On This Page
Description
Dor agreed to act as King of Xanth so long as Trent was gone for a week. But the weeks passed and Trent did not return. Dor knew he had to rescue his king but with no magic powers, how could it be done ... ?Tags
Recommendations
Member Recommendations
Member Reviews
This was the first Xanth book I read, and I still like it immensely. I like the give-and-take between Irene and Dor, though I admit I was a *lot* more innocent in my youth when I first read it. Given my propensity for making puns, this is where I really see Piers Anthony hit his stride in the Xanth series.
Xanth is basically Oz for Adolescents. The plot arcs are thinly connected fantasy incidents, usually improbable, and characters are not profound, but the stories are generally fun to read and there is an underlayer of morality lessons; despite frequent bawdiness and juvenile humor, there are no actual sexual incidents.
Lessons include fellowship, courage, duty, and relationship skills, although some of those are not always the best role models.
Full of Anthony's trademark puns and improbably good (or bad) luck, but it lives up to the genre of escapist fiction.
The POV is very much in tune with the Progressive Seventies zeitgeist.
Lessons include fellowship, courage, duty, and relationship skills, although some of those are not always the best role models.
Full of Anthony's trademark puns and improbably good (or bad) luck, but it lives up to the genre of escapist fiction.
The POV is very much in tune with the Progressive Seventies zeitgeist.
A friend gave me this book. I was traveling and gave it a shot, because I hadn't tried any other books by Piers Anthony.
So, it's better than most magazines. It's not Terry Pratchett entertaining, but it was (barely) entertaining enough that I finished the book. A couple times, I almost stopped, but did finish it. The book contains some stereotypes of women that I found pretty sexist, but might also be the sort of mild titillation that could get a teenager interested in reading more.
I will say that if you're a fan of this series, you'll probably enjoy the book just fine. And Piers Anthony does a fairly good job of taking his universe's rules and tweaking them a bit, then examining the consequences.
If you're looking for funny or show more pun-related fantasy novels, I'd start with Terry Pratchett. If you're looking for serious fantasy novels, I'd start with The Name of the Wind. If you're looking for self-aware fantasy novels that play with the crossover between our world and a fantasy world--and you've already read the Chronicles of Narnia--then you might try Wizard's Bane, about a computer programmer who is transported into a fantasy world.
Maybe I'm being a bit too negative. If I ran across another Piers Anthony book, I'd probably be pretty happy to read it. show less
So, it's better than most magazines. It's not Terry Pratchett entertaining, but it was (barely) entertaining enough that I finished the book. A couple times, I almost stopped, but did finish it. The book contains some stereotypes of women that I found pretty sexist, but might also be the sort of mild titillation that could get a teenager interested in reading more.
I will say that if you're a fan of this series, you'll probably enjoy the book just fine. And Piers Anthony does a fairly good job of taking his universe's rules and tweaking them a bit, then examining the consequences.
If you're looking for funny or show more pun-related fantasy novels, I'd start with Terry Pratchett. If you're looking for serious fantasy novels, I'd start with The Name of the Wind. If you're looking for self-aware fantasy novels that play with the crossover between our world and a fantasy world--and you've already read the Chronicles of Narnia--then you might try Wizard's Bane, about a computer programmer who is transported into a fantasy world.
Maybe I'm being a bit too negative. If I ran across another Piers Anthony book, I'd probably be pretty happy to read it. show less
An enjoyable and sometimes slightly provocative entry into the Xanth series. Dor, Irene, Smash, and Grundy (and other characters) are fun to follow as they set out to rescue King Trent of Xanth in Mundania. I continue to be struck by how clever these novels are with the English language.
Dor was having troubles growing up to be the next Magician-King of the magic Land of Xanth. He wanted no part of running the Kingdom. But now the Good King Trent was leaving on a trade mission to non-magical Mundania, home of such weird beasts as horses and bears, so Dor had to take over as King for a week.
A week passes. No Trent. Then three weeks. King Trent still hasn't returned. Surely, something terrible had happened; he was apparently held captive in some foul dungeon, unable to escape. Dor was left with the burden of ruling—and with Irene, who was entirely too willing to be his Queen!
His only hope was to enter Mundania and free King Trent. But how could it be done without the powers of magic? Nevertheless, he started forth show more bravely—together with Irene, a golem, a centaur, and a young ogre—heading for the far south of Xanth. show less
A week passes. No Trent. Then three weeks. King Trent still hasn't returned. Surely, something terrible had happened; he was apparently held captive in some foul dungeon, unable to escape. Dor was left with the burden of ruling—and with Irene, who was entirely too willing to be his Queen!
His only hope was to enter Mundania and free King Trent. But how could it be done without the powers of magic? Nevertheless, he started forth show more bravely—together with Irene, a golem, a centaur, and a young ogre—heading for the far south of Xanth. show less
Young Dor is acting as the temporary king while King Trent visits Mundania. When Trent doesn't return, Dor leads a quest with his friends: Irene, Grundy, Smash, and Chet, to find him, discovering a magical centaur, Arnolde, whose unique talent creates a Centaur Aisle of magic, allowing them to operate in the non-magical Mundania to rescue Trent and Iris.
One of the things that I noticed about the Xanth Series is that while they were written in a particular order, and while it is probably helpful to read them in order, it is probably not necessary to do so. Personally, even though the books do not directly follow on from each other, as do most trilogies or series, it is hinted that the books are following a vague time line. Obviously Centaur Aisle follows on after Castle Roogna, but not directly.
King Trent decides to go on a journey and puts Dor in charge of the kingdom. However Trent does not return when he is supposed to and Dor brings some friends together (a Golem and an Ogre, I think, it has been a long time since I read this book, so I am grateful to Wikipedia for having summaries show more of pretty much every one). Trent has gone to Mundania to try to establish trade routes, but he is captured. The catch with Mundania is that magic does not work there, so Dor and his friends travel to an island and meet up with a cantaur (Centaurs hate magic) who has been exiled because of a gift. His gift is the ability to create a field of magic where there is none. So armed with this 'weapon' they travel to Mundania to rescue King Trent.
It should be noted that Dor's gift is the ability to communicate with inanimate objects, which is a very useful gift for a king to have. The thing with Xanth is that everybody has a gift, but it is not like atypical fantasy novels where magic is learnt through hard study and is possessed by a few. Magic in Xanth is a birthright, however all one gets is that one gift, so it comes down to how this gift is used.
Some have suggested that these books are about hope, struggle against impossible odds, and never giving up. Sure, it is a common thread through a lot of books, but I would hardly say that it is worthy of writing an essay on. Even then, by year 12 my English Teacher would hardly have been impressed with me writing an essay on a Xanth Novel, when in his mind there are plenty of better novels out there on which one can write an essay. show less
King Trent decides to go on a journey and puts Dor in charge of the kingdom. However Trent does not return when he is supposed to and Dor brings some friends together (a Golem and an Ogre, I think, it has been a long time since I read this book, so I am grateful to Wikipedia for having summaries show more of pretty much every one). Trent has gone to Mundania to try to establish trade routes, but he is captured. The catch with Mundania is that magic does not work there, so Dor and his friends travel to an island and meet up with a cantaur (Centaurs hate magic) who has been exiled because of a gift. His gift is the ability to create a field of magic where there is none. So armed with this 'weapon' they travel to Mundania to rescue King Trent.
It should be noted that Dor's gift is the ability to communicate with inanimate objects, which is a very useful gift for a king to have. The thing with Xanth is that everybody has a gift, but it is not like atypical fantasy novels where magic is learnt through hard study and is possessed by a few. Magic in Xanth is a birthright, however all one gets is that one gift, so it comes down to how this gift is used.
Some have suggested that these books are about hope, struggle against impossible odds, and never giving up. Sure, it is a common thread through a lot of books, but I would hardly say that it is worthy of writing an essay on. Even then, by year 12 my English Teacher would hardly have been impressed with me writing an essay on a Xanth Novel, when in his mind there are plenty of better novels out there on which one can write an essay. show less
Members
- Recently Added By
Lists
NPRs your picks: top 100 Sci-Fi/Fantasy books
297 works; 79 members
Books Read in 2000
115 works; 4 members
Is the book too misogynist to read/recommend?
40 works; 9 members
Genre Benders: Comic Fantasy
97 works; 16 members
Tagged Parallel Worlds
43 works; 11 members
Author Information
Piers Anthony Dillingham Jacob was born in August, 1934, in Oxford, England. He graduated from Goddard College in Vermont in 1956. He became a naturalized U.S. citizen while serving in the United States Army in 1958. He served in the U.S. Army from 1957-1959. In 1977, he received a British Fantasy Award for A Spell for a Chameleon. Anthony's show more family emigrated to the United States from Britain when he was six. Highly popular because of his science fiction and fantasy works, Anthony is also known for the Jason Striker series and martial arts novels co-written with Roberto Fuentes. A highly prolific author, Anthony's other works include Bio of a Space Tyrant, Cluster, and the Omnivore series. Anthony makes his home in Tampa, Florida. He also writes under the pseudonym Robert Piers. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
Some Editions
Awards and Honors
Series
Belongs to Publisher Series
Work Relationships
Common Knowledge
- Canonical title
- Centaur Aisle
- Original title
- Centaur Aisle
- Original publication date
- 1982
- People/Characters
- Arnolde; Beauregard; Bianca; Borywog; Chameleon; Cherie Centaur (show all 33); Chet Centaur; Crombie; Crunch Ogre; Dor; Doreen; Fracto; Gerome; Gorgon; Grundy Golem; Hiatus; Humfrey; Ichabod; Imp Ortant; Irene, Sorceress of Plants; Iris, Sorceress of Illusion; Jewel; Jonathan the Zombie Master; Justin Tree; Lacuna; Millie; Oary; Omen; Roland; Smash Ogre; Trent, Magician of Transformation; Weedles; Zilch
- Important places
- Xanth; Good Magician Humfrey's Castle; Centaur Isle
- Dedication
- The author thanks Jerome Brown for the notion of the "Spelling Bee" used in the first chapter, and the many other fans whose letters of encouragement have caused the Xanth trilogy to be expanded.... (show all)
May those who feel Xanth is sexist have pleasure in this novel, wherein Mundania is shown to be worse. - First words
- Dor was trying to write an essay, because the King had decreed that any future monarchs of Xanth should be literate.
- Last words
- (Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)"... And Dor had to hold Irene delightfully tight to prevent her from kicking the golem.
- Original language*
- Englisch
*Some information comes from Common Knowledge in other languages. Click "Edit" for more information.
Classifications
Statistics
- Members
- 3,387
- Popularity
- 4,941
- Reviews
- 17
- Rating
- (3.38)
- Languages
- English, French, German, Polish
- Media
- Paper, Ebook
- ISBNs
- 22
- ASINs
- 19