Piers Anthony Xanth Series Pdf
Xanth Series 42 primary works. 47 total works Enter the world of Xanth, where every citizen has their own unique Talent—or magical ability—and centaurs, demons and dragons abound. Apr 29, 2017 Xanth Character Database by CharName Download in PDF thru Ghost Writer in the Sky (Last Updated 4/29/2017 8:23:35 PM) Xanth Timeline (Last Updated during Pet Peeve) Online Versions: Xanth Character Database by CharName Online through Ghost Writer in the Sky (Last Updated 4/29/2017 8:23:35 PM) Xanth Family Tree.
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Preview — A Spell for Chameleon by Piers Anthony
(Xanth #1)
For Bink of North Village, however, Xanth was no fairy tale. He alone had no magic. And unless he got some - and got some fast! - he would be exiled. Forever!
But the Good Magician Humfrey was convinced that Bink di..more
That said while I definitely remember the accidental clutching when Bink fell of the back of the topless female centaur, I did not remember the rest of the book's fascination with a pubescent exploration of which makes for better wife: stupid but endowed and promiscuous, ugly but smart and capable, or just the typical bland middle woman who isn't all that hard to look at. It's the kind of thoughts that may go through the mind of a boy just discovering girls for the first time.
The fact that Bink is a 25 year old man is a bit more troublesome. If anything, for an adult, the book may be too honest in its baseness. There's nothing really directly lewd given today's standards (at least not yet 3/4 of the way through), but there are a bunch of things that would never fly in a book published today - for example a 25 year old admitting that he would sometimes want a 14 year-old girl for his mate as he is offered one in marriage (an offer he turns down). From its simplistic views to a 'She probably asked for it.' rape trial verdict, there's a lot of 'reality' that may pass in one ear and out the other, but then again maybe some thoughts will linger longer and would be best with some conversation.
Let me put it this way - after this re-read, I'd think twice before playing it in the minivan on a road trip.(less)(hide spoiler)]
More lists with this book..
HOW DID I MISS THIS? HOW?..more
He remembered the wild oats he had planted as an adolescent. Sea oats were restless, but their cousins the wild oats were hyperactive. They had fought him savagely, their stems slashing across his wrists as he tried to harvest a ripe ear.
Despite the lightheartedness of the story there is a perilous undertone. Xanth is a magical place, but it can be pretty..more
The element of this book that I still remember today ( I read this in HS more than 25 years ago) is the magical characteristics of Chameleon. Her beauty and charisma runs inversely to her intelligence, similar to a menstrual cycle. So as the month goes on, she g..more
This book is toxic.
From a scene where it's explained how horrible it is for men to be convicted of rape and how women make up accusations, to two scenes where the main character is sexually attracted to fourteen year olds, and the fact that the main character could not think or look at a woman without thinking about their fuckability factor, the c..more
That out of the way, what we have here is a classic light fantasy full of nice ideas and concepts. But the story lacks direction, a bit like a badly planned Dungeon and Dragons session: 'an encounter! another encounter! a fight! you fall in a hole! Oh, look, a dragon! a sexy babe! another fight!'
What also annoyed me was the constant rationalization. Characters talk all the time about th..more
Ultimately, this is a series that you either 'get' or you don't. And if you don't, then nothing I (or anyone else!) can say here will make any difference.
I don't like them for the writing quality. Even after all this time, Anthony still has trouble putting a sentence together, or making his dialogue sparkle or creating a convincing character (either male or female..more
When this came out, it was unlike any series before it AND was funny on top of that. Humor in this sort of fiction is hard to pull off, but Anthony d..more
i began reading the Xanth series somewhere around the 15th or 16th book many years ago. It was filled with light-hearted drama, action and puns that made me laugh out loud.
But this first book was such an original idea & filled with an amazing amount of tension, thoughts, morals, as well as the drama & etc. that will come to follow.
Bink not only takes an amazing journey through Xanth, into Mundania & back, but also inside & outside himself.
'How many people similarly spent thei..more
The central premise here is this: which is preferable, a very beautiful, very dumb woman, or a super smart, wise but ugly woman?
You can probably tell from this that a) the book is aimed at young men, and b) women might find the question, never mi..more
I struggled with this one, but I read the first sixty pages before I finally gave up. The writing is entertaining, and the descriptions are vivid. At first, all the thinly-veiled innuendo was amusing, but it quickly went from amusing to annoying. When it began to seem like..more
Usually I love ripping apart the books I hate. But no, I've been avoiding writing this review. Why? This is the most sexist fantasy book I've ever read. That's saying something. Merely thinking about this book makes my skin crawl. Below the cut, you'll hear more, there will be spoilers, there will be a lot of gross talk about rape culture, and a shitton of sexism will be unveiled.
So, there's a story behind why I read this book. One of my friends went with me t..more
I believe that in every book, there is at least ONE thing that I enjoy, no matter what the rating. So, I will start this review with the (few) things I enjoyed in this before bombarding the review with everything that has gone SO DARN WRONG.
So, I liked the cover. Yeah, I know, it is not really part of the story, but hey, at least one t..more
Xa..more
Now I've read all the reviews about Anthony being sexist, but I've found that I have to put this in pers..more
Overall,..more
I loved the main characters; they were all so quirky in their own ways, intelligent and straightforward without being whiny and know-it-all. Bink made a great lead; for once, a fantasy hero who isn't invincible OR a whiny, angsty loser! He's tall, young and good-looking, but he's also flawed. He has issues with them, but then he faces them head-on and deals with them with minimal fuss. Same goes for Trent and Chameleon, and the three make an extremely likeable trio..more
| topics | posts | views | last activity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Madison Mega-Mara..:#18 - A Spell for Chameleon | 1 | 6 | Feb 08, 2017 01:36PM |
| I Don't Even Own ..:017 — 'A Spell For Chameleon' (W/ Jesse Dangerously) | 1 | 6 | Sep 25, 2016 04:42PM |
| Silver Stag Book ..:A Spell for Chameleon (Xanth, book 1) by Piers Anthony | 1 | 9 | Jan 26, 2015 01:28PM |
| Xanth series | 27 | 142 | Aug 06, 2014 09:20AM |
Piers is a self-proclaimed environm..more
Xanth (/ˈzænθ/ZANTH) is a fantasy world created by author Piers Anthony for his Xanth series of novels, also known as The Magic of Xanth. Anthony originally intended for Xanth to be a trilogy, and after the success of the first three books expanded the series to nine books. A devoted fan base persuaded the author to continue writing the series, which is now open-ended.
Anthony has stated that he has kept the series going as long as he has because the Xanth novels are 'just about all that publishers want' from him.[1]
- 3World of Xanth
Name[edit]
The name Xanth pronounced as part of the author's name ('Piers Anthony'), is in itself an unintentional pun, matching the playful tone of the books.[2]
Books[edit]
As of April 2017, there are 41 novels, with the next scheduled release slated for November 5th of 2019.[3][4]
| Number | Title | Pub. Year | Main character |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | A Spell for Chameleon | 1977 | Bink |
| 2 | The Source of Magic | 1979 | Bink |
| 3 | Castle Roogna | 1979 | Dor |
| 4 | Centaur Aisle | 1982 | Dor |
| 5 | Ogre, Ogre | 1982 | Smash Ogre |
| 6 | Night Mare | 1983 | Mare Imbrium |
| 7 | Dragon on a Pedestal | 1984 | Ivy |
| 8 | Crewel Lye: A Caustic Yarn | 1984 | Jordan the Barbarian |
| 9 | Golem in the Gears | 1986 | Grundy Golem |
| 10 | Vale of the Vole | 1987 | Eskil |
| 11 | Heaven Cent | 1988 | Dolph |
| 12 | Man from Mundania | 1989 | Grey |
| 13 | Isle of View | 1990 | Chex Centaur |
| 14 | Question Quest | 1991 | Humfrey |
| 15 | The Color of Her Panties | 1992 | Gwendolyn Goblin |
| 16 | Demons Don't Dream | 1993 | Dug |
| 17 | Harpy Thyme | 1993 | Gloha Goblin-Harpy |
| 18 | Geis of the Gargoyle | 1994 | Gary Gargoyle |
| 19 | Roc and a Hard Place | 1995 | Demoness Metria |
| 20 | Yon Ill Wind | 1996 | Demon X(A/N)th / Nimby |
| 21 | Faun & Games | 1997 | Forrest Faun |
| 22 | Zombie Lover | 1998 | Breanna |
| 23 | Xone of Contention | 1999 | Dug |
| 24 | The Dastard | 2000 | Becka Dragongirl |
| 25 | Swell Foop | 2001 | Cynthia Centaur |
| 26 | Up in a Heaval | 2002 | Umlaut Golem |
| 27 | Cube Route | 2003 | Cube |
| 28 | Currant Events | 2004 | Clio |
| 29 | Pet Peeve | 2005 | Goody Goblin |
| 30 | Stork Naked | 2006 | Surprise |
| 31 | Air Apparent | 2007 | Debra |
| 32 | Two to the Fifth | 2008 | Cyrus Cyborg |
| 33 | Jumper Cable | 2009 | Jumper Spider |
| 34 | Knot Gneiss | 2010 | Wenda Woodwife |
| 35 | Well-Tempered Clavicle | 2011 | Picka Bone |
| 36 | Luck of the Draw | 2012 | Bryce |
| 37 | Esrever Doom | 2013 | Kody |
| 38 | Board Stiff | 2013 | Irrelevant Kandy |
| 39 | Five Portraits | 2014 | Astrid Basilisk |
| 40 | Isis Orb | 2016 | Hapless |
| 41 | Ghost Writer in the Sky | 2017 | |
| 42 | Fire Sail | 2019 | Lydell and Grania |
| 43 | Jest Right | Forthcoming | |
| 44 | Skeleton Key | Forthcoming | |
| 45 | A Tryst of Fate | Forthcoming | |
| 46 | Six Crystal Princesses | Forthcoming |
World of Xanth[edit]
Inhabitants and talents[edit]
Each human character in Xanth is born with a unique magical ability, called a talent.[5] With the exception of the curse fiends, the winged centaurs, and the child Surprise Golem (Daughter of Rapunzel and Grundy Golem), these abilities never repeat exactly in individuals throughout the entire history of Xanth (although nearly identical talents show up on occasion.) Though many talents are limited in scope (called the 'spot-on-a-wall' variety), the series focuses mainly on individuals with 'Magician' caliber abilities (one of the criteria for serving as King of Xanth).
In addition to the human characters, Xanth is populated by elves, centaurs, demons, dragons, fauns, gargoyles, goblins, golems, harpies, merfolk, naga, nymphs, ogres, zombies, curse fiends, and other fictional beasts. Though initially introduced as obstacles to the human characters, some individuals from those groups become main characters in later books of the series.
As the series progresses, some of the half-human species are discovered to have the potential to possess magical talents. The centaurs of the primary centaur community, Centaur Isle, exile any centaurs who demonstrate a magical talent (although some centaur communities are more lenient about possession of talent); however, they tolerate talents in 'lesser' races such as humans. Goblins and harpies are shown to have the potential to possess half-talents, the complementary half existing in a member of the other species, (i.e., a goblin must team with a harpy for them to utilize their talent); the hostility between goblins and harpies proved a major obstacle to any serious effort by them to work together to develop these potential talents. Other non-human species are also known to possess talents, for example: Sesame Serpent and Claire Voyant. Visitors from other dimensions with talents retain their talents after arriving in Xanth.
Geography[edit]
Geographically, modern Xanth[6] resembles the state of Florida in the United States in shape, but has landmarks that mimic well known geographical features from around the world. One major example of this is the Gap Chasm, an enormous canyon a mile wide which completely bisects the country, paralleling the DMZ of the Korean Peninsula. The position of the Chasm could also correspond with the Cross Florida Barge Canal, which, similar to the chasm, is generally forgotten except for those who stumble upon it. The Gap is guarded by a resident dragon, known as Stanley Steamer, and is crossed by means of treacherous bridges. Many of Xanth's other geographical features are puns on those of Florida (for example, Lake Ogre-Chobee and the Kiss-Mee River). The Florida Keys also exist, though they are, in Xanth, actual keys. Other punning feature names include the Isle of View ('I love you'), Mount Ever-Rest (Mount Everest) and the Centaur Aisle (center aisle) created by a magician from the Centaur Isle. The moon is close enough that flying creatures may land there; the back side is sweet and honeyish, the visible side has turned sour and become curdled cheese, due to observing what has happened on Earth and Xanth. Plants may bear fruit of all descriptions (pie trees and shoe trees are common) or they may be carnivorous (such as the tangle trees), making travel in Xanth risky.
Xanth has a connection with the normal world, which is referred to as 'Mundania'[7]; its people are called 'Mundanes'. Although any citizen of Xanth can enter Mundania at any time through an isthmus in the northwest, Mundanes enter the isthmus in Xanth from random geographic locations and time periods throughout history. In other words, Xanth does not have a fixed location or time in the mundane world; and the timeline between Xanth and Mundania seems to jump backwards and forwards. For example, within the lifetime of a normal citizen of Xanth, an American Mundane from 2012 and an Egyptian Mundane from 3,000 B.C. could both walk across the isthmus. However, Mundanes seem to have trouble finding Xanth on a consistent basis, making any travel to Xanth a somewhat rare occurrence. Despite these seeming difficulties, Xanth was colonized in several waves by groups of invaders and nomads from Mundania over the course of several centuries. The series ties these colonization events to actual historical events on Earth, most notably the Punic wars.
Adult Conspiracy[edit]
First mentioned in Crewel Lye, the Adult Conspiracy is one of the prominent features of the Xanth world. In an interview with Moira Allen, Piers Anthony referred to the 'Adult conspiracy to keep interesting things from children' as a literary device 'parodying current societal conventions'[8] Nearly all subsequent books contain references to the Conspiracy and its effects, particularly those novels in which the main characters are children.
At its core, the Adult Conspiracy seeks to protect children from knowledge that could bring them to great harm. The precise age for entering into the world of adults is age 18, corresponding to the age of majority in most places. The primary principle that inducts children into the Conspiracy is the understanding of the secret of 'summoning the stork'. In Xanthian terms, 'summoning the stork' literally means to put out a call to summon a stork which will deliver to the couple a child. In Isle of View, it is revealed that summoning the stork will release an 'ellipsis' (..) into the air to fly off to the stork. This is a play on the joke that all the 'adult' things happen after a paragraph ends in an ellipsis. Most inductees actually discover the specifics of the act 'by accident' after marriage, or under the influence of a love spring (a magical spring which causes two drinkers, not necessarily human, or even of the same species, to fall madly, and lustfully, in love with one another at first sight).
Other faculties of the Adult Conspiracy[9] include:
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- Censorship of foul language – All foul words contain the ability to cause various effects (the wilting of plants (negative), removal of curse burrs (positive), etc.). These are automatically bleeped when said in the presence of someone who has yet to be inducted.
- Visual access to underwear – Because underwear is so closely tied to sexuality (even more so than nudity in Xanth), men become automatically 'freaked out' when they view panties. This is made a common joke, most prominently in the novel The Color of Her Panties, and is often used by women to gain advantage over men. Panties only carry their effects when worn, but because of their nature, they are forbidden to be shown to children.
- Inability to have childish fun – Children believe that once they join the Adult Conspiracy, they will no longer have pillow fights, eat sweets and drink 'tsoda popka' (soda pop), or want to have fun. While this belief is exaggerated, the entry to the Conspiracy does cause the couple to lose their bed monster, inadvertently creating the appearance of losing all childhood spirit under the responsibility of Adulthood.
It is important to note that there have been occasions when children gained access to the Adult Conspiracy prematurely. Jenny Elf, Che Centaur, and Gwenny Goblin had to be given access to the Adult Conspiracy when Gwenny received a pair of contact lenses that corrected her poor eyesight while giving her the ability to see others' dreams (some of which could contain Conspiracy material). In one rare instance, a little girl was born with the magic talent of immunity to the magical censorship of Adult Conspiracy, causing her family much distress. This was remedied with magician Sherlock's talent of reversal and a vial of lethe water which erased her memory.
Mundania[edit]
Whenever Xanth characters visit the nonmagical land outside of Xanth, called Mundania, its natives (Mundanes) speak what sounds like gibberish to the Xanth characters. The gibberish can be translated by a simple replacement cipher, depending on the Mundane language being spoken. Often the language is a simple shift in the alphabet, a letter or two forwards or backwards (see Caesar cipher).
Curse fiends[edit]
Curse fiends, who call themselves 'curse friends,' are known for their talent to throw curses at their enemies. They are believed to be the primary cause of several different settings in Xanth: 1) the land of Air, 2) the land of Earth, 3) the land of Fire, 4) the land of Water (also called the Water Wing), and 5) the Void. The story about how these regions were created is described in Demons Don't Dream.
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The curse fiends in the present day Xanth stay close to their own community where they put on plays. Because of this, they are widely known for their acting skills.
Film adaptation[edit]
Producer Steven Paul's company SP Entertainment Group is adapting Xanth into both a film and a TV series.[10]
Related works[edit]
- Encyclopedia of Xanth (1987, by Jody Lynn Nye) a Crossroads Adventure role-playing game book
- Ghost of a Chance (1988, by Jody Lynn Nye) a Crossroads Adventure role-playing game book
- Piers Anthony's Visual Guide to Xanth (1989, with Jody Lynn Nye)
- 'Xanth' Board Game (1991, created by Mayfair Games, a board game for 1-6 players set in the Xanth Universe)
- Companions of Xanth (a 1993 video game described in and following the plot of Demons Don't Dream)
- Letters to Jenny (1993, nonfiction)
References[edit]
- ^http://www.agonybooth.com/agonizer/Interview_with_Piers_Anthony.aspx Agony Booth Interview
- ^'The name 'Xanth' was from my 'Names' book. I use these books not for the usual purpose of naming babies..but for naming characters in my fiction' (Piers, 213)
- ^'Piers Anthony's Bibliography List'. hipiers.com. Retrieved 4 September 2018.
- ^'Fire Sail (The Xanth Novels): Piers Anthony'. amazon.com. Retrieved 30 June 2019.
- ^'Piers Anthony'. www.hipiers.com. Retrieved 4 September 2018.
- ^'The Map of Xanth'. members.tripod.com. Retrieved 4 September 2018.
- ^'Xanthmaker - Piers Anthony Interview - Jitterbug Fantasia'. moongadget.com. Retrieved 4 September 2018.
- ^'Master of Punmanship: An Interview with Piers Anthony'. Writing-World.com. Retrieved 4 September 2018.
- ^'Piers Anthony: The Magic of Xanth - LitRPG Reads'. 13 September 2017. Retrieved 4 September 2018.
- ^McNary, Dave (April 3, 2017). ''Xanth' Fantasy Movie, TV Series in Development With Steven Paul (EXCLUSIVE)'. Variety. Retrieved April 5, 2017.
Sources[edit]
- Ghost of a Chance (ISBN0-8125-6450-2) (1988) by Jody Lyn Nye (A Crossroads Adventure in the World of Piers Anthony's Xanth)
- Bio of an Ogre (ISBN0-441-06225-3) (1988) by Piers Anthony (Xanth: Part Five: Number 4 p. 213)[citation needed]
External links[edit]
- The Xanth series page at Tor Books
- Xanth series listing at the Internet Speculative Fiction Database
- I was a captive of Xanth a review of the long-lived series from Salon (December 7, 2000)