Up in a Heaval

Xanth #26

by Piers Anthony

A Spot of Trouble

An innocent piece of Mundane Snail Mail has provoked the dreaded Demon Jupiter to hurl his Red Spot at the magical land of Xanth. As the dire Dot draws closer, the unwelcome ordeal of saving the enchanted realm falls to Umlaut, an unlikely lad with an unknown past and an uncertain future. With a handful of colorful companions at his side, Umlaut must unravel a high-stakes intergalactic puzzle, uncover the secret of his mysterious past, and learn to understand the urgings of his own heart.

It might have been the merest chance that brought Umlaut to Castle Zombie that morning and launched him on a harrowing adventure. But in the magical land of Xanth, things are seldom left to chance, and adventures lurk around every corner.

An unassuming young man with a uncanny knack for attracting lovely young ladies and an uncommon talent for emulating anyone he wished, Umlaut was forced to flee a flock of overly friendly females by disguising himself as a Zombie girl. In his haste to find a hiding place, he found himself face-to-face with a dreadful dragon and feared he would soon meet his end. But in Xanth, things are seldom exactly as they seem, and he soon discovered that the dragon was really a sinuous female sea serpent named Sesame, with a gift similar to his own, who had become accidentally entrapped in the Castle's dungeon.

When the two happen upon a packet of mail from Earth delivered by mischance to the Zombie King, they inadvertently set in motion a sinister scheme that could spell the end of Xanth. A letter they forward to the Demon Jupiter unexpectedly enrages him, causing him to send his own Red Spot hurtling toward Xanth. Soon everything is up in a heaval, for no one knows how to avert this interplanetary peril. Even the Good Magician Humfrey is baffled, for some strange force has obscured the future. In desperation, he instructs Umlaut and Sesame to deliver the remaining letters to their far-flung recipients, in the faint hope that this may somehow stop the Spot.

As they set out on their appointed rounds, Umlaut and Sesame are soon joined by two feline friends, Jenny Elf's companion, Sammy Cat, and a lovely, prescient creature named Claire Voyant who can sometimes see the future. Beguiled and bedeviled by the delicious Demoness Metria, who uses her shapely assets to distract him from his goal, Umlaut leads his allies on an unforgettable odyssey to the farthest reaches of the enchanted realm, from the submicroscopic Nth Moon of Ida, and the home of all dreams and nightmares, to the unmagical land of Euphoria, where he meets a sweet and sprightly young girl named Surprise who captures his heart. But before Umlaut can complete his quest and return to his beloved, he must unravel the unfathomable puzzle of his own existence, which is somehow inextricably entwined with the fate of Xanth.

A satisfyingly suspenseful tale filled with mystery, magic, and merriment, Up in a Heaval is exciting and entertaining fantasy adventure from the pen of a master storyteller.

Genres: Fantasy, Fiction, Ebooks, Humor, Science Fiction Fantasy, Young Adult, Science Fiction

342 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 2002

About the author

Though he spent the first four years of his life in England, Piers never returned to live in his country of birth after moving to Spain and immigrated to America at age six. After graduating with a B.A. from Goddard College, he married one of his fellow students and and spent fifteen years in an assortment of professions before he began writing fiction full-time.

Piers is a self-proclaimed environmentalist and lives on a tree farm in Florida with his wife. They have two grown daughters.

Reviews

[Danjo · Rating 1 out of 5]

I bought this for a dollar and felt cheated.

[Megan · Rating 2 out of 5]

I don't know whether I used to like Anthony more when I was younger, or if his books have just gotten worse the further into the series he goes. I suspect it's a bit of both. I didn't enjoy this one much at all. When he was writing the actual story (which was only about the last 20 pages of the entire book) I liked it. When he was going on and on, page after page of one horrible pun after another, I could only roll my eyes and wonder when he'd stop. Serious - he needs to start concentrating on the story again. In his earlier books, there'd only be about 20 pages of puns. Now there's 20 pages NOT devoted to puns. Rather annoying, if you ask me.

[Angela · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 Stars

Up in a Heavel is the twenty-sixth book in the Xanth series by Piers Anthony. Join Umlaut Golem on his adventure as he is tested- facing obstacles on his journey to save the day! Another wonderful adventure with a sci-fi blast.
The Xanth Series is quite a really long series that has spanned many decades. I remember reading the first few books back in the very early 1980’s and was totally captivated by the epic fantasy that unfolded before my eyes. I collected all the books as each new one was released and have revisited them a few times over the years. Recently I had been reorganising my bookshelves, because eight book cases have become insufficient to house all my books (#bookwhoredilemma)- and it came to the point where I was going to have to get rid of some of my older books/series in order to make way for new favourites. I looked at all the larger/longer series first and this is one of the larger series that I have, it came under scrutiny. I decided to reread all the books I was considering getting rid of first- before making a final decision. I can honestly say that although I these books didn’t blow me away as they once did- I still really enjoyed all the adventure, magic, swords & sorcery like epic fantasy that Mr. Anthony is renowned for. He has imbued his stories with plenty of humour, a playfulness, lots of fun, action, some history, conspiracies, secrets, surprising developments, and much, much more. We meet so many varied and original characters along the way- the books are full of wonderful fictional beasts and paranormal creatures/beasts. From centaurs, to demons, dragons, fauns, gargoyles, goblins, golems, harpies, merfolk, elves, nymphs, ogres, zombies, and curse fiends- and a few more I am sure I have missed.
The world of Xanth is wonderfully rich and vividly descriptive. It is really well written and is so easy to imagine, it came to life before my eyes. Each ‘person’ in Xanth is born with their own unique magical ability, which is called a ‘talent’. We follow along on many epic adventures and explore the world as the story unfolds.
I have many fond memories of reading this book/series- and in the end I can’t cull any of my collection. So I decided to just purchase a couple of extra bookcases instead. #myprecious
A series worth exploring- especially for any epic fantasy lover who loves some fun and humour served with their adventure.

Thank you, Mr. Anthony!

[Stuart Schneider · Rating 2 out of 5]

A profoundly disappointing book. The entire plot is a bet between demons that is not worth your interest. At some point I gave up on following the characters and just started reading words. The ending was obvious from the beginning. Anthony hasn’t done anything good in this series in a long time. I can recall when I used to wait for anything from him to come out on the shelf at the local bookstore and I would scoop it up, sight unseen. Nowadays I dread picking up the next novel in the series off my shelf. To whom does this appeal to anymore over the age of 12? I can’t believe it took so many pages to tell such a one dimensional story. Oh, I know who reads this now: the many pen-pals who write to Anthony with the next late great pun in the hope that it winds up in his next installment somehow. Can you teach an old dog new tricks? Let’s find out over the next, what, nineteen novels? It seems like a mountain of a task rather than enjoyable fantasy. Let’s find out.

[Mikaela S. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank goodness it’s finally over. This is a book/series for a very specific type of reader, and unfortunately, that person is not me. There were times that the dialogue, world-building, and puns were absolutely masterful, but the majority of the time I was skimming entire pages or rolling my eyes.

I am happy that when I thrifted this (the 26th book in the series) it wasn’t necessary to have read any of the previous books to understand and appreciate this story.

[Kate H · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Xanth books by Piers Anthony were one of the first SciFi/Fantasy series I ever read. I love puns so I have always enjoyed them. Upon re-reading them I can see that they have some weaknesses but overall they stand the test of time. They are a fun and fast read that keeps me amused without any deep thinking required.

[Richard Ayars · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun, but sometimes I feel like Anthony crams a bit too many puns in these days. I think of the Xanth novels as pallet cleansers between books or series. Easy, quick reads that I can jump in and out of.

[Beorn · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one was very interesting and imaginative conceptually. I enjoy all the Xanth books but this one covered a lot of ground and was a very creative idea.

[John S. Guthrie Jr. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice ending

From the beginning to the end it was a delightful story with twist ending. I enjoyed the story as I followed along.

[Paschalis]

elibrary

[Doc · Rating 2 out of 5]

this series is getting old and wornout

[Brittany · Rating 3 out of 5]

Struggled a bit with this one

[Michael · Rating 2 out of 5]

Another bet between Demons and people crisscrossing Xanth.
Not very engaging.

[Bill Jones · Rating 4 out of 5]

Umlaut is tasked to deliver letters - good tale

[Rhonda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Okay but mostly a rundown of characters met in previous Xanth books.

[Henry Kline · Rating 3 out of 5]

NOT the best Xanth novel but an interesting story with a good ending.

[Don LaFountaine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Book 26 of the Xanth series was a pretty good book, but it is essentially a standard Xanthian adventure. If given the choice, I would have rated it 2 1/2 stars.

Demoness FO(R/N)AX is not happy with her spot visitation to the region of Demons X(A/N)TH and JU(P/I)TER. Interested in taking a mortal to vivisect it to find out more about them, she challenges Demon JU(P/I)TER to a contest to be played out in the land of Xanth. The adventure that follows describes how the challenge is played out.

Umlaut is running away from his girlfriend because of her sweet and powerful kisses. In order to get away, he eventually has to emulate a zombie. Mistaking him for a real zombie, newly married Zombie Queen Breanna sends Umlaut to clean out the dungeon where a dragon is being kept, a leftover prisoner from when The Zombie Master Jonathan was in charge. However, Umlaut finds out that the creature there is a serpent, and she was inadvertently captured there as she was trying to get away from male serpent who is trying to harm her. Another thing that is found there is that there are a letters from Mundania there too. One letter was to the Demon JU(P/I)TER. After getting the door opened to release Seseme Serpent, Umlaut shows Breanna the letter and she sends it to the Demon. While the contents are unknown, it is a letter which upset Demon JU(P/I)TER so much that he threw his Red Spot at Xanth and Earth.

After seeing the Good Magician about what to do about the Red Spot, Umlaut embarks on an adventure of delivering the mail to the intended recipients. Along with Seseme and Sammy Cat, they see much of Xanth, including the Isle of Cats, Castle Roogna, and Grundy, Rapunzel, and their 14 year old daughter Surprise. They also journey to Princess Ida's moons and Professor Grossclout introductory class for demons. Throughout the adventure, they are actively being opposed by demoness Metria, and when asked why she will only say that she loves her son demon Ted. Along the way, Umlaut starts to realize that he can't remember anything about his life prior to this adventure. An additional complication is that with each passing letter delivery, they seem to be nowhere closer to coming up with a solution to the impending arrival of Jupiter's Red Spot.

Like the other Xanth adventures, the characters are likeable and though some, like Sammy and Metria, are well known to readers of previous Xanth books, a reader does not need to read the other books to follow along in this one. (With that said I would not recommend this book to a person who has not read any installments of the series. Other installments are better introductions to the land of Xanth.) This seemed to me to be a standard Xanth adventure, and while there were a few twists along the way, there was not a whole lot "to write home about". I found it to be a ho-hum addition, and would recommend this book only to fans of the Xanth series.

[Kirsti · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great Piers Anthony book. Like many before it, this one deals with a demon contest, using mortals to decide the outcome. Umlaut isn't real, although he thinks he is. He is sent on a mission by the Good Magician to deliver letters across Xanth, and along with Sesame serpent, Sammy Cat, Para Boat, and Claire Voyant Cat he discovers new characters and makes a mark on the world he was never meant to exist in. I loved seeing Surprise/Umlaut interaction, and the Souffle/Sesame.

I liked that there was more adventure in this one, as opposed to puns, and less interaction with Ida's moons. Xanth is an excellent series, but the world within world within world aspect gets a little confusing and irritating after a while.

Got to keep on reading now, I've only got a few left in my challenge for this year. Wish me luck!

*Note, this is my review from 2011, I read it again in 2013, and still agree with this review*

[Dr Mark C]

Piers always has megatons of puns supplied by his readers and this is no exception. All his Xanth series (dozens) are always a fun delight for fantasy - not for kids really due to adult conspiracy matters. Plots run with related characters from one to another, and don't expect anything realated to reality (except swipes at political matters). Xanth is a magical and bizarre world that takes getting used to - not for those looking for heavy, dark, depressing, books that make one feel depressed, or have they personal axe to grind.
Pretty creative and associations run wild, usually lots of chuckles and laughs. Not supposedly "great literature"

[Meg · Rating 3 out of 5]

One reads the later Xanth novels less for the plot and more for the meeting of one's favorite characters from the earlier novels. Up in a Heaval, although thorougly likeable, was longer than necessary. It follows the now old fantasy formula of going on a journey and meeting exciting adventures (in this case, puns) along the way. It is still fun to read and had a satisfying resolution, but I would have liked it more if it was either shorter, or had less fluff and more story. It does still get funny sometimes!

[Roger · Rating 3 out of 5]

The puns were very creative - Loan Sharks swimming in the bay kind of thing. But by the end of the book they were getting somewhat tiresome. Some of the puns I wasn't able to figure out, but I knew that they must be puns.
The story is good; the couple expressing their love at the end and their willingness to sacrifice for each other. Impressive. Everybody ends up with a their own lover, of their own kind. Perhaps too good of an ending.

[Kristen (belles_bookshelves) · Rating 3 out of 5]

"The future is not fixed, it is mutable. What you do now can change it significantly."

A fantastic edition to the world of Xanth!

As the 26th book in this series, it's hard to imagine coming up with interesting, new characters, but in Umlaut, Anthony has done just that. What better character to save the world, then a person who was never meant to exist? Such an awesome concept, and it shapes his interactions with people and makes the outcome of this novel so much better!

[Jeremiah Johnson · Rating 2 out of 5]

There wasn't a lot wrong with this book, it just wasn't very interesting. The story was dull and served no purpose other than to move from one lame pun to another.
The chapters from the cats' point of view were somewhat fun, but not enough to save it.

[Sarah · Rating 2 out of 5]

This Xanth story was lack luster in comparison to the other Xanth adventures. The puns were on the weak side, and the main character was dull. The plot meandered and lacked focus and was hard to follow.

[Vader · Rating 3 out of 5]

5 star - Perfect
4 star - i would recommend
3 star - good
2 star - struggled to complete
1 star - could not finish

[Aaron · Rating 3 out of 5]

You'll just have to read it to find out about it..
It's worth it. It is.

[Andrew Eberle · Rating 2 out of 5]

Reduced 1 star for the annoying letters that were integral to the plot but annoying all the same.

[Kaylynn Johnsen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm starting to get annoyed by the unnecessary puns. I know a lot come from readers and I am guilty myself of writing an email to Piers Anthony. But, sometimes it seems to slow the story up.

[Theresa · Rating 4 out of 5]

there is a great change in Xanth, things are not as they should be but all the leading characters have to change things back to normal

[Shawn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Young adult 10-15