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Xanth #11
Heaven Cent
In the mind of Xanth's precious shapeshifting Prince Dolph, the perfect way to see the world is to search for the missing sorcerer, Humfrey. Setting off with his faithful companion, Marrow, an enchanted skeleton, Dolph will penetrate an island of illusion, escape a goblin kingdom, outwit a husband-hungry mermaid, save Marrow from bone-starved harpies, and find romance with a slinky snake princess--all on his way to discovering a magic coin with all the answers!
352 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1988
40 people are currently reading
2350 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 110 reviews
May 24, 2016
Note, May 23, 2016: I've just edited this review to correct a couple of typos, and simplify a sentence.
I first encountered the Xanth series years ago with Dragon on a Pedestal, which I read out loud to my wife. We both liked it, which encouraged us later to read several more books in the series.
Anthony is a profoundly morally-grounded writer; his main characters are all fundamentally decent persons who want to do the right thing, and his plots tend to feature various large and small ethical choices and dilemmas that explore what the right thing is, and why. He also has a basically optimistic outlook; his characters typically face an array of challenges and problems that require logic and ingenuity to surmount, and they invariably rise to the occasion. His humor, in this series, often takes the form of exuberant and extended puns. (It can also include mild sexual innuendo; in this book, for instance, he introduces the Adult Conspiracy, the closely-guarded secret of stork-summoning for the purpose of bringing babies, which excites 9-year old Dolph's curiosity. But as this example suggests, his view of sex grounds it firmly in a context of family and moral responsibility, and his main characters all avoid loose sex as a matter of principle.) All of these characteristics of the series are well-evident in this installment.
Without giving away the ending, it will suffice to say that the conclusion here leaves unfinished business and unresolved loose ends, which are addressed in Book 13, Isle of View --which you'll certainly want to read as well!
I first encountered the Xanth series years ago with Dragon on a Pedestal, which I read out loud to my wife. We both liked it, which encouraged us later to read several more books in the series.
Anthony is a profoundly morally-grounded writer; his main characters are all fundamentally decent persons who want to do the right thing, and his plots tend to feature various large and small ethical choices and dilemmas that explore what the right thing is, and why. He also has a basically optimistic outlook; his characters typically face an array of challenges and problems that require logic and ingenuity to surmount, and they invariably rise to the occasion. His humor, in this series, often takes the form of exuberant and extended puns. (It can also include mild sexual innuendo; in this book, for instance, he introduces the Adult Conspiracy, the closely-guarded secret of stork-summoning for the purpose of bringing babies, which excites 9-year old Dolph's curiosity. But as this example suggests, his view of sex grounds it firmly in a context of family and moral responsibility, and his main characters all avoid loose sex as a matter of principle.) All of these characteristics of the series are well-evident in this installment.
Without giving away the ending, it will suffice to say that the conclusion here leaves unfinished business and unresolved loose ends, which are addressed in Book 13, Isle of View --which you'll certainly want to read as well!
June 12, 2021
Maybe this is nostalgia talking, but this volume was one of my favorites as I kid and I enjoyed this now almost as much. It heavily features one of my favorite Xanth characters (Marrow Bones) and has a pretty good coming of age story. Anthony's usual coming of age stories usually just involve a kid getting into all sorts of naked shenanigans with members of the opposite sex and, while there plenty of that here, it also gets a bit deeper and more serious than that at times (which might be the best we can expect from Piers Anthony).
I think this will also be the end of my re-read of the Xanth books for now. These are really quick, easy reads (I blew through 11 of them in under 2 weeks) and are fun enough (although now that I'm older a lot of the magic is admittedly lost), but reading them back to back like that really reveals this series' main flaw: Anthony churns these books out so regularly because he follows a strict formula. After a while, all of these stories blend together and the characters become practically interchangeable as they are all basically the same story with minor alterations, told over and over and over again.
I think this will also be the end of my re-read of the Xanth books for now. These are really quick, easy reads (I blew through 11 of them in under 2 weeks) and are fun enough (although now that I'm older a lot of the magic is admittedly lost), but reading them back to back like that really reveals this series' main flaw: Anthony churns these books out so regularly because he follows a strict formula. After a while, all of these stories blend together and the characters become practically interchangeable as they are all basically the same story with minor alterations, told over and over and over again.
December 22, 2011
After a long period away from the Xanth series, I came across Heaven Cent and couldn’t remember reading it. I hadn’t and I had evidently missed several episodes since the last one I consumed. If puns are the lowest form of humor, the Xanth books are the lowest form of fantasy. I don’t happen to believe that. I believe these pun-filled stories are like ice cream and candy—delightful in moderation, sickening in over-indulgence. Today, as I read Heaven Cent, I still groaned at the familiar puns like “skeleton key” as both pointing to a possible island or something related to a “literal” skeleton and those of questionable taste such as “picking a bone” with regard to skeletal procreation, but the word play was more capriciously exploratory than tediously forced and I appreciated that. If you don’t like the idea of frivolous ideas like: “chocolate milkweeds” (the source of chocolate milk), literal “Gold Coast” (where, as with King Midas, even the food is gold), “night mares” (horses which carry bad dreams), and more.
One of the great joys of most Piers Anthony works that I’ve read is the way he re-mythologizes classical ideas from mythology, fairy tales, and the “canon” of fantasy literature. Indeed, his retelling of Sophocles’ Electra in Heaven Cent is worth the price of admission. Though it occurs late in the story, I found it to be a delightful approach to the relationship that elicited the psychological term, “Electra complex.” Indeed, one chapter in the book seems like a re-telling of “The Devil and Daniel Webster” but I wasn’t expecting the character who took the “role” of the eloquent senator.
Of course, I also enjoy the supporting cast of characters like: Marrow Bones (the skeleton from the gourd), Magician Murphy (who can make anything go wrong), Onoma Topoeia (who functions just like her name sounds), Stanley Steamer (a cameo role for the Gap Dragon in this one), and, of course, his sister, Princess Ivy (who plays a pivotal role on many levels in the book without being engaged in the main quest).
As with most of the books in the series, this one deals with a quest. It doesn’t exactly follow Joseph Campbell’s “hero’s journey,” but it is, symbolically, a coming-of-age pilgrimage. The protagonist, Prince Dolph, discovers that adults are worth listening to, that girls aren’t always the enemy, that being true to oneself is vital, and, “Because things are almost never as they seem to be. Disillusion is part of growing up.” (p. 261) And, since Prince Dolph is a form-changer (not merely a shape-shifter, as it were), there are different types of solutions for each conflict. So, both the action episodes and puzzle episodes have near-endless variety.
If you need to know the plot, it begins with Dolph watching the Castle Roogna tapestry in order to try to solve the mystery of the disappearance of Good Magician Humphrey. He talks his parents into allowing him to try to solve the puzzle with “appropriate” adult supervision, but the quest goes further and further afield from the royal parents’ expectations. Yet, Dolph learns (though not without sufficient failures) how to act with integrity and honor. When the quest requires him to find the “skeleton key” and the “heaven cent,” he isn’t quite sure what to make of those clues, but he valiantly keeps going until they are revealed. However, in one way he doesn’t see the ultimate fulfillment of his quest in this volume while in another, he sees much, much more and the reader is assured that all will be well.
Fans of Xanth will have already discovered this one, but I rejoice that I returned to the land of laughs and word play—especially at this time of the year. I probably rated this one about a star higher than I normally would because it had been so long since I enjoyed an adventure in this series.
One of the great joys of most Piers Anthony works that I’ve read is the way he re-mythologizes classical ideas from mythology, fairy tales, and the “canon” of fantasy literature. Indeed, his retelling of Sophocles’ Electra in Heaven Cent is worth the price of admission. Though it occurs late in the story, I found it to be a delightful approach to the relationship that elicited the psychological term, “Electra complex.” Indeed, one chapter in the book seems like a re-telling of “The Devil and Daniel Webster” but I wasn’t expecting the character who took the “role” of the eloquent senator.
Of course, I also enjoy the supporting cast of characters like: Marrow Bones (the skeleton from the gourd), Magician Murphy (who can make anything go wrong), Onoma Topoeia (who functions just like her name sounds), Stanley Steamer (a cameo role for the Gap Dragon in this one), and, of course, his sister, Princess Ivy (who plays a pivotal role on many levels in the book without being engaged in the main quest).
As with most of the books in the series, this one deals with a quest. It doesn’t exactly follow Joseph Campbell’s “hero’s journey,” but it is, symbolically, a coming-of-age pilgrimage. The protagonist, Prince Dolph, discovers that adults are worth listening to, that girls aren’t always the enemy, that being true to oneself is vital, and, “Because things are almost never as they seem to be. Disillusion is part of growing up.” (p. 261) And, since Prince Dolph is a form-changer (not merely a shape-shifter, as it were), there are different types of solutions for each conflict. So, both the action episodes and puzzle episodes have near-endless variety.
If you need to know the plot, it begins with Dolph watching the Castle Roogna tapestry in order to try to solve the mystery of the disappearance of Good Magician Humphrey. He talks his parents into allowing him to try to solve the puzzle with “appropriate” adult supervision, but the quest goes further and further afield from the royal parents’ expectations. Yet, Dolph learns (though not without sufficient failures) how to act with integrity and honor. When the quest requires him to find the “skeleton key” and the “heaven cent,” he isn’t quite sure what to make of those clues, but he valiantly keeps going until they are revealed. However, in one way he doesn’t see the ultimate fulfillment of his quest in this volume while in another, he sees much, much more and the reader is assured that all will be well.
Fans of Xanth will have already discovered this one, but I rejoice that I returned to the land of laughs and word play—especially at this time of the year. I probably rated this one about a star higher than I normally would because it had been so long since I enjoyed an adventure in this series.
February 1, 2015
An the Xanth series continues
30 December 2011
It is fascinating read what other people's opinions on the various books on Goodreads, particularly those that I myself have read. A lot of the reviews suggest that these later Xanth books where the first that they read, and there is obviously the extensive use of puns. I never really found the puns hugely funny, and it was something that I put up with in the books.
I noticed as I read one of the reviews of this book that Anthony had borrowed from a lot of classical literature, such as The Devil and Daniel Webster and Sophocles' Electra. Now I am not hugely familiar with Electra, but since they are reasonably short plays, and that I love Greek Literature, it is surely one that I will read again in the near future. However, that is beside the point because when I read this book long ago I had never heard of Sophocles nor had I heard of Electra, so the retelling would have been lost on me.
Once again, as is the common theme throughout this book, the main character is a child (or a little person, as was the case in Golem in the Gears) but these little people end up going out and performing extraordinary deeds. In this land the adults, while responsible, are separated from the children (obviously) but we are encouraged to understand that it is the adult's role to protect the children, though the children do go on wonderful quests in these books.
I guess that is why it is escapist literature designed for children. Especially these days, with fear roaming the streets, children are more sheltered and protected than ever, however it is still an age of innocence. In many places around the world children are thrust into adulthood at a very young age, either as labourers, slaves, or soldiers. While a child reading this book may relate to and enjoy the adventure, I hope it does not encourage them to run away for their own adventure (unless it is only down to the local park).
30 December 2011
It is fascinating read what other people's opinions on the various books on Goodreads, particularly those that I myself have read. A lot of the reviews suggest that these later Xanth books where the first that they read, and there is obviously the extensive use of puns. I never really found the puns hugely funny, and it was something that I put up with in the books.
I noticed as I read one of the reviews of this book that Anthony had borrowed from a lot of classical literature, such as The Devil and Daniel Webster and Sophocles' Electra. Now I am not hugely familiar with Electra, but since they are reasonably short plays, and that I love Greek Literature, it is surely one that I will read again in the near future. However, that is beside the point because when I read this book long ago I had never heard of Sophocles nor had I heard of Electra, so the retelling would have been lost on me.
Once again, as is the common theme throughout this book, the main character is a child (or a little person, as was the case in Golem in the Gears) but these little people end up going out and performing extraordinary deeds. In this land the adults, while responsible, are separated from the children (obviously) but we are encouraged to understand that it is the adult's role to protect the children, though the children do go on wonderful quests in these books.
I guess that is why it is escapist literature designed for children. Especially these days, with fear roaming the streets, children are more sheltered and protected than ever, however it is still an age of innocence. In many places around the world children are thrust into adulthood at a very young age, either as labourers, slaves, or soldiers. While a child reading this book may relate to and enjoy the adventure, I hope it does not encourage them to run away for their own adventure (unless it is only down to the local park).
June 29, 2023
Dolph, the 11 year old son of King Dor and Queen Irene, is, like everyone else, worried about where the good magician Humphreys and his family have disappeared to. He comes up with a plan to find them, his own quest. But he knows his parents will not allow him to go. He tells them that he thinks he can find clues to their disappearance and then follow the clues to find them.
He goes to his parents and asks them if he can go, and his mother tells him that because of his age, he must have an adult go with him. He decides that he wants Grundy to be the adult, but he knows his parents will not agree to him. So Dolph decides to come up with a list of the worst adults he can think of, so when, at last, he says Grundy's name, they will agree.
The next day, he meets with his parents again and starts with the name of Marrow Bones, the skeleton out of the gourd. And to his dismay, they agree to Marrow as his adult companion.
The two of them start out on the magical path to the good magician Humphreys castle, talking as they walk, getting to know each other better. When Dolph figures out, it's going to be a long walk, and already his legs are getting tired.....
When searching the castle, Dolph and Marrow figure out that a large supporting pier is not what it seems. When Dolph finally figures a way to see into the pier, he finds a note that says, "Skeleton Key to the Heaven Cent." Dolph now has the clue he needs to really start his quest, if only he can figure out what it means.
As with all of the Xanth books, Dolph, in ways that only an 11 year old boy can, gets into fixes that are both interesting and funny. This book doesn't have as many puns in it as the first ones do. Which, to me, is a little sad because I got used to them being there, but the ones that are in the book are pretty good. The book both moves along and runs slowly. When you read it, you will understand what I mean, and for those reasons, I knocked off one star.
He goes to his parents and asks them if he can go, and his mother tells him that because of his age, he must have an adult go with him. He decides that he wants Grundy to be the adult, but he knows his parents will not agree to him. So Dolph decides to come up with a list of the worst adults he can think of, so when, at last, he says Grundy's name, they will agree.
The next day, he meets with his parents again and starts with the name of Marrow Bones, the skeleton out of the gourd. And to his dismay, they agree to Marrow as his adult companion.
The two of them start out on the magical path to the good magician Humphreys castle, talking as they walk, getting to know each other better. When Dolph figures out, it's going to be a long walk, and already his legs are getting tired.....
When searching the castle, Dolph and Marrow figure out that a large supporting pier is not what it seems. When Dolph finally figures a way to see into the pier, he finds a note that says, "Skeleton Key to the Heaven Cent." Dolph now has the clue he needs to really start his quest, if only he can figure out what it means.
As with all of the Xanth books, Dolph, in ways that only an 11 year old boy can, gets into fixes that are both interesting and funny. This book doesn't have as many puns in it as the first ones do. Which, to me, is a little sad because I got used to them being there, but the ones that are in the book are pretty good. The book both moves along and runs slowly. When you read it, you will understand what I mean, and for those reasons, I knocked off one star.
July 22, 2017
This is a continuation of the Xanth series. It's fun and frivolous. The only reason for four stars is that in my opinion, it ends abruptly. This book is a tale of young Prince Dolph and the search for the Heaven Cent. The search leads him to Mundania (where we live) and some interesting discussions about how our technology could be viewed as magic since that is common place on Xanth.
August 26, 2019
4 Stars
Heaven Cent is the eleventh book in the Xanth series by Piers Anthony. This story follows Prince Dolph, a shapeshifter, as he sets off to find Humphrey, and discover the world. His companion on the journey is an enchanted skeleton named Marrow. Their adventure takes them to the Island of Illusion, and the Goblin Kingdom. Meeting mermaids, harpies, and a snake princess along the way.
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!
Heaven Cent is the eleventh book in the Xanth series by Piers Anthony. This story follows Prince Dolph, a shapeshifter, as he sets off to find Humphrey, and discover the world. His companion on the journey is an enchanted skeleton named Marrow. Their adventure takes them to the Island of Illusion, and the Goblin Kingdom. Meeting mermaids, harpies, and a snake princess along the way.
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!
July 25, 2014
Dolph, Ivy's brother, wants to see the world, so he goes off to look for the Magician Humfrey--who's still missing. He's got a sentient skeleton to help him, and feels pretty safe; he can shapeshift into any animal, so he's unlikely to get into trouble. That is, unless you count lady trouble. He is faced with rescuing not one but two women, and must also escape evil ladies who want to marry him or devour him. But when unavoidable affairs leave Dolph betrothed to two women, what will he do to resolve his future?
There are SO many frustrating lady-things in this book. The women all either need to be saved or want to do something bad to the protagonist (and it doesn't surprise me to see women yet again portrayed as manipulative and annoying, with a literal scene of a siren trying to trap him with marriage and a bunch of actual harpies). Dolph also ended up with two fiancées at age nine. I don't see how this works since he had to describe his candidates in terms of how much he was in love with them (and was always randomly lusting after women's legs).
There are SO many frustrating lady-things in this book. The women all either need to be saved or want to do something bad to the protagonist (and it doesn't surprise me to see women yet again portrayed as manipulative and annoying, with a literal scene of a siren trying to trap him with marriage and a bunch of actual harpies). Dolph also ended up with two fiancées at age nine. I don't see how this works since he had to describe his candidates in terms of how much he was in love with them (and was always randomly lusting after women's legs).
February 21, 2012
Piers, Piers, Piers. You are such a guilty pleasure.
I love the Xanth books because you do what you do so well. No mindless exposition and no dreary descriptions. The 'only' thing you give us is a clearly-defined 'save the princess' and a set of obstacles that the hero needs to negotiate. Oh, and a mountain of puns and creative animals / plants.
I could use this to describe almost all your books - they're cookie cutter, but my god are they addictive. I'm not sure if I were to re-read them now they'd have the same draw. And so, I won't. It's best to keep my rose-coloured glasses on while I reminisce of pillow trees that pop buttered popcorn.
I love the Xanth books because you do what you do so well. No mindless exposition and no dreary descriptions. The 'only' thing you give us is a clearly-defined 'save the princess' and a set of obstacles that the hero needs to negotiate. Oh, and a mountain of puns and creative animals / plants.
I could use this to describe almost all your books - they're cookie cutter, but my god are they addictive. I'm not sure if I were to re-read them now they'd have the same draw. And so, I won't. It's best to keep my rose-coloured glasses on while I reminisce of pillow trees that pop buttered popcorn.
June 14, 2020
When I first read Heaven Cent as a teenager, I don't know if I found it disturbingly weird that the book is about a naked nine year old boy wandering around the wilderness being hit on by naked older women but I do know teenage me purchased four more Xanth books after it. Of course, that's the least gross thing I did as a teenager so I'll give myself a pass on that one. Hell, I give myself a pass on all the other gross things too because who was that idiot who actually enjoyed these books?! I mean, sure, I still feel like the same person I've been every year of my life. But better and more improved and definitely less gross. The thing people get wrong about aging is not that you're as young as you feel; the thing about aging is that you're always every age you ever were and currently are. You don't forget what it was like to be fifteen as soon as you turn sixteen. You just now know what it's like to be sixteen as well as every other age up until then. And you've learned (hopefully) to do better than your previous years' selves.
Anyway, that has nothing to do with this weird book where a naked nine year old travels the wilderness asking topless hybrid monster/human women to teach him how babies are made. He begins just like a nine year old might, complaining about adult mushy business and his older sister. But eventually, after many topless women have kissed him and rubbed their boobs on him, he begins to suspect that maybe doing mushy stuff would be really kind of fun. And then he meets a snake woman who is fourteen but pretending to be eight and he's all, "Ooh la la! I really want to do whatever it is adults do with this snake lady!" And during that whole story, your brain will be screaming, "THIS IS A NINE YEAR OLD NAKED BOY!"
I had the luxury of a mind that doesn't really picture the characters as I read the book so I didn't picture a nine year old ding dong for however many hours it took to read this. But I know a lot of you love to picture the protagonist and get angry if the cover shows you an image of the protagonist before you've had the chance to picture the protagonist for yourself. Well good news for those people: the cover doesn't show the nine year old boy's thingie so you get to make that up in your own head. You perverts. And don't think I'm suggesting it's one scene where you'll think, "Okay, I just won't imagine this scene!" It's the entire book! The kid's dong is out throughout the book!
Don't get me wrong! I don't care that a naked boy is running around a fantasy land on a quest to find an old man. It's weird but I wouldn't immediately assume it's sexual. Don't Huck and Jim hang out naked on the raft too? Or was that just my mental version of the story? Anyway, I get it if you haven't read this book and you're thinking, "You're disgusting! Thinking a nine year old's naked body is a sexual thing!" But if you read this book and you think you're not going to think that, Piers Anthony thinks you've got another think coming! Because he'll make sure you understand that this book is all about a nine year old boy learning that maybe sex is kind of cool and he's totally interested in finding out about it with about four or five different naked older women who definitely want him to put a baby in them. Also he's naked the whole time.
The problem I have with Xanth books (but not a big enough problem to stop re-reading them) is that, ultimately, they're all about people finding relationships. Nobody in Xanth is single for very long because if you're a main character in a Xanth novel (and also a lesser character in a Xanth novel (or even just mentioned briefly in a Xanth novel)), you're going to wind up in a romantic entanglement. And even though half-horse women can have sex with male half-lion horses, and half-ogre men can have sex with nymphs and practically any male creature can have sex with any female creature, I'm twelve books into the series and I don't think any same sex couples have even been mentioned. I could be wrong though because these books are like cotton candy and my mind is like the water that melts them into nothingness.
Why am I still re-reading these things?! One star!
Anyway, that has nothing to do with this weird book where a naked nine year old travels the wilderness asking topless hybrid monster/human women to teach him how babies are made. He begins just like a nine year old might, complaining about adult mushy business and his older sister. But eventually, after many topless women have kissed him and rubbed their boobs on him, he begins to suspect that maybe doing mushy stuff would be really kind of fun. And then he meets a snake woman who is fourteen but pretending to be eight and he's all, "Ooh la la! I really want to do whatever it is adults do with this snake lady!" And during that whole story, your brain will be screaming, "THIS IS A NINE YEAR OLD NAKED BOY!"
I had the luxury of a mind that doesn't really picture the characters as I read the book so I didn't picture a nine year old ding dong for however many hours it took to read this. But I know a lot of you love to picture the protagonist and get angry if the cover shows you an image of the protagonist before you've had the chance to picture the protagonist for yourself. Well good news for those people: the cover doesn't show the nine year old boy's thingie so you get to make that up in your own head. You perverts. And don't think I'm suggesting it's one scene where you'll think, "Okay, I just won't imagine this scene!" It's the entire book! The kid's dong is out throughout the book!
Don't get me wrong! I don't care that a naked boy is running around a fantasy land on a quest to find an old man. It's weird but I wouldn't immediately assume it's sexual. Don't Huck and Jim hang out naked on the raft too? Or was that just my mental version of the story? Anyway, I get it if you haven't read this book and you're thinking, "You're disgusting! Thinking a nine year old's naked body is a sexual thing!" But if you read this book and you think you're not going to think that, Piers Anthony thinks you've got another think coming! Because he'll make sure you understand that this book is all about a nine year old boy learning that maybe sex is kind of cool and he's totally interested in finding out about it with about four or five different naked older women who definitely want him to put a baby in them. Also he's naked the whole time.
The problem I have with Xanth books (but not a big enough problem to stop re-reading them) is that, ultimately, they're all about people finding relationships. Nobody in Xanth is single for very long because if you're a main character in a Xanth novel (and also a lesser character in a Xanth novel (or even just mentioned briefly in a Xanth novel)), you're going to wind up in a romantic entanglement. And even though half-horse women can have sex with male half-lion horses, and half-ogre men can have sex with nymphs and practically any male creature can have sex with any female creature, I'm twelve books into the series and I don't think any same sex couples have even been mentioned. I could be wrong though because these books are like cotton candy and my mind is like the water that melts them into nothingness.
Why am I still re-reading these things?! One star!
February 21, 2025
This is a dull book.
The only character of any interest is Marrow the skeleton who accompanies Prince Dork on his boring quest. And it is a dull quest, of little interest and little consequence.
About halfway through the quest we are informed that there are no stakes or any peril involved in the quest at all. It is revealed that Dork's parents are able to watch and monitor every action he is taking on his trip in real-time by way of the magical tapestry in the castle where Dork, his sister and his parents live. So it means there is no tension at all, no chance of peril, not even the remotest possibility that Dork is in any sort of danger because if things get too risky the King and Queen, or someone in his family can intervene and remove Dork from any danger at any moment.
OMFGDgod!!!!! That has got to be the stupidest reveal ever in the history of literature! What is the point of going on a quest.....when it isn't even a quest! And this is revealed about the halfway point in the book. This makes for an extremely boring read. After that and I just ground through and finished this turd, just because I wanted to see how bad it could get.
It gets worse. It ends on a "cliffhanger". Yawn! I had no intention of reading another book in the series after the stupid reveal above so the cliffhanger just becomes a dull "Thud" at the end of a boring book. I can't even be bothered to check Wikipedia to find out what happens. I simply don't care. The book is that boring and mindlessly written. Boooorrrring!
The one good thing about the book is that the puns are few and far between. That's a relief! The last book I read in the series, #5, was so full of constant punning it was a trudge to get through.
Anyways, 2 stars simply because I liked the Marrow the Skeleton, he was fun.
That and there was nudity, both male and female on the cover of the edition I had.
Problem there is that the boy on the cover is 10 years old! That's right. For the majority of the book the main character, a 10 year old boy is walking around nude, interacting with older men and women and even animals. Also he is being spied on by his Mother, Father and Sister and who ever else is watching the tapestry back at the castle. Kind of a creepy weird book when you think about it, actually.
The only character of any interest is Marrow the skeleton who accompanies Prince Dork on his boring quest. And it is a dull quest, of little interest and little consequence.
About halfway through the quest we are informed that there are no stakes or any peril involved in the quest at all. It is revealed that Dork's parents are able to watch and monitor every action he is taking on his trip in real-time by way of the magical tapestry in the castle where Dork, his sister and his parents live. So it means there is no tension at all, no chance of peril, not even the remotest possibility that Dork is in any sort of danger because if things get too risky the King and Queen, or someone in his family can intervene and remove Dork from any danger at any moment.
OMFGDgod!!!!! That has got to be the stupidest reveal ever in the history of literature! What is the point of going on a quest.....when it isn't even a quest! And this is revealed about the halfway point in the book. This makes for an extremely boring read. After that and I just ground through and finished this turd, just because I wanted to see how bad it could get.
It gets worse. It ends on a "cliffhanger". Yawn! I had no intention of reading another book in the series after the stupid reveal above so the cliffhanger just becomes a dull "Thud" at the end of a boring book. I can't even be bothered to check Wikipedia to find out what happens. I simply don't care. The book is that boring and mindlessly written. Boooorrrring!
The one good thing about the book is that the puns are few and far between. That's a relief! The last book I read in the series, #5, was so full of constant punning it was a trudge to get through.
Anyways, 2 stars simply because I liked the Marrow the Skeleton, he was fun.
That and there was nudity, both male and female on the cover of the edition I had.
Problem there is that the boy on the cover is 10 years old! That's right. For the majority of the book the main character, a 10 year old boy is walking around nude, interacting with older men and women and even animals. Also he is being spied on by his Mother, Father and Sister and who ever else is watching the tapestry back at the castle. Kind of a creepy weird book when you think about it, actually.
November 14, 2018
Heaven Cent is a decently enjoyable entry in the Xanth series. It concerns nine year old Prince Dolph, who goes on a quest, along with his adult, skeletal companion Marrow Bones, to find the still missing Magician Humphrey. He meets a number of highly interesting and entertaining characters along the way, encounters a fair number of pun-ishingly named creatures and personages, and even manages to discover, for the reader, additional history for some characters from the earlier books...
I must say, however, that the premise of the story is rather weak - the quest for the Heaven Cent... how do I describe this without spoiling the novel for you... it doesn't really go anywhere. The main story-line... it's real purpose, in my opinion, is to set up future novels. So, when it ends, it just sort of does so without any real... umph!
Putting it another way... the plot feels like it is merely an excuse Mr. Anthony came up with for writing a bunch of sub-stories regarding his nine year old hero. As Dolph is very likable and these sub-stories happen to be VERY good ones, this isn't necessarily a bad thing. But being honest... it lead to certain aspects of the book feeling repetitive, and I was able to put the book down for days at a time without really feeling the need to pick it up again after getting through a major sub-story.
That being said, I'm still awarding the novel 3.75 out of 5 stars and a like (thumbs up). Hey, if you don't like my rating, go blame the adult conspiracy! In my opinion, that's a fair rating for collection of stories centered around a loose excuse for a plot line. Despite its shortcomings, I truly hope you'll give this book a try en route to its follow-up as I feel you'll like it too. Thanks for the novel, Piers!
I must say, however, that the premise of the story is rather weak - the quest for the Heaven Cent... how do I describe this without spoiling the novel for you... it doesn't really go anywhere. The main story-line... it's real purpose, in my opinion, is to set up future novels. So, when it ends, it just sort of does so without any real... umph!
Putting it another way... the plot feels like it is merely an excuse Mr. Anthony came up with for writing a bunch of sub-stories regarding his nine year old hero. As Dolph is very likable and these sub-stories happen to be VERY good ones, this isn't necessarily a bad thing. But being honest... it lead to certain aspects of the book feeling repetitive, and I was able to put the book down for days at a time without really feeling the need to pick it up again after getting through a major sub-story.
That being said, I'm still awarding the novel 3.75 out of 5 stars and a like (thumbs up). Hey, if you don't like my rating, go blame the adult conspiracy! In my opinion, that's a fair rating for collection of stories centered around a loose excuse for a plot line. Despite its shortcomings, I truly hope you'll give this book a try en route to its follow-up as I feel you'll like it too. Thanks for the novel, Piers!
April 16, 2016
Piers Anthony's books hold a strange appeal for me. They have a strange sort of inartfulness, a juvenile feel to them that nonetheless hides a fair share of headier intellectual stuff.
It's not that Anthony's a great writer; he has some really very good ideas -- the Apprentice Adept series remain a high point of fantasy/scifi -- but they're presented in a kind of clunky writing style that's reminiscent of 9th grade literary efforts.
Take Heaven Cent. The protagonist is Dolph, a 9 year old shape-changing magician that goes on a quest to find the missing Magician Humfrey. Dolph, at 9, is virtually indistinguishable from some other lead characters in other Xanth books, both in terms of his personality and in terms of his actually seeming to be 9. Dolph is basically the same as his father, Dor, who had his own turns starring in two books, and Dor was basically his father, Bink, also the star of two books. It's nearly impossible to come up with a difference between the three characters.
That's the way most of Anthony's Xanth characters are, though: they're more like archetypes than characters: the kid; the uneducated man, the shrewd woman, the aged magician, the noble king; if it weren't that each of these characters has a singular magic talent, they'd be indistinguishable. The men are all good-hearted if slightly slow-witted amiable fellows; the women are all calculating shrewishness on the surface but underneath full of wisdom and love.
Children, in the Xanth books, are especially poorly written. The reader is constantly reminded that Dolph is 9, and that's necessary because Dolph thinks and acts and speaks like a much older person, except when the story requires him to act or speak like a 9 year old -- such as a the end of a dream-sequence courtroom scene when, having acted like a pretty decent defense attorney for most of the chapter, Dolph suddenly can't think or speak a coherent sentence.
Anthony's writing is about 9th grade level, too; he tells more than he shows, and his characters have long ruminating passages where they over explain things and recap what has happened just chapters earlier. The scenes that vaguely relate to anything sexual are dropped a few grades lower (even in the books where all the characters are adults), and the books would easily earn a PG rating.
The plots, too, tend to be simplistic in nature: a character sets out to do something, runs into several distractions along the way, and ultimately realizes that the distractions have helped him/her realize something fundamental about himself, or herself, or Xanth, that then makes it possible to finish the quest.
So with all those flaws, you'd think I'd dislike the Xanth books, dislike them enough that even nostaligia and a need to take a break from heady, depressing, frightening books like the last few. But I don't. I enjoy them. I've read two already this year and even though this one, like Vale of the Vole, was one I'd read before (albeit one I'd forgotten almost entirely), I still found it entertaining enough, and more entertaining than, say, Armada or The Wall Of The Sky, The Wall Of The Eye, to name two.
I think this is because the books themselves are so innocent. Mr Bunches occasionally writes stories at school, and his stories remind me in a way of the Xanth stories. Not only does nothing too terrible ever happen in Xanth -- I can't think of a time when a monster or character was killed, and even the bad guys aren't really all that bad-- but the stories themselves have a childlike quality to them: there are pillow bushes and raspberry pie trees and people walk on clouds and nightmares bring bad dreams and ogres make milk curdle by looking at it. It's like all the really fun interesting parts of fairy tales but put together in a way that you could tell your kids the stories and they wouldn't have nightmares. It's fantasy without the bloodshed, fantasy run through a 1980s sitcom 'special episode' where everyone is friends at the end and they all Learned Something.
But even with that, the Xanth books cover some heady intellectual territory. One book featured characters working through the prisoners' dilemma, which was actually my first exposure to game theory. This book had Dolph, at the end, consider the question of whether the ends justifies the means: he and another character were facing trial in the world of nightmares because the other character had interfered with a bad dream. In Xanth, bad dreams are crafted by nightmare creatures living inside a hypnogourd. One of the creatures, a skeleton, had been set to act in a bad dream sent to a troll: the troll had let a human kid go rather than share it with his village, which was starving, and so was supposed to suffer a bad dream, but the skeleton in the dream whispered that she thought he'd done the right thing, and so muted the impact of the dream.
(See what I mean about creativity? There's like four great ideas in that paragraph.)
The skeleton is to stand trial and Dolph is her lawyer, and before they stand trial they need to go through a series of doors to make them think about their stance. The doors pose questions like Would you let a troll die to save a human village? And then Would you let a human die to save a troll village? And so on to things like Would you kill a human baby to save a troll village?
These are actually pretty important philosophical questions, along the lines of the trolley problem (in which you witness a trolley, out of control, speeding towards five people on the track. You can pull a lever to divert the trolley but doing so will kill one person on the other track: what do you do?)
Each Xanth book features one or more issues like this, intellectual concepts presented amidst silly fantasy stories, and I think that's the real saving grace for these books, and why I can still read them when I can't really get into Harry Potter anymore. A while back I thought I'd listen to Potter on audiobook but I got bored a chapter in and gave it up. The Harry Potter books as good as they are, don't present the same kind of intellectual or philosophical underpinning. They're far better written and more consistent and have better characterizations, but in the end they're just... stories.
Some of my favorite books from when I was younger are books that make you think about something other than the story. The Narnia books, The Phantom Tollbooth, Bridge To Terabithia, The Last Of The Really Great Whangdoodles, and the Xanth books are all books like that: just under the surface of a simple story are some more intriguing concepts to mull over, and it's that which makes books like Heaven Cent have some staying power with me. I know they're mostly silly books; there's nothing wrong with silly. But for a silly book to still have a bit of resonance with an adult, it has to make you think a bit, too.
It's not that Anthony's a great writer; he has some really very good ideas -- the Apprentice Adept series remain a high point of fantasy/scifi -- but they're presented in a kind of clunky writing style that's reminiscent of 9th grade literary efforts.
Take Heaven Cent. The protagonist is Dolph, a 9 year old shape-changing magician that goes on a quest to find the missing Magician Humfrey. Dolph, at 9, is virtually indistinguishable from some other lead characters in other Xanth books, both in terms of his personality and in terms of his actually seeming to be 9. Dolph is basically the same as his father, Dor, who had his own turns starring in two books, and Dor was basically his father, Bink, also the star of two books. It's nearly impossible to come up with a difference between the three characters.
That's the way most of Anthony's Xanth characters are, though: they're more like archetypes than characters: the kid; the uneducated man, the shrewd woman, the aged magician, the noble king; if it weren't that each of these characters has a singular magic talent, they'd be indistinguishable. The men are all good-hearted if slightly slow-witted amiable fellows; the women are all calculating shrewishness on the surface but underneath full of wisdom and love.
Children, in the Xanth books, are especially poorly written. The reader is constantly reminded that Dolph is 9, and that's necessary because Dolph thinks and acts and speaks like a much older person, except when the story requires him to act or speak like a 9 year old -- such as a the end of a dream-sequence courtroom scene when, having acted like a pretty decent defense attorney for most of the chapter, Dolph suddenly can't think or speak a coherent sentence.
Anthony's writing is about 9th grade level, too; he tells more than he shows, and his characters have long ruminating passages where they over explain things and recap what has happened just chapters earlier. The scenes that vaguely relate to anything sexual are dropped a few grades lower (even in the books where all the characters are adults), and the books would easily earn a PG rating.
The plots, too, tend to be simplistic in nature: a character sets out to do something, runs into several distractions along the way, and ultimately realizes that the distractions have helped him/her realize something fundamental about himself, or herself, or Xanth, that then makes it possible to finish the quest.
So with all those flaws, you'd think I'd dislike the Xanth books, dislike them enough that even nostaligia and a need to take a break from heady, depressing, frightening books like the last few. But I don't. I enjoy them. I've read two already this year and even though this one, like Vale of the Vole, was one I'd read before (albeit one I'd forgotten almost entirely), I still found it entertaining enough, and more entertaining than, say, Armada or The Wall Of The Sky, The Wall Of The Eye, to name two.
I think this is because the books themselves are so innocent. Mr Bunches occasionally writes stories at school, and his stories remind me in a way of the Xanth stories. Not only does nothing too terrible ever happen in Xanth -- I can't think of a time when a monster or character was killed, and even the bad guys aren't really all that bad-- but the stories themselves have a childlike quality to them: there are pillow bushes and raspberry pie trees and people walk on clouds and nightmares bring bad dreams and ogres make milk curdle by looking at it. It's like all the really fun interesting parts of fairy tales but put together in a way that you could tell your kids the stories and they wouldn't have nightmares. It's fantasy without the bloodshed, fantasy run through a 1980s sitcom 'special episode' where everyone is friends at the end and they all Learned Something.
But even with that, the Xanth books cover some heady intellectual territory. One book featured characters working through the prisoners' dilemma, which was actually my first exposure to game theory. This book had Dolph, at the end, consider the question of whether the ends justifies the means: he and another character were facing trial in the world of nightmares because the other character had interfered with a bad dream. In Xanth, bad dreams are crafted by nightmare creatures living inside a hypnogourd. One of the creatures, a skeleton, had been set to act in a bad dream sent to a troll: the troll had let a human kid go rather than share it with his village, which was starving, and so was supposed to suffer a bad dream, but the skeleton in the dream whispered that she thought he'd done the right thing, and so muted the impact of the dream.
(See what I mean about creativity? There's like four great ideas in that paragraph.)
The skeleton is to stand trial and Dolph is her lawyer, and before they stand trial they need to go through a series of doors to make them think about their stance. The doors pose questions like Would you let a troll die to save a human village? And then Would you let a human die to save a troll village? And so on to things like Would you kill a human baby to save a troll village?
These are actually pretty important philosophical questions, along the lines of the trolley problem (in which you witness a trolley, out of control, speeding towards five people on the track. You can pull a lever to divert the trolley but doing so will kill one person on the other track: what do you do?)
Each Xanth book features one or more issues like this, intellectual concepts presented amidst silly fantasy stories, and I think that's the real saving grace for these books, and why I can still read them when I can't really get into Harry Potter anymore. A while back I thought I'd listen to Potter on audiobook but I got bored a chapter in and gave it up. The Harry Potter books as good as they are, don't present the same kind of intellectual or philosophical underpinning. They're far better written and more consistent and have better characterizations, but in the end they're just... stories.
Some of my favorite books from when I was younger are books that make you think about something other than the story. The Narnia books, The Phantom Tollbooth, Bridge To Terabithia, The Last Of The Really Great Whangdoodles, and the Xanth books are all books like that: just under the surface of a simple story are some more intriguing concepts to mull over, and it's that which makes books like Heaven Cent have some staying power with me. I know they're mostly silly books; there's nothing wrong with silly. But for a silly book to still have a bit of resonance with an adult, it has to make you think a bit, too.
October 2, 2017
Heaven Cent is the eleventh book in the Xanth series, and has a great plot and many adventures in it. In the story the main character was Prince Dolph, who was the son of King Dor and had the ability to change from his natural form to the form of any other living creature. He went on an adventure to find the missing Magician Humphrey, who had disappeared a few years before, and with him he brought the living skeleton Marrow. On the adventure he learned that he needed to locate an object called the Heaven Cent to find Humphrey and he also met and assisted many different people along the way.
The character that I connected with the most was the main character because I would make similar decisions in the same situations, and also Marrow, because I thoroughly think things through before making a decision. This book reminds me of the other books written by Piers Anthony, because it relates to the other books in the series, but still has many surprises. Heaven Cent also has a few puns here and there, for those who like them.
My favorite thing about the book is how there is always something new, and how it has some seriousness and some humor in it. The author is excellent at making a good story that will get any reader to want to continue reading it and to read the following books. I would highly recommend this book to any reader that likes books involving magic and also to any other readers. Also, if you are going to read this book it is better to have read the books that come before it in the Xanth series.
The character that I connected with the most was the main character because I would make similar decisions in the same situations, and also Marrow, because I thoroughly think things through before making a decision. This book reminds me of the other books written by Piers Anthony, because it relates to the other books in the series, but still has many surprises. Heaven Cent also has a few puns here and there, for those who like them.
My favorite thing about the book is how there is always something new, and how it has some seriousness and some humor in it. The author is excellent at making a good story that will get any reader to want to continue reading it and to read the following books. I would highly recommend this book to any reader that likes books involving magic and also to any other readers. Also, if you are going to read this book it is better to have read the books that come before it in the Xanth series.
March 24, 2020
There is no other way to describe a Xanth novel than hilarious. Sure, they all have a standard theme. The main character goes on some mission, encounters all kinds of weird monsters, magic, and people and must survive countless challenges along the way. Throw in a handful of misdirections, intentional word plays, and you have the standard Xanth plot. This one is more of the same.
Having read them all, you would think I would be bored of the same old trick pony. Wrong. If anything, it's the author's ability to forever widen the magical world he has created without overstepping previous works. New word twists, new types of characters, new magic. In the end, new fun.
For hilarious fantasy comedy, never miss a chance to read a Xanth novel. You can't go wrong.
I gave this 4.5 stars but rounded up. The lost half star was due to perhaps a little too much sexual reference for a 9-year-old protagonist.
Having read them all, you would think I would be bored of the same old trick pony. Wrong. If anything, it's the author's ability to forever widen the magical world he has created without overstepping previous works. New word twists, new types of characters, new magic. In the end, new fun.
For hilarious fantasy comedy, never miss a chance to read a Xanth novel. You can't go wrong.
I gave this 4.5 stars but rounded up. The lost half star was due to perhaps a little too much sexual reference for a 9-year-old protagonist.
October 7, 2021
This was my entry into the Xanth series. I didn't know what to expect, but definitely didn't anticipate a story about 9 year old protagonist who is seduced by a series of (much older) women while out adventuring on a quest for a missing magician. That's pretty much the plot. The women all want a piece of him, whether it's to marry him or eat him. The book almost seems written explicitly to excite 13 year old boys.
There are lots of word puns, including the title of the book itself. It was imaginative and a fun read. I will try other Xanth novels and I loved the animated skeleton sidekick Marrow, but this book fell short of being a well-rounded tale. Unless you consider lots of boobies well-rounded.
There are lots of word puns, including the title of the book itself. It was imaginative and a fun read. I will try other Xanth novels and I loved the animated skeleton sidekick Marrow, but this book fell short of being a well-rounded tale. Unless you consider lots of boobies well-rounded.
March 28, 2018
Piers Anthony's protagonist in this work does grow emotionally as the novel progresses. For example he eventually learns that the older sister he thought he disdains is actually a loving sibling. He also makes a number of adult choices by the end. But the role of women is difficult to judge since a lot of the story is told through a boy's eyes who likes being hugged by full figured girls and yet does not like "mushy stuff." (I don't think any of the women in Xanth are smaller than a D cup except for Grace'l Ossein. the female animated skeleton, and even she is full figured when draped in illusionary flesh which happens twice in Heaven Cent.
Read
October 23, 2025In the mind of Xanth's precious shapeshifting Prince Dolph, the perfect was to see the world is to search for the missing sorcerer, Humfrey. Setting off with his faithfuls companion, Marrow, an enchanted skeleton, Dolph will penetrate an island of illusion, escape a goblin kingdom, outwit a husband-hungry mermaid, save marrow from bone-starved harpies, and find romance with a slinky snake princess--all on his way to discovering a magic coin with all the answers!
June 24, 2019
The Xanth books by Piers Anthony were some of the first SciFi/Fantasy books 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.
August 30, 2020
I loved the earlier books of this series. After about book 6 or so, they began a gradual decline, in my opinion, and then an even sharper one in this book and the previous one in the series. This one I could not even finish. Sorry! I am sure some people love it, and that’s fine; it just was not my cup of tea :-)
December 15, 2022
One of the better Zanth books. It's the usual travel around meeting and solving problems, but not as boring as it could have been.
The quest is to find the Good Magician Humfrey, but the never do. However, our hero Dolph, a boy, manages to end up with a conundrum which is put off for "later" when he grows up. I hope a later book solves the problem because it's an interesting situation.
The quest is to find the Good Magician Humfrey, but the never do. However, our hero Dolph, a boy, manages to end up with a conundrum which is put off for "later" when he grows up. I hope a later book solves the problem because it's an interesting situation.
December 23, 2025
I am not very good at writing reviews yet, I never was. If you are looking for a great fantasy read you can't beat Piers Anthony whose writing provides a great read and plenty of humour. His endings are usually surprising and the Xanth series has humour, suspense and plenty of insights if you are open to seeing them.
August 10, 2020
According to my notes, I haven't read a book by this author in 29 years. After reading this one I remember why. I enjoyed the first 3 or 4 in the series but then they slowly changed into silly young-adult stories that just don't do anything for me. There are a few fun moments but that is about it.
December 17, 2022
Pun Fun
I liked the puns. Also the assortment of characters was good too. I did have a little trouble keeping track of the betrothed. The Dragon Draco was an exciting plot to the story. I like this assortment of story sections. I recommend this book for pun lovers!
I liked the puns. Also the assortment of characters was good too. I did have a little trouble keeping track of the betrothed. The Dragon Draco was an exciting plot to the story. I like this assortment of story sections. I recommend this book for pun lovers!
June 19, 2025
The beginning was a little slow and kind of hard to get into but honestly as more characters were introduced I ended up really enjoying it. The constant all over the place and new characters just felt right. But I’m really looking forward to seeing how the ending comes into play in future books.
July 14, 2017
Another one down. Unfortunately I skipped the 10th book. I'll have to take a step back and then catch up. As usual, about half way through the book I thought it could be done.
January 22, 2018
I have read this one many times but I think this will always be one of my favourites
August 31, 2019
This one is easier to read, fewer puns. The boy learns a lot on his quest and will grow up to be a very nice man.
April 2, 2020
Winding down. I think this was the last one I read. Only 36 more to go!
May 18, 2020
This was the first Xanth novel. I ever read. Prince Dolph is the best
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