Two the Fifth (Xanth, No. 32) [Mass Market Paperback]

Piers Anthony (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 29, 2009

The future of Xanth is in frightful peril. A powerful magical bird named Ragna Roc has embarked on a campaign to become absolute ruler of that mystical realm. Those who swear loyalty to him are spared. The rest have simply disappeared.

So powerful are Ragna’s sorceries that even the Good Magician Humfrey dares not confront him directly. Instead he enlists Cyrus the Cyborg, a handsome half-human playwright with little knowledge of the world, in a stealthy subterfuge. Cyrus must assemble a troupe of traveling players to attract Ragna’s interest. And hidden in disguise among the bevy of beautiful young actresses are the young princesses, Melody, Harmony, and Rhythm, whose magics might just be a match for the evil bird.

But Ragna has planted a spy in the midst of the troupe, one who knows their deepest secrets, including the true nature of Cyrus’s forbidden love for one of the young princesses. Only a mysterious child called Kadence, and a cryptic clue — “Two to the Fifth" — may give the companions the edge they need to defeat Ragna’s dictatorial dreams.

Brimming with passion and merriment, drama and deception, Piers Anthony’s thirty-second Xanth fantasy is a pun-packed performance sure to provoke applause and ovations from the series’ myriad fans.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“This being Xanth, the adventurers find absurdities, danger, and romance but also find themselves unwittingly involved in extremely complex intrigue. Classic Xanthromancy.”

--Booklist on Air Apparent

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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. In addition to his bestselling Xanth books, Anthony is the author of a series of historical fantasies called The Geodyssey, that makes the broad sweep of human history into very personal stories. Piers Anthony has a devoted fan following, and he daily receives hundreds of letters and emails from them. Piers Anthony lives in Inverness, Florida.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: Tor Fantasy; First Edition edition (September 29, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0765358948
• ISBN-13: 978-0765358943
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.3 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #320,031 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #32 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Authors, A-Z > ( A ) > Anthony, Piers

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

26 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars When did Piers Anthnony become such a perv?, March 30, 2009

By 

T. Wilson "g33k" (San Diego, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Two to the Fifth (Xanth Novels) (Kindle Edition)

I'm torn regarding this novel.

Piers Anthony's first Xanth novel, "A Spell for Chameleon" was required reading in my college Sci-Fi and Fantasy class, and I loved it. But in this novel, we have a 12 year old princess who makes it with an adult man, repeatedly and unabashedly. (Yes, she uses an aging spell first, but she reverts after each liaison.)

On one hand, I liked the story. The by-play regarding girls flocking to the lead character because of his being a playwright, even though he didn't know it yet, was very amusing. I also thought the story in general was one of the better Xanth novels.

What's increasingly concerning me is the amount of sexuality in the Xanth books. This one flirts with pedophilia and adultery, and I'm not sure I like the author's justifications for either.

Maybe I'm misremembering Piers Anthony's earlier novels (it has been 15 years or more since I read the first one), but I'm definitely seeing a trend toward raunchy in the later books.

It's really too bad, since the rest of this book was so well done. The major plot line was fun, and I thought all of the characters in the little troop of actors were brilliant. I'm just very disappointed that I can't share this book with my daughter or any my friend's kids. It also means I'm going to think twice before picking up number 33.

10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars 2 to the 5th~! Isn't that 32?, November 16, 2008

By 

Tim Lasiuta "Comic Fan 42" (Red Deer, Alberta) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Two to the Fifth (Xanth Novels) (Hardcover)

The world of Xanth is only a sequel away. In this case, 2 to the 5th, is the 32nd book, and surprise! 2 to the 5th is 32, and it also happens to be the clue that the Good Magician Humphrey gives to Cyrus, the Cyborg, son of Rowland Robot and Hannah Barbarian.

If that isn't confusing yet, even before he gets to the Good Magician, he has to go through three challenges packed with puns, and 'players' before he is assigned the task of writing plays that will attract the attention of Ragna Roc and place three young princesses Melody, Harmony, and Rhythym together to defeat Ragna. Breathe...Add Tess Tosterone, Xina, Acro Nymph, and Dusti to the twisted dramatic troupe without a play, and the result is a punny, playful, adventure.

Anthony is a master of his craft. Few other authors are able to mix puns so freely, and easily into a novel, and yet retain a loyal readership. Many of the puns are from readers themselves too, and if that's not encouraging to a reader, then nothing is.

This is a great novel to wind down with. Humorous, inventive, and yet it is packed with enough to progress the characters in a 'logical' manner. You'll laugh, you'll want to send your own puns in, and even want to finish this book off just in time to wait for the next one.

Tim Lasiuta

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fun to the power of 5, January 17, 2009

By 

Working Mom "Working Mom" (USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Two to the Fifth (Xanth Novels) (Hardcover)

If you're a Xanth fan, add this one to your library! Two to the Fifth is fun, fantastic and punny! Xanth stories are punny parodies of "Mundania" (real life) and make for awesome reading.

I found Two to the Fifth to have a slightly faster pace than most Xanth novels. It was a lot of fun. Some of the puns are getting more sophisicated. There's also lots of magical adventure in this story. It's everything a fantasy book should be.

UPDATE : After re-reading this, I'm beginning to feel that Piers Anthony is becoming a bit of a pervert. I've read his books for so long that I tend to skim over parts I'm uncomfortable with and there are several such parts in this book. The puns are great, but the Xanth series is becoming increasing "adult", be mindful of that when purchasing the newer books.