The Xanth Series by Piers Anthony
The Xanth Series, created by Piers Anthony, is a fantasy novel series set in the magical land of Xanth, where every element is infused with magic and humor. The story begins with Bink, a character who lacks a demonstrated magical talent, prompting his journey to discover his true abilities, alongside friends like the magician Humphrey and Chameleon. Throughout the series, various characters embark on adventures that explore the nature of magic, the importance of friendship, and the challenges of love and duty. Key plot points include the revelation of the source of Xanth's magic, the historical journeys through time, and the trials faced by protagonists such as Princess Ivy and Prince Dolph. The series also features unique creatures and characters, including ogres, nymphs, and centaurs, all contributing to the whimsical narrative. Additionally, "A Visual Guide to Xanth" serves as an encyclopedia for readers, providing insights into the extensive lore and character details within this beloved fantasy realm. The Xanth Series, known for its pun-filled dialogue and imaginative storytelling, continues to capture the interest of readers looking for lighthearted yet engaging fantasy.
On this Page
Subject Terms
The Xanth Series
First published:A Spell for Chameleon (1977), The Source of Magic (1979), Castle Roogna (1979; collected with the first two books as The Magic of Xanth, 1981), Centaur Aisle (1982), Ogre, Ogre (1982), Night Mare (1983), Dragon on a Pedestal (1983), Crewel Lye: A Caustic Yarn (1984), Golem in the Gears (1986), Vale of the Vole (1987), Heaven Cent (1988), Man from Mundania (1989), Isle of View (1990), Question Quest (1991), The Color of Her Panties (1992), Demons Don’t Dream (1993), Harpy Thyme (1993), Geis of the Gargoyle (1994), and Piers Anthony’s Visual Guide to Xanth (1989, with Jody Lynn Nye)
Type of work: Novels
Type of plot: Fantasy—magical world
Time of work: Various
Locale: The lands of Xanth and Mundania
The Plot
In A Spell for Chameleon, Bink is forced to leave the land of Xanth, where magic has infused almost everything, because he cannot demonstrate a magical talent. Although the magician of information, the good magician Humphrey, is convinced that Bink has magician-caliber talent, no one can determine the nature of that talent. On his journey to leave Xanth, Bink meets Chameleon and Trent, the magician of transformation. Together they battle the challenges that face the land they each love.
In The Source of Magic, Bink, Humphrey, Grundy Golem, Cherie Centaur, and Jewel the Nymph learn the secret to Xanth’s magic: It derives from the emanations of the demon Xanth, who, because of a penalty in a cosmic game he plays, lies in a state of inertia. Bink frees the demon, causing the land to become mundane again. The magic returns only when the demon decides he needs an eon or two to ponder changes in the rules of the game.
Castle Roogna describes the journey of Dor, Bink, and Chameleon’s son, through time to rescue Jonathan the Zombie Master for Millie the Ghost. With his companion, Jumper the spider, Dor travels back eight hundred years and witnesses the history of Xanth as it unfolds.
In Centaur Aisle, Dor is allowed to be king for a week while King Trent travels to nonmagical Mundania. When Trent does not return, Dor, accompanied by Princess Irene, Grundy Golem, Smash Ogre, and Chet Centaur, goes in search of him. Ogre, Ogre, the first original paperback science-fiction or fantasy book to make The New York Times’ best-seller list, is the story of Smash and his efforts to protect seven females, including Jewel the Nymph’s daughter, Tandy. Smash is helped by Mare Imbrium, one of the Nightmares, who gains half a soul in the process. Her story continues in Night Mare, in which she must help save Xanth from a threat known only as the Horseman.
Dragon on a Pedestal tells the story of Princess Ivy, the three-year-old daughter of King Dor and Queen Irene, her loss of memory, and her encounter with the youthened Gap dragon, Stanley Steamer. Ivy reappears in Crewel Lye: A Caustic Yarn, spending time with Jordan, one of Castle Roogna’s ghosts. The book tells his story. With Ivy’s help, he gains back enough of his body to be reanimated. Ivy and the Gap dragon continue their adventures in Golem in the Gears, in which Grundy Golem must help Ivy find the missing dragon. In the process, he also saves Rapunzel, Jordan’s daughter.
In Vale of the Vole, Esk, an ogre-nymph-human crossbreed, flees from the mischief of Demoness Metria (DeMetria) and joins with Chex, a winged centaur, and Volney to defend the vale of the vole. Prince Dolph and Marrow Bones search for the missing sorcerer Humphrey in Heaven Cent. In Man from Mundania, Ivy uses the Heaven Cent and is transported to Mundania. She eventually introduces a skeptical college student, Grey, to the magic of Xanth.
In Isle of View, Prince Dolph undertakes the rescue of Che Centaur from the goblins, out of loyalty and duty but also to give him some time away from the dilemma of choosing between two fiancées, Nada Naga and Electra. He seeks help from Jenny Elf from the ElfQuest World of Two Moons. The latter character is based on a real-world girl, Jenny Gildwarg, who was struck by a drunk driver. Jenny had loved the Xanth series, and in response to a request by her parents, the author wrote a letter that brought about the comatose girl’s first smile since the accident.
With Humphrey the sorcerer missing for ten years, by the time of Question Quest, Lacuna, one of the Castle Zombie twins, wants to go to hell (in a handbasket) to search for him. She bargains with Magician Grey, offering to help him best the evil Com-Pewter in exchange for her journey of a lifetime.
In The Color of Her Panties, Gwenny Goblin, with her companions Che Centaur and Jenny Elf, must fight for the chiefship of the goblin horde. Mela Merwoman, meanwhile, wants to find a husband. Ida, a human baby misdelivered to nymphs, searches for her true kind. She is rescued from a dragon’s shed by Mela and Okra Ogress. All six characters must deal with the dreaded Adult conspiracy. The threads that link them continue as Mela, Okra, and Ida must put aside their own interests to rescue Gwenny, Jenny, and Che.
Demons Don’t Dream tells the story of Dug and Kim, drawn into the world of Xanth by a computer game. Assisted by Nada Naga and Jenny Elf, in addition to a few more Xanthian characters, they must compete for a promising precious prize. Amid all the hazards and wonders of Xanth, they realize that winning is not the only reward.
In Harpy Thyme, Gloha, the only harpy-goblin offspring in all of Xanth, seeks her one true love and winds up on a quest with a transformed girl-to-winged centaur named Cynthia, Marrow Bones, and a youthened Magician Trent. In Geis of the Gargoyle, Trent’s wife, Iris, the Sorceress of Illusion, joins Gary Gargoyle, Hiatus, and the mischievous daughter of Grundy Golem and Rapunzel, named Surprise, to find the philtre, which will rescue Xanth from an evil arising from the Time of No Magic (as detailed in The Source of Magic).
Much of the History of Xanth and details concerning the characters, plots, and scenes of the novels up to Vale of the Vole are provided in Piers Anthony’s Visual Guide to Xanth. The book is an encyclopedia for the Xanth world, providing details and expanded information on many of the characters, scenes, and items of interest. The book is particularly important for latecomers to the series and as a handbook for those who have read the Encyclopedia of Xanth, an adventure novel by Jody Lynn Nye (1987), or played the Xanth role-playing game.