Customer Reviews

Three Complete Xanth Novels: A Spell for Chameleon; The Source of Magic; Castle Roogna

5 star:		(6)
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Containing the trilogy that started the well-known series,
this book introduces the reader to the magical world of
Xanth.

Xanth is a peninsula (with a remarkable resemblance to
Florida) where magic exists and anything is possible. It
is surrounded by the "Curtain," a magical barrier that
instantly kills anything touching it. Outside the Curtain,
Xanth is surrounded by the magic-less land of "Mundania."
With this setting with unlimited possibilities, Piers
Anthony has created a masterpiece.

The first three books of the Xanth series are the best of the hideously sprawling series. The characters are more fully realized and the atmosphere is not so cheekily sexist. The puns actually add to the stories, instead of dragging the readers along to the big blinking neon sign PUN! PUN! PUN! Bink and Chameleon are probably the best characters Anthony has written, because they are adults and have some rather serious relationship problems. To put it bluntly, this was the only volume of my Xanth collection that I bothered to save when my bedroom was flooded

These three books make for an excellent trilogy, thick with a rich writing style, imaginative prose, and surprising depth for a "lightweight" fantasy series. I cannot imagine the fantasy genre without these. Piers Anthony has opened up a whole new route of writing fantasy. You'll be won over by Xanth's charm instantly. Excellent.

The first ten or so books in "The Magic of Xanth" series by Piers Anthony are a true delight. They are full of wonderful, deep characters and some of the most incredible punning and prose I have ever seen in the Science Fiction/Fantasy genre. Only Terry Pratchett and Douglas Adams are comparable when it comes to the imagination found in the Xanth books. There are many more than ten books in the Xanth series, however. For my husband and I those books didn't seem to be up to the earlier books' standard...mainly due to the increase sexual innuendo and overtones. We may just have different sensibilities when it comes to that type of nuance, I don't know, but we really loved the first ten of the Xanth books and haven't even bothered reading the last few books. If you are looking for a wonderful read, I can highly recommend the first eight to ten books in The Magic of Xanth...after that, you'll have to decide if they become too risque for your taste. If you like the Xanth novels but are looking for something with a bit more technology, you might try "The Adept Series", also by Piers Anthony. It is another very creative and interesting series of books by Mr. Anthony. Among the many other books he's written, there is a relatively little known Fantasy/Historical Fiction series of sorts..something completely different than his usual fantasy novels called 'The Geodyssy' which includes (1) Isle of Woman, (2) Shame of Man, (3) Hope of Earth, (4) Muse of Art. While I wasn't really wild about the way he chose to end the first book in the series, I kept reading and absolutely loved the rest of the books. Try them for a view of a completely different side of Piers Anthony.

Pier Xanthony is a great author. His books are mostly for adults, but teens love them too! I happen to be one, so I would know. His books are punishly hilarious, and lots of fun! I hope he never stops writing them. If you haven't read any then you should definately go for these. Start with A Spell for Chameleon, the rest of the books are listed inside in the order that you read them. They are best read if you start from the beginning, that way you get the right info at the right time. For example, if you don't know about the Gap and the Gap Dragon then you won't understand what's going on at some points. I wouldn't give this series anything less than a 5-star rating. I love it!

These books are fantastic!!!! It is a shame not more kids are into these books.I know people all ages would like them because ALL my friends like these books & they are my father's favorite books. Maybe some more people should show these books on their sites. I give these books 1000+ thumbs up (if I had that many thumbs) and 1,000,000,000,000+ stars.