets, and tarot, and you have a reasonably entertaining book.

How the galaxy was Saved
The adventure of the tarot continues.Being the second Cluster book, it is a story of saving the galaxy.A place where creatures can transfer without limitations.Melody must save the Milky Way Galaxy, being the vidle link between technology.She must survive in worlds unknown, aliento her.She surives where others fail, her aura completing her.The bookis lucid, but is not as good as the prequil.I think the best quality thebook has are the characters.Nearly all are amazing, from Slammer toHammer to Melody in their various bodies.Four out of five star.

Very good, until the epilogue.
This the second book in Piers Anthony's Cluster sci-fi series. It expands on the Tarot theme found in the first volume (and also in the Tarot series). This book is one of Anthony's first from almost entirely the female point of view, and he does a good job overall. The action is great,with many plot twists and tense moments. The problem is the epilogue, inwhich Anthony conducts one of his typical experiments in the psychology ofsex. He equates friendship between females with sexual love in a way thatturned me off. If you can swallow this, you will love the book. If not, youwill be disgusted. If it were not for the epilogue, I would have given it 4stars.

Space Opera, combat and a hostage situation
This is the story of Melody of Mintaka, an old neuter who resembles nothing more than a crazy pipe organ.Set apart by the amazing strength of her Aura, she is the only trustworthy being in the Milkyway Galaxy. Why?The greedy beings from Galaxy Andromeda have tipped the power balance and are possessing the Milkyway's most powerful people.Placed in the body of a buxom young woman, she must seek out the enemy hostages.How?With the imagery evoked by the Tarot. The story flows smoothly, steadily builds suspense and reaches a mind breaking climax.The descriptions are evocative, the dialog believable and the story sound.This is an edge-of-your-seater during the last half of the book.Its an all around good read for Sci-Fi fans.Wait until you see the Magnets! ... Read more

Product Description
New York Times bestselling author of Zombie Lover

A wild and wonderful new magical adventure that leads from Xanth to Earth- and back again!

A cataclysmic cloud hangs over the enchanted land of land of Xanth. Three courageous couples must venture into the O-Xone, a cybernetic interface between Xanth and our own world, to rescue the enchanted realm from destruction.

A xany new fantasy xaga from the Master of Merriment,Xone of Contention is chock-filled with danger, excitement and xillions of laughs!

After a year filled with harrowing adventures, all Breanna of the Black Wave and her newfound love Justin Tree want is a little time to get to know each other better, and explore the wonders of the enchanted land of Xanth. But their incipient idyll is soon shattered by a stunning discovery. A climatic catastrophe is causing a massive meltdown that threatens to inundate the ancient forests of Xanth.

The only way to avert this dire disaster is to undertake a voyage into the distant mists of the past, to find the moment when this ghastly greenhouse effect began. And the only people who can safely make that journey are those unaffected by Xanth's magic - normal, ordinary humans from our own world.

So Breanna and Justin turn for help to the Demon X(A/N)th (a.k.a. Nimby) and his lovely consort Chlorine. Together, they devise a daring plan. Making use of the O-Xone, a magical computer network that links the worlds of Xanth and Earth, Nimby and Chlorine make contact with Pia and Edsel, a young couple from Earth who are working on a Xanth game, and arrange to exchange bodies with them.

But an unexpected surprise awaits them on their arrival. The Demon Earth has challenged the Demon Xanth to a deadly duel for the highest possible stakes - dominion over both worlds. While Pia and Edsel range through the farthest reaches of time and space to save Xanth from destruction, Nimby must learn to live by the strange rules of our world, and defeat his ancient enemy without the benefit of his own awesome powers.

Brimming with magic, merriment, laughter and love, Xone of Contention is a rousing new fantasy saga in the grand Xanth tradition.
... Read more

Customer Reviews (19)

Best one since Night Mare
Until reading this book, Night Mare was my favorite Xanth novel. I love the way Mr. Anthony mixed an adventure in modern times with one in the magical land of Xanth. Also, being a diabetic I appreciate how he handled Pia's Diabetes. Most authors would have just mentioned it in passing without telling how this disease actually would affect someone on a quest of that nature. Very suspenseful and well worth reading. Cheer's Piers!!!

Modern, thrilling and magical
This book is pretty great on its own, I mean its an exiting story and the typical marrige problems gave it a modern twist. The style was quite interesting, and MAN I LOVE XANTH! However, compared to some of Antony's other novels;it just doesn't measure up to what hes capable of.

Another great Xanth novel
I just love Xanth novels.They're light-hearted, easy to read, upbeat, funny, and suspenseful without being really scary.All of the characters, whether good or bad, are sympathetic. This one fits right in.

This novel has some great premises, e.g. that there is something about Xanth's magic that prevents married couples from falling out of love and that, in Xanth, women's panties have a mysterious magic.

I would have given it five stars, but there were some very heavy pun clusters that dragged it down.If you don't know Xanth, you should understand that the magic of Xanth is largely based on puns.I'm not the world's biggest pun fan, but still some the punning is a lot of fun.In this book, though, there were sections where you just hit one pun after another and it was pretty rough going.I like it better when there is just a light sprinkling of puns.

Another slight problem is name dropping of familiar characters from earlier books.There have been enough books, now, that it's really hard to keep track of all the characters.Maybe there should be a little chart in each book, tracing the royal family lines, at least, or which characters were introduced in which books.

A good thing about Xanth novels is that each character is presented with a challenge that is suitable for that character's level of accomplishment.The characters have to struggle to win, but the struggle is appropriate to them and makes them grow.

I am not sure I like the Nimby character as much as some of the previous ones.He's just too powerful.It kind of tips the balance toward him too much.P. Anthony does a good job of putting him in situations where he is nevertheless challenged, despite his seemingly overwhelming power.Still, there is something a bit too close to God about Nimby that makes me uncomfortable.

Amusing fantasy
This is one of the better Xanth novels to have appeared in recent times.It features the adventures of Mundanes in Xanth, always a good subject for entertaining adventure (for example, "Demons Don't Dream" and "Yon Ill Wind") and the corresponding adventures of a Xanth couple in Mundania.Edsel and Pia, whom readers may remember as supporting cast members in "Demons Don't Dream", agree to visit Xanth as a last resort to save their failing marriage.They exchange bodies with Chlorine and Nimby from Xanth, who desire to visit Mundania.Naturally, both couples run into trouble along the way, and are forced to overcome all sorts of obstacles to find their way back home!

"Xone of Contention" is imbued with Piers Anthony's characteristic sense of humour (some readers may find this a little painful!), but isn't quite as jam-packed with excruciating puns as usual.I always feel that reading one of Anthony's novels gives me a peek into what is occurring in the author's life at the time- for example, Ed's struggles with "Macrohard" on his computer obviously mirror real-life problems!Some of the jokes do get tired after several repetitions; the Adult Conspiracy, for example, has been around for far too long!About time, then, that it got bent (if not broken)- as occurs during the course of the book.

As always in Xanth, there are happy endings for everyone.This fairytale magic may grate with some readers, but I find it rather comforting.Xanth is the land of childhood, where pies grow on trees and nobody ever dies (they just retire gracefully, or drink youth elixir).When the reality of life is just too depressing, you can always retreat to the bookshelf.It's pure escapism, so enjoy it!

Xone of Contention
Xone of Contention was a very interesting book, for those of you who appreciate Xanth, you have to read the series from the beginning to really understand what's going on.This book did have a few more puns than normal but that was Piers trying to satisfy all of his fans, aside from that truly a book to read and enjoy! ... Read more

Customer Reviews (14)

Xanth story with adult themes
All Xanth books have the same basic plot: A young person (male or female; human or otherwise) decides to go on a major quest through the land of Xanth to prove to everyone else that he/she is worthy. The person on the quest finds a group of other beings during their initial wanderings - they get caught up in one tangled mess after another - and eventually they resolve each problem as well as the main one while developing into serious adults who are worthy to be followed. Not surprisingly, most of these characters are of royal descent. Another common theme is that they author bestows upon us pun after pun after pun. Finally, each book contains one or more messages that make us look at our society with a questioning glance.

In Heaven Cent, the formula is followed. The person on the quest is nine year old Dolph who is a human prince of Xanth. He decides to try and find the missing magician Humfrey even though all of Xanth has been looking for him and could not find a clue as to his whereabouts. Dolph goes off on this quest because he wants to prove himself and get the upper hand with his older sister Ivy who is all of 14 and bosses him around all the time. Dolph gets the permission of his parents to go as long as he has an adult companion - and he suggests taking Marrow Bones along with him.

Of course, they immediately manage to find clues that have eluded the adults and get into one scrape and adventure after another. During the course of the book, Marrow finds a female skeleton and the two fall in love with each other; while Dolph is pursued by a mermaid, a Harpy, and several other females of various species who all want to either breed with him or marry him. Dolph himself is asking constantly about how the Stork is summoned to bring babies, but the Great Adult Conspiracy is always invoked to keep that secret knowledge away from him!

Finally, Dolph resolves almost all of the mysteries, but in the meantime he ends up being betrothed to two different females. What is a boy of 9 to do? I guess the resolution to that problem will wait for a future book as it is not resolved in this one. By the way, Humfrey is not discovered either so I will have to read the next book in the series to see how it comes out.

As expected Dolph grows up and matures during the course of his adventures, but too much so for my liking. Remember, we are speaking of a nine year old human boy. Therefore I found it disturbing when much of the book suggests that Dolph is starting to find female legs alluring and shapely. The sexual situations and descriptions in this book are way too adult for a story involving a nine year old boy!

The puns are back in this volume, although not in as great a profusion as before. One of the main clues in this book is listed as "Skeleton Key to Heaven Cent". That launches off a search for which key is called the Skeleton Key and since Xanth is really Florida, the search goes up and down the shore as well as down south. However, the Skeleton Key is really not an island after all - which they party eventually discovers. And so it goes.

Another thing I did not like was that Dolph ends up being not only super smart but he has to defend his principles in some very hairy situations. Again, let's rememeber that this is a nine year old boy! However, he manages to act as a trial lawyer and even attempts to save lives several times over in situations that would many brave and grown man have problems and hesitation. This was simply too pat.

Overall, this was a competent part of the series and is definitely worth a read. It is not a full five stars because of the problems identified above which I hope Piers Anthony will address.

Suitable for the YA set
When I first read Heaven Cent, I couldn't put it down.I thought that Dolph's quest for the Good Magician, aided by designated Adult Companion Marrow Bones (a skeleton), was one of the best stories I had ever read.Over the course of his quest, the pre-teen Prince Dolph learned about ends and means, the importance of honor, and the torment of conflicting obligations.

But when I first read this book, I was 13 years old.A novel that fascinated an adolescent mildly amuses a twenty-something.The twenty-something finds Dolph's commitments less onerous than perceived, his romantic entanglements (dare I say) juvenile, and his assertion of adulthood belied by his disregard for another individual's life and happiness.Clearly, I'm not really in the target audience any more.

So when I comment on this book, I have to step a little outside of myself.I have to consider it from the point of view of a pre-teen ... but I still find it wanting on several levels.

First, characterization is two-dimensional at best and the plot is almost totally linear.While I understand that a book targeted at pre-teens will inevitably be less complicated than a novel targeted at the more adult set, I believe that Anthony seriously underestimates his readers' intellectual capacity here.

The characters, especially the "good guys" tend to share the same basic qualities of decency, honor, and goodness ... in roughly the same measures.Even many of the "bad guys" turn out to be good guys (except the goblins), leaving little in the way of a believable, meaty antagonist -- or a multifaceted protagonist, for that matter.

To his credit, Anthony does add a degree of depth to Dolph, successfully guiding his protagonist from pre-teen self-centeredness to teen self-centeredness, but the other characters seem ... hollow and unchallenged.Their fears often turn out to be unfounded and their challnges often turn out to be less than challenging.

The plotting leaves a little to be desired.Anthony has adopted a "means and ends" theme as his great ethical question for this novel.Unfortunately, he consistently answers this question with a resounding "no."Anthony also glosses over those situations that might answer this question with a "yes," hollowing out the characters' ethical dilemma.

Additionally, the plot has a rather contrived, linear feel to it.Dolph and Marrow walk, sail, or fly from challenge to challenge, meeting each challenge in turn, and dismissing it, except for the delicate matter of Dolph's romantic entanglements, which Anthony saves for another novel, even though the answer to Dolph's dilemma is as obvious as scales on Nada Naga's snaky skin.

Setting-wise, expect standard Xanth fare.Fortunately, Anthony penned this novel long before the puns totally took over Xanth; the puns here are confined to either helpful areas of the plot or are ancillary devices, used sparingly.

I cannot recommend this Xanth novel to anybody who is an adult reader.For any fantasy reader above 15, Carol Berg, Orson Scott Card, and Tad Williams are far more appropriate -- and far more talented -- writers.

The Very best book I have read!!!!
OUt of all my favorite books, this one takes the #1 spot. I wasnt into reading books till I read this book. It had all I wanted in a good book,mistery, adventure and a little romance. this was my first Xanith novel I have read and is my favorite. I finished int in a week or two. After I read this book I am now reading more of the xanith Novels. I love Piers anthoney books!!!!

The Very best book I have read!!!!
Out of all my favorite books, this one takes the #1 spot. I wasnt into reading books till I read this book. It had all I wanted in a good book, mistery, adventure and a little romance. This was my first Xanith novel I have read and is my favorite. I finished it in a week or two. After I read this book I am now reading more of the Xanith Novels. I love Piers anthoney books!!!!

I loved it
THis was the best book ever. It had a great plot and it was full of humor and excitement. ... Read more

Product Description
The CLUSTER series of SF adventures is set in a future focused on colonization of distant planets.Sphere Sol is about 100 light years in diameter, centered on the Earth’s sun. Surrounding this sphere are other, similar spheres each centered on another star such as Polaris or Canopus. Colonization is accomplished by: instantaneous teleportation, called matter transmission or mattermission (very expensive); “freezer” ships in which colonists are sent in cryonic preservation at very high speeds (much decay and average 50% loss of colonists occurs during the voyages) and lifeships, slower, safer multigenerational vessels with voyages that run to centuries (during which the travelers regress in technical sophistication.) Because of the difficulty of colonization and the smaller population bases, all spheres suffer spherical regression--the greater the distance from source star to colony, the lower the level of technology that survives. Social organizations regress backward to historical periods of the home planet's past. Outworld, Sphere Sol's farthest colony, is populated by paleolithic tribes who hunt with flint spears and make fire. Colonists know about the interstellar empire and the home worlds mattermit government and security personnel to all colony worlds. Every living thing has a Kirlian aura that can be measured. Through transfer, a refinement of mattermission technology, the mind and personality of individuals with high aura can be sent to animate a body physically distant but a hosted aura fades at the rate of about 1 unit per Earth day and higher-Kirlian individuals last longer and thus have more freedom of movement.

The first three novels in the sequence, CLUSTER, CHAINING THE LADY and KIRLIAN QUEST form a linked trilogy. THOUSANDSTAR and VISCOUS CIRCLE came later and take place in the time sequence between the second and third volumes of the original trilogy.

Twice before, Milky Way Galaxy has been on the verge of extinction, and twice before a heroic defender has come forward to throw back the invaders from Andromeda Galaxy. In KIRLIAN QUEST the galaxies are united in an alliance of peace. But Hweeh of Weew, the Milky Way's leading research astronomer, observes that Amoeba--just beyond the galaxies' common frontier--is expanding ominously in the direction of the twin galaxies. Herald the Healer is called in. Armed only with his hyper-intense Kirlian aura, he wages an almost single-handed battle against the greatest threat ever to face the galaxies. But first he must unravel the secrets of the Ancients - astounding secrets whose import could never have been imagined...

For a thousand years Sphere / of Andromeda was cursed by the other spheres because a representative, Llume of /, betrayed Andromeda during the Second War of Energy. As KIRLIAN QUEST opens, a new threat has appeared on the horizon: the Space Amoeba, a fleet of alien ships one million strong, whose intentions are definitely hostile. Herald the Healer, aural (but not literal) descendant of Flint and Melody, who is a / of Andromeda, has the chance to redeem his species' honor and save the galaxy, but in order to do so he must solve the riddle of the Space Amoeba and of the Ancients themselves. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

A strange, imaginative epic
The surreal quality of the characters and incidents in Kirlian Quest renders it similar to Michael Moorcock's Dancers at the End of Time series. In Piers Anthony's world the power of a being is determined by its Kirlian aura and those with high auras have the ability to heal by touch. They can also 'Transfer' to different galaxies in the universe, hence opening possibilities for intergalactic communication that doesn't involve physical travel.

Before the main thrust of the story begins, Herald the Healer from Sphere Slash, Andromeda, meets Whorl of Precipice and Smallbore of Metamorphic, both who foreshadow dangerous events. One of these is love - Herald finds himself besotted with Psyche, whose fluctuating aura hints that she may be a guardian of one of the Ancient Sites. These sites must be found and used to defeat the non-Kirlian (without aura) Amoeba. The Amoeba threatens to overwhelm all known space with its high technology travel known as mattermission.

Anthony winds together these abstract concepts with fluidity and humour. He instils an affection for Herald, who despite his high aura and power, has a weakness for personal affairs. Should he save the known universe for its own sake, or for his love of Psyche and is his love of Psyche genuine, or does he love her only for her high aura?

The only thing denying this book five stars is its 330 page length. One feels that 2/3 through the book the novelty has worn off. But its dialogue, strangeness, and xeno-creativity will have you reading to the end.

Not Free SF Reader
Former nogoodnik side's turn to do some galaxy saving.


Yet another descendant gets to play Kirlian hero, and this time he is of Andromedan lineage.It will be pretty easy, all he has to do is stop a space fleet of a million ships or so, and maybe dig up some old funky Ancient tech.

Great Sci-Fi from Piers Anthony
I read this series awhile back, but I clearly recall how enjoyable it was.The Kirlian Quest is a galaxy wide romp.'Kirlian' comes from the 'Kirlian Aura' that displays around every intelligent being.Anthony shows his vivid imagination in this series by creating some very interesting aliens, and by going into great detail into thier mating habits, physiology, and peculiar views on existence.
He also has an imaginative method of interstellar travel - basically if you want to travel across light years - you find a willing host (one is found for you by the destination spot) and transfer your mind from your human (or alien body) into a willing host across the vast gap of light years.So the traveller ends up in a totally unique alien body.
This should appeal to all, but especially Anthony's more mature readers who may want a break from the Xanth novels.Don't get me wrong, I like Xanth, but I have always prefered his Sci-fi work.For other good Anthony sci-fi reads, check out the Orn, Ox, and Omnivore trilogy.His older novel Chthon is also quite good.

Pier's Quest
Kirlian Quest is another book from Pier's that inculdes his usuall puns and fantasy worlds. I strongly recommend it, along with his other master pieces which are the first books from his Xanth series. ... Read more

Product Description
The Third Novel in the Epic ChroMagic Fantasy SeriesAt last Havoc and Gale are married, having discovered the source of the changelings, but the King and Queen have yet to enjoy a peaceful reign. The knowledge they've gained, as well as their new Glamor status, opens doors to new questions-and new missions for Havoc's loyal friends.While Ennui, Aspect, and Nonce are discovering the source of the enigmatic loom, Aura, Augur, and Ini are sent in search of more altars. And in the midst, the royal family quickly blossoms. With the adoption of three remarkable babies, and the news that Gale will soon add a fourth, the King and Queen find themselves very busy!When the loom points the way to Counter-Charm the whole assemblage makes ready to visit and explore the mysterious sister planet. With the help of the peculiar cloud-like ifrits, the Glamors must find the location indicated by the tapestry and permeate powerful illusion fields to find whatever lies at the center. In the process they just might discover that the key to their destiny may be the smallest among them. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

For the mature adult.
There is not a Piers Anthony book that I have not liked. If you read and enjoyed the other "Key to ..." books, you will enjoy this one.It was great fun.

Too Racey for Me
I love Piers Anthony.At least his Story Lines.But I missed a ton of material in this Book and in this Series because I can't handle pornography.What I was able to read was good.The stories are interesting.But the sex is undesirable for me.If you don't mind it and you like Piers Anthony, you'll probably love this Book and this Series. ... Read more

Product Description
Eighteen space explorers had died or disappeared on Nacre, a planet dominated by mushrooms, spore-clouds, a dim sub, and strange one-eyed creatures called mantas.To this forbidden planet came three more scientists to explore, discover and record. They barely understood what their mission was, and the significance of the mantas they were able to bring back with them to Earth. Subble, a government investigator, was sent to interview them-to learn how they succeeded where many others before them had failed.Subble was a very particular kind of investigator--one who could be judgmental without bias, who could kill without guilt, whose only real job would be, eventually, to die in a job well done. He couldn't know when that eventuality would arrive. He could only keep trying...The trio of scientists he confronted was indeed strange: Veg, the brawn of the group was a vegetarian. Aquilon, the beauty, ate everything-she was an omnivore. Cal was the brains of the crew. His emaciated body could only survive by drinking the blood of animals ... a carnivore.

Customer Reviews (7)

Fantastic story, world and characters
This book truly deserves a five star rating.Excellent read.The crazy part is that Orn is even better and Ox is even betterer ;)

Fine concept, terrible transcription
In December, 1968 Ballantine Books released the first printing of Omnivore.In the decades since, the novel has remained a cleverly written and innovative ecological adventure story peopled with interesting characters.
However, this is a massively inferior transcription to ebook format.Much of the punctuation, present in the original editions, has been dropped entirely.Paragraphing and dialogue exchange, clearly expressed in prior editons, are reduced to confusing run-on blocks.Rather than an being an enjoyable text, the reader is forced to pause to decipher conversations.
This novel deserved a much better transfer to electronic format. It is suggested that the reader await a better edition.

Omnivore: Of Man and Manta
Omnivore is a re-release of the book of the same name first published in the late 1960's. It is the first book of a trilogy, Orn and OX being the second and third book of this series.Omnivore is the story uncovered by a futuristic superhuman government investigator named Subble while investigating the disappearance and murder of eighteen space explorers on the exotic planet of Nacre. As the investigator's mind is wiped completely clean after each mission to eliminate any bias, Subble must uncover the clues to this mystery through interviews with three suspects (Veg, Aquilon, and Cal) as well as a few more unconventional tactics.

Through quite short, Omnivore is a thorough andintelligent science fiction story. The parallels between the inhabitants of the planet of Nacre, the three suspects, and humankind in general is extremely intriguing and timeless. The concepts behind the workings of the planet of Nacre itself are very creative and clever. The characters are creatively realistic with a touch of 1960's nostalgic spirit. This unique mixture creates a story that is both entertaining and thought provoking.

An interesting start for a saga
A sound read about an alternate world if it specified the time of the setting.Nonetheless,the action and plot is just right.

Truely one of the best for Anthony
I have read tens of thousands of books, but most especially science fiction.I can only attribute my love and fascination for sci-fi to this wondrous work by Piers Anthony!This was my first sci-fi book, but it has not been my last.Anthony's extraordinary ability to describe the incredible alien environment, the beauty of the background and it's entitled creatures was so amazing that I am forced to renew it's wonder regularly.I highly recommend this to all readers! ... Read more

Customer Reviews (35)

Great book!!!
This is a fantastic story of adventure with plenty of humor and romance thrown in for good measure.

great series great book
Xanth is a great and very quirky series and this is my favorite book of the entire series.I think the earlier Xanth books were the best and this one was always great with its hints of romance and puns.Love this book.

Centaur Aisle
I was very happy with the condition of the book as well as how quickly it got to me.

The start of the panty fetish
This is the book that got the panty fetish in the Xanth books started. The whole book, everyone is trying to get a glimpse of Princess Irene's green lace panties, and she is more than willing to tease.

The Xanth books could have been a decent read for the young audience they are marketed for, with the exception of the blantant sexual situations, most of which reduce women to nothing more than entertainment for the men.

Dor and Irene are growing up
Dor is growing up and King Trent is providing him with occasional opportunities to practice his Kingship skills as we all know from previous books that Dor is the designated heir for King Trent. So, at the beginning of the book, King Trent informs Dor that he will be going on a secret trade mission to Mundania and Dor needs to take over the Kingship while Trent is away. To camouflage everything, Trent tells everyone that he and Iris are taking a long needed vacation. The whole absence is supposed to be for only a week.

Dor takes over and finds out that being a King is not as easy as it seems. As a matter of fact, there are implications and complications for every seemingly minor decision that is brought to Dor's attention. So, Dor does the best he can and seems to do a fair job of it especially since his magical talent is very helpful! The week passes by and Dor is ready the give up his throne ... but Trent does not return!!!

Another two weeks pass by and Dor is beside himself with worry. Not only that, but Trent's daughter Irene is also sick with worry and since she is Dor's constant companion, it is hard for him to ignore the issue. Another factor that complicates life is that Dor is now 16 and Irene is 15 and she is developing into quite a beautiful girl while Dor is also developing into a man and is starting to notice that Irene has developed in some very interesting shapes and intriguing ways!

Finally, Dor and Irene cannot stand it any more and they resolve to search out where Trent is and rescue him if necessary. But, another complication arises, it seems that a new Magician has been detected in the very south of Xanth and that needs to be investigated immediately. This is especially important since the furthest southern point of Xanth is inhabited by Centaurs - it is called Centaur Isle - who believe that magic is obscene. With the potential complications of all of this, Dor and Irene collect their friends (Chester the Centaur, Grundy the Golem, and Smash the Ogre) and go off to check out what is going on in the south.

As is usual with Xanth stories, there are many marvelous and dangerous creatures that are encountered and many situations where the play on words leads to some wonderful imagery (for instance, light bulbs are planted in the fields and the brightest bulbs are the most desirable). In this case, Centaur Isle leads to the magic-infused Centaur whose magical talent is the creation of an aisle of magic in front and behind him. In other words, a Centaur Aisle! Dor is also a very creative speller and many people use this attribute when giving him hints. For instance, Trent tells Dor to always rely on his Honesty when needing to make a decision on where to do. This does not make sense to anyone until Dor writes it down as ONESTI which then is revealed as a kingdom in Mundania!

Adventure after adventure result and the happy crew goes from discovering the magical Centaur to finding where Trent and Iris are being held captive. It takes quite a bit of ingenuity and inventiveness on the part of Dor, Irene and Grundy to find Trent and Iris and release them and then set the world aright.

This is a standard Xanth book in its creativity, its word play, and its humor. The storyline itself is dead-serious of course, and the resolution leads to many other possible followups. It is a very enjoyable and quick read - a perfect story for the beach or if you are a commuter!
... Read more

Product Description
When Esk, a young ogre-nymph-human, began his pilgrimage to the Good Magician Humfrey to rid himself of a seductive demoness, little did he know it would become a mission of mercy. A running river paradise and its harmless inhabitants were perishing in the wrathful wake of a greedy demon horde. Now it is up to Esk and his companions--a beautiful winged centaur named Chex and a brave burrower Called Volney--to search Xanth's treacherous reaches, gathering together a mind-boggling company of creatures to defend the precious Vale of the Vole.
... Read more

Customer Reviews (16)

Boring Story and Recycled Plot
Xanth stories are fairly predictable: there is always a quest that normally involves a young man setting out to make his mark on the world. There are always magical creatures of unique types involved - who somehow all manage to speak English. There are references to the past history of Xanth: whether that is the Mundanian invasions, Castle Roogna, Magician Humfrey, or the current King and Queen of Xanth. And normally there is a lot of humor in either the situations encountered in the book or in the liberal use of puns.

This book falls flat on many counts.

The plot is the usual one. A young man (16 years old) goes on a quest, is joined by magical creatures, and finds love as the party overcomes one challenge after another.

On all other counts, this book is a bore. The plot feels recycled. Oh, the idea that the demons inhabit the Vale of the Voles and that therefore the Voles are asking for help in getting rid of the demons is new. But, how different is this than the other stories that we read in the Xanth series? We have travel through the gourd - repeatedly - to counter physical distance; we have demons impersonating anyone and everyone to drive the good guys off the path of goodness; and we have the predictable putting together a group of individual misfits who grow fond of each other as they accomplish the main task.

The old haunts are all there, but they only make cameo appearances. Normally, each book spends a chapter or two on how the hero's party makes it in to see Magician Humfrey and the difficulties in solving the three puzzles needed to gain access. In this book that is given short shrift - now, it is most likely that Piers Anthony is laying the groundwork here for a follow-on story, but it is very clumsily done. Castle Roogna, King Dor and Queen Irene barely make an appearance although the problem of the Voles should be one of the issues that they should tackle, no? The Gap Chasm and its dragon are mentioned and then dispensed with. So it goes with all the other parts of Xanth that we've learned about over the years.

So, how about the humor and puns? What humor? This story is so dry it reminds me of the skeleton hero - Marrow. There is absolutely no humor here except for some sophomoric attempts in creating sexual tension between Esk (the hero) and Bria (the Brassie lady)-you see, Bria keeps finding excuses to kiss Esk and he is embarrassed by it, while the Demoness Metria keeps trying to seduce Esk and he keeps resisting. This sexual theme is repeated through the story over and over again - so much so that it wasannoying rather than cute.

Puns? Oh there were a couple. The Lost Path is where all lost items end up until they are found in which case they are no longer lost and therefore leave the path is the most interesting one of them all. That's it - nothing new is there. I suppose Piers Anthony grew tired of finding ways to incorporate his reader's suggestions into the stories so he just didn't but the book is much the lesser for this decision.

As you would expect, the party of adventurers overcome much adversity and this was another weak point. All of the hurdles they overcome are so clearly moral stories that it was sickening. Jeepers, do we really need to be pounded over the head with an obstacle that has the heroes facing their deepest fears and yet still managing to overcome them? And, they are the fear of failure or of fitting in? Blech!

So, in sum, a very disappointing entry in a series that has brought great joy in the past. Since there are many more Xanth books in print, I am hoping that this was a temporary aberration and that Piers Anthony regains the magic in the future volumes. This one is definitely a loser!

Not what I thought
I was recommended this by a friend but sadly it's not the story of a small water mammal who, in the throes of existential crisis, rescues his tiny community on the banks of the Thame from a series of rapacious raids by mink led by the evil Bliar.

I suppose it's all very well for those who like this sort of thing,but it's not really reading as such, is it?

Xanth for the memories
This is probably the best book I've ever read! At one moment it had me laughing like a spastic drain, the next, crying like a bald man in a caravan - all on the first page! I can't wait to read the second chapter, I'm looking forward to reading the bit where Jimmy Hill seduces the Minotaur with his pipe-organ.

10 stars!

One of Piers best
This book is immediately after the last of the "original" series of Xanth (Published by Del Rey) and it gets better and better. To the person who stated that it was for uneducated people, you need to read more of this series. About that Chester, Chet, Cherie, Chem, and Chex that is just ONE family of centaurs. All of them are related in some way, so they have a distinct name similarity. Get it? And not all centaurs are named with a C or a Ch, if you've read almost all of the series like I have. Well, back to the point. I found this book very interesting and kudos to piers for yet another well thought adventure through the magical land of Xanth.

Greatest fantasy book ever!
I think Vale of the Vole by the author Piers Anthony is a very good fantasy book. It was also very funny at certain points. I love how Piers Anthony thinks up different fantasy creatures, for instance Nymphs, Ogres, Hippogriffs, Centaurs, Unicorns, Demons, Griffins, and Voles. My faviorte part was when Chex the Centaur learned to fly. The part that I hated was when Ivy, Esk, and Chex went to Castle Roogna. I hope you will read this wonderful book. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (14)

Fractal Mode
Good story line... a bit harder to follow than most of Piers Anthony's books, but definitely worth the read.

Good Book
I liked the book. I'm reading the Chaos Mode now and they keep you intrigued.

Fractal Mode
This is a very good book as all the books in this series are. However, if the only thing you've seen of Piers Anthony is his Xanth series that is so popular, then you may want to screen this for the kids. All of these books deal with adult issues. You can judge whether someone is mature enough to read it, but all the books in this series follow a girl who is suicidal, the older man she loves and who loves her and their various companions. They deal with issues like suicide, rape, sex, etc... They do it in good way that is relevant and fits into the story. The story is about a girl Coleen, who was raped at a party once. Her father is an adulterer and her mother is a drunk. She puts on a good act and is a very popular girl on the outside, but cuts her self and frequently contemplates suicide, though she's very smart. One day on the way home from school, she comes across a man passed out in a ditch. Her suicidal nature leads her to take him home. After learning a little of each others language, he says that he's from another world/mode and that he wants to take her to be his wife there. She doesn't believe him and he disappears. She believes him and realizes she's made a mistake and he realizes he shouldn't have left. The method he takes is random though and the only way to reliably get back to Coleen is by invoking a virtual mode. The rest of the story is about how Coleen and Darren are trying to find each other and get back to his mode. They continuously encounter problems and solve them with the help of their friends from the other anchor modes. The whole time Coleen is trying to deal with her issues so that she can be with Darren in a health relationship. So there are many different things going on in this series and I have just gone over the general gist so that I don't give anything away. Everything is done in a tasteful manner, but as I said it contains very adult subject matter. Enjoy.

Fractured Mode of Boredom
This is the second novel of the mode series, and it is much worse than the first!The same cast of characters return here: Darius, Provos, Colene, and Seqiro, and a new one is added, Nona.The story features Nona predominently.
The mathematical concepts Anthony uses in Fractal Mode--the MandelbrotSet and the Julia Set--are not very well explained and do not lend themselves well to the imagination.The Fractal universe's construction was very confusing and it felt like an inept math professor was trying to shove their erroneous agenda down my throat.For those interested in fractals, check out the Mandelbrot Set, which is actually fairly simple to understand in math terms.In literature, not so much.
The rest of the story is awful.There are sections wherein the main characters are forced to breed with underground people.There are still further sections which seem to obsess over the female form.In this novel, Anthony mentions a woman followed by a "her sexy way", "in the manner of her sex", and similar ilk EVERY SINGLE TIME.I have no problem with the female form; gratuitous explanations of it in this book, however, are simply ridiculous.
The two-dimensional characters plod along on their relatively plotless adventure through a fractal universe where the BAD MALE MAGICIANS OF THE ANIMUS are oppressing the SERF MAGICIANS and only the FEMALE MAGICIAN OF THE ANIMA can bring order to the world.Huh?
The worst part of this is probably the writing.There are many times when Anthony's characters discuss a complex solution to a problem, how to implement it, and prepare to.Then there is a short sentence say "they did it."No explanation, no detail, nothing. In addition to that, the dialogue really makes you want to retch sometimes with how plainly stupid it is.There are also large, superfluous portions of the novel dedicated to side stories with almost nothing to do with the overall story. I can only hope that books three and four are better than this one.Anthony can do much better.

Amazing!How does he come up with this stuff?!
Like the first book in this series "Virtual Mode", this is another wonderful trip into an area never gone to before in a novel and a unique way of getting there.As a writer, Mr. Anthony never ceases to amaze me!He always entertains while educating you at the same time. ... Read more

Product Description
A peril of immense gravityor rather a lack of gravityendangers the enchanted land of Xanth. The Demon Earth, who rules our own world, has mysteriously disappeared. If he stays away too long, the very fabric of the world will unravel, removing the earths gravitational field, and, incidentally, that of Xanth as well. Its whispered that an unknown Demon has done the deed. The only weapon that can prevail against such a cosmic being is the instrument known as the Swell Foop. And the only way to handle the Swell Foop is to locate the Six Magical Rings of Xanth. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

Series has finally lost most of its appeal
'Swell Foop' is the 25th book in the popular Xanth series.I first read the beginning six or seven books in this series about 20 years ago, and then several years ago started reading them from the beginning again. The early books still have their same appeal, and I would recommend that anyone interested in this series begin with the first book, 'A Spell for Chameleon.' I'm not sure when it began, but over the years the books have changed from stories containing amusing puns to a collection of puns loosely tied together by a story. Reading 'Swell Foop' was in many ways sad. There are so many things that I love about this series, but the recent books have become so formulaic that I get little enjoyment out of reading them.

I think the primary downfall of the series has been the inclusion of so many fan suggestions (in 'Swell Foop' more than 100). Almost every chapter has been reduced to 'Character X must solve several puns/puzzles to get item or information Y.' It certainly makes it easier to include suggested puns, but it doesn't make for good story telling, unless you're more interested in puns than plot.

There were a number of other problems with this book. Characters constantly repeat the same information: "Hello, I'm character X. My quest is Y." The story also includes a huge number of characters and locations from prior books in the series, but assumes that you haven't read any of them or don't remember them, so there's an enormous amount of exposition just to recount things that aren't that important to the story. The dialogue at times is just painful.

If you've already read the prior books in this series, you've undoubtably got your own opinion as to whether the stories remain fresh, so decide whether or not to read this book on your own judgement. But if you haven't read the prior books, I strongly suggest you start with 'A Spell for Chameleon,' because I don't think this book really shows the appealing aspects of this series.

There's no Place Like Xanth...
I have finished Swell Foop and I can't wait to get Piers Anthony's next book. I have read the Xanth series from the first book (Spell...). I would really recomend any of Piers' books to any one if they love puns and Fantasy. You can start on any book you want, but if you like to read stories that go some where you should start with the first one.

Swell Foop
Another Xanth addition.This book was pretty good, though, not THE best Piers Anthony book.As always, this book is full and packed with puns and that Piers' "silly humor".
Basically the story is:The Demon Earth has been kidnapped and without him the world of Xanth will be without gravity.The result:Xanth flies off into space and all the Xanth creatures float away.Bad Bad!So the next person to pose a question to the good Magician, will be the person who is given the task of finding the Demon Xanth because only a Non-demon can find a demon.Anyway the person who shows up with a question is a flying centaur named Cynthia and she must find 6 people to help her find the swell foop (the only thing that can control demons).
So overall a good book with quite a few of the recurring characters.Such as the Simurghs son, Sim, and Justin Tree and his beloved Breanna of the black wave. Oh yeah and lots of talk about cleavage and lovely female bodies. (as always) LOL

Not just puns--some adventure and games too
Cynthia Centaur has a simple request for Good Magician Humphrey--but the quest he sends her on is anything but simple. She must find the Swell Foop to rescue the Demon Earth. Before she can even find the Foop, she must first find the six rings of Xanth--rings so powerful that they are hidden to prevent abuse. Even finding the Foop only gives Cynthia a chance. Should she fail, Xanth, the solar system, and possibly the entire universe are at risk.

Cynthia gathers a party of adventurers including the Syn, the bird that will eventually know everything, Zombies, and even a girl from Mundania (Earth as we know it), each of whom must find and control one of the rings.

To the puns and adolescent sexuality that make Xanth run, author Piers Anthony adds some of the games more common in some of his other series (e.g., the Apprentice Adept series), giving SWELL FOOP a bit more complexity and plot than some of the other Xanth series.

In each Xanth novel, Anthony combines a huge number of truly bad puns (is there such a thing as a good pun?) with an adventure. Some of these novels (e.g., A SPELL FOR CHAMELEON and CASTLE ROAGNA) are truly wonderful while others are less so. SWELL FOOP is above average in this hugely popular series.

If you enjoy the Xanth novels, you'll find SWELL FOOP a fine addition to the series. If you aren't familiar with this series, you may start with this novel, but I recommend starting with the first book in the series (A SPELL FOR CHAMELEON).

Yet another beautiful Xanth novel.
I've read every Xanth novel and his two autobiographies and I just loved this new adventure.I like his punny sense of humor and some may be sexual, but that's only a fraction of them.Xanth is a magical place that you escape to when you read Anthony's book and I can't wait for next year when we get the next grand adventure. ... Read more

Product Description
A woman experimenting with an interactive virtual reality program discovers a healing companionship. A fashion model and a professor are paired together with a powerful aphrodesiac. A surveyor of otherworlds meets an alluring, yet endangered alien. A shy young man finds his confidence as a demonstrator in a sexual practice workshop. Get ready for another collection of stories on relationships from master storyteller, Piers Anthony. ... Read more

Product Description
This is the first in the series BIO OF A SPACE TYRANT, featuring the stages in the life of Hope Hubris, the Tyrant of Jupiter, and his beloved sister Spirit. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (20)

Meh, not great
It really baffles me that this book and its sequels have so many fans.The writing is unimpressive, the characters are poorly developed except for the protagonist, and all including the protagonist are wildly unrealistic.The universe they live in isn't at all imaginative, its a not-at-all disguised metaphor for contemporary Earth.When I read this in Junior High I couldn't get real porn so I could at least recommend the series for the excessive sex (some of which was rather imaginative I must say), but with the wide availability of internet smut today I can think of no reason to recommend it.

Enjoyable as a teenager
The writing style in this book is pretty basic. It's a decent Space Opera for a teenager. The series does have some violence, but its not described in detail to where its over the top violence. There are some references to Pedernasty, rape, slavery ect on the refuge ships. The solar system is pretty rough in his future. All in all an OK series.

Not Free SF Reader
Kid ain't no space tyrant yet.


In fact, it is pretty much completely the opposite.A young boy and his family are basically powerless and oppressed.In fact, brutally so, and the boy, Hope, has to try and survive.This also provides more than a bit of motivation for a future career.

Hope Hubris--What a life
Here in the beginning, he's not much of anything really, just a kid who stood up for his sister. That one act begins a series of events that ultimately rock the entire solar system.

Here in the opening, Hope and his family are fleeing in a transport bubble with many other families. Beset by pirates, a multitude of times, the population within the bubble is dramatically reduced by the time they reach their destination.

REally a sad book, but it lays the foundation for what is to come. A series definitely worth reading. I've read it now over a dozen times over the last two decades.

The Excellent Foundation to a Fantastic Series
"Refugee" is a good swift kick in the teeth for main character Hope Hubris (What a NAME!).This is the foundation of his drive for politics and power in later books.His quest for power is born of revenge against the pirates and scions of his world.And he will have his revenge!

One of the most fascinating aspects of the series is the clear analogy on how a dictatorship, not merely de facto but in name as well, can arise and be embraced. . .in America. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (10)

This is not a visual guide to Xanth
I rated this low because the title is misleading. This is an encyclopedia of Xanth, not a visual guide. It does give a lot of information on all things Xanth, but most of the items don't have drawings, the few drawings that are there are black and white pencil sketches, and they're often inaccurate--often don't match the descriptions in the books. This is by no means a "visual guide", but it does have a lot of information on Xanth and may be of interest to a devoted fan of the series or a collector.

Excellent beginning!
This is a good book for getting you acquainted with the Xanth series.I have been reading them for years, but get confused which comes next as they are not all numbered.I like them as one leads into another.Maybe someone has these listed somewhere from start to most recent? ...

Not bad. Not bad at all.
A good introduction to Xanth, I guess. I haven't read any other Xanth books, though. If you know, could you e-mail me at wibsatp@hotmail.com?

Finally a fantasy world that can feel real.
The Xanth stories are full of wonderful puns and jokes.It also is filled with action, romance, and young women whom, for some reason or another show their panties to creatures.This is not a dirty book however.This isperfect from young adult to ancient adult.

Gives you a good understanding of THE PiersAnthony series.
This is a great book to learn even more about the land of Xanth from characters to hazards. The authors portray a terrific summary of the books. Even though I've just started reading about Xanth I think The Visual Guideto Xanth is a must read even before you start the others! ... Read more

Product Description
When she falls in love with a strange man who disappears before her eyes, Colene says goodbye to reality--and hello to an infinite world of dragons, monsters, and impossible dreams.Amazon.com Review
The first book in the Mode series, in which a man and womanfrom two alternate worlds face love and danger across time and space. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (36)

Disturbing for sexual themes with a minor
I am a big Piers Anthony fame found I found this book very distasteful.I have to confess up front that I was unable to finish it.I am not a prude and do enjoy well written and appropriate sexual themes in literature.I this book however the female lead/heroine in this series is a 14 year old girl and yet sex and sexual themes are repeatedly brought up.I got very turned off and feared for the very offensive and inappropriate place this series may be going.She is 14 and yet there are repeated references to what a sexy body she has!I hope I am wrong and maybe a lot of negative reaction will persuade Anthony to edit out or change the direction in future installments, but for me this was a huge deal breaker and a no go. It should definitely not be in elementary school libraries or be given to young readers. I am very dissapointed with Anthony and will think twice and fully investigate before I read another of his books.

Virtual Mode
This is a very good book as all the books in this series are. However, if the only thing you've seen of Piers Anthony is his Xanth series that is so popular, then you may want to screen this for the kids. All of these books deal with adult issues. You can judge whether someone is mature enough to read it, but all the books in this series follow a girl who is suicidal, the older man she loves and who loves her and their various companions. They deal with issues like suicide, rape, sex, etc... They do it in good way that is relevant and fits into the story. The story is about a girl Coleen, who was raped at a party once. Her father is an adulterer and her mother is a drunk. She puts on a good act and is a very popular girl on the outside, but cuts her self and frequently contemplates suicide, though she's very smart. One day on the way home from school, she comes across a man passed out in a ditch. Her suicidal nature leads her to take him home. After learning a little of each others language, he says that he's from another world/mode and that he wants to take her to be his wife there. She doesn't believe him and he disappears. She believes him and realizes she's made a mistake and he realizes he shouldn't have left. The method he takes is random though and the only way to reliably get back to Coleen is by invoking a virtual mode. The rest of the story is about how Coleen and Darren are trying to find each other and get back to his mode. They continuously encounter problems and solve them with the help of their friends from the other anchor modes. The whole time Coleen is trying to deal with her issues so that she can be with Darren in a health relationship. So there are many different things going on in this series and I have just gone over the general gist so that I don't give anything away. Everything is done in a tasteful manner, but as I said it contains very adult subject matter. Enjoy.

Loved it
I really liked this story. Of course, a book like this is not about to end. That's what makes it so interesting. The adventure of Colene exploring to find her true love and then they finally meet eachother after all of the different worlds that they crossed. I can't wait to read the rest. I ordered the rest of the mode series. I plan to read them all and then I'll start reading his xanth series. I can't wait to find out what goes on next.

sexist and shallow
I was disturbed by the portrait of the young self-injuring woman and her sexual behavior, not because she was depressed and sexually active, but of the way it was described. First off, many self-injurers (cutters) are NOT suicidal. They may be depressed and angry and abused, but cutting can be a way to hold on, not let go.

Secondly, no girl who has just been raped would "smile" and permit a couple other guys to rape her. I'm not saying she would or wouldn't resist, but she certainly wouldn't act as if the boys had just done something mildly offensive. Does the whole thought of rape turn the author on so he can honestly not imagine a girl enjoying it or at least pretend to? It seems so.

Also, I found the character of Colene rather bizarre. In one scene, she's writing to her imaginary horsie, the next she's performing a striptease and slicing up her arm. If a girl really had all those sexual experiences, she'd be too jaded to believe in imaginarry horses. Take it from a former young horse lover. No girl that extensively sexually abused/raped would care one way or another about imaginary horses - unless perhaps she was very young.

One of his best books ever
I was completely unprepared for the depth of the main character in this book.Mr. Anthony writes as if he knows what it is really like to be this character.The adventures in the book are thrilling and they keep you interested.The writing assumes that the reader is intelligent and remains fascinating and page-turning from beginning to end. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Truly fantastic... absolutely loved it
I must admit that the explanation of the alternate reality or should I say the inner workings of the alternate realities is somewhat confusing but takes nothing away from the story.Better than the first two books (Omnivore and Orn) which you must read beforehand or be completely lost. Three thumbs up!

ANOTHER GREAT OFFERING BY ANTHONY
Piers Anthony is, if nothing else, a great story teller and this hold true for this work.Reader be warned though, this is the third volume in a typical Anthony Trilogy and to be quite frank, you reall need to read the first two offerings to truely understand this one.The story of OX is a tale of alternate worlds which are crawling with really nasty robot machine.There are three trapped scientists on this world and the story begins with encounters with strange flying beings, half-animal, half-fungus with keen senses, more so than any other creature in our universe.The three protagonists (who we know from the previous books), must find the aperture to return to their own dimension before they get done-in my the not so nice mechanical creatures.This all makes for an interesting tale.Do take note, there are many twists and turns in this book, as with any dealing with altered dimensions, and you must pay close attention to details while reading.I am giving this one five stars, primairly because it is Anthony, but also because I rather enjoyed the book.

not the end...
An interesting conclusion to the trilogy that asks more questions than gives answers.You must read the previous two to understand....

Not for the weak of mind!!
Mind-twisting book about alternity, alternate dimensions, agents, normals, and of course--OX. ... Read more