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Xanth #18
Geis of the Gargoyle
Since Xanth began, the gargoyles of that magical place have been under a magical compulsion to protect the purity of the Swan Knee River which flows into Xanth from dreary Mundania. But recently the pollution from the outside world has grown ever greater, and young Gary Gar, latest in a long line of gargoyle guardians, is finding it ever more difficult to fulfill his responsibilities.
So Gary does what any sensible Xanth resident with a dire dilemma would do. He goes to see the Good Magician Humfrey, who sends him on a peculiar quest--to transform himself into human shape, tutor a precocious child with more than her share of wild magical talents, and find a philter which can restore the river to its previous pristine state.
So Gary does what any sensible Xanth resident with a dire dilemma would do. He goes to see the Good Magician Humfrey, who sends him on a peculiar quest--to transform himself into human shape, tutor a precocious child with more than her share of wild magical talents, and find a philter which can restore the river to its previous pristine state.
352 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 15, 1995
116 people are currently reading
2394 people want to read
About the author
Piers Anthony
441 books4,216 followersThough 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.
Piers is a self-proclaimed environmentalist and lives on a tree farm in Florida with his wife. They have two grown daughters.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 63 reviews
August 26, 2019
4 Stars
Geis of the Gargoyle is the eighteenth book in the Xanth series by Piers Anthony. It is a wonderful fantasy adventure that follows Gary Gargoyle on his quest. But there's much for him (and us) to discover as things unfold.
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!
Geis of the Gargoyle is the eighteenth book in the Xanth series by Piers Anthony. It is a wonderful fantasy adventure that follows Gary Gargoyle on his quest. But there's much for him (and us) to discover as things unfold.
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!
September 2, 2023
Actual star score is 4.5.
Gary Gar has spent several thousand years making sure that the river that comes into Xanth from mundania is pure. But with a drought there's no water in the river.
He learns that when the main interface between Xanth and mundania went up it was supposed to have a filter as part of it, the gargoyles were just temporary until the interface went up. With no water running, he puts up a wallflower dam to help keep back any polluted water while going to see the good magician.
Gary Gar has spent several thousand years making sure that the river that comes into Xanth from mundania is pure. But with a drought there's no water in the river.
He learns that when the main interface between Xanth and mundania went up it was supposed to have a filter as part of it, the gargoyles were just temporary until the interface went up. With no water running, he puts up a wallflower dam to help keep back any polluted water while going to see the good magician.
June 23, 2017
When reading the first chapter of this book, I did not think that I would be able to continue reading the book if it was full of some many puns, just for the sake of using puns. However, by the end of the novel I can safely say that this is my favourite Xanth book so far!
December 7, 2024
As someone who grew up loving Xanth books and has been slowly reading them over the years - I am a little sad to report that my journey may end here.
I struggled - BIG time - with this book. For it being just over 300 pages it felt so much longer… I struggled to want to pick this book up and struggled to keep reading it when I did pick it up.
I struggled - BIG time - with this book. For it being just over 300 pages it felt so much longer… I struggled to want to pick this book up and struggled to keep reading it when I did pick it up.
September 2, 2009
Not really a bad book, but this one kinda did it for me as far as reading any more of the Xanth series. It's basically a collection of cute ideas, cute dialogue, and cute puns, wrapped up in an eco-friendly story with a happy ending. Of course you could say that about a LOT of the Xanth books up to this point, so I don't know why this one would be the straw that broke the camel's back. But it was, and I'm done.
February 3, 2018
I enjoyed this book. It had many different story threads and it was interesting to see how each turned out. Of course, it has its share of wonderful puns!
December 5, 2022
Hmm. I don't know. Again have I grown out of these books? This book seemed to have no plot; Or maybe too many. I actually stopped and looked up the summary more than once because I kept forgetting what this book was supposed to be about.
In the author's notes Anthony says this book took him a long time to write. That he wrote the first 10,000 words and then edited a different book. I feel like I could tell this as I read.
I think there were two many characters. Normally I love a big gang. This time I kept wondering if he were to insert any other character in another character's spot would it change the scene or story any? I wish Hiatus's story to save the tree was it's own story. Or if the gang fixed one problem at a time. A little like how they figured out Surprise's magic.
Surprise by the way is an awesome name and an awesome character.
I wish the story of gary gar was more solid and not stuck i the madness. I always disliked computer and I feel like the madness was similar to that. I guess it making the demon more straight laced was intetesting but honestly she wasn't needed to the story other than being the prop to help us remember they were in the madness.
At the end they explain why each character was needed for the adventure but I still don't agree. The story's scope was too wide. It needed more landmarks so to speak.
Oh well. I guess they can't all be great.
In the author's notes Anthony says this book took him a long time to write. That he wrote the first 10,000 words and then edited a different book. I feel like I could tell this as I read.
I think there were two many characters. Normally I love a big gang. This time I kept wondering if he were to insert any other character in another character's spot would it change the scene or story any? I wish Hiatus's story to save the tree was it's own story. Or if the gang fixed one problem at a time. A little like how they figured out Surprise's magic.
Surprise by the way is an awesome name and an awesome character.
I wish the story of gary gar was more solid and not stuck i the madness. I always disliked computer and I feel like the madness was similar to that. I guess it making the demon more straight laced was intetesting but honestly she wasn't needed to the story other than being the prop to help us remember they were in the madness.
At the end they explain why each character was needed for the adventure but I still don't agree. The story's scope was too wide. It needed more landmarks so to speak.
Oh well. I guess they can't all be great.
February 28, 2021
This is the best Xanth novel I've read in quite some time. If it had been a bit more interesting, it would have definitely approached 4 stars. The reason it was better? This read more like an actual novel, rather than the standard Xanth walk around and solve puzzles until the book is over thing that has been the content of Xanth books for quite some time. Much of this book took place in one location, and I remember completing a chapter and realizing that there wasn't a single pun in the chapter, just story. What a concept! Even for the time, which was not that long ago, there's too much emphasis on women, no matter how powerful or capable, still being seen as nothing more than sex objects. All in all, though, here's hoping (yes, I'm decades behind) the next Xanth novels continue literary redemption in the form of storytelling over simplistic walk-arounds and puns.
April 4, 2024
Too long. This story could have been told with fewer "stops" along the way. Still, Anthony has a way of telling even overly long tales well, and this has a number of interesting and amusing "stops". It's all within Xanth, so it can't be boring -- right?
His list of people who sent in puns that he used takes up 4+ pages -- all strung together, so it's not like each person got a line. Awesome. Then there's the paragraph where he pleads for NO more puns, since he's already overwhelmed with them (I should have so many loyal fans for my pen name).
His list of people who sent in puns that he used takes up 4+ pages -- all strung together, so it's not like each person got a line. Awesome. Then there's the paragraph where he pleads for NO more puns, since he's already overwhelmed with them (I should have so many loyal fans for my pen name).
May 21, 2025
Pretty sure book 16, Demons Don't Dream, was as far as I got when I was younger, mostly because that was the newest book, and then I probably got hooked on some other series or author after that. Re-reading these as an adult, it has been a struggle, and I think I'm stopping after this. I've been shocked at just how little most of the books I even remember or recognize. At least the groomer, pedophilia was mostly gone from this book. Mostly.
September 2, 2020
I can't deal with this series anymore. This is how just about every Xanth book goes: there's a problem, a character sets out to seek the Good Magician Humphrey and acquires a team made up of others who are heading to the same place to get an answer to their questions. Throughout the entire journey they always have exactly what they need at that moment in time.
September 30, 2023
Excellent Xanth Story
Gary Gargoyle is set on a quest to remove the Geis of the Gargoyle. To do this, he must become human and gather five fellow adventurers to achieve his goal. Without all six of them they will surely fail?
Gary Gargoyle is set on a quest to remove the Geis of the Gargoyle. To do this, he must become human and gather five fellow adventurers to achieve his goal. Without all six of them they will surely fail?
May 25, 2020
It was hard to put down.
Want to read
July 19, 2020elibrary
September 16, 2020
Much better than the last few, as it was more than just a character looking for romance. Nice to learn more if the history of xanth.
November 25, 2020
Gary Gar is wanting to do something different instead of filtering filthy polluted water coming into Xanth from Mundania. Can the Good Magician help him?
May 15, 2021
It's always nice to spend time in Xanth. The tongue in cheek world , where the worst offenses seem to be seeing women's undergarments, is always a fun romp.
June 21, 2023
A bit bitty, but an interesting tale. Worth reading
August 27, 2023
All the witty Puns in these books crack me up.
Not a bad story.
Not a bad story.
June 10, 2025
Another winner from Xanth.
June 14, 2015
If it was possible, I would have rated this book 3 1/2 stars. However, since it is part of the a series that I love, I am somewhat biased and rated it 4 stars.
Book 18 is about Gary Gar, a gargoyle who is filtering the water that comes into Xanth from Mundania. He is finding that it is becoming more and more polluted, to the point that it is difficult to keep the contamination out. So he does what every other Xanth citizen does when they have a question that they can't answer - they seek out the Good Magician. Gary gets his answer, to find the philter. Along the way, he had to transformed into a man, work with Queen Iris, (who took some youth elixir and lost 70 years), and had to tutor Grundy and Rapunzel's daughter Surprise.
They find that they need to utilize the services of Hiatas, the Zombie Master and Millie the Ghost's son. He is now 40 years old, still a bachelor, still living at home, and has no ambition to do anything else. Come to find out, he had been bewitched by Desiree the Dryad when he was a youth. For a chance to see Desiree again, he joins this group.
They all end up in the Region of Madness. While in there, they discover the ruins of a city called Stone Hinge. With Gary reading the stones they found, and Iris generating the illusion of the long lost city, Stone Hinge comes to life. Yet shortly thereafter, illusions start appearing before the group that Iris did not create. They need to figure out the source of these illusions, find the philter, and get out of the Region of Madness before it's too late.
This is a pretty good Xanth installment, and certainly won't disappoint fans of the series. We get to know more about Queen Iris, who has really been a fringe character, albeit a major one, whose background was never shown in detail until now. As with the other books in the series, a reader can pick it up and enjoy it without having read the other books first. While the characters feel more fleshed out if you have read the prior 17 books, a reader is not lost if they haven't. It was a fun book to read; funny, quick to read, and simply put, brain candy.
Book 18 is about Gary Gar, a gargoyle who is filtering the water that comes into Xanth from Mundania. He is finding that it is becoming more and more polluted, to the point that it is difficult to keep the contamination out. So he does what every other Xanth citizen does when they have a question that they can't answer - they seek out the Good Magician. Gary gets his answer, to find the philter. Along the way, he had to transformed into a man, work with Queen Iris, (who took some youth elixir and lost 70 years), and had to tutor Grundy and Rapunzel's daughter Surprise.
They find that they need to utilize the services of Hiatas, the Zombie Master and Millie the Ghost's son. He is now 40 years old, still a bachelor, still living at home, and has no ambition to do anything else. Come to find out, he had been bewitched by Desiree the Dryad when he was a youth. For a chance to see Desiree again, he joins this group.
They all end up in the Region of Madness. While in there, they discover the ruins of a city called Stone Hinge. With Gary reading the stones they found, and Iris generating the illusion of the long lost city, Stone Hinge comes to life. Yet shortly thereafter, illusions start appearing before the group that Iris did not create. They need to figure out the source of these illusions, find the philter, and get out of the Region of Madness before it's too late.
This is a pretty good Xanth installment, and certainly won't disappoint fans of the series. We get to know more about Queen Iris, who has really been a fringe character, albeit a major one, whose background was never shown in detail until now. As with the other books in the series, a reader can pick it up and enjoy it without having read the other books first. While the characters feel more fleshed out if you have read the prior 17 books, a reader is not lost if they haven't. It was a fun book to read; funny, quick to read, and simply put, brain candy.
April 23, 2013
This is the one where we get to meet Surprise. Surprise was one of my favorite things ever. Even though she was in an extremely silly book.
You could definitely tell that Anthony was going ape on his whole environmental message thing. I actually tend to like books with an environmentally friendly message, so I'm not as annoyed about that as some other readers might be, but it does get annoying when he smacks you about the head with it and tries to be clever about it. In this book, a gargoyle named Gar decides that his job of keeping the Swan Knee river clean is getting too hard, and he wants to get to the bottom of it. So he asks Humfrey, because that's the way we roll in Xanth.
Everybody's got their quest here, and since most quests have something to do with "find my boyfriend," "find my family," or "get married," it was nice to see one quest that involved Gar taking human form and having to babysit Surprise--a girl with a ridiculous talent. Everyone in Xanth has a magical talent, but they're generally restricted to ONE, so it's surprising--Surprise!--that little Surprise seems to basically be able to do absolutely anything magical that she wants to do. (Turns out her ability is basically to be able to do anything once.) I really liked both the idea of this kid and the execution of her goofiness. Everything else in the book I could take or leave. Except the puns. I'd say leave the puns. The ever-growing lists of author credits at the end, acknowledging the readers who'd given him the pun plants to build his story garden around, were getting ridiculous. It was at this point that I'd get new Xanth books and leave them lying around for a long time before I started reading them. I was more interested in my school reading sometimes, because I was so tired of hearing the author slap his knee in between every line.
You could definitely tell that Anthony was going ape on his whole environmental message thing. I actually tend to like books with an environmentally friendly message, so I'm not as annoyed about that as some other readers might be, but it does get annoying when he smacks you about the head with it and tries to be clever about it. In this book, a gargoyle named Gar decides that his job of keeping the Swan Knee river clean is getting too hard, and he wants to get to the bottom of it. So he asks Humfrey, because that's the way we roll in Xanth.
Everybody's got their quest here, and since most quests have something to do with "find my boyfriend," "find my family," or "get married," it was nice to see one quest that involved Gar taking human form and having to babysit Surprise--a girl with a ridiculous talent. Everyone in Xanth has a magical talent, but they're generally restricted to ONE, so it's surprising--Surprise!--that little Surprise seems to basically be able to do absolutely anything magical that she wants to do. (Turns out her ability is basically to be able to do anything once.) I really liked both the idea of this kid and the execution of her goofiness. Everything else in the book I could take or leave. Except the puns. I'd say leave the puns. The ever-growing lists of author credits at the end, acknowledging the readers who'd given him the pun plants to build his story garden around, were getting ridiculous. It was at this point that I'd get new Xanth books and leave them lying around for a long time before I started reading them. I was more interested in my school reading sometimes, because I was so tired of hearing the author slap his knee in between every line.
July 26, 2014
Gar the Gargoyle is tired of cleaning up the river and thinks there has to be a reason it's getting so polluted, so he visits Humfrey to find out what he should do. He never imagined he'd be babysitting a magical child named Surprise who appears to have the magical talent to do anything. In this environmentally friendly quest, Gar will find what he's looking for. If the puns don't eat him alive first.
It was refreshing to see in a Xanth book that once in a while we get a quest that isn't about a man getting a woman. As a bonus, Surprise as a character was really fun--especially the bits where they were trying to figure out how it's possible for a Xanth resident to have more than one magical talent. (She doesn't. It just seems like it.) The anti-pollution Earth-friendly messages were only slightly less blatant than the puns this time. The puns are just tiring at this point. I don't even know how Anthony writes a story without tripping over them.
It was refreshing to see in a Xanth book that once in a while we get a quest that isn't about a man getting a woman. As a bonus, Surprise as a character was really fun--especially the bits where they were trying to figure out how it's possible for a Xanth resident to have more than one magical talent. (She doesn't. It just seems like it.) The anti-pollution Earth-friendly messages were only slightly less blatant than the puns this time. The puns are just tiring at this point. I don't even know how Anthony writes a story without tripping over them.
April 13, 2013
Nice bit of fantasy fluff that could have used a trim of about fifty pages.
Likable characters and some fun ideas, but man, does the middle drag.
Also, shocking news: women have boobs and if a man sees them, he becomes an idiot.
Not disputing the truth of that idea, just annoyed that Piers beats that joke into the ground.We got it the first twenty three times, Piers.
If a guy is tired of references to boobs, then you know you are doing it wrong.
The Xanth books are always a nice read, especially needed after something epic or overly serious. They are the equivilent of a cozy mystery.
Nothing earth shattering, just a fun way to pass an hour or two.
Some actually funny bits and likable characters save this one, but it isn't his best.
Likable characters and some fun ideas, but man, does the middle drag.
Also, shocking news: women have boobs and if a man sees them, he becomes an idiot.
Not disputing the truth of that idea, just annoyed that Piers beats that joke into the ground.We got it the first twenty three times, Piers.
If a guy is tired of references to boobs, then you know you are doing it wrong.
The Xanth books are always a nice read, especially needed after something epic or overly serious. They are the equivilent of a cozy mystery.
Nothing earth shattering, just a fun way to pass an hour or two.
Some actually funny bits and likable characters save this one, but it isn't his best.
August 28, 2023
"This is the future. All things are known."
Sometimes Xanth novels are just light hearted romps and sometimes (like in this one) they're light hearted romps with a valuable message: be kind to the environment.
While, not one of my favorite plotlines in general (Gary Gargoyle just didn't do anything for me as a lead character) I love the underlying message about pollution and keeping the environment clean - it's a great message (especially since I live in Florida, so that's a message near and dear to my heart!)
Also, - Surprise! I love her character, she's fantastic, I can't wait to see more of her!
Sometimes Xanth novels are just light hearted romps and sometimes (like in this one) they're light hearted romps with a valuable message: be kind to the environment.
While, not one of my favorite plotlines in general (Gary Gargoyle just didn't do anything for me as a lead character) I love the underlying message about pollution and keeping the environment clean - it's a great message (especially since I live in Florida, so that's a message near and dear to my heart!)
Also, - Surprise! I love her character, she's fantastic, I can't wait to see more of her!
May 2, 2011
I found these Xanth novels very entertaining in high school - they are cheesy beyond all belief, you have to appreciate puns if you're going to tolerate them at all - but I appreciate them for what they are: pure junk-food reading! I still re-read them on occasion when I'm in between other books, but I think they may be like the movie 'Labyrinth' -- if you loved it when you were a kid, then you can still watch it now with fond memories and enjoy it. But if you never watched it as a kid and then tried to watch it first as an adult, you might be hard pressed to make it through the whole thing?
January 24, 2015
These are my goto books when I want something easy, funny and interesting. I really enjoyed this one because it gave me more history of Xanth. I know how they are going to end, but it's always interesting the pathways these book take to come to an end. Nothing beats a very phunny book and it's set in my home state. I'm actually from the Swan-knee river area and have swam in it a more than a few times. I was surprise that the Con-Pewter didn't play a bigger part in this book. Now I live, work and play on the Gold Coast. Well done Piers Anthony.
December 14, 2013
Another fine example of the rich history of Xanth, and the sheer amount of thought that has gone into this series. In a world of literally endless types of creatures, somehow Piers makes every story fresh and new for the reader. Here we find out more about gargoyles, a creature not often mentioned previously.
This is one of the books in this series that I have only read once previously, so I was glad to dip back into this book. Another great Xanth book, five stars!
This is one of the books in this series that I have only read once previously, so I was glad to dip back into this book. Another great Xanth book, five stars!
September 11, 2010
Another comfort book, another I borrowed/took from my boyfriend. (They didn't sell at the garage sale. :P)
I found the logic in this book a little confusing to understand, particularly in the region of madness and how they were in the past, yet not... What?
I did like finding out more about Surprise, and the different ways the gargoyles view Xanth and their powers.
I found the logic in this book a little confusing to understand, particularly in the region of madness and how they were in the past, yet not... What?
I did like finding out more about Surprise, and the different ways the gargoyles view Xanth and their powers.
December 3, 2012
Elk Xanth verhaal heeft een hoofdpersoon die een Quest te vervullen heeft.
In dit geval een Waterspuwer die zijn werk beter wil doen. En die - met zijn onwaarschijnlijk gezelschap van een verjongde koningin, een lastig kind, een vrouwelijke demon en een saaie kerel - onderweg van alles en nog wat beleefd.
Heerlijke escape, stikvol 'puns' en flauwe woordgrapjes ;-)
In dit geval een Waterspuwer die zijn werk beter wil doen. En die - met zijn onwaarschijnlijk gezelschap van een verjongde koningin, een lastig kind, een vrouwelijke demon en een saaie kerel - onderweg van alles en nog wat beleefd.
Heerlijke escape, stikvol 'puns' en flauwe woordgrapjes ;-)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 63 reviews