If I Pay Thee Not in Gold [Paperback]

Piers Anthony (Author), Mercedes Lackey (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 1994

Join fantasy superstars Piers Anthony and Mercedes Lackey in a marvelous adult fantasy that examines the war between the sexes and the ethics of desire. In the Age of the Mazonians, women rule through magic--and men suffer what they must. When Xylina sympathizes with the men, she is ordered by the Queen to publicly conquer the most glorious male in the land.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

This clumsy collaboration between Anthony (the Xanth novels) and Lackey (the Heralds of Valdemar series) is a wasted effort. In the militaristic matriarchy of Mazonia, only women can use magic and men are slaves. Xylina, an impoverished orphan, enters the public combat required of all girls as a rite of passage and wins ownership of an intelligent but vicious and bitter male gladiator. Xylina and her slave become friends with amazing speed, and he sets out to help her use her magical abilities to earn money and to rise in society. Mysterious disasters repeatedly befall Xylina, who eventually discovers she has made a powerful enemy. She also has a powerful ally, but getting help from that quarter may cost her more than she can afford. One or two intriguing ideas here are eclipsed by stilted dialogue and an insipid plot in which the heroine spends half the book worrying about finances and the other half on a dull quest. Anthony's fans will recognize the Xanth-like magic and politics, while Lackey's readers will appreciate the besieged but plucky heroine. But neither group will enjoy this talky, over-long tale that seems to bring out the worst in each writer.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

In the land of Mazonia where magic is the province of women and men are considered no better than slaves, a young sorceress sets out to defeat a curse upon her family and becomes the catalyst for changing her world. Veteran fantasy authors Anthony and Lackey join forces to produce a fantasy adventure that explores gender discrimination in a light-hearted fashion. The authors' styles complement each other and produce a story different in tone from either writer's individual efforts. Fans of both authors will demand this title; purchase accordingly.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 416 pages
• Publisher: Baen (October 1, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0671876236
• ISBN-13: 978-0671876234
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.1 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (36 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #980,058 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Piers Anthony is one of the world's most popular fantasy authors, and a New York Times bestseller twenty-one times over. His Xanth novels have been read and loved by millions of readers around the world, and he daily receives hundreds of letters from his devoted fans.In addition to the Xanth series, Anthony is the author of many other best-selling works. Piers Anthony lives in Inverness, Florida.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Disappointing fare from two good authors, January 17, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: If I Pay Thee Not In Gold (Hardcover)

Either of these authors could have taken the premise of this novel and given us a fine tale. Unfortunately, they got together and gave us a mediocre one.

Characters do not stay in character. Major plot changes happen near the end of the story. The main character starts as a likable, full character and ends as a wooden, shallow shadow of her earlier self. In fact, most of the main characters start as far more complete individuals than they end as.

At the middle of this book, I was almost breathless, wondering what would happen next. By the end, I was almost relieved it was over. It almost appeared that the authors lost interest in it about two-thirds of the way through and simply "wrapped it up" as quickly as possible.

This wasn't a bad book. I've read far worse. Fans of either author will find parts of it that they enjoy. If this had been a first novel by a new author, I would not have been disappointed. Unfortunately, with the names Piers Anthony and Mercedes Lackey on the cover, I really expected more.

9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Disappointing fare, July 25, 2000

By 

Sharron Albert - See all my reviews

This review is from: If I Pay Thee Not In Gold (Hardcover)

This 1994 collaboration came to me used, via a friend, which I read primarily because it was available when I needed a book in hand quickly (can't be caught without reading material, now can we?). Much as I like Mercedes Lackey, this is not a book I would have bought, due to the Piers Anthony influence. I found the characters superficial, with a cumbersome and contrived sexual situation, more typical of Anthony than Lackey. I have ceased reading Anthony over the years, feeling that he has been almost a caricature of himself and extremely formulaic. I was not too surprised to discover that Lackey developed an idea/outline of Anthony's, which he then edited and added 10,000 words. I suspect I know the pages he added: there's a lot of telling, not showing, of characters' thoughts and emotions. The world is not uninteresting, and might make an intriguing role-playing game, but that's not enough to carry the book. There's lots more good fantasy out there; pass this one by.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Loved it!, April 19, 2004

By 

Vianne (Planet Earth) - See all my reviews

This review is from: If I Pay Thee Not in Gold (Paperback)

I first read this book when I was somewhere around eight or nine, and read it off and on again a half dozen times over the next several years. I loved it! You really get a feel for who the characters are, except for the Queen, whose main personality trait seems to be evil ambition. I've read several readers' comments on how helpless and out-of-it Xylina is, but come on guys, let's not forget the girl's barely sixteen! Girls this age are not supposed to have the leadership skills and street smarts of an experienced adult. Chill out, folks! What sophomore in high school would be able to manage her own finances, dodge a politician's murder attempts, operate her own home business, and then lead an expedition across several countries, and not make a few brainless mistakes? Personally I think these characteristics of Xylina show reality ... not a lack of talent on behalf of the authors. I also liked how clear they drew the descriptions of the surroundings, i.e., Ware's home, the forest, etc. A few bad points, though; Faro seemed to warm to Xylina much too quickly, going from raw hatred to pity and compassion in what, less than a day? I was also disappointed on how sterotypically gorgeous they had to make Xylina, even if she isn't considered "pretty" by society's standards in the book. Why must it all be about big-breasted blondes? People need to get out more! Nevertheless, it's a general fun book with interesting characters and imaginitive surroundings. This is one of my all-time favorites.