Saving the Source of Magic (The Source of Magic - Piers Anthony)

Member Name: campb3ll

Product:	The Source of Magic - Piers Anthony
Date:	14/07/01 (40 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Light-hearted "mind candy", Suitable for all ages, Huge series: read 'em all

Disadvantages: Hard to find in UK, Puns may annoy folk

The Source of Magic is the second Xanth novel, first published in 1979. Now the blurb says, "As a ruler of a country steeped in enchantment, King Trent was naturally curious about the source of its magic. It made sense to order Bink, the only one of his subjects immune to supernatural harm, to undertake a quest to discover the wellspring of Xanth's uniqueness." Duh! That will make no sense whatsoever unless you know a little about Xanth.

Xanth is a pun-derful magic land (which geographically resembles Florida) filled with fantasy creatures like centaurs, elves, goblins and dragons. The magic extends to the citizens, which include humans; many citizens have magic talents i.e. they can perform some magic that is unique to themselves. For example, Bink, whom you met in the blurb above, has the talent of not being harmed by magical means. This means another citizen cannot cast a spell on him that would endanger his wellbeing but a dragon could whomp along and eat him for dinner. The human portion of Xanth is governed by a king or queen; the current ruler is King Trent who has the talent of transforming any living creature to another form. The other main power in the human arena is Good Magician Humfrey, a Magician of Information that has a Big Book of Answers; Humfrey is a grumpy old man who charges a year's service in return for each Answer. Last but not least, if you noticed the lame "pun-derful" pun at the start of this paragraph then you're in for a treat because Xanth is full of puns. Admittedly, this second novel has very few like lady slippers (shoes that grow on a plant), dog-tooth violets (plant dogs), and the Brain Coral (a living pool). However, if you continue reading Xanth novels, it'll be puns all the way.

So, bearing in mind this background, let's delve into the plot. King Trent sends Bink on a quest to find the source of magic, the centre of all the magic in Xanth. Bink's companions on his que
st are Chester (a centaur), Crombie (a soldier transformed into a griffin by Trent), Good Magician Humfrey and Grundy (a golem). Naturally, the party of four encounters various problems along the way - otherwise it'd be a pretty short novel. Suffice to say, they brave the Region of Madness, find the Magic Dust Village, meet the Siren and her sister the Gorgon, escape the Curse F(r)iends and end up lost underground. Without being to specific, somewhere underground Bink is stuck in a tricky situation where the continuation of the magic of Xanth hangs in the balance. Shock! Horror! What does Bink do and what are the results? Will Bink discover the true source of magic? Will Bink destroy the magic of Xanth or is it just a temporary glitch to confound the critics? Remember Bink's magic talent - is this a total paradox or what? Well, you'll never know unless you read the book.

For all that Xanth is a bit childish and pun-filled, it is actually intended for the grown up market. However, that doesn't stop kids and teens being Xanth fans. If you like humour and escapism then you should give The Source of Magic and Xanth a chance. I can't really think of any novels like the Xanth series but the Myth series by Robert Asprin comes close; just think of the Myth series with a big injection of innocence - why? because Xanth is truly suitable for all age groups. Do give it a try!

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