Castle Roogna (original 1979; edition 1979)

Castle Roogna is the 3rd in the Xanth series. Like the other books, the target audience is young boys around 10-13. There is some sexual content in the books, but nothing that's too age inappropriate. The stories are light and humorous, though adults who are seasoned readers will find the plot predictable at times.

In Castle Roogna, 12 year old Dor, the son of Bink (the hero of the previous 2 novels), travels into the past by means of a tapestry in order reanimate a zombie to unite him with his love, Millie, a former ghost. During his adventure, Dor must learn the virtues of courage, loyalty to friends, charity and even continence. It is the right kind of book for a boy Dor's age to read, for many pre-teen boys (and many men) are in need of these great virtues which Dor learns. By sharing in his adventure, these virtues can be passed from story to reader. ( )

XANTH

#3 in the series. You would think after a while the puns would get little old-- Not really-- Good Stuff here!!
"Dor, son of Bink, is a 12 year old magician and next in line to inherit the throne of Xanth. To teach him the skills he will need to rule the kingdom, King Trent sends him through the tapestry on a mission 800 years into Xanth's past to find the ancient and mysterious Zombie Master. Dor travels to the past via the magic tapestry of Castle Roogna and inhabits the body of an invading mundane barbarian. While in the past Dor is accompanied by a (not normally) giant spider named Jumper, who had been drawn into the tapestry with him, and meets his current governess Millie the ghost, a short time before her unfortunate demise. Dor must use his magic and every other resource he possesses to help beat back an invading wave of mundanes and find a way to restore Millie's zombie lover to life back in the present." ( )

I needed something light & fast & easy after my last one so I picked this. #3 of Xanth series - Included: Liberal sprinklings of puns, heavy sprinklings of internal musings (pretty advanced ones for a 12 yr. old), life lessons, action & adventure, time travel, history, and a really big spider named Jumper. I liked him better than the main character Dor. I am remembering why I stopped reading this series - each book seems so uneven. I like parts but overall? I can do without reading it. Good thing this was a free copy from Bookmooch. ( )

This is one of the good books in the Xanth series. It is one of the 6 or so books in the series that comes close to capturing the plot and writing of the first book. This book jumps straight into action. And in the process you get a history lesson of Castle Roogna. The book is filled with suspense and irony. ( )