Enter th' Ainment in your hands (Entertainment in your hands) (Xanth Series - Piers Anthony in general)

Member Name: tamalosh

Product:	Xanth Series - Piers Anthony in general
Date:	31/05/02 (50 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Humourous, Enjoyable riddles, familiarity with the Xanth land, creatures and people

Disadvantages: confusing storyline at times, so many riddles it may be difficult to make sense of it all when solved, tiredness after staying up all night finishing a Xanth book

When I read my first Xanth book written by Piers Anthony, I was hooked! I enjoy the way he plays with words, and the wonderful and magical storylines. Filled full of magic, mystery, quizzical fun and enjoyable treks through this magical world! Centaurs, fairies, Dragons, Castles, Ogres, a love pond that magically causes a man and woman to fall in love with each other. The Stereotype of Fantasy books.

The geography of Anthony's Xanth world, looks exactly like Florida in the U.S. He includes both Xanth-ians as well as Mundanes (which is what he refers as us, running our normal working, and living lives with television, radio etc.,) Some books involve the accidental crossing from the "mundane" world into the "Xanth-ian" world, and vice-versa. We can imagine what it would be like driving along in a car, or going for a walk in the forest only to start seeing strange things, like a weeping willow tree, that actually WEEPS!? , or butter moulded into a cup, only to find out it's a buttercup!

As I have read book after book in the Xanth series, I have begun to know my way around the Xanth land (as many of the books have a sketched map on the inside cover), and even begun to KNOW the characters, who they're related to etc., you can learn about HOW mermaids and centaurs became, and why that weeping willow is weeping.

The books talk of What effects magic has in an area of his magical world of Xanth, and many a time the puns and catchy phrases caught me laughing, no matter who was in the room with me! There's humour, there's fun, there's mystery and sadness. Every Xanth book I have read I thouroughly enjoyed, and I would never hesitate to read another. Page after page, I found myself staying awake in bed through the night, just ITCHING to find out "What happens next?".

I really enjoyed the riddles in many books that invited me to try to solve them myself before the answer was revealed! I
found myself putting the book down to try to solve it myself at times as well! I can surely say that I've never been disappointed in any of the Piers Anthony Xanth books in the least bit!

In the Xanth series, I've found that most stories are about travelling around Xanth, to solve a question in the main character(s) mind(s), or to find out who they are and where they came from. The Xanth series is a wonderful one that I highly recommend to the Fantasy book lovers out there!

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