Dragon on a Pedestal

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

I actually found this book to be one of the more amusing of the series, and one that really brought it back to life, with the return of the royal family, and its newest member. Grundy the golem also appears, one of my favorite characters. This is a classic Xanth novel.

The Gap Dragon had escaped from the Gap and was ravaging across the land. The forget-spell that had covered the Gap was breaking up into small forget-whorls that wandered about, giving amnesia to all they touched. Good Magician Humfrey might have had the Answer, but he had overdosed on water from the Fountain of Youth and was only a helpless baby.

And Ivy, three-year-old daughter of King Dor and Queen Irene, as lost in the jungles south of the Gap. While Irene sought her without much hope, Ivy was wandering further into danger, her memories erased by a passing forget-whorl. Her path was leading her directly to where the Gap Dragon was seeking dinner.

I do like Piers Anthony, and I used to read his stuff all the time when I was in high school. But rereading a lot of his work now, I find myself getting kind of annoyed with the way he writes women. Not always, but there are definitely little, nagging moments that irritate me out of the story. Stuff I either didn't care about or didn't notice when I used to read them.

Also, I like Xanth a lot, but I also forgot how very MANY puns there are. Sheesh.

I noticed Anthony shifted into overdrive on his use of puns in this book. While the story was entertaining and the characters somewhat engaging, the use of puns got to be a distraction after a while. Others tell me Xanth novels only get worse from this point on. I'll keep reading them, I guess. The character of Ivy interests me a lot, and hopefully will be featured in upcoming Xanth stories.

I enjoyed how I got to learn more about Ivy at this stage in her life as well as her talent. She's very smart for her age. The puns were about average for Anthony but still entertaining. I rather like her talent; it makes her the ultimate cheerleader. The more she believes in someone the more her belief comes true. I've read this one twice now.

"Dragon on a Pedestal" continues the Xanth series by Piers Anthony. King Dor and Queen Irene have been married for a little while now and have a cute little three year old girl named Ivy. Irene has a frightening vision that tells her Ivy is going to be in great danger, and then Ivy manages to get lost! Of course this makes Irene frantic, and she sets off to find her daughter while King Dor stays behind to keep the kingdom together.

Ivy knows she's lost, but she's quite smart for her age, and having a blast! Her magical talent involves the enhancement of other people and animals. In fact, the more she believes in them, the more what she believes come true! Because of this talent she's able to make some unusual friendships, and over come show more obstacles that would have defeated those with a lesser talent.

Things come to a crisis point though when an invasion of Wiggles is found in Xanth. Irene is frantic to get to her daughter before anything bad happens, but Ivy and her new friends are the only one's who will be able to stop the Wiggles! Can the people and creatures of Xanth come together to face this threat? Will Ivy be safe? Read the book to find out! show less